366. That they should kill one another. That this signifies the falsification or extinction of truths, is manifest from the signification of killing, as denoting to extinguish truths; for by killing in the Word is signified to kill spiritually, or to kill the spiritual part of man or his soul, which is to extinguish truths. The reason why it also denotes to falsify, is, because when truths are falsified, they are also extinguished; for by falsification a different understanding of them is arrived at, and truth is truth according to the understanding of any one concerning it; for the love and the principle which have rule in man, draw and apply all things to them, even truths themselves; wherefore, when the love is evil, or the principle false, then the truths are infected with the evil of the love, or the falsity of the principle, and so are extinguished; this therefore is what is here signified by, "that they should kill one another." That this takes place when there is no good with man, and especially when there is no good in the doctrine of his church, is manifest from the preceding words, where it is said: "When he had opened the second seal, there went out a red horse; and it was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth"; by which is signified a second state of the church, when the understanding of the Word is destroyed as to good, whence divisions arise in the church (concerning which see above, n. 361, 364, 365).

[2] That the understanding of the Word, or, what is the same, the understanding of truth, is destroyed when there is no good with man, that is, where there is no love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour, may be seen above (n. 365); for good in man, or what is the same, love in him, is the fire of his life, and truth in him, or the faith of truth, is the light thence; therefore according to the quality of the good or the quality of the love in him, such is the truth, or the faith of truth in him. Hence it is evident that if man is in evil, or in an evil love, he cannot be in the truth, or in the faith of truth; for the quality of the light which issues from that fire, is light to those who are in hell, which is a fatuous light, like the light from burning coals, which light is turned into mere darkness from the light flowing in from heaven. Such also is the light called natural light (lumen) with the evil, when they reason against the things of the church.

[3] That they should falsify truths and thereby extinguish them, is also meant by the Lord's words in Matthew:

Jesus said to the disciples, "The brother shall deliver up the brother, the father the son; the children shall rise up against the parents, and cause them to be put to death" (10:21).

And in Luke:

"Ye shall be betrayed by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death" (21:16).

By parents, brethren, children, [kinsfolk,] and friends, are not meant here parents, brethren, children, kinsfolk, friends, nor by disciples are meant disciples, but the goods and truths of the church, also evils and falsities; and that evils will extinguish goods, and falsities truths. (That such things are signified by these names, see the Arcana Coelestia 10490.)

29. And the prince of the kings of the earth. That this signifies from whom is all truth from good in the church, is evident from the signification of prince of the kings, as denoting from whom is all truth, prince denoting what is primary, and kings truths; and because this is said of the Lord, who is here called the prince of the kings, it denotes that all truth is from Him (that a prince denotes what is primary, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 1482, 2089, 5044; and that kings denote truths, will be seen in the explanation of the following verse, where it is said, "and hath made us kings and priests," n. 31); and from the signification of the earth, as denoting the church; concerning which more will be said in what follows. He who knows not the internal sense of the Word, cannot know anything else than that the kings of the whole earth are here meant; but kings are not meant, nor earth but by kings are meant all those who are in truths from good and by the earth, the church.

[2] (That by earth is signified the church is shown in many places in Arcana Coelestia, from which these particulars may be seen. That by earth, or land, is signified the kingdom of the Lord and the church, see the same, n. 662, 1066, 1068, 1262, 1413, 2928, 3355, 4447, 4535, 5577, 8011, 9325, 9643; the principal reason for which is, because by the earth, or land, is meant the land of Canaan, where the church was situated from the most ancient times, n. 567, 3686, 4447, 4454, 4516, 4517, 5136, 6516, 9325, 9327; and because, in the spiritual sense, by earth, or land, is meant the people who dwell there, and their worship, n. 1262. That the new heaven the new earth signify the church in the heavens on earth, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 3355, 4535, 10373.

[3] That by the creation of heaven and earth, spoken of in the first chapters of Genesis, in the internal sense, is described the establishment of the Most Ancient Church, see n. 8891, 9942, 10545. That to create is to restore and to regenerate, see n. 10373. That ground also signifies the church; but it is called ground from the reception of seeds, which are truths, and earth or land, from the nation therein, and their worship, see n. 566, 1068, 10570. Moreover, earth, or land, as it signifies the church, signifies also religion, whence it also signifies an idolatry; as the land of Egypt, the land of the Philistines, the land of Chaldea, and of Babel; and many others. That earth, or land, signifies the church, may also be seen briefly shown in the small work, The Last Judgment 3, 4.)