698. Verse 19. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of his covenant was seen in his temple; and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunders, and an earthquake, and great hail.

"And the temple of God was opened in heaven," signifies the manifestation of a new heaven and a new church, where there is worship of the Lord; "and the ark of his covenant was seen in His temple," signifies Divine Truth, by means of which there is conjunction with the Lord; "and there were lightnings, voices, and thunders," signifies that at that time in the lower parts, where the evil were, there were conflicts and disturbances of thought, and reasonings from evil and falsity concerning good and truth; "and an earthquake," signifies changes of state as to the things of heaven and the church in such; "and great hail," signifies infernal falsity destroying the truths and goods of the church.

8011. 'And shall be as if a native of the land' means that he shall be received as one who is in possession of that truth and good and who has been purified from filthy kinds of love. This is clear from the meaning of 'a native of the land' as one who was born within the Church and is in possession of its truth and good, consequently one who has been purified from filthy kinds of love. The expression 'a native of the land' is used because 'the land' means the Church. For the meaning of 'the land' in the Word as the Church, see 566, 662, 1066, 1067, 1262, 1413, 1607, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 2571, 2928, 3355, 4447, 4535, 5577. And the reason why 'the land' means the Church is that in the Word 'the land' refers to the land of Canaan, and 'the land of Canaan' means the Lord's kingdom and the Church, 1413, 1477, 1585, 1607, 1866, 3038, 3481, 3686, 3705, 4116, 4240, 4447, 4454, 4516, 4517, 5136, 5757, 6516. No land that is mentioned in the Word is taken by angels to mean that land but the nation inhabiting it. And in taking it to mean the nation they understand the character of that nation on the spiritual level, that is, in regard to things of the Church. It is well known that the idea of a nation's character comes to mind when a land is mentioned; for this is also what happens with a person, and especially with angels, who think in a spiritual manner about everything natural.