406. Thus far it has been shown what "mountain" signifies; it remains to be shown what "island" signifies, for it is said, "Every mountain and island were moved out of their places;" and elsewhere:

Every island fled away, and the mountains were not found (Revelation 16:20).

"Islands" in the Word do not mean islands nor those who dwell upon islands, but the natural man in respect to the truths that are in it is meant, and thus, in an abstract sense, the truths of the natural man are signified. The truths of the natural man are true knowledges [scientifica], which are under the intuition of the rational man, and the cognitions of truth which are under the intuition of the spiritual man; the cognitions of truth are such as the natural man knows from the Word, while true knowledges [scientifica] are such as the natural man sees from the rational, and by which he is accustomed to confirm the truths of the church. There are with man two minds, one higher or interior, which is called the spiritual mind; and the other lower or exterior, which is called the natural mind. The natural mind is first opened and cultivated with men, because this most nearly stands forth in the world; and afterwards the spiritual mind is opened and cultivated, but only to the extent that man receives in the life the cognitions of truth from the Word, or from doctrine from the Word; consequently with those who do not apply knowledges to the life it is not opened. But when the spiritual mind is opened the light of heaven flows in through that mind into the natural mind and enlightens it, whereby the natural mind becomes spiritual-natural; for the spiritual mind then sees in the natural almost as a man sees his face in a mirror, and acknowledges the things that are in agreement with itself. But when the spiritual mind is not opened, as is the case with those who do not apply to their life the cognitions of truth and good that are in the Word, there is nevertheless formed in man a mind in the interior part of the natural; but this mind consists of mere falsities and evils; because the spiritual mind, by which the light of heaven is let into the natural by a direct way is not opened; but [light is let in] only through chinks round about; from this a man has the faculty to think, reason, and speak, and also the faculty to understand truths, but not the faculty to love them, or to do them from affection. For the faculty to love truths because they are truths is given only through an influx of the light of heaven through the spiritual mind; for the light of heaven through the spiritual mind is conjoined with the heat of heaven, which is love, which is comparatively like the light of the world in the time of spring; but the light of heaven flowing only through chinks into the natural is a light separated from the heat of heaven which is love, and this light is comparatively like the light of the world in the time of winter. This makes clear that a man in whom the spiritual mind is opened is like a garden and a paradise; but a man in whom the spiritual mind is not opened is like a wilderness, and like land covered with snow. Because the mind makes the man (the mind consisting of understanding and will) it is the same whether you say the mind or the man, thus whether you say the spiritual and natural mind or the spiritual and natural man.

The natural mind or natural man, in respect to its truths and its falsities, is signified by "islands" in the Word, in respect to truths with those in whom the spiritual mind is opened, and in respect to falsities with those in whom the spiritual mind is closed.

[2] That these are signified by "islands" can be seen from the following passages in the Word. In Ezekiel:

Thus said the Lord Jehovih to Tyre: Shall not the islands quake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded shall groan, when the slaughter shall be accomplished in the midst of thee? And all the princes of the sea shall come down from ¹ their thrones. The islands shall tremble in the day of thy fall, and the islands that are in the sea shall be affrighted at thy departure. All the inhabitants of the islands were astonished at thee, and their kings shuddered shuddering, their faces were troubled (Ezekiel 26:15-16, 18; 27:35).

These two chapters treat of Tyre, which signifies the church in respect to the knowledges of truth and good, and in an abstract sense the knowledges of truth and good. In the first place the intelligence and wisdom of the men of the church through the knowledges of truth and good from the Word is treated of, and afterwards the church vastated in respect to these. The church vastated in respect to these, or where the knowledges of truth and good have perished is described by what is said by the prophet in these verses; the vastation of the knowledges of truth and good by "when the wounded shall groan, and when the slaughter shall be accomplished in the midst of thee," "the wounded" meaning those in whom truths are extinguished, and "slaughter" meaning the very extinction of truth and good.

That all knowledges that man from his infancy has imbibed from the Word, also all true knowledges by which he has confirmed them, are then disturbed, moved out of their place, and recede is signified by "the islands shall tremble, and all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones," also by "the islands shall tremble in the day of thy fall, and the islands that are in the sea shall be affrighted," "islands" meaning these cognitions and knowledges in the natural man; "the princes of the sea" primary things therein, "sea" signifying the natural man and all things therein in general. That all goods of truth of the natural man, because of the vastation of the knowledges of truth, shall be changed as to their state is signified by "all the inhabitants of the islands were astonished at thee, and their kings shuddered, their faces were troubled;" "the inhabitants of the islands" mean the goods of truth of the natural man, for "to inhabit," in the Word, signifies to live, and "inhabitants" the goods of life; "kings" mean all truths from good; "faces" signify the interiors and the affections; "to be astonished," "affrighted," and "troubled" signify to be entirely changed as to state. This makes clear what these things involve in the internal sense, namely, that all cognitions of truth and good and the confirming knowledges that man from infancy has imbibed from the Word and from teachers, will change their places and their state in the natural man and perish out of sight when falsities enter.

[3] In Isaiah:

The king of Assyria shall lead the captivity of Egypt and the crowd of Cush that is to be carried away; then shall they be dismayed and ashamed because of Cush their expectation, and because of Egypt their adornment; and the inhabitant of this island shall say in that day, Behold, such is our expectation, whither we flee for help to be delivered from before the king of Assyria; and how shall we escape? (Isaiah 20:4-6).

No one can perceive anything about the church in these words, but only something obscurely historical, which is not known to have occurred, as that the king of Assyria will lead away Egypt and Cush into captivity, and that the dwellers of some island would grieve in heart over it; yet, here as elsewhere, some matter of the church is treated of, and this matter becomes manifest when it is known that "the king of Assyria" signifies the rational perverted, and thence the reasoning from false knowledges which favor the delight of natural loves, over which the natural man grieves because it is perverted thereby; for "the king of Assyria shall lead the captivity of Egypt and the crowd of Cush that is to be carried away" signifies that the perverted rational will claim to itself the knowledges of the natural man, and will confirm itself by these and by its delights, which these favor, "the king of Assyria" meaning the rational perverted, "to lead the captivity" and "to carry away the crowd" meaning to claim for itself and to confirm itself by reasonings, "Egypt" meaning the knowing faculty of the natural man, and "Cush" the delight which it favors.

That the goods of truth of the natural man grieve on this account, or that the natural man, in which are the goods of truth, grieves is signified by all the things that follow, namely, that "they shall be dismayed and ashamed because of Cush their expectation, and because of Egypt their adornment; and the inhabitant of the island shall say in that day," and what follows; "the inhabitant of the island" meaning the good of truth, of the natural man, or the natural man in whom is the good of truth, "inhabitant" signifying good, and "island" truth, both in the natural man (as above). That there is such a sense in these words can hardly be believed, and yet it is there.

[4] In the same:

These shall lift up their voice, they shall shout for joy; for the majesty of Jehovah they shall cry aloud from the sea; therefore glorify Jehovah in Urim, the name of [Jehovah] the God of Israel in the islands of the sea (Isaiah 24:14-15).

This chapter treats of the vastation of the church, and in these verses of the establishment of a new church among the gentiles; the joy of these is described by "they shall lift up their voice, they shall shout for joy; for the majesty of Jehovah they shall cry aloud from the sea," or from the west; "the sea" when it means the west signifying the natural, for the reason that those who dwell in the western quarter in the spiritual world are in natural good, while those who dwell in the eastern quarter are in celestial good; and as the Gentiles of whom the church was constituted were in natural good it is said "glorify Jehovah in Urim, the name of the God of Israel in the islands of the sea," which signifies that they were to worship the Lord from the goods and truths in the natural man, for "Urim" means a fire and a hearth, and these signify the good of love of the natural man; "the islands of the sea" signify the knowledges of truth and good, which are the truths of the natural man; and "to glorify" signifies to worship and adore; "Jehovah" and "God of Israel" mean the Lord, who is called "Jehovah" where good is treated of, and "the God of Israel" where truth is treated of; it is therefore said "glorify Jehovah in Urim," that is, from good, "and the name of the God of Israel in the islands of the sea," that is, from truths. This makes clear that "islands of the sea" signify the truths of the natural man.

[5] In the same:

He shall not quench nor break till He have set judgment in the earth; and the islands shall hope in His law. Sing unto Jehovah a new song, His praise, the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, its fullness, ye islands and the inhabitants thereof. Let the wilderness and its cities extol, the villages that Arabia doth inhabit; let the inhabitants of the cliff sing aloud, let them cry aloud from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory unto Jehovah, and declare His praise in the islands (Isaiah 42:4, 10-12).

This, too, treats of the Lord and of a new church to be established by Him, and "islands" mean those who are merely in truths from the natural man, and are therefore as yet remote from true worship; so, "till He have set judgment in the earth, and the islands shall hope in His law," signifies until He shall have given intelligence to those who are of the church, and the knowledges of truth to those who are more remote from the church; "to set judgment" meaning to give intelligence; "to hope in the law" meaning to give the knowledges of truth, for "the earth" signifies those who are of the church, and in an abstract sense the church itself in respect to intelligence from spiritual truths, and "the islands" signify those who are remote from the church, and in an abstract sense the church in respect to the knowledges of truth and good, or the church in respect to the truths of the natural man that correspond to spiritual truths; "sing unto Jehovah a new song, His praise, the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and its fullness, ye islands and the inhabitants thereof," signifies the worship of the Lord by those who are remote from the church, and in an abstract sense, the worship of the natural man from truths and goods; "to sing a song" and "to praise" signify worship from a glad mind; "the end of the earth" signifies those who are in the ultimates of the church, and in an abstract sense its ultimates; "the sea and its fullness" signify the natural man and all things therein; "islands and inhabitants" signify the truths and goods of the natural man, "islands" its truths, and "inhabitants" its goods (as above). What is signified by "let the wilderness and its cities extol, and the villages that Arabia doth inhabit; let the inhabitants of the cliff sing aloud, let them cry aloud from the top of the mountains," see above n. 405, where this is explained; "let them give glory unto Jehovah, and let the islands declare His praise," signifies worship from internals and externals; "to give glory" meaning worship from internals, and "to declare praise" worship from externals, for externals declare, and "islands" mean the truths of the natural man from which is worship.

[6] In the same:

Attend unto Me, My people, and give ears unto Me, O My nation; for the law shall go forth from Me, and I will arouse My judgment for a light of the peoples. My righteousness is near, My salvation is gone forth, and Mine arms shall judge the peoples; the islands shall hope in Me, and on Mine arm shall they trust (Isaiah 51:4-5).

This is said of the Lord; "Attend unto Me, My people, and give ears unto Me, O My nation," signifies all who are of the church who are in truths and goods, "people" meaning those who are in truths and "nation" those who are in goods. It is said "attend" and "give ears," in the plural, because all are meant; "the law shall go forth from Me, and I will arouse My judgment for a light of the peoples," signifies that from Him are Divine good and Divine truth, from which is illustration; "law" signifying the Divine good of the Word, and "judgment" the Divine truth of the Word, "for a light of the people" signifying illustration; "My righteousness is near, My salvation is gone forth," signifies the judgment, when those who are in the good of love and in truths therefrom are saved, "righteousness" having reference to the salvation of those who are in good at the day of judgment, and "salvation" of those who are in truths; "Mine arms shall judge the peoples" signifies judgment upon those of the church who are in falsities, "peoples" here having the contrary sense; "the islands shall hope in Me, and on Mine arm shall they trust," signifies the approach of those to the church who are remote from the truths of the church, and their trust in the Lord; "the islands" signifying those who are remote from the truths of the church because they are in natural light and not yet in spiritual light from the Word, and "to trust on His arm" signifies trust in the Lord who has all power, "arm" in reference to the Lord meaning omnipotence.

[7] In the same:

Hear, O islands, and attend ye peoples from afar (Isaiah 49:1).

"The islands" stand for those who are in truths, and "the peoples from afar" for those who are in goods, and in an abstract sense, truths and goods, both in the natural man; "from afar" is predicated of the goods that are in the natural man, while "near" is predicated of the goods that are in the spiritual man. "Peoples" here signify goods, because in the original a different word is used from that which signifies truths; for this word is also applied to nations, whereby goods are signified (as is evident from the same word in Genesis 25:23).

[8] In Jeremiah:

Hear the word of Jehovah, ye nations, and declare it in the islands afar off (Jeremiah 31:10).

"Nations" stand for those who are in goods, and in an abstract sense for goods; and "islands" for those who are in truths, and in an abstract sense, for truths in the natural man; "afar off" signifies remote from the truths of the church, which are spiritual (that "afar off" has this signification, see Arcana Coelestia 8918). But these words in a purely spiritual sense, signify that the internal man shall teach the external, or the spiritual the whole natural man, the truths of the Word, for it is this that "the nations declare in the islands afar off;" but this pure sense, which is for angels, is with difficulty perceived by men, for it is with difficulty that men can think abstractedly from persons and places, for the reason that the thought of men is natural, and natural thought differs from spiritual thought in this, that it is tied down to places and persons and is consequently more limited than the spiritual. And this is why many things that have been explained will perhaps with difficulty fall into the ideas of the thought of those who keep the sight of the mind fixed on the sense of the words.

[9] In David:

The kings of Tarshish and of the islands shall bring an offering; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer a gift (Psalms 72:10).

This is said of the Lord, and "to bring and offer a gift" means to worship; and "kings of Tarshish and of the islands" mean the interior and exterior truths of the natural man, "the kings of Tarshish" its interior truths, and "islands" its exterior truths; "the kings of Sheba and Seba" mean the interior and exterior goods of the natural man, "Sheba" its interior goods, and "Seba" its exterior goods. By the truths of the natural man the knowledges of truth are meant, and by the goods of the natural man the knowledges of good are meant. (That these are meant by "Sheba and Seba," see Arcana Coelestia, n. 1171, 3240; and that the interior truths of the natural man are meant by "Tarshish," see just below.) And because these are meant, those who are in the knowledges of truth and good are also meant.

[10] In Isaiah:

Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as doves to their windows? Because the islands shall trust in Me, and the ships of Tarshish in the beginning, to bring thy sons from far (Isaiah 60:8-9).

This, too, is said of the Lord, and it signifies that those will receive and acknowledge Him who are in simple truth and good, who are such as perceive the truths of the Word in a natural way, that is, according to the sense of the letter, and do them, "the islands" signifying those who perceive the Word in a natural way, that is, according to the sense of the letter, "the ships of Tarshish in the beginning" meaning the goods that they bring forth and do, for "Tarshish" signifies the natural man in respect to knowledges, and "Tarshish in the beginning" the natural man in respect to the knowledges of good, because Tarshish abounded in gold and silver, and these the ships brought away thence (1 Kings 10:22); at first, gold, which signifies good; and as truths are from good it is also said "to bring thy sons from far." And as "islands" and "ships of Tarshish" signify the knowledges of truth and good of the natural man, it is said, "Who are these that fly as a cloud and as doves to their windows?" "cloud" signifying the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, "doves" the goods therein, and "windows" truths from good in light. (That "ships" signify the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, see Arcana Coelestia 1977, 6385; and that "windows" signify truths in light, and therefore the intellectual, n. 655, 658, 3391)

[11] In the same:

Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for Tyre is laid waste, so that there is no house, nor doth anyone enter; from the land of Kittim it shall plainly come to them. The inhabitants of the island are still, the merchant of Zidon passeth over the sea, they have filled thee. Be ashamed, O Zidon, for the sea saith, the stronghold of the sea, I have not travailed, neither brought forth; I have not trained up young men, I have not brought up virgins. When the report comes from Egypt they shall be in travail, as at the report respecting Tyre. Pass ye over into Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the island (Isaiah 23:1-2, 4-6).

This describes the desolation of truth in the church; for "the ships of Tarshish" signify the knowledges of good from the Word, and "Tyre" the knowledges of truth therefrom. That there is no good because there are no truths is signified by "howl, ye ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, so that there is no house, nor doth anyone enter," that falsities then enter until there are no longer any goods of truth and truths of good in the natural man, is signified by "from the land of Kittim it shall plainly come to them; the inhabitants of the island are still, the merchant of Zidon passeth over the sea, they have filled thee;" "the land of Kittim" signifies falsities; "the inhabitants of the island" signify the goods of truth in the natural man (as above); "the merchant of Zidon" signifies the knowledges from the Word; "passeth over the sea" signifies which are in the natural man; "they have filled thee" (that is, the ships of Tarshish) signifies, they have enriched thee by them. The vastation of truth and good in the natural man is further described by "Be ashamed, O Zidon, for the sea said, the stronghold of the sea, I have not travailed, neither brought forth; I have not trained up young men, I have not brought up virgins;" "Zidon," as well as "Tyre," signifies the knowledges of truth and good in the church; "the sea, the stronghold of the sea," signifies the whole natural man; "I have not travailed, neither brought forth," signifies that there is nothing of the church conceived or generated; "young men" signify the affections of truth, and "virgins" the affections of good. This took place because cognitions from the Word and confirming knowledges [scientifica] were applied to falsities and evils which is signified by "when the report comes from Egypt they shall be in travail, as at the report respecting Tyre;" "Egypt" signifying knowledges [scientifica]; "Tyre," the cognitions from the Word, here those vastated by the falsities and evils to which they have been applied; and as there is lamentation on this account it is said "they shall be in travail." That all good in the natural man and all truth there would thus perish is signified by "pass ye over into Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the island;" "Tarshish" signifying interior goods and truths in the natural man; "the inhabitants of the island" signifying exterior goods and truths therein (as above), "to howl" signifying grief on account of vastation.

[12] In Jeremiah:

I took the cup out of Jehovah's hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom Jehovah sent me, all the kings of Tyre, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the island which is in the crossing (beyond) the sea (Jeremiah 25:17, 22).

Many nations are enumerated in this chapter that are not cited here, all of which signify the goods and truths of the church in general and in particular that are vastated; and "the kings of Tyre and Zidon" signify the knowledges of truth and good from the Word in the natural man; for all the knowledges of truth and good, so far as they are knowledges, are in the natural man; they become truths and goods when men live according to them, because it is by means of the life that they are received in the spiritual man; "the kings of the island which is in the crossing beyond the sea" signify the knowledges of truth in the ultimate of the natural man, which is called the natural-sensual, because through this there is a crossing into the interiors of the natural man, "sea" signifying the natural man in general (See above, n. 275, 342). The vastation of these things is meant by "the cup of Jehovah which the prophet made the nations to drink."

[13] In the same:

Because of the day that cometh to devastate all the Philistines, to cut off from Tyre and Zidon every residue that helpeth; for Jehovah devastates the Philistines, the remnant of the island of Caphtor (Jeremiah 47:4).

"The Philistines" mean those who are in faith alone, or in faith separate from charity, therefore they are also called "the uncircumcised," which signifies that they have no charity (See Arcana Coelestia 2049, 3412, 3413, 8093, 8313); "to cut off from Tyre and Zidon every residue that helpeth" signifies that they have no knowledge of truth and good; "the residue that helpeth" signifying that they are no longer concordant; "the remnant of the island of Caphtor" has a like signification.

[14] In the same:

Pass over into the islands of the Kittim and see; send into Arabia and consider well, and see whether there hath been such a thing, whether a nation hath changed gods (Jeremiah 2:10-11).

"To pass over and to send into the islands of the Kittim and into Arabia" does not signify to send to those places, but to all who live naturally in truths and goods according to their religious principle; "the islands of the Kittim" meaning where those are who live naturally in truths, and "Arabia" where those are who live naturally in goods, that is, according to their religious principle; "the Kittim" and "Arabia" signify such persons and things; for all who do not have the Word or any revelation from heaven, and live according to their religious principle, live naturally; for to live spiritually is to live solely in accordance with truths and goods from the Word and from revelation out of heaven.

[15] In Zephaniah:

Jehovah will be fearful upon them; for He will make lean all the gods of the earth, ² that they may worship Him, every man from his place, all the islands of the nations, ye Kushites also, slain by my sword shall they be (Zephaniah 2:11-12).

This, in the internal sense, signifies that the falsities of evil will be dispersed, and truths and goods given to those who are in falsities indeed, but not in the falsities of evil; "the gods of the nations that He will make lean" signify the falsities of evil, "gods" signifying falsities, "nations" evils, and "to make lean" to remove evils from falsities; "the islands of the nations" and "the Kushites" signify those who are in falsities indeed, but not in the falsities of evil; and in an abstract sense they signify falsities, but not falsities of evil; and as falsities not of evil are in the natural man, therefore "the islands of the nations" signify the natural man in respect to such falsities, or in respect to falsities in the natural man; these falsities are signified by "slain by my sword." (Respecting the falsities of evil, and the falsities not of evil, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 21.)

[16] In David:

He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river even unto the uttermost parts of the earth. The islands shall bow low before Him; and His enemies shall lick the dust (Psalms 72:8-9).

This is said respecting the Lord; and "to have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river even unto the uttermost parts of the earth," means His dominion over all things of heaven and the church; for the boundaries in the spiritual world are seas, and the intermediate regions are lands, where there are habitations for angels and spirits; therefore "from sea to sea" signifies all things of heaven, and because all things of heaven, it signifies also all things of the church; for the goods of love and the truths therefrom are what constitute both heaven and also the church, so "from sea to sea" signifies also all things of the church.

All things of heaven and of the church are signified by "from the river even unto the uttermost parts of the earth;" but this signifies all things of heaven and of the church in respect to truths, while "from sea to sea" signifies all things of heaven and of the church in respect to goods; for in the spiritual world the seas are the boundaries of the land east and west, and in the lands from the east to the west those dwell who are in the good of love; while "the river" means the first boundary, and "the uttermost parts of the earth" the last boundaries from south to north, where those dwell who are in truths from good; these boundaries were represented in respect to the land of Canaan by the rivers Jordan and Euphrates. Because the places that are about the last boundaries are meant by "islands," these signify truths in last things; and these, although they are not truths, are accepted as truths; for genuine truths are diminished from the midst towards the borders, since those who are about the borders are in natural light, and not so much in spiritual light. "Enemies" signify evils, of whom it is said that they "shall lick the dust," that is, that they are damned.

[17] In the same:

Jehovah reigneth; the earth shall exult; many islands shall be glad (Psalms 97:1).

This signifies that the church where the Word is and the church where the Word is not, consequently those who are in spiritual truths and those who are in truths not spiritual, shall rejoice on account of the Lord's kingdom. "The earth" signifies the church where the Word is, and "the islands" the church where the Word is not, consequently those who are far away from spiritual truths; for the truths of the Word only are spiritual, whereas those who are outside the church, as they do not have the truths of the Word, have only natural truths; this is why they are called "islands."

[18] By "islands" in the Word certain islands of the sea are not meant, but places in the spiritual world inhabited by those who have a natural knowledge of cognitions that in some measure agree with the cognitions of truth and good that are in the Word; and these places sometimes appear there as islands in a sea; so in an abstract sense "islands" signify the truths of the natural man. This is so called from a sea in which there are islands, for "the sea" signifies the generals of truth, or the truths of the natural man in general. This is the signification of "islands" in Genesis:

The sons of Javan were Elisha and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. From these were the islands of the nations separated in their lands; everyone after his tongue, after their families, in their nations (Genesis 10:4-5).

And in Isaiah:

He will come to gather all nations and tongues that they may come and see My glory; and I will set a sign among them, and I will send those of them that escape unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the islands afar off, that have not heard My fame, neither have seen My glory; and they shall declare My glory among the nations (Isaiah 66:18-19; likewise Isaiah 11:10-11).

[19] As most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so have islands; and in this sense "islands" signify the falsities opposed to the truths in the natural man. In this sense "islands" are mentioned in the following passages. In Isaiah:

I will make waste mountains and hills and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools (Isaiah 42:15-16).

This may be seen explained in the preceding article, n. 405. In Ezekiel:

I will send a fire upon Magog, and upon the secure inhabitants of the islands (Ezekiel 39:6).

In Isaiah:

[He will repay] wrath to His adversaries, retribution to His enemies; to the islands He will repay retribution (Isaiah 59:18).

Behold, the nations are as a drop from a bucket, and are reckoned as the dust of the balance; behold, He taketh up the islands as a very little thing (Isaiah 40:15).

"Nations" here stand for evils, and "the islands" for falsities. In the same:

Keep silence, O islands; let the peoples renew power; let them draw near, then let them speak; let us come near together for judgment. The islands saw and feared; the ends of the earth trembled (Isaiah 41:1, 5).

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315. As if slain, signifies as yet acknowledged by few. This is evident from the signification of "slain," as being, in reference to the Lord, that He has not been acknowledged; here that few have acknowledged His Human to be Divine, for it is said "a Lamb standing as if slain," a "lamb" signifying the Lord in respect to the Divine Human (as was shown just above, n. 314. The meaning here is similar to what was said of the Lord (Revelation 1:18), "and I became dead," which signifies that He was rejected (See above, n. 83). In the spiritual or internal sense, "slain" does not mean slain in respect to the body, but in respect to the soul; and man is slain in respect to the soul when he is no longer in any good of faith, for he then has no spiritual life, but death instead, which is called spiritual death. But this is not what the term "slain" signifies when applied to the Lord, since the Lord is life itself, and gives spiritual life to everyone; but it signifies either that He is rejected or that He is not acknowledged; for with those who do not acknowledge, and still more with those who deny, He is as nothing. The Lord Himself, to be sure, and also His Divine, is acknowledged in the church, but in respect to the Human as a mere man and not as God; thus it is that His Divine Human is not acknowledged; this, therefore, is what is meant by "a Lamb standing as if slain." But that the Lord is God also as to the Human, can be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 280-310), and will be seen at the end of this work, where it will be plainly shown.

[2] Those who think solely from the sense of the letter of the Word, and not at the same time from the doctrine of genuine truth, know no otherwise than that "slain" in the Word means slain in respect to the body; but that it means slain in respect to the soul will be seen from the passages to be quoted presently. For it is acknowledged that the Word in its inmost is spiritual, although in the sense of the letter it is natural; and to be slain spiritually is to perish in respect to the soul, as is the case with those who do not receive the life of heaven, which is called "life eternal," and also simply "life," and who thus in place of this have death, which is damnation. And because this is acknowledged, it follows that "to be slain" means in the Word to perish by falsities and evils. But spiritually the Lord is said "to be slain" when the truth from Him is denied and the good from Him is rejected; with these the Lord is also not acknowledged, for he who denies and rejects what is from Him, denies and rejects Him also, for the Lord is with man in his truths and goods.

[3] But here His Divine Human is treated of; that this is not acknowledged as yet, is known. I will state the reasons: One is, that the popish body has transferred to its own primate all Divine power that the Lord has, also that in respect to His Human, and are unwilling to hear that it is Divine, since it is from His Human. The other reason is, that those who are not of that body have made faith alone the sole means of salvation, and not the life of charity; and those who do this are unable to perceive the Lord's Human as differing from the human of another man; they therefore abide blindly in the doctrine of the Trinity from the creed of Athanasius, and cannot be illustrated.

[4] That "to be slain" in the Word signifies to be slain spiritually, can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:

Thou, like an abominable shoot, the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with the sword: for thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people. Prepare slaughter for His sons (Isaiah 14:19-21).

This is said of Babylon, which signifies the profanation of good and truth, and the consequent destruction of the church. It is compared to "the raiment of those that are slain, who are thrust through with the sword," because "the raiment of those that are slain" signifies abominable falsity, defiling and destroying the things of the church; they are therefore said "to be thrust through with the sword," because "sword" signifies falsity destroying truth. Therefore it is said, "thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people," "land" means the church, and "people" those therein who are in truths; to "slay" these is to destroy by falsities. "Prepare slaughter for his sons" signifies that their falsities are to be destroyed, "his sons" meaning falsities.

[5] In Jeremiah:

The slain of Jehovah shall be at that day from the end of the earth unto the end of the earth (Jeremiah 25:33).

"The slain of Jehovah from the end of the earth unto the end of the earth" signify those with whom all the truths of the church have been destroyed by falsities; "the slain of Jehovah" signifying those with whom they have been destroyed, and "from the end of the earth unto the end of the earth" signifying all things of the church.

[6] In the same:

Therefore give their sons to the famine, and make them flow down upon the hands of the sword, that men may become rare, ¹ slain with death, their young men smitten with the sword in war (Jeremiah 18:21).

"To give the sons to the famine, and to make them flow down upon the hands of the sword," signifies to extinguish the truths of the church through failure of the knowledges of truth and through falsities, "sons" are truths, "famine" is a failure of knowledges, and "sword" falsity destroying truth; "that men may become rare, slain with death," signifies that there is no affection of truth or wisdom therefrom, "men" signifying the affection of truth and wisdom therefrom (See above, n. 280; "their young men smitten with the sword in war" signifies because truths have been destroyed by the assaults of falsity, "young men" meaning truths, "sword" falsity destroying, and "war" the assault of falsity.

[7] In Ezekiel:

Pass ye through Jerusalem, and smite; neither let your eye spare; slay ye to destruction the old man, the young man, and the virgin, and the infant; but come not near against any man upon whom is the sign (Ezekiel 9:5-6).

This was said by "the man clothed in linen," or by the angel, to other angels, and was heard by the prophet. It does not mean that they should pass through Jerusalem, and should smite and slay to destruction old men, young men, virgins, and infants; but "Jerusalem" means the church in respect to doctrine, and it is meant that the church is altogether vastated in respect to all the goods and truths that constitute it; "old man" means wisdom which is of good; "young man" intelligence which is of truth; "virgin" the affection of these; and "infant" every good and truth in its birth, in a special sense the good of innocence, by which all things of the church with man are begotten; "the man [vir] upon whom was the sign and to whom they should not come near," signifies truth from good.

[8] In the same:

That they may stone them with a stone, may cleave them with swords, may slay their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses with fire (Ezekiel 23:47).

This was said of Samaria and Jerusalem, which are here called Oholah and Oholibah; by which are signified the two churches, namely, the spiritual and the celestial, here those churches devastated by falsities and evils. "To stone with a stone, and to cleave with swords," signifies the destruction of truth by falsities, for "stoning" signified punishment and death because of violence offered to Divine truth; "cleaving by swords" has a like signification. "To slay sons and daughters" signifies to destroy all truths and goods, "sons" meaning truths and "daughters" goods; and "to burn up the houses with fire" signifies to destroy all things that are of love and charity by the evils of the love of self and the world, "houses" mean man's interiors, thus the things that are of his love, here that these are destroyed; "fire" meaning love in both senses.

[9] In Jeremiah:

They have lain on the earth, lad and old man in the streets; my virgins and my young men have fallen by the sword; Thou hast slain in the day of Thine anger, Thou hast not pitied (Lamentations 2:21).

Here, too, the church devastated is treated of. "To lie on the earth and in the streets" signifies to be destroyed by evils and falsities; "lad and old man, virgins and young men have fallen by the sword," signifies here, as above, all goods and truths with intelligence and wisdom; "thou hast slain in the day of Thine anger, Thou hast not pitied," signifies their extinction, "the day of anger" signifying the last state of the church, when judgment takes place. Slaying, that is, extinguishing these things, is attributed to Jehovah; but it is man himself, the sense of the letter being such as to attribute to Jehovah what belongs to the man himself (See Arcana Coelestia 2447, 5798, 6071, 6991, 6997, 7533, 7632, 7643, 7679, 7710, 7877, 7926, 8227, 8282, 8483, 8632, 9010, 9128, 9306, 10431).

[10] In Amos:

I will cut off the judge out of the midst of Moab, and will slay all the princes thereof with him (Amos. Amos 2:3).

"Moab" in the Word, means those who adulterate the goods of the church; the "judge who will be cut off," and the "princes who will be slain," signify the good which is adulterated, and the truths which are thereby falsified, "judge" meaning good, and "prince" truth.

[11] In Zechariah:

A voice of the howling of the shepherds, that their magnificence is devastated. Thus said Jehovah my God, Feed the sheep of the slaughter, which their possessors slay. I have fed the sheep of the slaughter for your sakes, O miserable of the flock (Zechariah 11:3-5, 7).

"The sheep of the slaughter which their possessors slay," signify those who are in good, and are led astray by the falsities of doctrine; those are called "sheep" who are in the good of charity; "shepherds" are those who teach truths, and by means of these lead to good.

[12] In David:

We are slain every day; we are reckoned as a flock for slaughter. Awake, O Lord, cast us not off always (Psalms 44:22-23).

"We are slain every day" signifies that of ourselves we are constantly falling into falsities, and are being led astray by them, especially in a time when falsities reign; this makes clear what a "flock for slaughter" signifies; that we may be elevated out of falsities by the Lord is signified by "Awake, O Lord, cast us not off always."

[13] In Ezekiel:

They shall draw forth the swords upon the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall profane thy radiance. They shall bring thee down into the pit, and thou shalt die the death of the slain (Ezekiel 28:7-8).

This is said of the prince of Tyre, by whom is signified the intelligence that is from the knowledges of truth, here that intelligence extinguished by falsities. "To draw forth swords upon the beauty of thy wisdom" signifies its extinction by falsities; "to bring down into the pit" signifies immersion in falsities; and "to die the death of the slain" signifies destruction and damnation, the "slain" signifying those with whom all truth is extinguished (Arcana Coelestia 4503[1-11], 9262), and "death" signifying damnation.

[14] In Isaiah:

Hath he smitten him according to the stroke of him that smiteth him? Hath he been slain according to the slaughter of his slain? (Isaiah 27:7).

This treats of Jacob and Israel, by whom the church is signified, "Jacob" the external church, and "Israel" the internal. The temptations of those who are of the church are thus described, which are signified by "Hath he smitten him according to the stroke of him that smiteth him?" And that they should not succumb in temptations and thus perish is signified by "Is he slain according to the slaughter of the slain?" "the slaughter of the slain" signifying perdition by falsities.

[15] "Slaughter" signifies perdition and damnation in other places in the same prophet:

In the day of the great slaughter the towers shall fall (Isaiah 30:25).

"The day of the great slaughter" signifies the Last Judgment, when the wicked are condemned and perish, "towers" signifying the doctrines of falsity.

[16] In the same:

I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant (Isaiah 14:30).

This was said respecting Philistia, by which is signified truth without good, or faith without charity. "To kill the root with famine" signifies to perish utterly from having no good, "root" meaning everything from which a thing lives; therefore it is also said, "he shall slay thy remnant," "remnant" signifying all the remains of the church.

[17] In Jeremiah:

I have heard the voice of the daughter of Zion; she sobbeth and spreadeth her hands, for my soul is wearied by the slayers (Jeremiah 4:31).

Thus is described the grief of a church that is falling from truths into falsities. "The daughter of Zion" is the church; "she sobbeth and spreadeth her hands" signifies grief; "for my soul is wearied by the slayers" signifies by falsities that extinguish spiritual life," "slayers" meaning such falsities.

[18] In Isaiah:

Behold, Jehovah going forth out of His place to visit the iniquity of the earth; then shall the earth reveal her bloods, and shall no longer hide her slain (Isaiah 26:21).

This is said of the day of visitation or judgment, when the iniquities of all shall be uncovered, which is meant by "then the earth shall reveal her bloods, and shall no longer hide her slain;" the "earth" signifies the church, here the evil men in the church; "bloods" are the evils that have destroyed the goods of the church; and the "slain" the falsities that have destroyed its truths; whether it be said that the "slain" signify falsities or those who are in falsities, it is the same, for they are in the falsities and the falsities in them, and the falsities in them are what destroy. The like is signified by the "slain" elsewhere in Isaiah:

What will ye do in the day of visitation and of devastation? They shall fall beneath the slain (Isaiah 10:3-4).

Likewise in Revelation:

In Babylon was found the blood of the prophets and of the saints, and of all that have been slain upon the earth (Revelation 18:24).

What is here signified will be seen in what comes after.

[19] In Isaiah:

I will visit evil upon the world. Everyone that is found shall be thrust through; and everyone gathered together shall fall by the sword (Isaiah 13:11, 15).

This also is said of Babylon. That "everyone that is found shall be thrust through" signifies that they shall perish by evil; and that "everyone gathered together shall fall by the sword" signifies that they shall perish by falsity.

[20] In Matthew:

In the end of the age they shall deliver you up unto tribulation and shall slay you (Matthew 24:9).

In John:

They shall put you out of the synagogues; yea, the hour cometh that everyone who killeth you will think that he offereth sacred worship to God (John 16:2).

This was said to the disciples; and by "disciples," in the spiritual representative sense, are meant all truths and goods of the church; whence it is clear what is meant in that sense by "they shall kill them," namely, that the truths and goods of the church shall then be destroyed.

[21] In Mark:

In the consummation of the age, brother shall deliver up brother to death, the father the children; children shall rise up against parents, and shall cause them to be put to death (Mark 13:12).

The consummation of the age is the last time of the church, when falsities shall destroy truths and evils shall destroy goods. "Brother," "father," and "children," do not mean here brother, father, and children, but falsity and truth, and good and evil. "Brother shall deliver up brother to death" signifies that falsity shall destroy good; especially that faith alone shall destroy charity, for faith in the Word is called the brother to charity; "the father shall deliver up the children to death" signifies that the good of the church shall perish by the falsities of evil, "father" meaning the good of the church, and "children" the falsities of evil; "children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death," signifies that the falsities of evil shall assault the goods and truths of the church and destroy them.

[22] In Luke:

The man who planted a vineyard sent a servant that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard; but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty. Again he sent another servant; and beating him also, they sent him away empty. Again he sent a third, and wounding him, they cast him out. Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. But they said, This is the heir; come, let us kill him; and casting him out of the vineyard they killed him (Luke 20:10-16; Mark 12:2-9).

This is said respecting the church instituted among the Jews, and it describes the perversion and falsification by traditions and by applications to self of every truth they had from the Word. All the particulars here contain a spiritual sense; for whatever the Lord spoke, He spoke also spiritually, because from the Divine. The "vineyard which the man planted," signifies the church that is in truths; the "servants whom he sent thrice," mean the Word given them through Moses and the prophets; there is mention of three times, because "three" signifies what is full and complete; "their beating them, wounding them, and sending them away empty out of the vineyard," signifies that they falsified and perverted the truths contained in the Word; "to send away empty out of the vineyard" signifies that they deprived the Word of its goods and truths. "The beloved son" means the Lord in respect to Divine truth, who is therefore called also the Word; "they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him" signifies killing not only the Lord, but also all Divine truth from Him (See also above, n. 83.

[23] In Daniel:

After sixty and two weeks the Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself (Daniel 9:26).

"The Messiah" also means the Lord in respect to Divine truth (See Arcana Coelestia 3008, 3009); "He shall be cut off" means not only Himself, but also all Divine truth with that people; "but not for Himself" signifies that with those who are in a new church Divine truth will live again, like as before in the first chapter of Revelation:

I am the Living One, and I became dead; and behold I am alive unto the ages of the ages (Revelation 1:18).

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