700. And the ark of his covenant was seen in his temple.- That this signifies Divine Truth, by means of which there is conjunction with the Lord, is evident from the signification of the ark of the covenant, as denoting the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord (of which presently). The ark of the covenant was seen, because the temple appeared; and the ark was in the midst of the temple at Jerusalem, in which were deposited the two tables of the law, which, in the most general sense, signified the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord, thus the Lord Himself, who is the Divine Truth in the heavens, and therefore He is also called the Word, in John (1:1, 2, 14). The reason of this signification of the ark was, that the tent of the assembly represented the three heavens. Its court represented the ultimate or first heaven; the tent itself even to the veil, where the table for the loaves, the altar of incense, and the lampstand were, represented the middle or second heaven; and the ark which was within the veil, upon which was the mercy-seat with the cherubim, represented the inmost or third heaven, while the law itself, which was in the ark, represented the Lord as to Divine Truth, or the Word. And because conjunction with the Lord is by means of the Word, therefore that ark was called the ark of the covenant, covenant signifying conjunction. That the tent or tabernacle represented the form of heaven, and that, together with the court, it represented the three heavens, and that the Holy of Holies, which was the inmost, where the ark was, within which were the tables of the law, represented the third or inmost heaven, and that the law or testimony represented the Lord Himself, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 3478, 9457, 9481, 9485). And that the tabernacle equally as the temple, in the highest sense, signifies the Lord; in the relative sense, heaven and the church, and thus the holy principle of worship, see the same (n. 9457, 9481, 10242, 10245, 10304, 10545). That covenant, in the Word, signifies conjunction, and that all things pertaining to the church, both internal and external, are signs of the covenant, and that they are called a covenant, because conjunction is effected by means of them may also be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 665, 666, 1023, 1038, 1864, 1996, 2003, 2021, 2037, 6804, 8767, 8778, 9396, 9416, 10632). That therefore the law promulgated on Mount Sinai was called the covenant, and the ark containing the law, the ark of the covenant may be seen in the same (n. 6804, 9416).

[2] That the ark with the covenant, or testimony inclosed, signifies the Lord as to the celestial Divine which is the Divine Truth in the inmost or third heaven, is evident from what has been said concerning the ark in the Word.

In Moses:

"And they shall make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in the midst of them, according to all that I have shewn thee, the form of the dwelling place. Especially they shall make the ark of shittim wood; and thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it; and thou shalt make for it a border of gold; four rings of gold" for the staves. "And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee. And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold; and thou shalt make two cherubim of gold, solid shalt thou make them, out of the mercy seat, that the cherubim may stretch out their wings, and cover with their wings the mercy seat; and their faces shall be towards the mercy seat. And thou shalt put the testimony into the ark; and I will meet thee there, and I will speak with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are over the ark of the testimony, of all things that I shall give thee in commandment unto the sons of Israel" (Exodus 25:8-22).

"Thou shalt make a veil of purple and crimson, and scarlet double dyed, and fine twined linen, with cherubim; thou shalt put it upon four pillars of shittim overlaid with gold; and thou shalt place the veil under the clasps; and thou shalt bring in thither within the veil the ark of the testimony, so that the veil shall divide unto you between the holy place and the holy of holies; and thou shalt put the veil before the ark in the holy of holies" (Exodus 26:31-34).

It was said above, that the tent which contained the ark, the candlestick, the table for the loaves, and the altar for the incense, together with the court, represented the three heavens, and that the place within the veil, where the ark was, which contained the law or testimony, represented the third heaven. This heaven was represented by that place, because the law was there, and the law means the Lord as to Divine Truth, or the Word, for this is what the law signifies in a broad sense, and it is Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord that forms the heavens. This is received in the greatest purity by the angels of the third heaven, because they are in conjunction with the Lord through love to Him; for all the angels in that heaven are in love to the Lord, consequently they see Divine Truth as it were implanted in themselves, although it flows in continually from the Lord. For this reason, that heaven more than the other heavens which are below is said to be in the Lord, because in the Divine that goes forth from Him.

[3] This heaven was represented by the ark in which was the law, that is, the Lord. This is why the ark was overlaid with gold, within and without, why the mercy seat was over the ark, and why over the mercy seat and out of it were two cherubim, which were of pure gold; for gold, from correspondence, signifies the good of love, in which are the angels of the third heaven. The mercy seat signified the hearing and reception of all things of that worship which is from the good of love from the Lord; and the cherubim signified the Lord's providence and protection that He may not be approached except through the good of love. And this heaven with its angels is a protection against any thing being raised up to the Lord Himself except that which proceeds from the good of love to Him and from Him. For all worship of God passes through the heavens even unto the Lord, and is purified on its way, even until it reaches the third heaven, and there it is heard and received by the Lord, everything impure having been removed on the way. This is why cherubim of gold were placed over the mercy seat, which was over the ark; also why that place was called the sanctuary, and also the holy of holies, and was divided from the outer part of the tabernacle by the veil.

[4] That the tent, together with the court, represented the three heavens, is also evident from this fact, that all things instituted among the sons of Israel were representatives of heavenly things. For the church itself was a representative church. Thus the tabernacle, together with the altar, was in an especial manner a most holy [representative] of worship. For worship was celebrated upon the altar by burnt offerings and sacrifices, and in the tabernacle by incense offerings and by the lamps which were lighted every day, and by the loaves which were placed in order daily upon the table. All these things represented all worship in heaven, and in the church, and the tent itself with the ark represented the heavens themselves. For this reason the tabernacle was called the dwelling place of Jehovah God, as heaven itself is also called. That the heavens were represented by the tabernacle is also evident from this, that its form was shown to Moses by the Lord upon Mount Sinai; and that which is shown in form by the Lord must necessarily represent either heaven or the things belonging to heaven. That the form of the tabernacle was shown to Moses upon Mount Sinai is clear from these words spoken to Moses:

"Let them make for me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in the midst of them, according to all that I have shown thee, the form of the dwelling place;" and afterwards," See and make them in their form, which thou wast made to see in the mount" (Exodus 25:8, 9, 40).

This is why it is called the sanctuary, and it is said, "That I may dwell in the midst of them." This is what is signified in particular in regard to the ark, the mercy seat over it, and the cherubim over the mercy seat the border of gold round about the ark, the four rings for the staves, the veil, the clasps, and the rest, all of which may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia 9484-9577, 9670-9680).

[5] The very holiness of the whole tabernacle was from the testimony, that is, from the two tables of stone on which the law was inscribed, because the law signified the Lord as to Divine Truth, and thus as to the Word, for this is Divine Truth. That the Lord is the Word, is evident in John, where it is said,

"The Word was with God and God was the Word, and the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:1, 2, 14).

That the law which is called both the testimony and the covenant was placed in the ark, and also the book written by Moses is clear from these words:

"Thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee" (Exodus 25:16; 40:20):

"I put the tables of the law in the ark which I had made that they might be there, even as Jehovah had commanded me" (Deuteronomy 10:5).

And of the book of the law written by Moses:

"When Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in the book, even when he had finished them, Moses commanded the Levites that bare the ark" to take the book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant that it might be there for a witness (Deuteronomy 31:24, 25, 26).

From this it is plain that there was nothing within the ark but the two tables of stone, on which the law was written, and that the book of Moses was by the side of it. That there was nothing in the ark but the two tables of the covenant is evident from the First Book of Kings:

"There was nothing in the ark, but the two tables of stone, which Moses put there in Horeb, the covenant which Jehovah made with the sons of Israel" (8:9).

That the book of Moses, which was laid by the side of the ark, was afterwards taken out, and preserved in the temple, is evident from the fact that Hilkiah the high priest found the book of the law in the house of Jehovah and gave it to Shaphan, who told the king of it, and read it before the king (2 Kings 22:8-11).

[6] That the ark represented the Lord as to Divine truth, and that it consequently signified Divine Truth from the Lord, thus the Word, is also evident from this, that the Lord spoke with Moses from it. For it is said,

"Thou shalt put the testimony into the ark, and I will meet thee there, and I will speak with thee from between the two cherubim, which are over the ark of the testimony, of all things that I shall give thee in commandment unto the sons of Israel" (Exodus 25:21, 22).

And elsewhere,

"When Moses entered into the Tent of meeting to speak with him, he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from above the mercy seat, which was over the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim; thus he spake unto him" (Numbers 7:89).

The Lord spoke to Moses therefrom, because the law was there, and the law, in a broad sense, signifies the Lord as to the Word; and from the Word the Lord speaks with man. It was from above the mercy seat between the two cherubim, because the mercy seat signifies the removal of falsities that are from evil loves, and at the same time reception and hearing, while the cherubim signify protection, lest He should be approached except through the good of love.

[7] Since the Lord, in heaven and in the church, is the Divine Truth, or the Word, which is meant by the law inclosed in the ark, and since the presence of the Lord is in the law, or the Word, therefore, where the ark was, there was Jehovah or the Lord, as is evident from these words in Moses:

"Moses said" unto Hobab "Leave us not, I pray, forasmuch as thou knowest how we must encamp in the wilderness, whence thou wilt be to us instead of eyes and it shall be when thou shalt go with us, yea, it shall be that the good which Jehovah shall do to us, we will also do to thee. And they went forward from the mount of Jehovah a journey of three days, and the ark of the covenant of Jehovah went before them a journey of three days to seek out a resting place for them; and the cloud of Jehovah was over them by day, when they went forward out of the camp. When the ark went forward, Moses said, Arise Jehovah, that thine enemies may be scattered, and let them that hate thee flee from before thy faces; and when it rested, he said, Return, Jehovah, the myriads of the thousands of Israel" (Numbers 10:31-36).

From these particulars it is evident that Jehovah or the Lord is there meant by the ark, because of His presence in the law, which was in the ark, thus because of His presence in the Word. Since the Lord is there meant by the law, and thus by the ark, Moses said, "Arise, Jehovah, that Thine enemies may be scattered, and let them that hate thee flee from before Thy faces;" and when it rested, he said, "Return Jehovah, the myriads of the thousands of Israel." But the same words involve things still more interior; namely, that the Lord, by means of His Divine Truth, leads men and defends them against falsities and evils, which are from hell, especially in temptations, which are specifically signified by the journeyings of the sons of Israel in the wilderness during forty years. That He leads them continually by means of His Divine Truth is signified by the ark of the covenant of Jehovah going forward before them a journey of three days to seek out a resting place for them. The ark of Jehovah means the Lord as to Divine Truth; its going forward a journey of three days means, His protection and guidance from beginning to end; and seeking out signifies salvation, which is the end.

[8] Moreover protection from falsities and evils, which are from hell, is signified by the cloud of Jehovah over them by day, as well as by the Words of Moses when the ark went forward, "Arise, Jehovah, that Thine enemies may be scattered, and let them that hate thee flee from before Thy faces." The cloud of Jehovah by day signifies defence by means of Divine Truth in ultimates, such as the Word is in the sense of the letter; for by means of this the Lord may be approached even by the evil, and by means of it He guards the interior things of the Word, which are celestial and spiritual. That this sense of the word is signified by a cloud, may be seen above (n. 594). Enemies and them that hate signify falsities and evils, which are from hell, enemies falsities, and them that hate evils, thus they also signify the hells themselves as to falsities and evils. Truths from good, which are implanted in man after temptations, are signified by Moses saying when the ark rested, "Return, Jehovah, the myriads of the thousands of Israel." The resting of the ark signifies the state after temptations, when evils and falsities are removed; to return signifies the Lord's presence at that time, for in temptations the Lord appears to be absent, and the myriads of the thousands of Israel signify truths from good implanted, which constitute the church. That myriads are predicated of truths, and thousands, of goods, may be seen above (n. 336).

[9] Similar things are signified by these words in David:

"Lo, we heard of him in Ephratah, we found him in the fields of the wood; we will enter into his habitations, we will bow ourselves down at his footstool. Arise, Jehovah, to thy rest, thou and the ark of thy strength; let thy priests be clothed with justice, and let thy saints shout for joy" (Psalm 132:6-9).

This Psalm evidently treats of the Lord, who is also meant there by David, as is evident from the words, "We have found Him in Ephratah and in the fields of the wood," and from their bowing themselves down at His footstool, Ephratah meaning Bethlehem, where the Lord was born, and by Ephratah is signified the Word as to its natural sense, and by Bethlehem the Word as to the spiritual sense. He chose to be born there because the Lord is the Word. The fields of the wood signify the things of the natural sense of the Word, that is, of the letter, while His habitations signify the spiritual sense of the Word, and therefore also heaven, since heaven is in that sense. The footstool to which they shall bow themselves down signifies the natural sense of the Word, and thus also the church on earth, because the church is in that sense. That the footstool of the Lord is the church on earth, may be seen above (n. 606).

[10] The rest to which Jehovah should arise signifies the union of the Divine and Human in the Lord, and His conjunction with heaven and the church. And because the Lord, and those also who are in heaven and in the church have rest and peace, when He has subjugated the hells and brought all things there and in the heavens into order, it is said, "Arise, Thou and the ark of Thy strength," Thou meaning the Lord Himself, and the ark of Thy strength, the Divine Truth proceeding from Him, for it is by means of this that the Lord has Divine Power. The priests who shall be clothed with justice, and the saints who shall shout for joy, have a similar signification to the thousands and myriads of Israel, priests meaning those who are in good, and saints, those who are in truths, thus, in an abstract sense, the goods and truths of heaven and of the church. That priests, in an abstract sense, signify the goods of the church, may be seen above (n. 31[8]), and that saints, in that sense, signify the truths of the church, also above (n. 204, 325). More about that Psalm may also be seen above (n. 684:25).

[11] Since the ark, from the law which was in it, signified the Lord as to Divine Truth, and because the Lord has omnipotence from Divine Good by means of Divine Truth, therefore by means of the ark miracles were performed. Thus the waters of Jordan were divided by it, so that the sons of Israel passed over on dry ground; the wall of the city of Jericho was over-thrown; Dagon, the god of the Ashdodites, fell down before it; the Ashdodites, the Gittites, the Ekronites, and Bethshemites were smitten with plagues on account of it; Uzzah died because he touched it, and Obed-edom, into whose house it was taken, was blessed. As these historical circumstances involve interior truths (arcana) which become plain only by means of their spiritual sense, I will explain them in order that it may be known what the ark signifies in a strict and in a broad sense.

First, concerning the dividing of the waters of Jordan so that the sons of Israel might pass over on dry ground, in Joshua. Joshua and all the sons of Israel "came unto Jordan; and at the end of three days" Joshua "commanded, saying, When ye shall see the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and the priests the Levites bearing it, ye shall also remove from your place and shall go after it, yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits; ye shall not approach unto it," And the priests "took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people;" and Joshua said, "When ye shall come to the brink of the waters of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan." And he said unto the people, "Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth passing over before you into Jordan; and take ye twelve men of the tribes of Israel; and when the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of Jehovah the Lord of the whole earth shall rest in the waters of Jordan, the waters of Jordan shall be cut off, and the waters that come down from above shall stand in a heap. And it came to pass when the priests came unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bear the ark were dipped in the brink of the waters, and Jordan was full, as it was wont to be all the days of harvest, the waters that came down from above stood in a heap, stretching out very far from the city Adam; and those that came down upon the sea of the plain, the sea of salt, were completely cut off, so that the people could pass over towards Jericho. And the priests stood on dry ground in the midst of Jordan; and all the people passed over on dry ground. Afterwards Jehovah said unto Joshua, Take to you twelve men, one of a tribe, and take out of the midst of Jordan, from where the feet of the priests stood, twelve stones, which ye shall bring over with you, and leave in the place where ye pass the night. The sons of Israel did so; and they took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of Israel, and they carried them unto the place where they passed the night. Then, after that all the people had finished passing over, the ark of Jehovah passed over, and the priests. And it came to pass, when the priests were come up, and the soles of their feet were lifted up [out of Jordan], the waters of Jordan returned unto their place. And the twelve stones which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua set up in Gilgal" (Josh. 3:1-17; 4:1-20). All the historical, equally as the prophetical parts of the Word, contain a spiritual sense, which treats not of the sons of Israel and of nations and peoples, but of the church and its establishment and progress, for this is the Spiritual of the Word, while the history is the Natural that contains the Spiritual. Therefore also all the miracles described in the Word, as the miracles performed in Egypt, and afterwards in the land of Canaan, involve such things as pertain to heaven and the church, and for this reason those miracles are Divine.

[12] The miracle described above signifies the introduction of the faithful into the church, and through the church into heaven. The sons of Israel, in the spiritual sense, mean there the faith, who, after enduring temptations - which are signified by their wanderings in the wilderness - are brought into the church; for the land of Canaan, into which the sons of Israel were brought, signifies the church; Jordan signifies the first entrance into it. The waters of Jordan signify introductory truths, and these truths are such as those of the literal sense of the Word, for these are the truths that first introduce; but here by Jordan and its waters are signified the falsities of evil which lead to hell, because the land of Canaan was then filled with idolatrous nations, which signify the evils and falsities of every kind that constitute hell; for this reason also they had to be driven out in order that there might be a place for establishing the church. And because the waters of Jordan then signified the falsities of evil, therefore they were divided and kept back in order that a passage might be given to the sons of Israel, who, were to represent the church.

[13] Now as the Lord alone removes and disperses the falsities of evil which are from hell, and by means of His Divine truths brings the faithful into the church, and into heaven, and because the ark, and the law inclosed in it represented the Lord as to Divine Truth, it was therefore commanded that the ark should go before the people and thus lead them. For this reason it came to pass, that as soon as the priests who bore the ark dipped their feet in the waters of Jordan, those waters were divided and descended, and the people passed over on dry land, and that after this was done the waters returned. Those same waters then signified introductory truths; for Jordan was the first boundary of the land of Canaan, and that land, after the sons of Israel had entered into it, represented the church, and the river, introduction into it.

[14] Since the waters of Jordan signified introductory truths, they were therefore commanded to take up out of the midst of it twelve stones, and carry them over to the first place where they should pass the night, for the reason that stones signify truths, while twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of Israel, signified the truths of the church. Joshua set up those stones in Gilgal from the east of Jericho, because Gilgal signified the doctrine of natural truth, which is serviceable for introduction into the church. From these few things it is evident what things pertaining to heaven and the church were represented by this miracle, and that the ark, because of the law in it, signified the Lord as to Divine Truth. It is therefore also called the ark of the covenant of the Lord of the whole earth, from conjunction with the Lord by means of Divine Truth, for by its means conjunction, which is signified by covenant, is effected, and it is this that constitutes heaven and the church, which are specifically signified by the whole earth. In fact by means of Divine Truth all things were created and made, according to the Lord's words in John (1:1-3, 10); and in David (Psalm 33:6), the Word there meaning Divine Truth.

[15] The SECOND miracle performed by means of the ark was the falling down of the wall of Jericho, which is thus described in Joshua:

The city "of Jericho was shut up; and Jehovah said unto Joshua, I have given into thy hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty in strength; ye shall compass the city, all the men of war, once a day for six days. And seven priests shall carry seven trumpets of rejoicings before the ark; but the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall sound with the trumpets, and then the people shall shout with a great shouting, and the wall of the city shall fall down under itself, and the people shall go up." Then Joshua made them compass the city once on the first day, as was said; after which circuit they returned into the camp, and passed the night in the camp; in like manner the day after. "And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rejoicings before the ark of Jehovah, went on, going and sounding the trumpets, before whom went the men of war, and also the rear company marching after the ark, going and sounding the trumpets. And so they did six days; and on the seventh day they went about the city seven times, and the seventh time the people shouted; and when the people heard this, then the wall of the city fell down under itself, and the people went up into the city, and gave to the curse all things which were in the city, from male even to female, and from a boy to an old man; and they burned the city with fire, and all things that were in it; only the silver and gold, and the vessels of brass and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of Jehovah. And Joshua charged them with an oath, saying, Cursed be the man before Jehovah, who shall rise up and build this city; with his first born he shall lay the foundations of it, and with the youngest he shall set up its gates" (Joshua 6:1-26).

No one can know the Divine meaning of this miracle, unless he knows what is signified by the city of Jericho in the land of Canaan, which was burned, by its wall which fell down, by the inhabitants who were given to the curse, by the gold and silver, and vessels of brass and iron, which were put into the treasury of the house of Jehovah, also what is signified by sounding the trumpets and shouting, and by going about it six days, and seven times on the seventh day.

The city of Jericho signifies instruction in the knowledges (cognitiones) of good and truth, by which man is brought into the church. For Jericho was a city not far from the Jordan, and this river signifies introduction into the church, as was shown above. For all the places in the land of Canaan were significative of celestial and spiritual things pertaining to the church, and this from the most ancient times. And because the sons of Israel were to represent the church, and the Word was to be written among them, in which those places, signifying such things as belong to heaven and the church, were to be mentioned, therefore the sons of Israel were introduced into it. The river Jordan signified that introduction, and Jericho instruction. And as Jericho signified instruction, it also signified the good of life, for none but those who are in the good of life can be instructed in truths of doctrine. But when the land of Canaan was held by idolatrous nations, the signification of the places and cities in that land was changed into its opposite, and therefore Jericho then signified the profanation of truth and good. From this it follows, that the city itself signified the doctrine of falsity and evil, which perverted and profaned the truths and goods of the church, that its wall signified the falsities of evil defending that doctrine, and that the inhabitants signified those who are profane. And as all profanation is from infernal love after acknowledgment of truth and good, therefore the city was burned with fire, the inhabitants given to the curse, and its wall overthrown, fire signifying infernal love, curse an utter blotting out, and the falling down of the wall, exposure to every evil and falsity.

[16] The sounding of the trumpets by the priests signified the preaching of Divine Truth from Divine Good; the shouting and acclamation of the people signified consent and confirmation; compassing the city signified an examination of falsity and evil, and their dispersion by the influx of Divine Truth from the Lord, this influx being signified by their carrying the ark about it. The priests were seven in number, and compassed the city seven days, and seven times on the seventh day, to signify what is holy, and the holy proclamation of Divine Truth; for seven signifies what is holy, and, in the opposite sense, what is profane, therefore, as holiness was on the one part, and what was profane on the other, there were seven priests with seven trumpets, and they compassed the city seven times.

[17] The gold, the silver, and vessels of brass and iron, were put into the treasury of the house of Jehovah, because they signified the knowledges of spiritual and natural truth and good, gold and silver the knowledges of spiritual truth and good, and vessels of brass and iron the knowledges of natural truth and good, which are changed into dire falsities and evils, with those who are guilty of profanation, but as they are still knowledges although applied to evils, yet they are serviceable to the good by application to goods, therefore these things were put into the treasury of the house of Jehovah. This also is what is meant by the pounds (minoe) which were taken away from the evil, and given to the good; by the unjust mammon, by the gold, silver, and raiment, which the sons of Israel took away from the Egyptians, and afterwards devoted to the tabernacle; and also by the gold and silver which David gathered from the spoils of the enemy, and left to Solomon for building the temple.

[18] That he who rebuilt Jericho should be cursed, and that he should lay the foundation of it with his first-born, and with his youngest set up the gates, signified the profanation of Divine Truth from first to last, if instruction in it were represented elsewhere than in Jerusalem, which signified the church as to the doctrine of truth and good, and as to instruction from the Word. That this profanation took place under king Ahab by Hiel the Bethelite, is recorded in the First Book of Kings (16:34); and it is said of this king that he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah above all the kings of Israel (verses 30, 33). From this miracle performed by means of the ark, it is also evident that the ark, because of the law in it, represented the Lord as to Divine Truth, and thus signified Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord.

[19] The THIRD miracle, that Dagon, the god of the Ashdodites, fell before the ark, and the Ashdodites, Gittites, Ekronites, and Bethshemites were smitten with plagues because of it, is thus described in the First Book of Samuel:

"Israel went out against the Philistines to war; and Israel was smitten before the Philistines about four thousand men. Therefore the elders said, Let us receive unto us out of Shiloh the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and let it come into the midst of us, and deliver us out of the hand of the enemy. And they brought down the ark of the covenant of Jehovah Zebaoth that sitteth upon the cherubim, and with the ark the two sons of Eli. And it came to pass, when the ark came to the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shouting; the Philistines heard and knew that the ark of Jehovah was come to the camp, and they feared for themselves, saying God is come to the camp; woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hands of these mighty gods? These are the gods who smote the Egyptians with every plague. But be strong and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye may not serve the Hebrews. And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten with a great slaughter, about thirty thousand footmen; and the ark of God was taken, and both the sons of Eli died. And the Philistines took the ark, and brought it down to Ashdod, into the house of Dagon, and they set it near Dagon. When they of Ashdod arose in the morning, behold, Dagon lay upon his faces on the earth before the ark of Jehovah; and they set up Dagon again; but when they arose the next morning, Dagon lay upon his faces on the earth before the ark, and at the same time the head of Dagon and the two palms of his hands lay cut off upon the threshold. And the hand of Jehovah was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he smote them with hemorrhoids, Ashdod, and the borders thereof. Then they of Ashdod said, The ark of Israel shall not remain with us; wherefore the lords of the Philistines said, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried over unto Gath." And they carried it over unto Gath; but the hand of Jehovah came against the city, and smote the men of the city from the least to the greatest, while they had hardened hemorrhoids. Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron; but the Ekronites cried out that it would slay them. "And the men that died not were smitten with hemorrhoids." Therefore the lords said that they would send back the ark unto its place. "When the ark had remained in the land of the Philistines seven months, the Philistines called the priests and diviners, saying, What shall we do with the ark of Jehovah, how shall we send it back to its place? And they said, Send it not again empty, but send with it a trespass-offering, then shall ye be healed, namely, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, five hemorrhoids of gold, and five mice of gold, for one plague is upon you all, and upon your lords; ye shall make images of your hemorrhoids, and images of your mice, which vastated the land; and make a new cart, and take two milch kine upon which no yoke hath come, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them, and put the ark of Jehovah upon the cart, and the vessels of gold put into a coffer at the side thereof; and see if it go up the way of the coast to Bethshemesh; and they did so. Then the kine went in a straight way upon the way to Bethshemesh in one path, and they lowed; and the lords of the Philistines went after them. And the cart came into the field of Joshua the Bethshemite, and stood there where there was a great stone. Then they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine for a burnt-offering to Jehovah. And the Levites set down the ark of Jehovah, and the coffer in which were the vessels of gold, upon that great stone, and the men of Bethshemesh offered burnt-offerings, and sacrificed sacrifices to Jehovah;" but the Bethshemites were smitten, because they saw the ark of Jehovah, to the number of fifty thousand and seventy men. But the men of Kirjathjearim caused the ark of Jehovah to come up, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in Gibeah, and it remained there twenty years. Then Samuel said, "If with the whole heart ye will return to Jehovah, put ye away the gods of the stranger and Ashtaroth, and prepare your heart towards Jehovah, and serve him alone, then shall he deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines" (4:1-11; 5:1-12; 6:1-21; 7:1-3).

What is signified by these things - that the ark was taken by the Philistines, that the Philistines were smitten with hemorrhoids on account of the ark in Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron, also that mice laid waste their land and that so many died there and in Bethshemesh - cannot be known, unless it is known what the Philistines, and specifically the Ashdodites, Gittites, Ekronites, and Bethshemites represented, and thus signified; also what is signified by the hemorrhoids and by the mice, and by the golden images of these, and moreover by the new cart and the milch kine. That these are representative of such things as pertain to the church is clear, for if not, why should the Philistines have been smitten with such plagues, and the ark have been thus brought back?

[20] The Philistines represented, and thus signified, those who make no account of the good of love and of charity, and thus no account of the good of life, placing everything of religion in knowledge and cognition (scientia et cognitio); therefore they were like those at the present day who make faith alone, that is, faith separated from charity, the essential of the church and the essential of salvation. For this reason they were called the uncircumcised, for to be uncircumcised signifies to be void of spiritual love, consequently of good; and whereas they had reference to those within the church, therefore they were not spiritual, but merely natural. For he who makes no account of the good of charity and of life becomes merely natural, indeed, sensual, loving only worldly things, and is unable to understand any truths spiritually; the truths which he does apprehend naturally he either falsifies or defiles.

Such are those who are meant in the Word by the Philistines. The reason why the Philistines so often fought with the sons of Israel, and why sometimes the Philistines conquered, and sometimes the sons of Israel, is therefore plain. The Philistines conquered when the sons of Israel departed from their statutes and precepts by not keeping them, and the sons of Israel conquered when they lived according to them; to live according to the precepts and statutes was their good of love and good of life. The sons of Israel were at that time conquered by the Philistines because they turned from the worship of Jehovah to the worship of other gods, and especially to the worship of Ashtaroth, as is evident from what Samuel said to them (1 Sam. 7:3). This was the cause also of the ark being taken by the Philistines.

[21] When it is known that the Philistines represented, and thus signified, those who make no account of the good of love, of charity, and of life, it can be known why they were smitten with hemorrhoids because of the ark, and died in consequence, also, why the mice laid waste their land, hemorrhoids signifying truth defiled by such evil of life, as those are in who are destitute of good; for blood signifies truth, and the corrupt matter of the hemorrhoids truth defiled, and the hinder part, where the hemorrhoids were, signifies natural love, which, with those who are not spiritual, is the love of the world; while mice signify the falsities of the sensual man, which eat up and consume all things of the church, as mice [lay waste] the fields and crops, and also eat up and consume vegetables in the earth. They suffered such plagues because they were of such a nature; for those who are without good defile truths, and also lay waste all things of the church.

These things took place on account of the ark, because the ark signified Divine Truth which proceeds from the Lord, and this can be genuine only with those who are in the good of love, and thus in the good of life. And when the Divine Truth flows in with those who are not in good, it produces effects corresponding to the falsity of their doctrine and the evils of their life, similar to that which takes place in the spiritual world, when Divine Truth flows in with such persons; the defilement of truth and the devastation of good then appear under the similitude of hemorrhoids and mice.

[22] Dagon the god of the Ashdodites, on account of the nearness and presence of the ark, was cast down to the earth, and afterwards his head and the palms of his hands were cast upon the threshold of his house, because Dagon signified their religion, which being without spiritual good, possessed neither intelligence nor power; for the head signifies intelligence, and the palms of the hands signify power. A similar effect follows in the spiritual world, when Divine Truth flows in out of heaven with such persons, for they then appear to have neither head nor palms of the hands, because they have neither intelligence nor power.

[23] By the advice of their priests and diviners, they made golden images of the hemorrhoids and mice, and set them at the side of the ark upon a new cart, and to this they tied two milch kine upon which no yoke had yet come, because gold signifies the good of love healing and purifying from the falsities and evils which are signified by hemorrhoids and mice, and because a cart signifies the doctrine of natural truth, and a new cart, the same doctrine unharmed and undefiled by the falsities of their evil. The milch kine, upon which there had yet been no yoke, signified natural good not yet defiled by falsities, for to bear a yoke signifies to serve, and in this case to serve falsities which defile good; and as such good is in harmony with Divine Truth, signified by the ark, therefore these representatives were adopted and applied; and afterwards the Levites offered the kine as a burnt-offering, which they burned with the wood of the cart.

[24] The ark with the gifts was placed upon a great stone, near which the kine stood still, because a stone signifies Divine Truth in the ultimate of order. All this was done by the advice of the priests and diviners of the Philistines, because a knowledge (scientia) of correspondences and representations was common knowledge at that time, for it was their theology, known to the priests and diviners, who were their wise men. But since men at that time had for the most part become merely natural, they regarded those things in an idolatrous manner, worshipping externals, and giving no thought to the internals which the externals represented. From these observations it is evident what the particulars quoted above from the book of Samuel connectedly signify, and that the ark, from the law in it, signifies Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord.

[25] FOURTHLY, the two miracles performed by means of the ark - the death of Uzzah and the blessing of Obed-edom - are thus described in the second Book of Samuel:

"David arose and departed, and all the people that were with him, from Baal of Judah, to bring up thence the ark of God, whose name is invoked, the name of Jehovah Zebaoth that sitteth upon the cherubim over it, and they caused the ark of God to be carried upon a new chariot, and they brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which is in Gibeah, and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were leading the chariot. And David and all the house of Israel were playing before Jehovah, upon all kinds [of instruments made] of fir wood, and upon harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with dulcimers, and with cymbals. And when they came to the threshing floor of Nachon, Uzzah put forth [his hand] to the ark, and took hold of it, because the oxen stumbled; and the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Uzzah, and God smote him for his error, so that he died there by the ark of God. And David was grieved at it, and David feared Jehovah that day, saying, How shall the ark of Jehovah come unto me? And David would not remove the ark of Jehovah unto him in the city of David, but he carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. When the ark of Jehovah had remained in his house three months, Jehovah also blessed Obed-edom and all his house; and this was told to king David, and David went, and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with joy. And when they that bare the ark of Jehovah had gone forward six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling; and David danced with all his might before Jehovah, girt with a linen ephod. And David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of Jehovah with a shout and with the sound of a trumpet, and they brought the ark of Jehovah "into the city of David, which is Zion, and set it up in its place within the tent that David had spread for it" (6:2-17).

These historical details, in the internal or spiritual sense, involve many things that cannot be seen in the sense of the letter, which is the historical sense - as what is involved in the fact that the ark was brought from the house of Abinadab into the house of Obed-edom, and at length into the city of David, which is Zion; in the fact that when it was being brought, they played upon and caused to sound all kinds of musical instruments, and that David himself danced; also that the ark was brought upon a new chariot, to which oxen were tied; also that Uzzah, the son of Abinadab, died, and Obed-edom with his house was blessed. All these things, although historical, contain in their bosom such things as pertain to heaven and the church, in the same way as the ark itself, which, because of the law in it, represented the Lord as to Divine Truth, and therefore was called the ark of God, whose name is invoked, the name of Jehovah Zebaoth that sitteth upon the cherubim. That the ark was now brought out of the house of Abinadab, first into the house of Obed-edom, and at length into the city of David, which is Zion, is a fact involving interior truths (arcana) which no one can know unless he learns what was signified there by Gibeah, and by Baal of Judah, where Abinadab was, and by Gath, where Obed-edom was, and lastly by Zion, where David was.

All parts of the land of Canaan with their cities were representative, as is the case in the spiritual world with the regions there, and their cities. In every region, and in every city in the spiritual world, those who are in the good of love dwell towards the east and the west, those who are in clear good of love towards the east, and those who are in obscure good of love towards the west; while towards the south and north, dwell those who are in the light of truth; those who are in clear light of truth towards the south, and those who are in obscure light of truth towards the north. The case was similar in the land of Canaan, in its districts and their cities; these with respect to their quarters, corresponded to the regions of the spiritual world, and to the cities of those regions, but with this difference, that it is impossible to distribute men on earth into quarters according to the good of love, and to the light of truth, as is done with spirits and angels in the spiritual world, therefore in the land of Canaan and its cities the places themselves were representative, and not persons.

That this was so is evident from the partition of the land of Canaan into inheritances, which fell by lot to the tribes according to their representation of the church; also from Jerusalem and Zion which represented the church itself, Jerusalem the church as to the truth of doctrine, and Zion the church as to the good of love. When therefore it is known what that is pertaining to heaven and the church which is specially signified by Gibeah, by Baal of Judah, where Abinadab was, and by Gath where Obed-edom was, the signification of the ark being brought from Abinadab to Obed-edom, and at length into Zion, can be known.

[26] It is evident from the signification of those cities, that the carrying up of the ark represented the progress of the church in man, from its ultimate to its inmost, as from one heaven into another, even to the highest, which is the third heaven. Baal of Judah, where Abinadab was, signified the ultimate of the church, which is called its Natural, for this was represented by Gibeah, where Baal of Judah was; but Gath, where Obed-edom was, who was thence called a Gittite, signified the Spiritual of the church, and it took on this signification after the sons of Israel had taken the cities from the Philistines, from Ekron even to Gath (1 Sam, 7:13-15); while Zion, where David dwelt, signified the inmost of the church, which is called its Celestial.

[27] It is evident from these things that the carrying up of the ark signified the progress of the church in man from its ultimate to its inmost, and this because those progressions are effected by means of the Divine Truth, signified by the ark; for the man of the church advances from the Natural to the Spiritual, and through this to the Celestial, and this continually from the Lord by means of His Divine Truth, the Natural being the good of life, the Spiritual the good of charity towards the neighbour, and the Celestial the good of love to the Lord. The goods of the three heavens advance in a similar manner, and therefore also the ascent through them in their order was also represented.

[28] Their playing upon and causing all kinds of musical instruments to sound, when the ark was being brought, and David dancing, represented the gladness and joy which result from the affection for truth and good from the Lord through the influx of the Divine Truth, signified by the ark. The instruments mentioned, on which they played on the first journey from the house of Abinadab to the house of Obed-edom, represented gladness of mind resulting from natural and spiritual affection for truth, while the dancing of David, and also the shouting and the sound of the trumpet, represented joy of heart resulting from affection for spiritual and celestial good. Harmonies of musical sounds are from the spiritual world, and signify affections with their gladness and joys, as may be seen above (n. 323, 326). Zion signifies the third heaven, and thus the inmost of the church, as may also be seen above (n. 405).

[29] The ark brought upon a new chariot, to which oxen were tied, represented, and thus signified, the doctrine of truth from the good of love, the chariot signifying the doctrine of truth, and the oxen the good of love, both in the natural man; for Divine Truth, signified by the ark, rests and is founded upon the doctrine of natural truth which is from good.

It was for this reason that the ark was placed upon a chariot, with oxen before the chariot. That a chariot signifies the doctrine of truth, may be seen above (n. 355); and that an ox signifies natural good, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 2180, 2566).

[30] The reason why Uzzah, the son of Abinadab, died because he took hold of the ark with his hand, is that to touch with the hand signifies communication, and communication with the Lord takes place by means of the good of love; and Uzzah was not anointed, as the priests and Levites were, who received the representation of the good of love by means of anointing; that this was the case, see above (n. 375). Moreover the cherubim, that were over the mercy-seat which was over the ark, signified protection lest the Lord should be approached except through the good of love. That this was done, in order that David might not bring the ark into Zion before the progression - which was also represented - was finished (of which just above) is clear from this, that David was grieved at the death of Uzzah, and feared to bring the ark into Zion, his own city (verses 8-10).

[31] Obed-edom was blessed, and his house, on account of the ark, because to be blessed with the good things of the world signifies to be blessed with the good things of heaven, which proceed solely from the Lord by the reception of Divine Truth represented by the ark; these good things are given to those who are in spiritual good, which Obed-edom in Gath represented, as stated above.

[32] Lastly, the bringing of the ark into Zion, and into the tent which had been spread out for it by David, signified ascent into the third heaven, and the conjunction of Divine Truth with the good of love; for Zion represented the inmost of the church, and thus the inmost of the heavens, which is the highest or third heaven, where the angels are in the good of love to the Lord, and where there is a protection lest the Lord should be approached except through the good of love; this protection is represented by the cherubim over the ark.

[33] The bringing of the ark into the inmost part of the temple built by Solomon has a similar signification. This circumstance is thus described in the First Book of Kings:

Solomon "prepared the adytum (or oracle) in the midst of the house, to place in it the ark of the covenant of Jehovah; and he made in the adytum two cherubim of the wood of oil, and set them in the midst of the inner house, so that their wings were stretched out to the wall on each side, and their wings touched each other in the midst of the house and he overlaid the cherubim with gold." And Solomon brought up "the ark of the covenant of Jehovah from the city of David, which is Zion. And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests carried the ark, and brought up the ark of Jehovah, and the tent of meeting, and all the vessels of holiness that were in the tent; and Solomon and all the congregation with him before the ark. And the priests brought the ark of the covenant of Jehovah into its place, into the adytum (or oracle) of the house, into the holy of holies, even under the wings of the cherubim; for the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim covered the ark and the staves thereof from above, and the heads of the staves were seen from the holy place, towards the faces of the adytum (or oracle), but they were not seen without." And Solomon said, "I have appointed there the place of the ark, wherein is the covenant of Jehovah, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt" (6:19, 23, 27; 8:1-8, 21).

As the ark in the tent of meeting represented the third heaven where the Lord is, and the tent itself without the veil, the second heaven, and the court the first heaven, so also was this the case with the temple; for the temple with its courts represented the three heavens. Therefore there was nothing in the temple, or outside of the temple where the courts were, that did not represent something of heaven, and this because the Lord at that time was present in representatives; for the churches which were before the Lord's coming were representative churches, and became finally of such a character as the church instituted among the sons of Israel. But when the Lord came into the world, then external representatives were abolished, because it was the Lord Himself whom the representatives of the church shadowed forth and signified; and since these were external things, and as it were coverings, within which was the Lord, therefore these coverings were taken away when He came, and He himself became manifest together with heaven and the church, in which the Lord is the all in all. The chief representatives of the Lord, and thence of heaven and the church, were the tent of meeting, and in it the table, the lampstand, the altar of incense, and the ark, also the altar with the burnt-offerings and sacrifices, and afterwards the temple, the temple having the same representation as the tent of meeting, with this difference, that the tent of meeting was a more holy representative of the Lord, of heaven, and of the church, than the temple.

[34] From these things it is evident that the adytum (or oracle) of the temple, where the ark was, in the same way as in the tent of meeting, represented the Lord as to Divine Truth, and thus also the third heaven, where the angels are conjoined with the Lord through love to Him, and consequently have Divine Truth inscribed on their hearts. But the signification of the cherubim in the temple, their wings and the staves - which are also mentioned - shall be explained in a few words. The cherubim signified protection, lest the Lord should be approached except through the good of love, therefore also they were made of the wood of oil, and this wood signifies the good of love, as may be seen in n. 375. The wings of the cherubim signify the spiritual Divine which descends from the celestial Divine, in which is the third heaven into the second, and is there received; this is the reason why the wings touched each other in the midst of the house, and were stretched forth to the wall on each side. But the staves, with which the ark was carried, signified Divine Power, in the same way as arms. From these and the foregoing observations the signification of the ark of the covenant in the Word is evident.

[35] Moreover the ark signifies a representative of the church in general, and this the continual sacrifice in Daniel, which was to cease at the Lord's coming into the world, also signifies as in Jeremiah:

"I will give you shepherds according to my heart, that they may feed you with knowledge and understanding; then it shall come to pass when ye shall be multiplied and bear fruit in the land, in those days they shall no more say, The ark of the covenant of Jehovah, neither shall it come up upon the heart, neither shall they make mention of it, neither shall they desire it, neither shall it be renewed any more" (3:15, 16).

These things are said of the coming of the Lord, and of the abolition of the representative rites of the Jewish church at that time. That the interior things of the church which had been concealed by representative external rites would be made manifest, and that then would men be interior or spiritual, is signified by shepherds being given according to the heart of the Lord, who would feed them with knowledge and understanding, shepherds meaning those who teach good and lead to it by means of truths. Then it shall come to pass, when ye shall be multiplied and bear fruit in the land in those days, signifies the multiplication of truth and the fructification of good. That then there will be conjunction with the Lord by means of the interior things of the Word and not by exterior things, which merely signified and represented interior things, is signified by, They shall no more say, The ark of the covenant of Jehovah; the ark of the covenant of Jehovah there denoting the externals of worship, which were then to be abolished, the same as the continual [sacrifice] which was to cease, as mentioned in Daniel (8:13; 11:31; 12:11). That worship was to be no longer external but internal, is signified by, It shall not come up upon the heart, neither shall they make mention of it, neither shall they desire it, neither shall it be renewed any more. It is evident from this that the ark of the covenant seen by John in the temple of God, which is the vision now treated of, was a manifestation of the Divine Truth, by means of which the conjunction of the new heaven and new church with the Lord is effected. And it was therefore seen in this manner in order that the Word in the letter might be everywhere similar, consisting of such things as being externals of worship also represented internals, just as above (8:3, 4), where the altar and the offerings of incense were seen before the throne. For the Word in the letter consists of pure correspondences, such as existed in the representative churches, and were consequently made use of in writing the Word; and in these the interior things of heaven and the church, which are spiritual and celestial, are contained.

304. (5:3) And no one in heaven, neither upon the earth, nor under the earth, was able to open the book, or to look thereon. That this signifies manifestation, that no one knows and perceives, of himself, anything concerning the state of the life of all in general and of each in particular, is evident from the signification of, "And no one was able to open the book, neither to look thereon," as denoting that no one knows and perceives of himself the states of the life of all in general and of each in particular (concerning which see just above, n. 303): and from the signification of, in heaven, neither upon the earth, nor under the earth, as denoting not only that there is no one anywhere, but also that there is not anything [of such knowledge and perception]; for by, in heaven, upon the earth, and under the earth, are meant the three heavens; and by all therein heaven in the aggregate is meant; and because heaven is heaven from the Divine truth, that flows in from the Lord, and is received by the angels, and not at all from any intelligence proper to the angels, for this is not intelligence, therefore the same words signify that no one has any [knowledge or perception] whatever from himself. (That the angels in heaven, just as men in the world, have a proprium, which viewed in itself is nothing but evil, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 592.) And because evil does not receive anything of intelligence and wisdom, it follows, that angels just as men understand nothing at all of truth from themselves, but solely from the Lord. The reason why the angels are of such a quality, is, that all angels are from the human race, and that every man retains his proprium after death; and they are withheld from the evils of their proprium, and are kept in goods by the Lord. (That all the angels are from the human race, and none created such from the beginning, may be seen in the small work concerning the Last Judgment 14-22; and that all are withheld from evil, and kept in good by the Lord, in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 166.)

[2] The reason why in heaven, upon the earth, and under the earth, signifies the three heavens, is because the angels, who are in the third or highest heaven, dwell upon mountains; and those who are in the second or middle, upon hills; and those who are in the first or ultimate heaven, in plains and valleys under them. For in the spiritual world, where spirits and angels dwell, there are earths, hills, and mountains, just as in the natural world where men are. As to appearance there is such a similitude that they do not at all differ. Therefore men after death scarcely know but that they are yet living upon earth, and when they are permitted to look into our earth, they see nothing dissimilar. Besides the angels who are in the ultimate heaven, call that heaven, where the angels of the third heaven dwell, because it is high above them, but where they themselves dwell, they call earth. The third or highest heaven also, which is upon mountains, appears to those who are below, or upon the earth, only as the highest region of the atmosphere does before us, covered with a light and shining cloud, thus as heaven appears before us. Hence it may be seen what is specifically meant in this place, by, in heaven, upon the earth, and under the earth. (But more may be seen concerning these things in the work concerning Heaven and Hell, where appearances in heaven are treated of, n. 170-176: and concerning the habitations and mansions of the angels, n. 183-189.)

[3] Because men have not known that there are similar appearances of earth in both worlds, the natural and the spiritual, therefore, when they have read the Word, they have simply perceived that by the heaven and the earth there, are meant the heaven visible before our eyes, and the earth inhabited by men; hence has arisen an opinion concerning the destruction of heaven and earth, and concerning the creation of a new heaven and a new earth, at the day of the Last Judgment; when, yet, by the heaven and the earth are there meant the heaven and the earth where spirits and angels are, and, in the spiritual sense, the church with angels and with men; for the church is equally with angels as with men, as may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 221-227). It is said, in the spiritual sense, because an angel is not an angel, nor is a man a man, from the human which both have, but from heaven and the church with them. Hence it is that by the heaven and by the earth, where angels and men dwell, the church is signified; by heaven the internal church, and also the church with the angels and by earth the external church, and also the church with men. But it can hardly be believed, that by the earth in the Word is meant the church, because it is not yet known that in the particulars of the Word there is a spiritual sense. As a result of this a material idea adheres to, and keeps the thought fixed on the most obvious meaning of a word, I therefore wish by some passages thence to illustrate and confirm it.

[4] In Isaiah:

"Behold, Jehovah maketh the earth empty, and maketh it void, and he shall overturn the faces thereof; in emptying, the earth shall be emptied, and in spoiling it shall be spoiled: the habitable earth shall mourn and be confounded, the world shall be confounded; the earth shall be profaned under its inhabitants, wherefore a curse shall devour the earth, and the inhabitants of the earth shall be burnt up, and few men left. A shout over the wine in the streets, the gladness of the earth shall be banished; there shall be in the midst of the earth as the shaking of the olive, as the gleanings when the vintage is done. From the end of the earth we have heard songs, Glory to the just. The floodgates from on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth are moved; in breaking the earth is broken, in rending the earth is rent asunder, in moving the earth is moved; in tottering the earth shall totter as a drunkard; and it shall be moved to and fro as a veil; but it shall be in that day, Jehovah shall visit upon the host of the height in the height, and upon the kings of the earth who are upon the earth" (24:1, 2 [3], 4-6, 11, 13, 16, [18], 19-21, 23).

Here it is quite evident, that by the earth is not meant the earth but the church. The particulars shall be gone through and considered. He who is in a spiritual idea does not think of the earth itself when the earth is named, but of the people there, and of their quality; much more so those in heaven: who, because they are spiritual, have a perception of the church. The subject treated of in this passage is the church destroyed. Its destruction as to the good of love and the truth of faith, which constitute it, is described by Jehovah emptying the earth and making it void, by the earth in emptying being emptied, in spoiling being spoiled, by mourning and being confounded, by being profaned and a curse devouring it, by the flood-gates from on high being opened and the foundations thereof being moved, by being broken, rent asunder, and put in motion, by staggering as a drunkard. These things can be said neither of the earth, nor of any nation, but of the church.

[5] In the same:

"Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners out of it. I will put the heaven in commotion, for the stars of the heavens and the constellations thereof shall not shine with their light, the sun shall be darkened in its rising, and the moon shall not make her light to shine. I will make a man more rare than pure gold; wherefore I will move the heavens, and the earth shall be shaken out of its place" (13:9, 10, 12, 13).

That the earth here denotes the church is evident from each particular understood in the spiritual sense. The subject here treated of is its end, when truth and good, or faith and charity, are no more. For by the stars and constellations which shall not give their light, are signified the knowledges of truth and good; by the sun being darkened in its rising, is signified love; by the moon not causing her light to shine, is signified faith; by a man being made more rare than pure gold, is signified intelligence and wisdom: hence it is plain what is signified by, "Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh to lay the land desolate. I will move the heavens, and the earth shall be shaken out of its place." The day of Jehovah denotes the final end of the church, when judgment takes place. The earth denotes the church. It is evident that the earth itself is not shaken out of its place, but that the church is removed where love and faith are not. To be shaken out of its place, signifies to be removed from a former state.

[6] In the same:

"Behold, the Lord, as an inundation of hail, a storm of slaughter, as an inundation of mighty waters, shall cast down to the earth with the hand; I have heard a consummation and decision from the Lord Jehovih Zebaoth upon the whole earth" (28:2, 22).

These words were spoken of the day of judgment upon those who were from the church. The day of judgment, when there is an end of the church, is meant by, "I have heard a consummation and decision from the Lord Jehovih Zebaoth upon the whole earth": wherefore it is said, that, "as an inundation of hail, a storm of slaughter, as an inundation of mighty waters he shall cast down to the earth with the hand." By hail and an inundation of it falsities are signified which destroy the truths of the church: by slaughter, and a storm of it, evils are signified, which destroy the goods of the church; by the mighty waters the falsities of evil are signified. That an inundation or flood signifies immersion into evils and falsities, and hence the destruction of the church, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 660, 705, 739, 756, 790, 5725, 6853; the same, by casting down to the earth or a violent pouring down of rain.

[7] In the same:

"The earth shall be [turned] into burning pitch; from generation to generation it shall be waste" (34:9, 10).

By burning pitch is signified every evil springing from the love of self, by which the church entirely perishes and is vastated; therefore it is said, the earth shall be [turned] into burning pitch; from generation to generation it shall be waste. Who cannot see that such things are not said of the earth itself?

[8] In the same:

"The earth mourneth and languisheth; Lebanon hath blushed and faded away" (33:9).

Here also the earth denotes the church, which is said to mourn and to languish when falsities begin to be seized upon and acknowledged as truths; therefore it is said, Lebanon hath blushed and faded away. Lebanon signifies the same as the cedar, that is, the truth of the church.

[9] In Jeremiah:

"The lion is come out of his thicket, and the destroyer of the nations is gone forth from his place to lay waste thy land; thy cities shall be destroyed. I beheld the earth, when, lo, it is empty and void; and towards the heavens, when, lo, they have no light. I beheld the mountains, when, lo, they are moved, and all the hills are overturned. Jehovah said, The whole land shall be a waste. For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black" (4:7, 23, 24, 27, 28).

Here also the vastation of the church is treated of; this takes place when truth and good are no longer, but in their place falsity and evil. This vastation is described by the lion coming out of his thicket, and the destroyer of the nations going forth from his place; the lion and the destroyer of the nations signifying falsity and evil vastating. The mountains that are moved, and the hills that are overturned, signify love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour. The reason that these are signified by mountains and hills is, that those who are in love to the Lord dwell upon mountains in heaven, and those who are in charity towards the neighbour, upon hills, as may be seen in what has been stated above, and also in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 188, and the notes there, letter c. By the heavens where no light was, which were black, are signified the interiors of the men of the church, which, when they, are closed by evils and falsities, do not admit the light from heaven, but instead thereof darkness from hell. From these considerations it is evident what is signified by the lion and the destroyer of the nations reducing the earth to desolation: also by, "I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was empty and void"; as also by "the whole land shall be a waste; for this shall the earth mourn," namely, that the earth is not understood, but the church.

[10] In the same:

"How long shall the earth mourn, and the herb of every field [wither], for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? the beasts are consumed, and the birds. The whole earth is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart. The spoilers are come upon all the hills in the desert; for the sword of Jehovah is devouring from the end of the earth even to the end of the earth. They have sown wheat, and have reaped thorns" (12:4, 11-13).

That the earth here signifies the church is evident, from its being said that the earth shall mourn, and the herb of every field [shall wither], and that the beasts and the birds are consumed for the wickedness of them that dwell therein, and because no man layeth it to heart. By the herb of every field is signified every truth and good of the church, and by the beasts and birds are signified the affections of good and truth; and because the church is signified by the earth, and it is here treated of as vastated, it is therefore said, "the spoilers are come upon all the hills in the desert; for the sword of Jehovah is devouring from the end of the earth to the end of the earth; they have sown wheat, and have reaped thorns." By the hills in the wilderness upon which the spoilers came, are signified the things of charity; the desert denotes where there is no good, because there is no truth; by the sword of Jehovah is signified falsity destroying truth; from the end of the earth to the end of the earth, signifies all things of the church; by sowing wheat and reaping thorns, is signified to take from the Word the truths of good, and to turn them into falsities of evil; wheat denoting the truths of good, and thorns denoting the falsities of evil.

[11] In Isaiah:

"Upon the land of my people shall come up the thorn and briar: the palace shall be deserted; the multitude of the city shall be forsaken" (32:13, 14).

The thorn and the briar which shall come upon the earth, signify falsity and evil; the palace that shall be deserted, signifies where good dwells; and the multitude of the city which shall be forsaken, signifies where there are truths; for a city signifies the doctrine of truth.

[12] In the same:

"All the earth shall become a place of briars and thorns: on the other hand, all the mountains which shall be weeded with the hoe, there shall not come thither the fear of briars and thorns; but there shall be the sending forth of the ox, and the treading of the sheep" (7:24, 25).

Briars and thorns signify falsity and evil; hence it is evident what is signified by all the earth shall become a place of briars and thorns. By the mountains which shall be weeded with the hoe, are signified those who do goods from the love of good; that falsity and evil shall not be with them, but both spiritual and natural good, is signified by the fear of briars and thorns not coming thither, but there shall be the sending forth of the ox, and the treading of the sheep; or thither shall the oxen be sent, and there the sheep shall tread; the ox signifying natural good, and the sheep spiritual good.

[13] In Ezekiel:

"Thy mother is a lioness; she lay down among lions; one of her whelps rose up, he has devastated the cities; the earth is desolated and the fulness thereof, by the voice of his roaring" (19:2, 3, 7).

By mother is signified the church; by a lioness and lions, the power of evil and of falsity against good and truth; by the roaring of the lion is signified the lust of destroying and desolating; by the cities which he laid waste, is signified doctrine with its truths; hence it is evident what is signified by, the earth was desolated, and the fulness thereof, namely, the whole church.

[14] In the same:

"They shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their waters with astonishment, that the earth may be devastated from its fulness, for the violence of all them that dwell therein; and the inhabited cities shall be laid waste, and the earth shall be a desolation" (12:19, 20).

Things similar to those above are here signified by the earth and by the cities that shall be laid waste and shall become a desolation; that is, by the earth is signified the church, and by cities doctrine with its truths; therefore it is said, for the violence of all them that dwell therein. Because those things are signified it is premised that they shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their waters with astonishment. Bread and water in the Word signify every good of love and truth of faith (see Arcana Coelestia 9329). And by eating and drinking are signified instruction and appropriation (n. 3168, 3513, 3832, 9412).

[15] In David:

"I called upon Jehovah, and cried unto my God. Wherefore the earth shook and trembled, and the foundations of the mountains quaked and shook when he was wroth" (Psalms 18:6, 7).

Here the earth is for the church, which is said to shake and tremble when it is perverted by the falsification of truths; and in this case the foundations of the mountains are said to quake and to be moved, for the goods of love, which are founded upon the truths of faith, vanish. For mountains denote the goods of love (as above), and their foundations denote the truths of faith; hence also, it is evident that the earth denotes the church.

[16] In the same:

"The earth is Jehovah's and the fulness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein; and he hath founded it upon the seas, he hath established it upon the rivers" (Psalms 24:1, 2).

The earth and the world stand for the church, and fulness stands for all things thereof; the seas upon which He hath founded it, denote the knowledges of truth in general; the rivers denote doctrinals. Because upon the former and the latter the church is founded, it is therefore said, that He would found it upon the seas, and establish it upon the rivers. That this cannot be predicated of the earth and the world, is evident to any one.

[17] In the same:

"Shall we not fear, when the earth shall be moved, and when the mountains shall be shaken in the heart of the seas; when the waters thereof shall roar and be troubled? Let the nations rage, let the kingdoms be moved; when he uttereth his voice, the earth melteth away" (Psalms 46:2, 3, 6).

It is evident that by the earth is meant the church, because it is said to be removed and to melt, also that the mountains shall be shaken in the heart of the seas; the waters thereof also shall be troubled, and let the nations rage, and the kingdoms be moved. By mountains are signified (as above) the goods of love, which are said to be shaken in the heart of the seas, when the essential knowledges of truth are perverted; by waters are signified the truths of the church, which are said to be troubled when they are falsified; by nations are signified the goods of the church, and, in an opposite sense, the evils thereof; and by kingdoms, the truths of the church, and, in an opposite sense, its falsities; also those who are in the former and the latter.

[18] In the same

"O God, thou hast forsaken us, thou hast been angry; restore rest to us. Thou hast made the earth to tremble, thou hast broken it in pieces; heal the breaches thereof, for it shaketh" (Psalms 60:1, 2).

That these things are said of the church and not of the earth is evident; for it is said, "Thou hast made the earth to tremble, thou hast broken it in pieces: heal the breaches thereof, for it shaketh"; and because the earth signifies the church, here the church vastated, therefore it is said, "O God, thou hast forsaken us, thou hast been angry; restore rest to us."

[19] In the same:

"When I take the appointed time, I will judge uprightly. The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved; I will bear up the pillars of it" (Psalms 75:2, 3).

Here, also, the earth is for the church, which is said to be dissolved when truths fail, through which there is good. Because truths support the church, they are called its pillars, which God will bear up: that the pillars of the earth are not borne up is evident. Because the restoration of the church is here described, it is therefore said, "When I take the appointed time, I will judge uprightly." The truths of the church, which are here called the pillars of the earth, are also called the bases of the earth (1 Sam. 2:8); and the foundations of the earth, in Isaiah:

"Do ye not understand the foundations of the earth? It is he that dwelleth upon the circle of the earth, that bringeth the princes to nothing; and maketh the judges of the earth as vanity" (40:21-23).

By the princes who are brought to nothing, and by the judges of the earth whom He maketh as vanity, are signified the things that are from one's own intelligence, and from one's own judgment.

[20] In Jeremiah:

"A tumult cometh even to the end of the earth. Thus said Jehovah, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great wind shall be stirred up from the sides of the earth. And the slain of Jehovah shall be in that day from the end of the earth even unto the end thereof" (25:31-33).

By the end of the earth, and by the sides of the earth, are signified where the ultimates of the church are, and where evils and falsities begin; and from the end of the earth to the end thereof, signifies all things of the church. Hence it may be known what is signified by a tumult shall come to the end of the earth, and a great wind shall be stirred up from the sides of the earth, and by the slain of Jehovah shall be in that day from the end of the earth unto the end thereof. By the slain are signified those with whom the truths and goods of the church are extinguished; as may be seen, n. 4503.

[21] In Isaiah:

"The isles saw, they feared; the ends of the earth trembled, they drew near, and came. I will make the desert a pool of waters, and the dry land a spring of waters" (41:5, 18).

The establishment of the church amongst the Gentiles is so described, they being signified by the isles and the ends of the earth; for islands and the ends of the earth in the Word signify those who are farther apart from the truths and goods of the church, because they have not the Word, and consequently they are in ignorance. That the church shall be established among them, is signified by, "I will make the desert a pool of waters, and the dry land a spring of waters." It is called a desert where there is not yet good, because there is not truth, from which it is also called the dry land. A pool of waters, and a spring of waters, signify good, because they signify truth; for all spiritual good, which is the good of the church, is procured by truths.

[22] In the same:

"Woe to the land shadowed with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Cush. Go, ye ambassadors, to a nation trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled" (18:1, 2).

What the land shadowed with wings, and the land which the rivers have spoiled, signify, no one can know, unless he knows that the earth denotes the church, and that rivers denote falsities; the land shadowed with wings is the church that is in thick darkness as to Divine truths (that these are signified by wings may be seen above, n. 283). Beyond the rivers of Cush signifies, as to knowledges themselves from the sense of the letter of the Word, which are falsified; the nation trodden down, to which the ambassadors should go, whose land the rivers have spoiled, signifies those out of the church who are in falsities from ignorance; rivers denoting truths of doctrine, and, in an opposite sense, falsities; that the ambassadors should go to them, signifies that they should be invited, in order that the church may be with them.

[23] In the same:

"In the wrath of Jehovah Zebaoth the earth is darkened" (9:19).

The earth darkened signifies the things of the church in thick darkness or in falsities; for the falsities of evil are said to be in thick darkness, but truths in the light.

[24] In the same:

"Jehovah shall remove man, and deserts shall be multiplied in the midst of the earth" (6:12).

Man whom Jehovah shall remove, signifies a wise man, and abstractedly wisdom (as may be seen above, n. 280). Deserts shall be multiplied in the midst of the earth, signifies, that there is nothing altogether good, because there is nothing true; the midst of the earth denoting where truth is in the greatest light; therefore when the light is not there, thick darkness pervades the whole; then, there is nowhere any truth.

[25] In the same:

Jehovah "shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the impious" (11:4).

The rod of the mouth of Jehovah which shall smite the earth, signifies truth in ultimates, which is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word; and the breath of the lips with which He shall slay the impious, signifies the truth in the spiritual sense of the Word. These are said to smite the earth, and to slay the impious, when they are condemned thereby; for every one is judged by truths, and is condemned by them.

[26] In the same:

"The earth is at rest, and is quiet. Hell hath stirred up on thy account the Rephaim, all the powerful of the earth. They that see thee shall say, Is this the man that moveth the earth, that maketh the kingdoms to tremble; he hath made the world into a desert, and destroyed the cities thereof? Thou hast destroyed thy land; thou hast slain thy people. Prepare slaughter for his sons, that they may not rise again and possess the earth, and the faces of the earth be filled with cities. I shall break Asshur in my land, and upon my mountains shall I tread him under foot" (14:7, 9, 16, 17, 20, 21, 25)

These things are said concerning the king of Babel, by whom is signified the destruction of truth through the love of ruling over heaven and earth, to which the truths of the Word, or the things of the church, serve as means. In this place it is treated concerning their damnation. The dead (Rephaim) whom hell has stirred up, are those who are in the direful persuasion of falsity, and who are thence called the powerful of the earth: to move the earth, to make the kingdoms tremble, to make the world into a desert, and to destroy the cities thereof, signifies to pervert all things of the church. The earth and the world denote the church; the kingdoms denote the truths which constitute it; and the cities denote all things of doctrine. Hence it is evident what is signified by, thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people. By Asshur who shall be broken in the earth, and be trodden under foot upon the mountains, is signified reasoning from falsities against truths; to be broken is to be dissipated; and to be trodden under foot is to be altogether destroyed. The mountains upon which [this is said to be done], signify where the good of love and charity reigns, for there, or with those [who are there], all reasoning from falsities is dissipated or destroyed.

[27] In the same:

"Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; from the land of Kittim it shall come plainly to them. Pass through thy land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish; the girdle is no more. Behold the land of the Chaldeans; Asshur hath founded it into heaps. Jehovah will visit Tyre, that she may return to the hire of whoredom, and commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the earth upon the faces of the world" (23:1, 10, 13, 17).

That neither the ships of Tarshish, Tyre, the land of Kittim, the land of the Chaldeans, nor Asshur, are here meant, is evident from the particulars in this chapter; but by the ships of Tarshish are meant the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good, also by Tyre; by the land of Kittim, what is idolatrous; by the land of the Chaldeans, the profanation and destruction of truth; and by Asshur, reasoning from falsities. Hence it is evident that, howl, ye ships of Tarshish, because Tyre is devastated, signifies that there are no longer any knowledges of truth; it shall come plainly to them from the land of Kittim, signifies what is idolatrous thence; the girdle is no more, signifies that there is no longer a coherence of truth with good. Behold the land of the Chaldeans, signifies that thus there is profanation and destruction of truth; Asshur hath founded it into heaps, signifies that reasoning from falsities has destroyed it; to return to the hire of whoredom, and to commit fornication with all the kingdoms upon the faces of the world, signifies falsification of all the truths of the whole church.

[28] In the same:

The king of Asshur "shall go through Judah; he shall overflow and pass over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the shakings of his wings shall be the fulness of the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel" (8:8).

Here, also, the king of Asshur signifies reasoning from falsities against truths. "He shall go through Judah, he shall overflow and pass over," signifies that it shall destroy the good of the church. To overflow is said of falsities, because they are signified by waters. "He shall reach even to the neck," signifies that thus there shall be no longer a communication of good and truth; and "the shakings of his wings shall be the fulness of the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel," signifies that falsities shall be against all the truths of the Lord's church. That the breadth of the earth signifies the truths of the church, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 197, and that hence, in an opposite sense, it signifies falsities; therefore the shakings of his wings signify reasonings from falsities against truths. Fulness signifies all; thus, the fulness of the breadth of the earth all the truths of the church.

[29] In the same:

"In that day shall the shoot of Jehovah be for gracefulness and glory, and the fruit of the earth for magnificence and an ornament to the remains of Israel" (4:2).

The shoot of Jehovah which shall be for gracefulness and glory, signifies the truth of the church; and the fruit of the earth which shall be for magnificence and for an ornament, signifies the good of the church; Israel signifies the spiritual church; that the shoot and the fruit of the earth shall not be for gracefulness, glory, magnificence, and ornament, is evident; but the truth and good of the church shall be. When it is said the truth and good of the church, the truth of faith and the good of love are meant; for all truth is of faith, and all good is of love.

[30] In the same:

"Thou hast added to the nation, O Jehovah; thou art glorified, thou hast removed all the ends of the earth" (26:15).

The nation to which Jehovah has added, signifies those who are in the good of love, whom He has adjudged to Himself; the ends of the earth which He has removed, signify the falsities and evils that infest the church, and from which He has purified them.

[31] In the same:

"Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty, they shall behold the land of remotenesses" (33:17).

To see the king in his beauty, denotes genuine truth, which is from the Lord alone; to behold the land of remotenesses, signifies the extension of intelligence and wisdom.

[32] In the same:

"I have given thee for a covenant of the people, to restore the earth. Sing, O heavens, and exult, O earth; and resound, ye mountains, with a song" (49:8, 13).

The Lord and His Advent are here treated of; the establishment of the church by Him is described by, "I have given thee for a covenant of the people, to restore the earth," to restore the earth denoting to re-establish the church; that the Lord did not restore the earth to the Jewish people is known, but that He established the church among the Gentiles. The joy in consequence is described by, "Sing, O heavens, exult, O earth, and resound, ye mountains, with a song." By the heavens are meant the heavens where are angels who are in the interior truths of the church; by the earth is meant the church among men; and by the mountains, those who are in the good of love to the Lord.

[33] In Jeremiah:

"The land is full of adulterers; because of the curse the earth mourneth, the pastures of the desert are dried up" (23:10).

Adulterers signify those who adulterate the goods of the church: therefore it is said, "The land is full of adulterers, and because of the curse the earth mourneth"; the pastures of the desert which are dried up signify no spiritual nourishment in such a church; desert being predicated where there is no good, because no truth.

[34] In the same:

"A drought is upon her waters, that they may be dried up; for it is a land of graven things" (50:38).

A drought upon the waters, that they may be dried up, signifies that truths no longer [exist], waters denoting truths, "for it is a land of graven things," signifies the church destroyed by falsities which are from man's own intelligence, which they call truths; graven things signify those falsities.

[35] In Ezekiel:

"The end cometh upon the four quarters of the earth; the earth is full of the judgment of bloods, and the city is full of violence" (7:2, 23).

"The end cometh upon the four quarters of the earth," signifies the last time and the last state of the church, when its end is; the four quarters denote all the truths and goods thereof, and, in an opposite sense, all the falsities and evils thereof, thus all things of the church. "The earth is full of the judgment of bloods," signifies that it is filled with evils of every kind; bloods denote the evils which offer violence to the goods of love and charity, and entirely destroy them. "The city full of violence," signifies the doctrine of that church acting in a similar way.

[36] In the same:

"All the luminaries of light in heaven will I make dark over thee, and will set darkness upon thy earth" (33:8).

By the luminaries of light in the heavens are meant the sun, moon, and stars; and by the sun is signified love, by the moon faith thence, and by the stars the knowledges of good and truth: hence it is evident what is signified by, "I will make them dark over thee"; namely, that they should no longer exist; hence, also, it is evident what is signified by, "I will set darkness upon thy earth"; namely, that there are falsities in the church, darkness denoting falsities, and earth denoting the church.

[37] In the same

"Prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains and hills and rivers and valleys, Behold, I am with you, and I will look back unto you, that ye may be tilled and sown" (36:6, 9).

By the land of Israel is meant the church; the mountains, hills, rivers, and valleys, signify all things of the church, from the first to the last things thereof; mountains denote the goods of love to the Lord; hills denote the goods of charity towards the neighbour; these are the first things of the church. The rivers and valleys denote the truths and goods which are the last things of the church. That these things are signified is evident from what has been stated in this article; namely, that those dwell upon mountains in heaven who are in the good of love to the Lord, those upon hills who are in charity towards the neighbour, and those in plains and valleys who are in goods and truths, in the ultimate heaven; rivers denote the truths of doctrine there; to inseminate them, is signified by, "I will look back unto you, that ye may be tilled and sown."

[38] In Hosea:

"In that day, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth; and the earth shall hear the corn and the new wine and the oil, and they shall hear Jezreel; and I will sow him unto me in the earth" (2:21-23).

That these things are to be spiritually understood, and not naturally according to the sense of the letter, is evident; for it is said, that these shall hear Jezreel; and I will sow him unto me in the earth; wherefore by the heavens are meant the heavens where the Lord is; and by the earth, the church where, also the Lord is; by the corn, new wine, and oil, are signified all things of spiritual nourishment, which are the goods of love and charity, and the truths of faith.

[39] In Malachi:

"He shall not destroy for you the fruit of the earth, neither shall the vine in the field be barren for you; all nations shall proclaim you blessed, and ye shall be a land of well-pleasing" (3:11, 12).

These things are said of those with whom and in whom the church exists; and because by the fruit of the earth and the vine in the field, are signified the goods and truths of the church - by the fruit the goods, and by the vine the truths thereof - therefore they are called a land of well-pleasing.

[40] In David:

"Let thy good Spirit lead me into the land of uprightness. Make me to live, O Jehovah, for thy name's sake" (Psalms 143:10, 11).

The land of uprightness stands for the church in which is what is right and true; and because the spirit of Jehovah signifies the Divine truth, and every one thereby receives spiritual life, it is therefore said, "Let thy good Spirit lead me," and, "O Jehovah; make me to live."

[41] Because the earth signifies the church, and where the church is there is heaven, it is therefore called the land of the living and the land of life. The land of the living in Isaiah:

"I said, I shall not see Jah in the land of the living" (38:11).

And in Ezekiel:

"Who caused terror in the land of the living" (32:23-27).

The land of life in David:

"Unless I had believed to see good in the land of life" (Psalms 27:13).

[42] In Moses:

"It shall be an entire and just stone, the ephah shall be entire and just, that thy days may be prolonged upon the earth" (Deuteronomy 25:15).

The prolongation of days upon the earth does not signify the long duration of life in the world, but the state of life in the church, thus in heaven; for to prolong is said of good and its increase, and day signifies the state of the life; and because a stone entire and just, which was a weight, and an ephah entire and just, which was a measure, signify truth and good and their quality, and both together signify justice - the stone truth, and the measure good - and because not to deceive by weight and measure is to be just, therefore the life of the church shall be theirs, and afterwards life in heaven, which is meant by their days upon the earth being lengthened.

[43] The same is signified by this precept of the Decalogue:

"Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be prolonged upon the earth" (Exodus 20:12).

The reason why they have heaven and the happiness there, who honour father and mother, is, because in heaven no other father is known but the Lord, for by Him all there have been regenerated. And in heaven by mother is meant the church, and in general, the kingdom of the Lord. That those who worship the Lord and seek His kingdom, will have life in heaven, is evident; also that many of those who honour father and mother in the world, do not live there long.

[44] In Matthew:

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (5:5).

The inheritance of the earth does not signify the possession of the earth, but the possession of heaven and blessedness there; the meek signify those who are in the good of charity.

[45] In Isaiah:

"Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call his name God-with-us; butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil and to choose the good; for before the child shall know to refuse the evil and to choose the good, the land shall be deserted which thou scornest before her two kings. It shall come to pass in that day, by reason of the abundance of giving milk, he shall eat butter; for butter and honey shall every one eat that is left in the midst of the land" (7:14-16, [21], 22).

That these things are spoken of the Lord and His Advent is known; the butter and honey which He shall eat, signify the goods of love; butter, the good of celestial and spiritual love; honey, the good of natural love; by these it is meant that He would appropriate to Himself the Divine even as to the Human, to eat signifying to appropriate. That the earth shall be deserted before He knows to refuse the evil and to choose the good, signifies, that there would not be anything of the church remaining in the whole world when He would be born; and because those, where the church was, rejected every Divine truth, and perverted all things of the Word, and explained it in favour of self, it is therefore said concerning the earth, that is, the church, "which thou scornest before her two kings." Kings signify the truths of heaven and of the church; two kings, the truth of the Word in the internal or spiritual sense, and the truth of the Word in the external or natural sense. Milk signifies the truth through which good comes; and because butter signifies the good thence, therefore by reason of the abundance of giving milk, butter shall every one eat that is left in the midst of the land, signifies that every truth shall be of good.

[46] In Matthew:

"In the consummation of the age, all the tribes of the earth shall mourn" (24:30).

The consummation of the age which is treated of in that chapter, is the last time of the church, when the judgment takes place; all the tribes of the earth signify all the truths and goods of the church, which are said to mourn when they are no more.

[47] In Luke:

"And then shall there be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, the sea and the waves roaring; men expiring for fear, and for expectation of those things that are coming upon the whole earth; for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken." That day "as a snare shall come upon all who sit upon the face of the whole earth" (21:25, 26, 35).

It is also treated there concerning the last time of the church, when the judgment takes place, and by the earth and the world there are meant the church. The distress of nations upon the earth, the fear and expectation of those things coming upon the earth, also upon all who sit upon the face of the whole earth, does not signify upon those who are in the earths in the natural world, but upon those who are in the spiritual world. That there are earths also there, may be seen in what was premised to this article; and that the Last Judgment was accomplished there, may be seen in the small work concerning the Last Judgment. What is signified by the sun, moon, and stars, in which the signs are, was mentioned above, namely, that the sun signifies love, the moon faith thence, and the stars the knowledges of good and truth; the sea and waves roaring, signifies the reasonings and fightings of truth from the sense of the letter of the Word, wrongly and perversely applied. The powers of the heavens, which shall be shaken, signify the Word in the sense of the letter, because this sense is the foundation of the spiritual truths which are in the heavens. (As may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell, in the article which treats of the Conjunction of Heaven with Man by means of the Word, n. 303-310.)

[48] In Isaiah:

"Sing, ye heavens; shout, ye lower parts of the earth; resound with singing, ye mountains, O forest and every tree therein; for Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob. I am Jehovah that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself" (44:23, 24).

"Sing, ye heavens: shout, ye lower parts of the earth; resound with singing, ye mountains, O forest and every tree therein," signify all things of heaven and of the church, as well the internal as the external, which all have reference to good and truth. Things internal are signified by the heavens, things external by the lower parts of the earth; mountains denote the goods of love, the forest denotes natural truth, and the trees therein denote the knowledges of truth. Because such things are signified it is said, "For Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob"; by Jacob in the Word is signified the external church, and by Israel the internal church. To stretch forth the heavens and to spread abroad the earth, signifies the church on all sides, which is stretched forth and spread abroad by the multiplication of truth and the fructification of good, with those who belong to the church.

[49] In Zechariah:

"Jehovah, who spreadeth abroad the heavens, and foundeth the earth, and formeth the spirit of man in the midst of him" (12:1).

Here also by the heavens and by the earth is signified the church on all sides, thus as to its interiors and exteriors; therefore also it is said, "formeth the spirit of man in the midst of him."

[50] In Jeremiah:

"The gods that have not made the heaven and the earth, let them perish from the earth and from under the heavens." Jehovah "that maketh the earth by his power, that prepareth the world by his wisdom, and that spreadeth abroad the heavens by his intelligence. At the voice which he giveth forth a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the end of the earth" (10:11-13:51:15, 16).

Because the heavens and the earth signify the church (as above), therefore it is said, "Jehovah that maketh the earth by his power, that prepareth the world by his wisdom, and spreadeth abroad the heavens by his intelligence"; and therefore it is also said, "At the voice which he giveth forth a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the end of the earth." By the voice which Jehovah gives forth, is signified Divine truth proceeding from Him; by the multitude of waters in the heavens are signified truths in abundance, for waters signify truths; and by the vapours which He causeth to ascend from the end of the earth, are signified the last truths of the church; vapours denote those truths, and the end of the earth is the last of the church. And because gods signify the falsities of doctrine and of worship, which destroy the church, it is therefore said, The gods that have not made the heaven and the earth, let them perish from the earth and from under the heavens."

[51] In David:

"Jehovah who by intelligence, maketh the heavens. Stretcheth forth the earth above the waters" (Psalms 136:5, 6).

Because heaven and earth signify the church, and the church is formed by truths, and the truths of the church constitute intelligence, it is therefore said, "Jehovah maketh the heavens by intelligence, and stretcheth forth the earth above the waters," waters denoting the truths of the church.

[52] In Isaiah:

"Thus saith Jehovah God, that createth the heavens, and stretcheth them out, that spreadeth forth the earth and the products thereof, that giveth life to the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein" (42:5).

By creating the heavens and spreading forth the earth and the products thereof, is signified to form the church and to reform those who are in it, the products denoting all things of the church; therefore it is said, that giveth life to the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein. That to create denotes to reform, may be seen above, n. 294.

[53] In the same:

"Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds flow down with justice; let the earth open itself, and fructify salvation. I have made the earth, and created man upon it. Thus said Jehovah who createth the heavens; God himself who formeth the earth and maketh it and prepareth it; not in secret have I spoken, in a place of darkness of the earth" (45:8, 12, 18, 19).

That by the heavens and the earth are here meant all things of the church, the internals as well as the externals thereof, is evident; for it is said, "Drop down, ye heavens, and let the clouds flow down with justice; let the earth open itself, and fructify salvation." The reason why the heavens signify the interior things of the church, is, that the interior things of the mind of the spiritual man, are the heavens with him. (That heaven is with the man, with whom the church is, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 30-57.) By creating the heavens, and forming the earth, and making and preparing it, is signified fully to establish the church.

[54] In the same:

"Behold, I that create new heavens and a new earth, neither shall the former be remembered" (65:17).

By creating new heavens and a new earth, is signified to establish a new church as to its interiors and exteriors, both in the heavens and on the earths (as was said above).

[55] In the same:

"Who hath heard such a thing? shall the earth bring forth in one day? shall a nation be born at once? For as the new heavens and the new earth which I shall make, shall stand before me, so shall your seed and your name stand" (66:8, 22).

Because the earth signifies the church, therefore, it is said, shall the earth bring forth in one day? shall a nation be born at once? By bringing forth and birth, and by generating and generation in the Word, are signified spiritual birth and generation, which are of faith and love, thus reformation and regeneration; what the new heavens and new earth signify has been mentioned above.

[56] In Jeremiah:

"I have made the earth, man and the beast that are upon the faces of the earth, and I give it to him who is right in my eyes" (27:5).

By man and the beast which are upon the faces of the earth, are signified the affections of truth and good in the spiritual and the natural man (see n. 280: and in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 7424, 7523, 7872); and because those affections with men constitute the church in them, it is therefore said "I have made the earth, man and the beast that are upon the faces of the earth, and I give it to him who is right in my eyes." That God does not give the earth solely to those who are right in His eyes, but also to those who are not right, is known; not the church, however, except to those who are right; right signifies truth and the affection thereof.

[57] In Isaiah:

"The heavens shall vanish like smoke, and the earth shall wax old as a garment, and the dwellers therein shall die in like manner" (51:6).

The heavens which shall vanish away, and the earth which shall wax old like a garment, signify the church; this successively falls away and at length is desolated, but not so the visible heaven and the habitable earth; wherefore it is said, "and the dwellers therein shall die in like manner," to die signifying to die spiritually. The same is signified by

"The heavens and earth shall pass away" (Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 16:17).

[58] In the Apocalypse:

"Four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the winds should not blow on the earth" (7:1).

By the four corners of the earth, and the four winds of the earth, are signified all the truths and goods of the church in the aggregate; for the same things are signified by them as the four quarters of heaven. (That these signify those things may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell, "On the Four Quarters in Heaven," n. 141-153.) To hold them [the four winds], signifies that they [that is, truths and goods], may not flow-in because they are not received; wherefore it is said, that the wind shall not blow upon the earth. The earth also signifies the church in other parts of the Apocalypse (as 10:2, 5, 6, 8; 12:16; 13:13; 16:2, 14; 20:8, 9, 11; 21:1), besides many other places in the Word, too numerous to be adduced.

[59] As the earth signified the church, and especially the land of Canaan, because the church was there, and because the church which was there was a representative church, therefore all things that were there were representative, and all that was said to them by the Lord signified the spiritual or interior things of the church, and this even in regard to the land itself and its products; as in these words in Moses:

If thou keep the precepts, "Jehovah will lead thee into a good land, into a land of rivers of water, of fountains, of depths springing out of valley and mountain; a land of wheat, of barley, of the vine, of the fig, of the pomegranate; a land of the olive, of oil, of honey; a land where thou shalt eat bread without scarceness; it shall lack nothing; a land where the stones are iron, and from the mountains shall be digged copper, and thou shalt eat, and shalt be satisfied in this good land" (Deuteronomy 8:1, 7-10).

By these are described all things of the church, both interior and exterior; but to expound what each particular signifies, would be tedious, and does not belong to this place.

[60] On account of the land signifying the church, it was therefore among the blessings, that if they lived according to the precepts, the earth should give its produce, the evil beasts should cease out of the earth, nor should the sword pass through the land (Leviticus 26:3, 4, 6). That the earth should give its produce, signifies that in the church there should be good and truth; that the evil beasts should cease, signifies that the evil affections and lusts, which destroy it, should no longer exist; that the sword should not pass through the land, signifies that falsity should not cast out truth.

[61] Because the earth signified the church, it was also appointed that

The seventh year should be kept as the Sabbath of the earth,

and that there should be no labour upon it (Leviticus 25:1-8). And therefore it is also said that

The land was polluted on account of the evils, and that on account of the abominations it would spew them forth (Leviticus 18:1-28).

And because the land signified the church, the Lord therefore spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and anointed the eyes of the blind man, and said,

"Go wash thee in the pool of Siloam" (John 9:6, 7, 11, 15).

And therefore the Lord, when the Scribes and Pharisees asked Him concerning the woman taken in adultery, stooped down, and wrote twice on the ground (John 8:6, 8), signifying that the church was full of adulteries, that is, full of the adulteration of good and the falsification of truth; therefore also the Lord said to them,

"He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her; but they went out one by one, beginning from the elders, even unto the last" (vers. 7, 9).

[62] Because most things in the Word have also an opposite sense, so also has the earth, which, in that sense, signifies the church vastated, which takes place when the good of love and the truth of faith no longer exist, but instead thereof evil and falsity; and because these condemn man, by the earth in that sense is also signified damnation, as in the following places (Isaiah 14:12; 21:9; 25:12; 26:19, 21; 29:4; 47:1; 63:6; Lamentations 2:2, 10; Ezekiel 26:20; 32:24; Num. 16:29-33; 26:10), and elsewhere.