1. A

Abaddon [Abaddon]. See Destroyer.

Abomination [abominatio]. The evils enumerated in the second table of the Decalogue are called abominations, shown n. 891.

Abyss [abyssus]. A description of the pit of the abyss, where they are who have confirmed in themselves faith alone separated from charity, n. 421, 442.

Accuse, to [accusare]. Accuser and to accuse, when spoken of the devil, signifies to bring forth various things out of man, and to condemn, n. 554.

Adore, to [adorare]. To adore signifies to acknowledge as holy or sacred, n. 579, 580, 588, 630. When spoken with respect to the Lord, it signifies to acknowledge him as the God of heaven and earth, and to adore him, n. 630.

Adultery [adulterium]. To commit adultery and whoredom signifies to adulterate and to falsify the goods and truths of the Word, illustrated and shown n. 134. The reason is, because in the Word and in every part thereof there is a marriage of the Lord and the church, also a marriage of good and truth, which constitutes the church; concerning which, n. 134, 359, 380, 812, 816, 881, 955. See Marriage and Bridegroom. That by the great harlot of Babylon is signified the adulteration and profanation of the Word, n. 719. See Papists.

Afar off [longinquum]. Afar off signifies remoteness of state, that is, removed from such things as constitute states of good and truth, and thence appertain to the church, illustrated and shown n. 769. The contrary is signified by near, n. 947. See At hand. To stand afar off, and to lament over damnation signifies to be in a state remote from damnation and in fear, n. 769,783, 787.

Affection [affectio]. See Love.

Affliction [afflictio]. Affliction signifies the state of the church infested by evils and falsities, shown n. 33. It also signifies temptations, n. 377. Affliction is predicated of falsities, n. 95,137.

After [post]. To walk after another signifies to obey, shown n. 578.

Air [aer]. What is signified by air, see n. 708.

Alas [vae]. See Woe.

Allelujah [alleluia]. It signifies praise ye God; it was an expression of thanksgiving, confession, and celebration of the Lord from joy of heart, shown n. 803, 807, 808. See To praise.

Altar [altare]. In the church amongst the children of Israel there were two altars, one for burnt offerings, the other for incense; and by the altar for burnt offerings is represented, and thence signified worship from celestial love, and by the altar for incense, worship from spiritual love illustrated and shown n. 392, 649. See Sacrifice and Incense. The altar for burnt offerings also signifies the celestial kingdom of the Lord, n. 649. Fire was continually burning upon the altar of burnt offering, and that hence fire was taken in the censer, and offered with incense, shown n. 395. That fire signifies the Divine celestial love, n. 395. See Fire.

Amen [amen]. Amen signifies confirmation from the truth, and since the Lord is truth itself, it signifies confirmation from the Lord, shown n. 23, 61, 199, 292, and it also signifies consent of all, n. 375.

Amphitheater [amphitheatrum]. Concerning the amphitheater where the dragons held their diversions, illustrated n. 655. Concerning their diversions there, see Faith.

Angel [angelus]. By angel, in the highest sense, is meant the Lord, in a respective sense, heaven, also a heavenly society, and likewise Divine truth, n. 647, 910. By angel, in the highest sense, is meant the Lord, illustrated and shown n. 5, 258, 344, 465, 647, 910, also by the seven angels, n. 657. By angel and angels are signified heaven because heaven is heaven from the Lord, n. 5, 342, 910. By Michael and Gabriel are not meant any archangel but societies of heaven and ministries therein, by Michael are meant societies of angels, whose special ministry is to teach, that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, and that God the Father and he are one; and by Gabriel are meant societies of angels, wherein is taught, that Jehovah came into the world, and that his human is the son of God, n. 77, 548, 564. Angel signifies Divine truth n. 900, 910. Concerning the angels of the third heaven, n. 120, and in the following. An angel does not speak with man out of heaven, but the Lord through heaven; but when an angel is to talk with man, he is sent out of heaven, and talks with man from the Lord, n. 816 See Heaven. The angels are not superior men, but their equals; the reason why they excel men in wisdom is because they are in spiritual light, but men in natural light 818. Angels and spirits know nothing of man, with whom they do not speak; the reason is because they are consociated by correspondences, n. 943. Angels are consociated with men, but the Lord only is conjoined with them n. 818, 946. Angels are not to be invoked, much less worshiped, but only the Lord, n. 818. He is an angel of heaven who receives the Lord in love and faith, n. 344.

Animals [animalia]. See Beasts. Concerning the four animals, see Cherubim.

Anointing, to Anoint [unctio, ungere]. See Oil.

Antipas [Antipas]. The martyr, that is, a confessor of the truth, n. 112.

Apes [simia]. Concerning apes mounted on horses, and seated thereon with their bodies reversed: who they were, and of what nature and quality, illustrated n. 839.

Apocalypse [Apocalypsis]. The Apocalypse treats concerning the last state of the Christian church, afterwards concerning the last judgment, and lastly concerning the new church, which is the new Jerusalem, and not concerning the empires or kingdoms of the world, Preface, and n. 2, 227, 387, 483, 543. In series it treats of the falsities in the church, inasmuch as the truths of the new church cannot be received before those falsities are discovered and removed, n. 700. The Apocalypse was manifested to John by the Lord, and it is now opened by him, preface, and n. 953, 954, 957. Nothing shall be added or taken away from what is written in Revelation signifies that nothing shall be added or taken away from the truths of the new church which contain prophecies, and are now revealed, illustrated n. 957–959. The last words in Revelation are the words of betrothal between the Lord and the church to marriage, n. 960.

Apostles [apostoli]. By the disciples of the Lord are meant those who are taught and instructed in the goods and truths of the church, n. 79. By apostles are meant those who teach the goods and truths of the church, and the twelve apostles of the Lord consequently represent and thence in the Word signify the church as to all the goods and truths thereof, n. 5, 233, 790, 903, 915. What is signified by Peter, James, and John, n. 5. The same is signified by the apostles sitting on twelve thrones, and judging the twelve tribes of Israel, n. 233, 798. The apostles are called holy, because they represent holy things, n. 790.

Ark [arca]. See Decalogue.

Armageddon [Armageddon]. Armageddon signifies the love of honor, dominion, and preeminence, shown n. 707. To gather together to war, in Armageddon signifies a state of combat from falsities against truths, and a desire of destroying the new church, arising from a love of dominion or power and preeminence, n. 707, illustrated n. 839. Concerning the combat in Armageddon with respect to the understanding of the Lord’s prayer in its beginning, illustrated n. 839. See Prayer.

Arms [arma]. Arms signifies such things as belong to spiritual war, shown n. 436. See War. Breast plates signify argument, shown n. 436, 450.

Army or Host [exercitus]. An army signifies those who are in Divine goods and truths, and thence abstractly goods and truths, and in the opposite sense, those who are in evils and falsities, and thence abstractly evils and falsities, illustrated and shown n. 447, 833. Therefore the sun, moon, and the stars, are called hosts or armies, shown n. 447. By sun, moon, and stars, are signified the goods and truths of the church, also its evils and falsities, n. 413. See Sun, Moon, and Stars.

Artificer [artifex]. An artificer signifies a man who is intelligent, and who from understanding thinks truths, and, in the opposite sense, who from self-derived intelligence thinks falsities, illustrated and shown n. 793. Every kind of device in the world corresponds with such things as belong to angelic wisdom, illustrated n. 793.

Asher [Ascher]. Asher in the highest sense signifies eternity, in the spiritual sense, eternal happiness, in the natural sense, the affection of good and truth, also the love of being useful, which is called mutual love, shown n. 353.

Asia [Asia]. Asia signifies those who are in the light of truth from the Word, illustrated n. 11. Concerning Great Tartary in Asia, n. 11. See Tartary.

Assyria or Ashur [Assyria]. It signifies the rational faculty of the church, illustrated n. 444. See Euphrates.

At Hand, Near, Nearness [prope, propinquum]. At hand and near signifies nearness of state, also that it is absolutely necessary, illustrated n. 947. See also Afar Off, and Shortly.

Atmospheres [atmospherae]. In the spiritual world there are atmospheres like ether, air, and water, in which the angels of the three heavens dwell, and those atmospheres are spiritual, n. 238, 878.

Axe [securis]. An axe signifies the falsity from one’s own intelligence, illustrated and shown n. 847.

647. 14:17 Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. This symbolizes the heavens of the Lord's spiritual kingdom, and the Word's Divine truth in them.

In the highest sense an angel symbolizes the Lord, and also the angelic heaven, and likewise the Divine truth emanating from the Lord (see nos. 5, 65, 170, 258, 342-344, 415, 465 above). Here, however, the angel symbolizes the heavens of the spiritual kingdom, and consequently the Divine truths there, because we are told in the next verse that another angel came out from the altar, who symbolizes the heavens of the Lord's celestial kingdom, thus the Divine goodness there, as shown in the next number.

All the heavens are divided into two kingdoms - the spiritual kingdom and the celestial kingdom. The spiritual kingdom is the kingdom of the Lord's wisdom, because the angels in it are in a state of wisdom gained from Divine truths received from the Lord; and the celestial kingdom is the kingdom of the Lord's love, because the angels there are prompted by love received from the Lord and so possess every kind of goodness.

That all the heavens are divided into two kingdoms may be seen in the book Heaven and Hell (London, 1758), nos. 20-28. Also in Angelic Wisdom Regarding Divine Love and Wisdom (Amsterdam, 1763), nos. 101, 381.

A temple symbolizes the whole of heaven, as in no. 644 above; but because it is called here the temple which is in heaven, and after that mention is made of the altar, the temple symbolizes the heaven of the Lord's spiritual kingdom, as said just above. And the sharp sickle symbolizes Divine truth in the Word, as in nos. 643, 645 above.

[2] Previously the text said that He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle and the earth was reaped, and now that an angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle, and he thrust it into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth; and the reason is that the earth which was reaped by Him who sat on the cloud, or the Lord, symbolizes the church throughout the world, while the vine of the earth symbolizes the church in the Christian world.

This description includes elements similar to those in what the Lord foretold in the parable of the sower and his gathering in of the harvest in Matthew 13, which we quoted above at the end of no. 645. There we said that the harvest is the culmination of the age, that is, the end of the church, and that the reapers are angels who symbolize Divine truths. For angels are not sent to reap, that is, to perform the actions symbolized, but the Lord accomplishes the actions through the Divine truths in His Word. As the Lord says, "the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day" (John 12:48). See nos. 233, 273 above.

707. 16:16 And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew Armageddon. This symbolizes a state of combat, of falsities against truths, and, arising from a love of dominion and preeminence, a mind to destroy the New Church.

To gather together to the place, in this case for battle, means, symbolically, to incite people to use falsities to fight against truths. It is a state of combat, because a place symbolizes the state of something. It springs from a mind to destroy the New Church, because the combat meant is between the former church and a new one, and the intent of the combat is to destroy. What Armageddon symbolizes we will say below.

We were told previously that the dragon went off to make war with the rest of the woman's offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ (Revelation 12:17). Also that it was granted the beast from the sea to make war with the saints (Revelation 13:7). Then in this chapter we are told that spirits of demons coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, went away to the kings of the earth to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty (Revelation 16:13-14). And here now the subject is the battle itself, whose outcome is not described, but only its state, which is symbolized by Armageddon.

[2] Armageddon symbolizes in heaven a love of acclaim, dominion and preeminence, and in Hebrew, too, Aram or Arom symbolizes loftiness, and Megiddo in ancient Hebrew a love in consequence of loftiness, as is apparent from its meaning in Arabic. ¹ Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddo has the same symbolic meaning in Zechariah 12:11. The subject of that chapter is also the Lord's advent, the end of the Jewish Church then and the beginning of a new one to be established by the Lord, and a conflict, too, between those churches. That is why we find so many times in that chapter the phrase "in that day," and that day symbolizes the Lord's advent, as in no. 704 above. For this to be seen, I will quote the passages:

...in that day that I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all peoples... In that day... I will strike every horse with stupor, and its rider with madness... In that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a fiery furnace in the woodpile... In that day the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that there may be a force among them... ...in that day... I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. (Zechariah 12:3-4, 6, 8-9)

And finally:

In that day there shall be... mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad-Rimmon in the valley of Megiddo. (Zechariah 12:11)

And in the following chapter:

In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem... It shall be in that day that the prophets will be ashamed... and... not put on a robe of coarse hair, so as to deceive. (Zechariah 13:1, 4)

[3] That day symbolizes the Lord's advent and the end of the former church and the beginning of a new one, as said above. But what the valley of Megiddo in that chapter symbolizes cannot be seen unless the series of symbolic meanings there and in the two following chapters in that prophetic book are revealed by disclosure of the spiritual sense; and because this series of meanings has been revealed to me, I will say what it is, but in brief summation. In the spiritual sense Zechariah 12 describes the following:

The Lord will form a new church (verse 1).

The former church will have no doctrine then left in it, and therefore the people will run from it (verses 2, 3).

There will no longer be any understanding of truth, except in people who hold to the Word and will belong to the new church (verse 4).

They will learn the goodness of doctrine from the Lord (verse 5).

By means of the Word's truths the Lord will destroy all falsities then, lest the doctrine of the new church teach anything other than truth (verses 6, 7).

The church will have then a doctrine regarding the Lord (verse 8). He will destroy everyone and everything that stands in opposition to that doctrine (verse 9), and a new church will exist then from the Lord (verse 10).

Each and every part of the church will be in a state of mourning then (verses 10 to 14).

[4] These are the contents of Chapter 12 in the spiritual sense. The contents of the next chapter, Zechariah 13, are as follows:

For the new church there will be a Word, and it will lie open to them (verse 1).

Falsities in their doctrine and worship will be entirely destroyed (verses 2, 3).

The former prophetic or doctrinal teaching will cease, and there will no longer be any falsities in their doctrine (verses 4, 5).

People in the former church will kill the Lord, with the intention of dispersing those who believe in Him (verses 6, 7).

Those of the devastated church will perish, while those of the new church will be purified and taught by the Lord (verses 8, 9).

[5] These are the contents of chapter 13 in the spiritual sense. The contents of chapter 14 are as follows:

The combats of the Lord against evil people and their dispersion (verses 1 to 5).

The absence of any truth then other than Divine truth from the Lord (verses 6, 7).

Divine truth will emanate from the Lord (verses 8, 9).

Truth in the new church will increase, and there will be in it no falsity that accompanies evil (verses 10, 11).

People who fight against those truths will surrender themselves to falsities of every kind (verse 12).

The destruction then of every facet of the church (verses 13 to 15).

People will then turn to worship of the Lord, even from nations that are external and merely natural (verses 16 to 19).

And their intelligence then, springing from the goodness of charity that produces their worship (verses 20, 21).

These are the contents of the three chapters, Zechariah 12 to Zechariah 14, in the spiritual sense, disclosed because they also have as their subject the last state of a former church and the first state of a new church. Moreover, because [in the present verse] we are told that people were to be gathered together to the place called in Hebrew Armageddon, it follows that what is said in Zechariah applies equally to the last state of today's church and to the first state of the New Church.

Armageddon symbolizes, as we said, a love of acclaim, dominion and preeminence, for it is because of that love that a conflict arises, and it is because of that love and on its account that there is the mourning described in Zechariah 12:11-14.

Megiddo also has the same symbolic meaning in 2 Kings 23:29-30 and 2 Chronicles 35:20-24, but in the spiritual sense.

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