1135. That mighty city, signifies which had fortified itself by so many wicked devices. This is evident from the signification of "mighty," as being in reference to its doctrine and religious persuasion, which are signified by "the city of Babylon," that they are fortified by devices that they may not be assailed and overthrown. What those devices are, and how wicked they are, may be seen above (n. 1112). It follows, nevertheless, that these devices were of no avail at the day of the Last Judgment, when all who were such perished, for it is said, "For in one hour is thy judgment come," and that not only the kings of the earth, but also the merchants of the earth, and the pilots of the ships "should weep for her and wail over her."

[2] Elsewhere in the Word those are called "mighty" who are in evils and falsities therefrom, and have fortified themselves by means of devices against the goods and truths of the church, thus those with whom the church is devastated, and who devastate the church with others. As in Joel:

The day of Jehovah cometh, a day of darkness and of thick darkness; a people great and mighty, such as there hath not been for an age. Like heroes they run, like men of war they climb over the wall (Joel 2:1-2, 7);

where also the Last Judgment is treated of, which is signified by "the day of Jehovah, a day of darkness and of thick darkness." Those who are in falsities of evil and have fortified their falsities against truths by reasoning and by falsifications of the Word, are signified by "a people great and mighty;" that they reason from falsities against truths, and thus assail truths, is signified by "like heroes they run, like men of war they climb over the wall." And so in other places.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

[3] As the Divine omnipotence is such that man is not able to think and will, and thus to speak and act, of himself, but is able to do so only from the life which is God, it may be asked why every man is not saved. But he who concludes from this that everyone is saved, or that he is not to be blamed if he is not, is ignorant of the laws of Divine order respecting man's reformation, regeneration, and consequent salvation. The laws of that order are called laws of the Divine providence. These the natural mind cannot know unless it is enlightened. And as man does not know them, and consequently forms conclusions respecting the Divine providence from what happens in the world, by which he falls into fallacies and thus into errors, from which it is difficult for him afterwards to extricate himself, therefore these laws shall be disclosed.

[4] But before these are disclosed, it is important to make known that the Divine providence operates every particular thing pertaining to man, and even in the most minute particulars, for his eternal salvation; for the salvation of man was the end of the creation of heaven and of earth. This end was that out of the human race a heaven might be formed, in which God could dwell as in His own very home, consequently the salvation of man is the all in all of the Divine providence. But the Divine providence proceeds so secretly that man can see scarcely a trace of it, and yet it is active in the most minute particulars relating to him from infancy to old age in the world, and afterwards to eternity, and in each one of these it is the eternal that is regarded.

[5] As the Divine wisdom is in itself nothing but an end, so providence acts from an end, in an end, and to an end. The end is that man may become wisdom and may become love, and thus a dwelling place and an image of the Divine life. But since the natural mind, unless it is enlightened, is unable to comprehend why the Divine providence, which works solely for man's salvation, and works in the most minute things of the progress of man's life, does not lead all to heaven, when it desires from love to so lead them, and is omnipotent; so in what now follows the laws of order, which are laws of the Divine providence, shall be opened; by which, I hope, the mind not before enlightened may be withdrawn from fallacies, if it is willing to be withdrawn.

1112. And God hath remembered her injustices, signifies that falsities from evils have separated them from the Lord. This is evident from the signification of "remembering," in reference to God as being to separate Him from themselves (of which presently); also from the signification of "injustices," as being falsities from evil, for "the just" is truth from good, consequently "the unjust" is falsity from evil. "The just" is truth from good because civil justice is nothing else than civil truth, which is of the law, and civil equity is the good that is also of the law, since as the law wills justice so it wills equity; for as all truth must be from good so all justice must be from equity; and as all truth must be of good so all justice must be of equity, and conversely. The two cannot be separated, for if they are separated equity is no longer equity, nor is so-called justice justice; as good and truth cannot be separated, for if they are separated good is not good, nor is truth truth. This has been said to make clear that "injustices" here signify falsities from evil.

[2] "God hath remembered her injustices" signifies that falsities of evil have separated them from the Lord, because what precedes, that "her sins have reached even unto heaven," signifies that their evils had closed up heaven, for when heaven is closed to man the Lord is separated; and that being the meaning of the first part of the verse, this must be the meaning of what follows. It must be understood, however, that the Lord does not separate Himself from such, but that they separate themselves from the Lord; for the Lord regards everyone from the face and not from the back of the head; and for this reason the angels of heaven have the Lord continually before their face, and this whichever way they turn, but evil spirits turn the face away from the Lord and turn to Him the back part of the head, and thus they separate themselves from Him. The falsities from evils that are with them are what do this. (That the angels of heaven thus turn to the Lord, and that the spirits of hell thus turn away from Him, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell 17, 123, 142-145, 151, 251, 272, 548, 552, 561)

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

[3] It has been said that one Divine by itself is not possible, but that there must be a trine, and that this trine is one God in essence and in Person. It may now be asked, What trine God had before the Lord took on the Human and made it Divine in the world? God was then likewise Man, and had the Divine, the Divine Human, and the Divine proceeding, that is, the Divine being [esse], the Divine manifesting [existere], and the Divine proceeding [procedere], for as has been said, God without a trine is not possible. But the Divine Human was not then Divine even to ultimates. Ultimates are meant by "flesh and bones," and even these were made Divine by the Lord when He was in the world. This was what was added, and this is the Divine Human that God now has. This, too, may be illustrated by this comparison. Every angel is a man, having a soul, having a body, and having a proceeding; and yet this does not make him a complete man, for he does not have flesh and bones as a man in the world has.

[4] That the Lord made His Human Divine even to its ultimates, which are called "flesh and bones," He made clear to the disciples, who when they saw Him believed that they saw a spirit, saying:

See My hands and My feet that it is I Myself; feel Me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see Me have (Luke 24:39).

From this it follows that now God is Man more than an angel is. Comparison has been made with an angel and with a man; yet it must be understood that God has life in Himself, while an angel does not have life in himself, for he is a recipient of life. That the Lord as to both the Divine and the Divine Human, is life in Himself He teaches in John:

As the Father hath life in Himself so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself (John 5:26).

Here by "Father" the Lord means the Divine in Himself; for He says elsewhere that the Father is in Him, and that the Father and He are one.