Chapter Three

Healing on the Sabbath

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1. And He entered again into the synagogue, and there was a man there who had a withered hand.

2. And they watched Him closely, whether He would cure him on the Sabbaths, that they might accuse Him.

3. And He says to the man who had the withered hand, “Arise in the midst.”

4. And He says to them, “Is it permitted to do good on the Sabbaths or to do evil? To save a soul or to kill?” But they were silent.

5. And looking around at them with anger, being with sorrow at the hardness of their hearts, He says to the man, “Stretch out thy hand.” And he stretched [it] out; and his hand was restored, well like the other.

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In previous episodes, Jesus showed that it is not a violation of God’s commandments to touch a leper, or eat with sinners, or pluck grain on the Sabbath. When He sat at the table with sinners, eating and drinking with them, He was teaching that repentance from sin begins with hearing the Word of God. This was followed by His disciples plucking ears of corn so that they could eat. Spiritually seen, natural hunger corresponds to spiritual hunger — the desire to learn from the Lord. For this reason, the Sabbath is properly observed when it is regarded as a day for instruction in holy things. ¹

But there is more to it than that. The Sabbath should also be a day to exercise love towards the neighbor. In the very next episode Jesus illustrates this by going directly into the synagogue, on the Sabbath, where there is a man with a withered hand. Familiar with Jesus’ attitude about the Sabbath, and hating Him for it, the religious leaders are eager to see what Jesus will do. If He heals the man on the Sabbath, it will be further evidence that Jesus is a wicked blasphemer who must be punished. As it is written, “They watched Jesus carefully, to see whether He would cure him on the Sabbath so that they might accuse Him” (Mark 3:3).

It is sadly ironic that the religious leaders had little interest in witnessing the miraculous healing of a withered hand; instead, their greater interest is in gathering evidence against Jesus. And yet, Jesus was about to teach a lesson of supreme importance. He was about to show that the Sabbath is not only about receiving instruction in holy things, but also about doing the Lord’s will. Both are necessary. At the simplest level, there are only two aspects to religion. The first is receiving truth from God’s Word; the second, even more important than the first, is putting that truth to use in one’s life. This, of course, should be done every day, but this is especially how the Sabbath is honored. To demonstrate this in an object lesson, Jesus says to the man with the withered hand, “Rise up in the midst of everyone” (Mark 3:3). ²

This is the first command. Literally, the words of the command are Ἔγειρε (Egeire) which is an exhortation “to awaken” or “rise up” and μέσον (meson) which means “among us.” In other words, Jesus is asking the man do something, to take some initiative, and to do it right there in the presence of the religious leaders who would certainly see this as some sort of “activity” done by the man with the withered hand, and therefore in violation of their idea of the Sabbath.

Next, turning to the religious leaders in the synagogue, Jesus says, “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil? To save life or to kill? (Mark 3:4). They cannot answer; they are not prepared to hear this new understanding of the Sabbath, nor do they want to. As Jesus looks around, He is simultaneously angered and grieved by their unreceptive, hardened hearts, but He is not deterred. Turning again to the man with the withered hand, Jesus says, “Stretch out your hand” (Mark 3:5).

This is the second command. The words “stretch out your hand” contain a divinely given lesson about personal effort. Along the journey of spiritual development, we must do our part. We must strive; we must struggle; we must stretch. And even though the power to do so comes from the Lord alone, we must exert personal effort, allowing the Lord to work through the truth He has given us. This is how we “rise up” and step forward in the midst of the synagogue, holding out our hand to the Lord. Insofar as we do this, making the first effort, the Lord empowers us to keep His commandments. This is how we are healed — by compelling ourselves to stretch at the command of the Lord. As it is written, “And he stretched out his hand, and it was restored as whole as the other” (Mark 3:5).

As the man with the withered hand drew near to Jesus and stretched out his hand, Jesus drew near to him. The same takes place in each of our lives. To the extent that we draw near to God, God draws near to us. Whenever this happens, allowing the Lord to heal us from within, it is the Sabbath. ³

Jesus Silences the Unclean Spirits, Again

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6. And the Pharisees came forth straightway and took counsel with the Herodians against Him, so that they might destroy Him.

7. And Jesus departed with His disciples to the sea; and a multitude of many from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea,

8. And from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and [from] across the Jordan; and those around Tyre and Sidon, a numerous multitude, having heard how many things He did, came to Him.

9. And He said to His disciples that a boat should wait on Him on account of the crowd, lest they should throng Him;

10. For He had cured many, insomuch that they fell on Him to touch Him, as many as had scourges.

11. And the unclean spirits, when they beheld Him, fell before Him, and cried out, saying, “Thou art the Son of God!”

12. And He rebuked them much that they should not make Him manifest.

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Jesus has introduced several new ways to look at religious life. He has shown that that there is a new way to look at sinners, there is a new way to practice repentance, and a new way to keep the Sabbath holy. This is the new wine that can’t be put into old wineskins and the new cloth that can’t be sewn onto old garments. In brief, it is the new views of religious life (wine) and the new ways of doing good (cloth) that Jesus has come to teach and demonstrate. But the religious leaders, whose thoughts and attitudes are represented by the “old wineskins” and “old garments,” cannot bear it. As it is written, the religious leaders “immediately went out and conspired with the supporters of Herod to plot how they might destroy Jesus” (Mark 3:6).

Jesus, therefore, withdraws and heads for the sea, followed by multitudes of people who have, by now, heard about His miraculous healings. Wherever He goes, the crowds press in upon Him, and many people reach out to touch Him, especially those who have plagues. Somehow, they know and believe that they could be healed if only they could touch Jesus. Even unclean spirits fall down before Him, crying out, “You are the Son of God” (Mark 3:11).

When the unclean spirits cry out in this way, calling Jesus “the Son of God,” He warns them to not make this known. As it is written, “He earnestly charged them, that they should not make Him manifest (Mark 3:12). This has been a continuous theme in this gospel. Over and over again, Jesus has told unclean spirits and demons, and, in one case, a leper, to be quiet and say nothing.

Why was Jesus so opposed to people speaking about His nature and His miracles? One of the most frequently mentioned explanations is that Jesus wanted His identity as the Messiah to be kept secret until after the resurrection. According to this theory, Jesus knew that too much publicity would incite the religious authorities to come after Him before He had accomplished His mission on earth. Therefore, it was important to carry out His mission under the cloak of secrecy for as long as possible.

Another explanation involves the fact that Jesus did not want people to get the wrong idea of His Messianic role. The people had long expected and hoped for a temporal king who would lead them to victory over their physical enemies, alleviate their hunger, and cure their illnesses. But Jesus’ special mission was to be a spiritual king who came to subdue the forces of evil, feed their spiritual hunger, and cure their spiritual sickness. This would necessarily involve a radical idea of the Messiah. Jesus, therefore, was reluctant to have people talk about Him as an external miracle worker, for this was not His primary mission.

This helps to explain some of the reasons why Jesus so often told demons and people to be quiet about what He had done. But there were other times when Jesus neither forbade nor encouraged people to speak. For example, in the previous episode, when Jesus healed the man’s withered hand, He did not forbid the man from speaking. Nor did He encourage Him to do so. In order to understand why Jesus sometimes says, “tell no one” and sometimes says nothing, we will be taking a closer look at each occurrence as it arises in this gospel.

The Danger of Hypocrisy

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13. And He goes up into the mountain, and calls to [Himself] whom He willed, and they came away to Him.

14. And He made twelve, that they might be with Him, and that He might send them out to preach,

15. And to have authority to cure diseases, and to cast out demons.

16. And He put on Simon the name Peter;

17. And James the [son] of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, and He put on them [the] names Boanerges, which is, the sons of thunder;

18. And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the [son] of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Kananite,

19. And Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. And they went into a house.

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Who is equipped to share the gospel? What special preparation, qualifications, and character traits are necessary? When is it best to speak and when is it best to be silent? While we might expect that those who share the gospel are good people, this is not always the case. Selfish, egotistical people can also understand and share the gospel. This is because the Lord has designed the universe in such a way that the understanding of anyone can be elevated into the light of heaven. From that height, even self-centered people can understand the gospel and share the good news almost as well as an angel of heaven. As we have seen, even the devils of hell referred to Jesus as the “Holy One of God” (Mark 1:24) and the “Son of God” (Mark 3:11). ⁴

These elevated states of enlightenment are provided to help us see the ways in which we have been selfish, self-centered, and inconsiderate. These flashes of insight, in which our understanding is opened, are “mountaintop moments.” They are times of inner illumination when we are separated from our lower nature long enough to gain a clearer view of what is below, and a more elevated understanding of God’s will. If we use these moments wisely, looking to the Lord for the strength to shun the evils that we see in ourselves, a new will can be born in us. ⁵

Such moments are represented in the next episode where we find that Jesus has gathered His twelve disciples on the mountaintop so that “He might send them out to preach” (Mark 3:14). The disciples have all been personally selected by Him. As it is written, “He called to Him those He Himself wanted” (Mark 3:13). And He has given to them “power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out demons” (Mark 3:15). On a more interior level, the gathering together of the twelve disciples on the mountaintop represents the gathering together of our highest thoughts and emotions. These are the “mountaintop moments” when we feel closest to God and empowered to “heal sicknesses” (remove evil lusts) and “cast out demons” (get rid of false beliefs that arise from evil). ⁶

Unfortunately, these inspired moments do not last as long as we might like. For example, in a “mountaintop moment,” someone might say, “I know I should not get angry or be anxious.” But when the person’s lower nature is stirred up, the higher truth has no resting place. There is no good earth for that seed of truth to take root.

These are the times when the person must, as if of oneself, exert effort — called “will power” — so that a new will might be created. Unless evils are shunned, and the person looks to the Lord for the strength to do so, the higher state of consciousness cannot be sustained. In brief, the truth can be beautiful to behold, but it must also be put to use when needed. It is one thing to experience a change of mind. This is where we all must start. But unless this leads to a change of heart, it will do us no good. The old nature will reassert itself and drag us back down to its level again and again. ⁷

This episode, which began on a mountain, ends with a descent. As each of the disciples is named, the last of the disciples to be mentioned is Judas Iscariot, who, it is said “betrayed Him” (Mark 3:19). This is an image of how the human mind descends from the mountaintop heights of faith to the terrible depths of betrayal.

A House Divided

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20. And a crowd comes together again, so that they could not even eat bread.

21. And when those with Him heard [of it], they came out to take hold of Him, for they said, He is stupefied.

22. And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzeboul; and, By the prince of the demons He casteth out demons.”

23. And calling them, He said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan?

24. And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

25. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

26. And if Satan stand up against himself and be divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.

27. No one having entered into the house of a strong [one] can plunder his vessels, unless he first bind the strong [one], and then he will plunder his house.

28. Amen I say to you, All sins shall be forgiven to the sons of men, and blasphemies, whatever they shall blaspheme,

29. But whoever shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit does not have forgiveness to eternity, but is subject to eternal judgment”

30. Because they said, He has an unclean spirit.

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The scriptures are clear that the Lord longs to feed us with heavenly bread. These are the good and true things that come from Him. As we learned in Matthew, we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Although Jesus longs to feed us spiritually, a multitude of lower desires get in the way, preventing the reception of spiritual nourishment. We therefore read, as the next episode begins, that “the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread” (Mark 3:20).

This is a picture of each of us at those times when our minds are overwhelmed. A boisterous crowd of worries, concerns, and doubts prevent us from focusing on the voice of the Lord and the things that proceed from Him. The voices of “the multitude” that prevent us from hearing Him are not just the cares of the world and the worries that press into our minds like an aggressive crowd. Seen at a more interior level, these cares and worries are the thoughts and feelings that flow in through evil spirits, filling us with a spirit of denial concerning the divinity of Jesus. “He is out of His mind,” they cry out (Mark 3:21). “He has Beelzebub,” they say. And, “by the ruler of the demons He casts out demons,” they insist (Mark 3:22). ⁸

But Jesus answers: “How can Satan cast out Satan?” (Mark 3:23). Jesus’ logic is unassailable. Satan and Beelzebub, in this passage, represent the false thoughts that arise from hell and invade our minds. Falsity cannot cast out falsity; rather, false beliefs support and reinforce each other. Those who choose to deny the divinity of Jesus, for example, or the necessity of keeping the commandments can amass, in a moment, hundreds of false ideas to support their position.

Similarly, whenever people are upset with someone, they can summon up numerous examples to support their negative state. Demonic influences flow in with falsity upon falsity, like flies on putrid matter, ready for a feeding frenzy. Memories of actual events arise in the mind and are presented as evidence. But they are distorted, blown out of proportion, and twisted to support the negative state that one is in.

As Jesus continues His analogy, He compares a divided mind to a divided kingdom. He says, “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand” (Mark 3:23-26). In other words, Jesus is saying that false beliefs must work together to accomplish their end. Satan does not cast out Satan, just as false beliefs do not cast out false beliefs. Instead, they band together to accomplish their hellish purposes in the same way that members of a mob cooperate in order to attain their evil ends.

Only truth — divine truth — has the power to cast out falsity. If, however, the power of divine truth is denied, or not accessed, it is as though the human mind has been captured by the enemy and bound up in ropes. Jesus puts it this way: “No one can enter into a strong man’s house and plunder his property, unless he first binds the strong man; then, indeed the house can be plundered” (Mark 3:27). When truth is “bound,” the mind is tied up in false ideas; the inner house — which should be the Lord’s dwelling place — is ransacked. ⁹

On a more interior level, however, the “divided kingdom” that Jesus mentions is the danger of having a divided mind. This is a mind that pretends to believe what is good and true, and even acts in accordance with that belief, but has darker motives within. For example, the mind of a hypocrite is divided because it appears to be agreeable and flattering on the external level, while, more deeply, it is thinking only of how it can satisfy its selfish desires. ¹⁰

The sin of hypocrisy is so serious that Jesus calls it the “unforgivable sin.” We might be inclined to think that there are worse sins than hypocrisy. Sins such as murder and rape come to mind. But hypocrisy is especially diabolical because it invades and destroys the interiors of the mind. And the very worst form of hypocrisy is practiced by those who use the things of religion for their own advantage, twisting truth to serve their own ends, and pretending to be pious to enhance their reputation.

Jesus knows that this was exactly what is going on among the religious leaders who accuse Him of being in league with the devil. But He sees through their pious exteriors to the corruption and hypocrisy within. Therefore, He says to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter, but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation” (Mark 3:28-29).

This is a strong warning, not only to the religious leaders of Jesus’ time, but to each of us today. If we are to confess that Jesus is “the Son of God,” if we are to give our personal testimonies about His healing love in our lives, we need to be sure we are doing so from a heart purified of selfish ambition. We need to be sure our testimonies are focused on worshipping God, and not on glorifying our own egos. Otherwise, the admonition directed at the unclean spirits who said, “You are the Son of God,” also applies to us: “He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.” ¹¹

As this episode comes to an end, we read that Jesus has said all these things to the religious leaders because they had accused Him of having an “unclean spirit” (Mark 3:29). Even at the most literal level, that which is unclean cannot eradicate that which is unclean; dirt cannot remove dirt; and filth cannot wash away filth. We need clean water (truth), a scouring agent (the Lord’s power), and personal effort to remove the dirt and filth from our lives. Jesus has already demonstrated His power to cast out unclean spirits. This is the power than can only come from God. To accuse Jesus of having an “unclean spirit” is an unforgiveable sin, not because the Lord is unforgiving, but because it represents the denial of Jesus’ divinity and the refusal to receive the forgiveness He freely offers to everyone.

A practical application:

Hypocrites may pretend to be pious, and even believe in God, while, at heart, thinking only of themselves and what they can gain. In this regard, we need to observe our words and actions, noting to what extent they might appear to be moral, ethical, and “righteous,” while internally they could be motivated by selfish desires and egotistical concerns. Do our inner thoughts align with our good behavior? If not, we may have an “unclean spirit” that must be cast out. ¹²

On the Inside

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31. Then came His brothers and mother and, standing outside, [they] sent to Him, calling Him.

32. And the crowd sat around Him; and they said to Him, “Behold, Thy mother and Thy brothers outside seek Thee.”

33. And He answered them saying, “Who is My mother, or My brothers?”

34. And looking all around at those that sat around Him, He says, “See, My mother and My brothers!

35. For whoever shall do the will of God, this is My brother, and My sister, and mother.”

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The warnings about hypocrisy given in the previous episode open the way for understanding the final episode in this chapter. Jesus is somewhere “inside” while His brothers and mother are calling Him to come “outside.” The multitude, who are standing outside, are calling to Him, saying: “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You” (Mark 3:32). Jesus looks around at those who are inside, with Him, and responds, “Here are my mother and My brothers. For whoever does the will of God is My brother, and My sister and My mother” (Mark 3:34-35).

Jesus’ whole life on earth was an effort to overcome the evils that He inherited at birth. These evils are represented by the mother and brothers who were on the “outside” — the external nature that He inherited. On the “inside,” however, is His Divine soul: the very Infinite which He called “the Father.” ¹³

Similarly, we have an exterior nature (the multitude of self-serving emotions and thoughts) and an interior nature (our higher, nobler, and more spiritual inclinations). The exterior nature, which is attached to the delights of the natural world, is constantly calling for our internal, spiritual nature to come out and serve it. This represents the inversion of order characteristic of the merely natural person. Such a person will indeed acknowledge the spiritual, but only insofar as it will serve selfish, worldly interests.

As we have just seen in the previous episode, this kind of hypocrisy is called “the sin against the Holy Spirit.” It amounts to using the higher — God and the Word of God — to serve the lower, the love of one’s self and the love of possessing the things of the world. When this is the case, the higher becomes the servant of the lower, which is the reverse of heavenly order. Self is worshipped above God, and things are valued above people.

Jesus, of course, refuses to allow the “higher self” to become the servant of the “lower self.” Our inherited inclinations to selfishness should never be allowed to rule over or exploit the holy things of religion. Rather, the holy things of religion should govern our lower “hereditary” nature, and this can only come about through a sincere desire to do the Lord’s will. In this context, Jesus looks around at the disciples and the others who are with Him on the inside and says, “Here are My mother and My brothers” (Mark 3:34). And just to be clear that He does not pick favorites, Jesus adds, “Whoever does the will of God is My brother, sister, and mother” (Mark 3:35).

If we are to remain close to the Lord, we must hear His Word and do His will. To the extent that we do this, our mind will no longer be “a house divided against itself.” Instead, it will be a heavenly dwelling where truth and goodness are united, where inner thoughts and outer actions are aligned, and where there is a sacred alliance of good desire, holy truth, and noble endeavor. The disciples, who represent our highest thoughts and aspirations are there with us on the inside, supporting us as we strive to do the will of God.

Notas a pie de página:

730. Verse 6 (Revelation 12:6). And the woman fled into the wilderness, signifies the church among a few, because with those who are not in good, and consequently not in truths. This is evident from the signification of "woman," as being the church (See above, n. 707), also from the signification of "wilderness," as being where there are no truths because there is no good (of which presently); also from the signification of "fleeing" thither, as meaning to tarry among those who are not in truths because they are not in good; and as there are at the end of the church but few who are in truths from good, it signifies among a few. From this it is clear what these words involve, namely, that the New Church that is called the Holy Jerusalem, which is signified by "the woman," can as yet be instituted only with a few, by reason that the former church is become a wilderness; and the church is called a "wilderness" when there is no longer any good; and where there is no good there are no truths. When the church is such, evils and falsities reign, which hinder the reception of its doctrine, that is, the doctrine of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbor, with its truths; and when doctrine is not received there is no church, for the church is from doctrine.

[2] Something shall first be said of there being no truths where there is no good. By good is meant the good of the life according to the truths of doctrine from the Word. The reason is because the Lord never flows immediately into truths with man, but mediately through his good; for good is of the will, and the will is the man himself; from the will the understanding is produced and formed; for the understanding is adjoined to the will so that what the will loves the understanding sees, and also brings forth into light; consequently if the will is not in good, but is in evil, then the influx of truth from the Lord into the understanding has no effect, for it is dissipated, because it is not loved, yea, it is perverted, and the truth is falsified. From this it is clear why the Lord does not flow immediately into man's understanding except so far as the will is in good. With every man the Lord can enlighten the understanding, and thus flow in with Divine truths, since there is given to every man the ability to understand truth, and this for the sake of his reformation; nevertheless the Lord does not flow in, because truths do not remain except so far as the will has been reformed. Moreover, it is dangerous to so enlighten the understanding in truths as to produce belief except so far as the will acts as one with it; since man can then pervert, adulterate, and profane truths, which is most hurtful. Furthermore, so far as truths are known and understood and are not at the same time lived, they are nothing but lifeless truths, and lifeless truths are like statues that have no life. From this it can be seen why it is that there are no truths where there is no good, that is, not in essence but only in form.

[3] The man of the church at its end is such, because man then loves supremely such things as belong to the body and the world; and when these are loved supremely then the things pertaining to the Lord and heaven are not loved, for no one can serve two masters at the same time but that he will love the one and hate the other, since they are opposites. For from the love of the body, which is the love of self, and from the love of the world, which is the love of riches, when these are loved above all things, evils of every kind flow forth, and from evils falsities, and these are the opposites of goods and truths, which come forth from love to the Lord and from charity towards the neighbor. These few words will make clear why it is that the woman is said "to have fled into the wilderness," that is, among a few, because of being with those who are not in good, and thus not in truths.

[4] In the Word wilderness and also solitude and waste places are mentioned in many passages, and these signify the state of the church when there is no longer any truth in it because there is no good. This state of the church is called a "wilderness" because in the spiritual world the place where those dwell who are not in truths because they are not in good is like a wilderness, where there is no verdure in the plains, nor harvest in the fields, nor fruit trees in the gardens, but a barren land, parched and dry; moreover "wilderness" signifies in the Word the state of the church with the Gentiles who are in ignorance of truth, and yet are in the good of life according to their religious principle, from which they have a desire for truths. "Wilderness," signifies also in the Word the state of those who are in temptations, because in temptations goods and truths are shut in by the evils and falsities that come forth and are presented to the mind. That "wilderness" has these significations in the Word can be seen from the passages therein where "wilderness" is mentioned.

[5] In respect to the first meaning, namely, that "wilderness" means the state of the church when there is no longer any truth in it because there is no good, it is evident from the following passages. In Isaiah:

Is this the man that maketh the earth to tremble, that maketh kingdoms quake, that hath made the world a wilderness and destroyed the cities thereof? (Isaiah 14:16, 17)

This is said of Lucifer, by whom Babylon is meant, and "to make the earth to tremble, to make kingdoms quake, and make the world a wilderness," signifies to destroy all the truths and goods of the church; "the earth" meaning the church; "kingdoms" its truths; "world" its goods; and "wilderness" where these are not. "To destroy its cities" signifies its doctrinals, "city" signifying doctrine. The adulteration of the Word, whereby doctrine and thus the church is destroyed, is here signified by "Babylon. "

[6] In the same:

Upon the land of my people shall come up the thorn of the briar, yea, upon all the houses of joy in the triumphing city; for the palace shall be deserted, the multitude of the city shall be forsaken. The height and the watchtower shall be over the caves forever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture for flocks (Isaiah 32:13, 14).

"Upon the land of my people shall come up the thorn of the briar" signifies the falsity of evil in the church; "the thorn of the briar" meaning the falsity of evil, and "land" the church. "Upon all the houses of joy in the triumphing city" signifies where the goods and truths of the doctrine from the Word have been received with affection. But what is signified by "the palace shall be deserted, the multitude of the city shall be forsaken, the height and the watchtower shall be over the caves, a joy of wild asses, and a pasture for flocks," may be seen above n. 410, where it is explained.

[7] In the same:

At My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers into a wilderness, their fish shall rot because there is no water, and shall die for thirst (Isaiah 50:2).

"To make the rivers into a wilderness," signifies to deprive the understanding of truths, thus to deprive man of intelligence. (The rest may be seen explained above, n. 342 In Jeremiah:

I saw, and lo, Carmel was a wilderness, and all the cities were desolate before Jehovah; the whole land shall be a waste (Jeremiah 4:26, 27).

"Carmel" signifies the spiritual church, which is in truths from good; that this was a "wilderness" signifies that there were in it no truths from good; "cities which were desolate" signify doctrinals without truths; "the whole land a waste" signifies a church destitute of good and consequently of truths.

[8] In the same:

Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard, they have trodden down My field, they have made the field of My desire a wilderness of solitude. Devastators are come upon all the hills in the wilderness, for the sword of Jehovah devoureth from one end of the land to the other end of it (Jeremiah 12:10, 12).

The total destruction of the truths and goods of the church by falsities from evil is signified by "they have destroyed the vineyard, trodden down the field, made the field of desire a wilderness of solitude; and devastators are come upon all the hills in the wilderness, for the sword of Jehovah devoureth;" "vineyard and field" signify the church in respect to truth and good; "field of desire" signifies the church in respect to doctrine; and "wilderness of solitude" where these are not; "devastators in the wilderness" signify evils because of the absence of truths; "the sword of Jehovah devoureth" signifies falsity destroying; "from one end of the land to the other end of the land" signifies all things of the church.

[9] In Lamentations:

We get our bread with the peril of our souls, because of the sword of the wilderness (Lamentations 5:9).

"To get bread with the peril of souls" signifies the difficulty and danger in acquiring the truths of life from the Word; "because of the sword of the wilderness" signifies because the falsity of evil prevails in the church and falsifies truths and thus destroys them.

[10] In Ezekiel:

The vine is now planted in the wilderness, in a land of drought and thirst (Ezekiel 19:13).

"Vine" signifies the church, which in the beginning of this chapter is called "a mother who became a lioness;" this is said "to be planted in the wilderness" when there is no longer any truth in it because there is no good; "a land of drought" means where there is no good, but evil instead, and a "land of thirst" means where there is no truth, but falsity instead.

[11] In Hosea:

Strive with your mother that she may put away her whoredoms from her faces, lest I strip her naked and set her as in the day of her birth, and make her as a wilderness, and set her as a land of drought, and slay her with thirst (Hosea 2:2, 3).

This is said of the church that has falsified the truths of the Word; "mother" means the church, and "whoredoms" the falsifications of truth; "to strip her naked and set her as in the day of her birth" signifies to deprive the church of all truth, as it was before it was reformed; "wilderness" and "land of drought" signify a church without good; and "to slay with thirst" signifies a deprivation of truth; "thirst" is predicated of truths, because "water," which is thirsted for, means truth, and "drought" is predicated of the want of good, because it is a result of scorching.

[12] In the same:

He is fierce among the brethren; an east wind shall come, the wind of Jehovah, coming up from the wilderness, and his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up (Hosea 13:15).

This is said of Ephraim, by whom the understanding of the Word is meant, and this is called "fierce among the brethren" when it eagerly defends falsities, and combats for them against truths; "an east wind, the wind of Jehovah," signifies the ardor of desire from a love for and pride in the destruction of truths; this is said "to come up from the wilderness" when it is from an understanding in which there are no truths from good, but only falsities from evil; such an understanding is a "wilderness" because it is empty and void; that by such ardor and pride everything of doctrine and of the Word is destroyed is signified by "his spring shall become dry and his fountain shall be dried up," "spring" meaning doctrine, and "fountain" the Word.

[13] In Joel:

O Jehovah, to thee do I cry, because the fire hath consumed the habitations of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field; for the beasts of the field pant after Thee, for the streams of waters are dried up, and the fire hath consumed the habitations of the wilderness (Joel 1:19, 20).

"The fire hath consumed the habitations of the wilderness and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field" signifies that the love of self and the pride of self-intelligence have consumed all the perception of good and all the understanding of the truth of doctrine from the sense of the letter of the Word, "fire" signifying the love of self, "flame" the pride of self-intelligence, "the habitations of the wilderness" the goods of doctrine from the sense of the letter of the Word, and "the trees of the field" the knowledges of its truth. The sense of the letter of the Word is called a "wilderness" when it is merely understood naturally, thus according to appearances, and not at the same time spiritually, or according to the genuine sense. "The beasts of the field pant after Thee" signifies the lamentations of those who are natural and yet have a desire for truths; that "beasts" signify the affections of the natural man may be seen above n. 650; "for the streams of waters are dried up, and the fire hath consumed the habitations of the wilderness" signifies that consequently there are no longer any truths and goods of life.

[14] In the same:

The day of Jehovah cometh; a fire consumeth before him, and behind him a flame kindleth; the land is as the garden of Eden before him, but behind him a wilderness of wasteness, and nothing escaped him (Joel 2:1, 3).

"The day of Jehovah" means the end of the church, called the consummation of the age, and the Lord's coming at that time. That at the end of the church the love of self and the consequent pride of self-intelligence consume all its goods and truths is signified by "a fire devoureth before him, and behind him a flame kindleth," "fire" signifying the love of self, and "flame" the pride of self-intelligence, as above. "The land is as the garden of Eden before him, but behind him a wilderness of wasteness," signifies that in the beginning, when that church was established with the ancients, there was an understanding of truth from good, but at its end falsity from evil; "the garden of Eden" signifying the understanding of truth from good and the consequent wisdom, and "wilderness of wasteness" signifying no understanding of truth from good, and consequent insanity from falsities that are from evil; "nothing escaped him" signifies that there is nothing whatever of truth from good.

[15] In Isaiah:

The land mourneth, it languisheth, Lebanon blusheth, it hath withered away, Sharon is become like a desert, Bashan is shaken out, and Carmel (Isaiah 33:9).

This, too, describes the devastation of good and the desolation of truth in the church. "Lebanon" signifies the church in respect to a rational understanding of good and truth; "Sharon," "Bashan," and "Carmel," the church in respect to the knowledges of good and truth from the natural sense of the Word; the devastation and abandonment of these is signified by "mourning," "languishing," "withering away," and "becoming like a desert," the "desert" meaning where there is no truth because there is no good.

[16] In Jeremiah:

Because the land is full of adulterers, because the land mourneth on account of cursing, the pastures of the wilderness are dried up (Jeremiah 23:10).

"The land full of adulterers" signifies the church which has its goods and truths from the Word adulterated; the "curse" on account of which the land mourneth, signifies all the evil of life and falsity of doctrine; and "the pastures of the wilderness that are dried up" signify the knowledges of good and truth from the Word; "pastures" meaning such knowledges because they nourish the mind, and "wilderness" signifies the Word when it is adulterated.

[17] In David:

Jehovah maketh rivers into a wilderness, and the springs of water into dryness, a land of fruit into saltiness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein (Psalms 107:33, 34).

"The rivers that are made into a wilderness" signify intelligence from the understanding of truth and also of the Word in its interior sense, that has been devastated by falsities from evil; "rivers" meaning such things as belong to intelligence, and "wilderness" where these things are absent, and in their place are the falsities from evil. "The springs of water that are turned into dryness" signify that the lowest things of the understanding, which are called the knowledges of truth and good, have no light of truth or spiritual affection for it; "waters" signifying truths; "dryness" deprivation of these from the absence of light and affection, and "springs" the ultimates of truth, like the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word. "The land of fruit that shall be made into saltiness" signifies the good of love and of life deeply vastated by falsities; "saltiness" meaning the devastation of truth by falsities; and as all devastation by falsities comes from the evil of the life it is added, "for the wickedness of them that dwell therein. "

[18] In Jeremiah:

Lift up thine eyes unto the hills, and see where thou hast been defiled, upon the ways hast thou sat as an Arabian in the wilderness, whence thou hast profaned the land with thy whoredoms and thy wickedness (Jeremiah 3:2).

This describes the adulteration and falsification of the Word, which are signified by "being defiled and committing whoredom;" so "Lift up thine eyes unto the hills, and see where thou hast been defiled," signifies to give thought to the knowledges of truth and good in the Word, that they have been adulterated; "to lift up the eyes" signifies to give thought, "hills" signify those knowledges because the groves and trees that are upon them signify knowledges; "hills" signify also the goods of charity which are so destroyed; "upon the ways hast thou sat as an Arabian in the wilderness" signifies to lie in wait, lest any truth should come forth and be received; "ways" meaning the truths of the church; "to sit in them" meaning to lie in wait, and "an Arabian in the wilderness" meaning one who kills and plunders like a robber in the wilderness. "Thou hast profaned the land with thy whoredoms and wickedness" signifies the falsification of the truths of the Word by evils that have come to be of the life.

[19] In the same:

O generation, see ye the Word of Jehovah; have I been a wilderness to Israel? have I been a land of darkness? (Jeremiah 2:31)

That every good of life and truth of doctrine is taught in the Word, and not the evil of life and the falsity of doctrine, is meant by "see ye the Word of Jehovah; have I been a wilderness to Israel? have I been a land of darkness?"

[20] In Joel:

Egypt shall be a waste, and Edom a waste wilderness, because of the violence to the sons of Judah, whose innocent blood they have shed in their land (Joel 3:19).

"Egypt" and "Edom" signify the natural man that has perverted the truths and goods of the Word; that it is to be so destroyed as to see only such things as serve for confirmation is signified by "Egypt shall be a waste, and Edom a waste wilderness;" that this will be because of the adulteration of every good and truth in the Word is signified by "because of the violence to the sons of Judah, whose innocent blood they have shed;" "violence to the sons of Judah" signifying the adulteration of the Word in respect to good, and "shedding innocent blood" the adulteration of the Word in respect to its truths. (That "Judah" signifies the celestial church, and also the Word, see above, n. 211, 433; and that "shedding innocent blood" signifies to do violence to Divine truth, thus to adulterate the truth of the Word, n. 329.) The adulteration of the Word is effected by the knowledges [scientifica] of the natural man when these are applied to confirm falsities and evils, and the natural man becomes a "waste" and a "wilderness" when his knowledges are used to confirm falsity and evil; "Egypt" signifies such knowledges, and "Edom" the pride that falsifies by means of these.

[21] In Malachi:

Esau I hated, and made his mountains a waste and his heritage for the dragons of the wilderness (Malachi 1:3).

"Esau" signifies the love of the natural man; "his mountains" signify the evils from that love, and "his heritage" signifies the falsities from those evils, and "the dragons of the desert" signify mere falsifications from which these come.

[22] Because with the Jewish nation all things of the Word had been adulterated, and there was no longer any truth because there was no good, John the Baptist was "in the wilderness," and this represented the state of that church, respecting which it is written in the Gospels:

John the Baptist was in the wilderness till the days of his appearing unto Israel (Luke 1:80).

That he preached in the wilderness of Judea (Matthew 3:1-3; Mark 1:2-4; Luke 3:2, 4, 5);

and in Isaiah:

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, make level in the solitude a highway for our God (Isaiah 40:3).

So also the Lord says of "Jerusalem," which means the church in respect to doctrine:

Your house is left deserted (Luke 13:35).

"A house deserted" signifies the church that is without truths because it is without good. But what is signified by the following in Matthew:

If they say unto you, Lo, Christ is in the wilderness, go not forth; if in the secret chambers, believe not (Matthew 24:26);

may be seen explained in Arcana Coelestia 3900); for "Christ" means the Lord in relation to Divine truth, consequently in relation to the Word and to doctrine from the Word, and "false Christs," of whom this is said, signify the falsities of doctrine from the truths of the Word falsified. From the passages that have been cited from the Word it can be seen that "wilderness" means the church in which there are no truths because there is no good, consequently in which there is falsity because there is evil; for where there is no truth and good, there is falsity and evil; the two cannot exist together, and this is meant by the Lord's words, that "no one can serve two masters."

[23] 2. Again, "wilderness" signifies the state of the church with the Gentiles that have been in ignorance of truth, and yet have been in the good of life according to their religious principle, from which they have desired truths, as can be seen from the passages in the Word that treat of the church that is to be established among the Gentiles. In Isaiah:

The spirit shall be poured out upon you ¹ from on high; then the wilderness shall be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed a forest; judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and justice shall abide in the fruitful field (Isaiah 32:15, 16).

This is said of those who are in natural good, and are being reformed; influx out of heaven into such is signified by "the spirit shall be poured out upon you ² from on high;" that truth from a spiritual origin will then be implanted in them is signified by "the wilderness shall be a fruitful field;" "wilderness" meaning the natural man destitute of truths, and "fruitful field" (or land of harvest) the natural man made fruitful by truths. That in consequence the natural man will have a knowledge [scientia] of the cognitions of truth and good is signified by "the fruitful field shall be esteemed a forest;" "forest" is predicated of the natural man as "garden" is of the spiritual, therefore a "forest" signifies knowledge and a "garden" intelligence; that in consequence there will be in the natural man that which is right and just is signified by "judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and justice shall abide in the fruitful field;" "judgment" and "justice" signify in the spiritual sense truth and good, but in the natural sense that which is right and just.

[24] In the same:

I will open rivers on the heights, and fountains will I place in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness into a pool of waters, and the dry land into springs of waters; I will give in the wilderness the cedar of shittah, the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the solitude the fir tree, the pine, and the box tree (Isaiah 41:18, 19).

This, too, is said of the reformation and enlightenment of the Gentiles; and "to open rivers upon the heights and to place fountains in the midst of the valleys" signifies to give intelligence from spiritual truths and from natural truths; "rivers upon the heights" signifying intelligence from spiritual truths, and "fountains in the midst of valleys" intelligence from natural truths; "to make the wilderness into a pool of waters, and the dry land into springs of waters" signifies to fill the spiritual and the natural man with truths where before there were no truths; the spiritual man in which there were no truths is meant by "wilderness," since hitherto there had been no truth in it; and the natural man in which there was no truth is meant by "dry land," since hitherto there had been no spiritual influx into it; that the spiritual man will have truths in abundance is meant by "a pool of waters," and that the natural man will have truths in abundance is meant by the "springs of waters." "To set in the wilderness the cedar of shittah, the myrtle, and the oil tree" signifies to give rational truths and a perception of them, and "to set in the solitude the fir tree, the pine, and the box tree," signifies in like manner natural truths, which are knowledges and cognitions with the understanding of them; the "cedar" meaning higher rational truth; the "myrtle" lower rational truth; "oil tree" perception of good and thus of truth; "fir tree" the higher natural truth; the "pine" lower natural truth; and "box tree" the understanding of good and truth in the natural man.

[25] In David:

He maketh the wilderness into a pool of waters, and the dry land into a springing forth of waters; and there He maketh the hungry to dwell, that they may build a city of habitation (Psalms 107:35, 36).

This, likewise, is said of the enlightenment of the Gentiles. "To make the wilderness into a pool of waters" has a similar signification as just above; "and there He maketh the hungry to dwell" signifies for the sake of those who desire truths; these are meant by "the hungry and famished" in the Word; "that they may build a city of habitation" signifies that out of truths they may make for themselves a doctrine of life, "city" meaning doctrine, and "to inhabit" meaning to live.

[26] In Isaiah:

Behold, I am doing a new thing, now it shall spring forth; I will even place a way in the wilderness, rivers in the solitude; the wild beast of the field shall honor Me, the dragons and the daughters of the owl, because I will give waters in the wilderness, rivers in the solitude, to give drink to My people, My chosen (Isaiah 43:19, 20).

This, too, is said of the New Church to be established by the Lord among the Gentiles. The "wilderness" signifies the state of the church with those who are ignorant of truth, and yet have a desire to know it. But what the particulars signify in the spiritual sense may be seen explained above n. 518.

[27] In the same:

Jehovah will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places, and He will make her wilderness as Eden, and her solitude like the garden of Jehovah; joy and gladness will be found therein, confession and the voice of singing (Isaiah 51:3).

This, also, is said of the New Church among the Gentiles that will acknowledge the Lord; that church is meant by "Zion," and its establishment and the reformation of the Gentiles by "comforting;" "the wilderness that shall be made as Eden and the solitude like the garden of Jehovah" signifies wisdom and intelligence from love to the Lord that those have who before had no understanding of truth and no perception of good. (But this may be seen explained above, n. 721)

[28] In David:

The habitations of the wilderness drop, and the hills gird themselves with exultation; the meadows are clothed with flocks, and the valleys are covered over with corn (Psalms 65:12, 13).

This, also, is said of the church among the Gentiles. "The habitations of the wilderness drop" signifies that their minds that before have been in ignorance of truth acknowledge and receive truths; "to drop" is predicated of the influx, acknowledgment and reception of truth; "habitations" are predicated of the interiors of man which belong to his mind, and "wilderness" is predicated of a state of the ignorance of truth. "The hills gird themselves with exultation" signifies that the goods in them receive truths with joy of heart; "the meadows are clothed with flocks, and the valleys are covered over with corn," signifies that both the spiritual mind and the natural mind receive truths suitable to themselves; "meadows" signifying such things as belong to the spiritual mind and thus to the rational mind, and "valleys" such as belong to the natural mind; "flock" spiritual truth, and "corn" natural truth.

[29] In Isaiah:

Let them sing praise, the end of the earth, those that go down to the sea, and its fullness, the islands and the inhabitants thereof. Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up the voice, the villages that Arabia doth inhabit; let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them cry out from the head of the mountains (Isaiah 42:10, 11).

This is said of a church with those who were remote from the truths of the church because they were natural and sensual; their state of ignorance is meant by the "wilderness," and their joy from the preaching and the knowledge of truth is signified by "singing praise and lifting up the voice." (The rest may be seen explained above, n. 406)

[30] Since the state of ignorance of truth, in which the Gentiles have been, is signified by a "wilderness," and the desire for truth by "hunger," and instruction by the Lord by "feeding," it came to pass that the Lord withdrew into the wilderness, and there taught the multitude that sought Him, and afterwards fed them. (That this took place in the wilderness can be seen in Matthew 14:13-22; 15:32-38; Mark 6:31-34; 8:1-9; Luke 9:12-17.) For all things that the Lord did and all things connected with Him were representative because they were correspondences, so also were these things. From these and the passages cited above it is evident that a "wilderness" signifies an uncultivated and uninhabited state with man, thus a state not yet made vital from what is spiritual, consequently, as applied to the church, a state not vivified by means of truths; thus it signifies such a religious principle as the Gentiles had, which was almost empty and void, because they did not have the Word where truths are, and thence did not know the Lord who teaches truths; and as they did not have truths, their good also could be no otherwise than such as the truth was with them, for good is like its truth, because one is of the other. From this it can be seen what "wilderness" signifies where the Gentiles are treated of, namely, where there is no truth and yet a desire for it that their good may be vivified.

[31] 3. Again, "wilderness" signifies the state of those who are in temptations, because in them truths and goods are shut in by the falsities and evils that come forth and are presented to the mind. This can be seen from the wandering of the sons of Israel in the wilderness forty years; for this represented every state of temptations into which those come who are being regenerated, and of whom the church is to consist. Every man is born natural, and lives naturally until he becomes rational; and when he has become rational he can be led by the Lord and become spiritual; and this is effected by the implanting of the knowledges of truth from the Word, and at the same time by the opening of the spiritual mind which receives the things of heaven, and by calling forth these knowledges and elevating them out of the natural man and conjoining them with the spiritual affection of truth. This opening and conjunction is possible only through temptations, because in temptations man fights interiorly against the falsities and evils that are in the natural man. In a word, man is introduced into the church and becomes a church through temptations. This was represented by the wandering and leading about of the sons of Israel in the wilderness. The state of the natural man before he is regenerated was represented by their sojourning in the land of Egypt, for "the land of Egypt" signified the natural man and its knowledges and cognitions, together with the cupidities and appetites that reside in it (as can be seen from what has been said and shown above respecting Egypt, n. 654. But the spiritual state, which is the state of the church with man, was represented by the introduction of the sons of Israel into the land of Canaan, for "the land of Canaan" signified the church with its truths and goods, together with its affections, and delights, which reside in such a man; while the reformation and regeneration of man before from being natural he becomes spiritual and thus a church, was represented by their wanderings and journeyings in the wilderness forty years.

[32] That this is so, and that "the wilderness" signified a state of temptations, can be seen in Moses:

Thou shalt remember all the way which Jehovah thy God hath led thee these forty years in the wilderness, that He might afflict thee and try thee, and know what was in thine heart whether thou wouldst keep His commandments or no; and He afflicted thee and made thee to hunger, and made thee to eat manna, which thou knewest not neither did thy fathers know; that He might teach thee that man doth not live by bread only, but by all that goeth forth from the mouth of Jehovah doth man live; thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, and thy foot swelled not, these forty years (Deuteronomy 8:2-4).

In the same:

In the wilderness which thou sawest, Jehovah thy God bare thee as a man doth bear his son. He went before you in the way, to seek for you a place in which ye might encamp, in fire by night to show you the way, and in the cloud by day (Deuteronomy 1:31, 33).

In the same:

Jehovah, who led thee through the great and fearful wilderness of the serpent, of the fiery serpent and of the scorpion, and of thirst, where there were no waters; who brought thee forth waters out of the rock of flint, and fed thee with manna in the wilderness, that He might afflict thee and try thee, to do thee good in thy latter end (Deuteronomy 8:15, 16).

In the same:

Jehovah found Jacob in a land of wilderness, in an emptiness, a howling, a solitude; He led him about, He instructed him, He guarded him as the pupil of the eye (Deuteronomy 32:10).

The particulars here mentioned, and all the particulars related in the book of Exodus respecting the journeyings of the sons of Israel in the wilderness, from their going forth from Egypt to their entrance into the land of Canaan, depict the temptations that the faithful encounter before they become spiritual, that is before the goods of love and charity with their truths are implanted, which constitute the church with man.

[33] He who knows what spiritual temptations are knows that when a man is in them he is so infested by evils and falsities as scarcely to know otherwise than that he is in hell; he knows, too, that the Lord with man fights against temptations from the interior; as also that He sustains man in the meantime with spiritual food and drink, which are the goods and truths of heaven; that the natural man loathes these; that nevertheless the natural man with his lusts is thus subdued and as it were dies; and that he is thus brought into subjection to the spiritual man; and that man is thus reformed and regenerated and introduced into the church. All this is involved in what is related respecting the sons of Israel in the wilderness. But to make clear that this is meant it is allowed to explain some of the particulars in the passages quoted.

[34] 1. That man in temptations is so infested by evils and falsities as scarcely to know otherwise than that he is in hell is meant by "Jehovah led thee through the great and fearful wilderness of the serpent, of the fiery serpent, of the scorpion, and of thirst, where there were no waters;" "the great and fearful wilderness" signifies grievous temptations; "the serpent, the fiery serpent, and the scorpion," signify evils and falsities with their persuasions coming forth from the sensual and natural man; "serpents" meaning evils therefrom, "fiery serpents" falsities therefrom, and "scorpions" persuasions; "thirst where there were no waters" signifies a lack and shutting off of truth. The above is meant also by "Jehovah afflicted thee and tried thee, that He might know what was in thine heart."

[35] 2. That the Lord with man fights against evils and falsities that are from hell is signified by "Jehovah found Jacob in a wilderness, in emptiness, a howling, a solitude, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye;" also by "He bare him as a man doth bear his son;" also by "He went before them in fire by night and in the cloud by day."

3. That the Lord sustains man in the meantime with spiritual food and drink, which are the goods and truths of heaven, is signified by "He fed them with manna, He brought them forth waters out of the rock of flint, and He led them and instructed them;" "manna" meaning the good of celestial love, and "waters out of the rock of flint" the truths of that good from the Lord.

4. That in temptations the natural man loathes those things is meant by the sons of Israel so often complaining of the manna, and lusting after the food of Egypt; therefore it is here said, "Jehovah afflicted thee and caused thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna."

[36] 5. That nevertheless the natural man with his lusts is subdued and as it were dies and becomes subject to the spiritual man, was represented by the death in the wilderness of all those that went forth out of Egypt and desired to return thither, and refused to enter into the land of Canaan, and that their children were brought into that land. That this represented and signified such things can be known and seen only from the spiritual sense.

6. That after temptations man becomes spiritual, and is brought into the church, and through the church into heaven, was represented by their being brought into the land of Canaan, for "the land of Canaan" signified the church, and also heaven; and this is signified by "Jehovah afflicted thee and tried thee, to do thee good in thy latter end."

Their spiritual life is described by Jehovah's teaching them that "man doth not live by bread only, but by everything going forth from the mouth of Jehovah." That "their raiment waxed not old and their foot swelled not" signifies that the natural man was not injured by these afflictions, for "raiment" signifies the truths of the natural man, and the "foot" the natural man itself. Moreover "forty," whether years or days, signifies the entire duration of temptations (See above, n. 633).

[37] Like things are involved in these words in David:

They wandered in the wilderness in loneliness of life, ¹ they found no city of habitation, hungry and thirsty; when their soul was disheartened in the way, they cried to Jehovah. He led them in a way of straightness, ² that they might go to a city of habitation (Psalms 107:4-7).

This was said in general of those who have been redeemed, and in particular of the sons of Israel in the wilderness, and these words describe the temptations of those who are being regenerated by the Lord. "The city of habitation which they found not" signifies the doctrine of life which constitutes the church in man; and as the church is formed in man by a life according to doctrine, when temptations have been passed through, it is said that "Jehovah led them in a way of straightness that they might go to a city of habitation;" the lack of truth even to despair, and yet desire for it, is signified by "they were hungry and thirsty, so that their soul was disheartened in the way."

[38] In Jeremiah:

I remembered thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after Me in the wilderness. They said not, Where is Jehovah, who made us to come up out of the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in the land of solitude and of the pit, in a land of drought and of dense shade, in a land through which no man [vir] passed, and where no man [homo] dwelt? And I led you into a land of grain, to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof (Jeremiah 2:2, 6, 7).

The "youth" and "love of espousals" that Jehovah remembered signify the state of man's reformation and regeneration, when from being natural he becomes spiritual; because man is thereby conjoined to the Lord, and as it were espoused to Him, this is what is meant by the "love of espousals;" and because this is effected through temptations it is said, "When thou wentest after Me in the wilderness;" the state of temptations is described by "He led me in the wilderness, in a land of solitude and of the pit, in a land of drought and dense shade;" "wilderness" signifying that state; "land of solitude and of the pit" signifying that state in respect to the evils and falsities that come forth, and the "land of drought and dense shade" signifying the perception of good and the understanding of truth obscured. The state of man after temptations is described by "I led you into a land of grain, to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof," which signifies to be brought into the church in which are the truths of doctrine, by means of which the good of love and of charity are appropriated; "land" signifying the church; "the land of grain" the church in respect to the truths of doctrine; "to eat" to appropriate; "fruit" the good of love, and "good" the good of charity and of life.

[39] In Ezekiel:

I will lead you out from the peoples, and will gather you from the lands, and I will lead you into a wilderness of peoples, and I will plead with you there face to face, even as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt; then will I cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant (Ezekiel 20:34-37).

Here again "wilderness" stands for a state of temptations, which state is called "a wilderness of peoples" and "the wilderness of the land of Egypt," because the state of the natural man before regeneration is meant, which is a wilderness and a solitude because there are then no goods and truths in it, but only evils and falsities; but when falsities and evils have been exterminated therefrom, and truths and goods have been implanted in their place, from being a wilderness it becomes "Lebanon" and a "garden." "To plead with them in the wilderness face to face" signifies to show them to the life of what quality they are and in a way that they acknowledge it; for in temptations man's evils and falsities come forth and appear; "face to face" means to the life and so as to be acknowledged. That after man has endured hard things, conjunction with the Lord, which is reformation, takes place, is signified by "then will I cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bonds of the covenant;" "to cause to pass under the rod" meaning to endure hard things, and "the bond of the covenant" meaning conjunction with the Lord.

[40] In Hosea:

I will visit upon her the days of the Baalim, in which she went after her lovers. Therefore behold, I will bring you ³ into the wilderness, and afterwards I will speak upon her heart, and I will give her her vineyards thence, and the valley of Achor for an entrance of hope, and she shall make answer there according to the days of her youth, and according to the days of her coming up out of the land of Egypt; and in that day thou shalt call Me, my Husband, and shalt no more call Me, my Baal (Hosea 2:13-16).

The "Baalim" and "lovers," after whom she went, signify the things that belong to the natural man and are loved, namely, cupidities and falsities therefrom; that these must be removed by means of temptations is signified by "I will bring you ³ into the wilderness;" that afterwards there will be consolation is signified by "afterwards I will speak upon her heart;" that they will then have spiritual and natural truths is signified by "I will give her vineyards thence and the valley of Achor." That afterwards they will have influx of good out of heaven and consequent joy, as those had who were of the ancient churches and who from natural had become spiritual, is signified by "she shall make answer or sing there according to the days of her youth, and according to the days of her coming up out of the land of Egypt," "days of youth" signifying the times of the ancient church, and "according to the days of her coming up out of Egypt," signifying when from natural they became spiritual. Conjunction with the Lord at that time through the affections of truth, when the cupidities from the natural man have been rejected, is signified by "in that day thou shalt call Me, my Husband, and thou shalt no more call Me, my Baal."

[41] As a "wilderness" signifies a state of temptations, and "forty," whether years or days, their whole duration from beginning to end, therefore the temptations of the Lord, which were the most direful of all, and which He sustained from childhood to the passion of the cross, are signified by the temptations of the forty days in the desert, which are thus described in the Gospels:

Jesus was led by the spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted of the devil; and when He had fasted forty days and forty nights He afterwards hungered; and the tempter drew near unto Him (Matthew 4:1-3; Luke 4:1-3).

The spirit urging Jesus caused Him to go out into the wilderness; and He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted, and He was with the beasts (Mark 1:12, 13).

This does not mean that the Lord was tempted by the devil only forty days, and at the end of these, but that He was tempted throughout His whole life even to the last, when He endured direful anguish of heart in Gethsemane and afterwards the dreadful passion of the cross; for by means of the temptations admitted into the human that He had from the mother, the Lord subjugated all the hells, and at the same time glorified His Human. (But of these temptations of the Lord see what is written in the Arcana Coelestia, and collected therefrom in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n.201.) All these temptations of the Lord are signified by the temptations in the wilderness forty days and forty nights, since the "wilderness" signifies a state of temptations, and "forty days and forty nights" the whole duration of these. No more was written respecting these in the Gospels because no more was revealed respecting them; nevertheless in the prophets, and especially in the psalms of David, they are described at length. "The beasts" with which the Lord is said to have been, signify the infernal societies; and "fasting" signifies here such affliction as there is in the combats of temptation.

[42] 4. Again, "wilderness" also signifies hell, because that is called a wilderness where there is no harvest or habitation, likewise where there are wild beasts, serpents, and dragons, which signify where there is no truth of doctrine or good of life, consequently where there are lusts from evil loves, and falsities therefrom of every kind; and as these are in hell and the former in a wilderness, so from correspondences the "wilderness" also signifies hell. Moreover, the natural man with everyone, so long as it is separated from the spiritual, as it is before regeneration, is a hell, because all the hereditary evil into which man is born resides in his natural man, and is not cast out from it, that is, removed, except by the influx of Divine truth through heaven from the Lord; and this influx into the natural man can come only through the spiritual, for the natural man is in the world and the spiritual in heaven; therefore the spiritual man must be opened before the hell that is in the natural man can be removed by the Lord out of heaven.

[43] How this is removed was represented by the he-goat called Azazel that was cast out into the desert; for the "he-goat" from correspondence signifies the natural man in respect to his affections and knowledges, and in the contrary sense in respect to his cupidities and falsities. Of this he-goat we read thus in Moses:

That Aaron should take two he-goats and cast lots upon them, one for the he-goat to be sacrificed, the other for Azazel; and after he had expiated the Tent of meeting and the altar with the blood of the sacrificed bullock and of the sacrificed he-goat, he should lay his hands upon the head of the he-goat Azazel, and should confess upon it the iniquities and sins of the sons of Israel; which he shall put upon the head of the he-goat, and afterwards should send him by the hand of a man appointed into the wilderness. So the he-goat shall bear upon him all the iniquities of the sons of Israel into the land cut off and into the wilderness; and the skin, the flesh, and the dung of the bullock and of the sacrificed he-goat should be burned in the wilderness; thus should they be expiated and cleansed from all their sins (Leviticus 16:5-34).

These things were commanded to represent expiation, that is, purification from evils and falsities. Two he-goats were taken to represent this, because a "he-goat" from correspondence signifies the natural man; the he-goat that was to be sacrificed represented the natural man in reference to the part purified, and the he-goat that was to be sent into the wilderness the natural man not purified. And as the natural man swarms with cupidities and uncleanness of every kind, as has been said above, therefore that he-goat was sent out of the camp into a land cut off and into the wilderness that he might bear away the iniquities and sins of all in that church; "the land cut off and the wilderness" signifying hell. Aaron laying his hands upon its head and confessing the sins represented communication and transference, for this is done when man is purified or expiated from sins, for the sins are then sent down to hell, and the affections of good and truth are implanted in their place; these were represented in part by the fat sacrificed from the bullock and from the other he-goat, also by their blood, and especially by the burnt offering from the ram (respecting which see verses 5-24 in the same chapter) Leviticus 16:5-24, for the "ram" from correspondence signifies the natural man in respect to the good of charity. But it is to be known that the Israelitish people were not in the least purified from their sins by this, but the purification of the natural man when he was being regenerated was thus merely represented. All things of man's regeneration were represented by such external things, especially by sacrifices; and this was done for the sake of the conjunction of heaven with that church through the externals of worship, the internals that the externals represented being seen in the heavens. Who cannot see that the sins of the whole congregation could not be transferred to a he-goat and borne by him to hell? From this it is evident what is signified by "wilderness" in its various senses.

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