555. Verse 8. And they had hair as the hair of women, signifies that they seem to themselves to be also natural affections of truth. This is evident from the signification of "hair," as being the things of the natural man, and in particular the true knowledges [scientifica] there (of which above, n. 66); and from the signification of "women," as being affections (of which presently). "Hair" signifies the things of the natural man because the "head" signifies the things of the spiritual man, and all things of the natural man invest all things of the spiritual man, as the hair invests the head; the head also corresponds to things spiritual, and the hair to things natural, thence also that is what they signify. It is from this correspondence that angels are seen with beautiful hair, and from the orderly arrangement, grace, and gloss of their locks it may be known how the natural man in them corresponds with the spiritual. Now as "women" signify affections, it can be seen that "they had hair as the hair of women" signifies that they seem to themselves to be natural affections of truth. That this is what is signified is evident also from the series; for "faces as men's faces" signify the appearance as if they were spiritual affections of truth; thence now it follows that "hair as the hair of women" signifies there seeming to be natural affection of truth; it is said immediately, too, of their teeth, that they were "as lion's teeth," and these signify the ultimates of the natural man in respect to knowledge and power. In the prophetic Word the terms "woman," and also "daughter" and "virgin" often occur; but it has heretofore been unknown what they signify. It is very evident that a woman, a daughter, or a virgin is not meant, since where these are mentioned the church is treated of; but what they signify can be seen from the connection of the subjects treated of in the spiritual sense.

[2] That "woman" signifies the church as regards the affection of truth, thus the affection of the truth of the church, can be seen from the following passages in the Word. In Jeremiah:

Wherefore commit ye evil against your souls, to cut off from you man and woman, babe, and suckling, out of Jerusalem? ¹ (Jeremiah 44:7).

In the same:

I will scatter man and woman; I will scatter the old man and the lad; I will scatter the young man and the virgin (Jeremiah 51:22).

In Ezekiel:

Slay to destruction the old man and the young man and the virgin and the infant and the women (Ezekiel 9:6).

In Lamentations:

They ravished the women in Zion, the virgins in the cities of Judah; princes were hanged up by their hand; the faces of elders were not honored (Lamentations 5:11, 12).

In these passages "man and woman," "old man and babe," "youth and virgin," do not mean man, woman, old man, babe, youth, and virgin, but all things of the church; "man and woman" signify truth and its affection, "old man and babe" wisdom and innocence, "youth and virgin" the understanding of truth and the affection for good. That such is the signification is made evident from this that these chapters treat of the church and its desolation in respect to truth and good; therefore these terms signify such things as belong to the church. For the Word is inwardly spiritual, because it is Divine; but if man and woman, old man and babe, youth and virgin meant such persons, the Word would not be spiritual but natural; but it becomes spiritual when "man and woman" mean the church in respect to truth and its affection, "old man and babe" the church in respect to wisdom and innocence, and "young man and virgin" the church in respect to intelligence and its affection. Moreover, man is man because the church is in him, and where the church is, there is heaven. When, therefore, man as "old," "young," an "infant," a "male," also "woman" and "virgin" are mentioned, that with them pertaining to the church that corresponds in age, sex, inclination, affection, intelligence, and wisdom, is meant.

[3] That "woman" signifies the church in respect to the affection of truth, or the affection of the truth of the church, can be seen also from these words in Isaiah:

Then seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying, We will eat our own bread, and we will clothe ourselves with our own raiment; only let thy name be called upon us; gather thou up our reproach (Isaiah 4:1).

This treats of the end of the church, when there is no longer any truth, for these words precede:

Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy strength in the war (Isaiah 3:25);

which signify that the understanding of truth will be destroyed by falsities, so that there will be no more resistance in combats; and it is added:

In that day shall the shoot of Jehovah be for splendor and glory (Isaiah 4:2);

which signifies that truth will spring up anew in the church; for this is said of the Lord's coming. "Seven women shall take hold of one man" signifies that truth will be desired and sought from affection but will not be found; "man" signifying truth, "women" affections or longings for truth, and "seven" holiness. That instruction in genuine truths, and thus spiritual nourishment would not be found, is signified by saying "we will eat our own bread, and we will clothe ourselves with our own raiment;" "bread" signifying instruction and spiritual nourishment, and "raiment" truth clothing good; that truth only can be applied and by application conjoined is signified by "only let thy name be called upon us;" and as all esteem is from the spiritual affection of truth and conjunction therefrom, and otherwise there is no esteem, it is said, "gather thou up or take away our reproach."

[4] In Jeremiah:

Return, O virgin of Israel, return to thy cities. How long wilt thou go about? For Jehovah hath created a new thing in the earth; a woman shall compass a man (Jeremiah 31:21, 22).

This treats of the spiritual captivity in which the church was before the Lord's coming. The church is said to be in spiritual captivity when there is no truth, and yet truth is desired; in such captivity were the Gentiles with whom the church was established. "Return, O virgin of Israel, return to thy cities," signifies that they shall return to the truths of doctrine; "virgin of Israel" being the church, and "her cities" the truths of doctrine. "For Jehovah hath created a new thing in the earth, a woman shall compass a man," signifies that a new church is to be established in which truth will be conjoined to its affection; "to create a new thing in the earth" meaning to establish that new thing; "woman" being the church in respect to the affection of truth, "man" truth, and "to compass" to be conjoined.

[5] In Isaiah:

As a woman forsaken and afflicted in spirit Jehovah hath called thee, and a woman of youth when rejected, said thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great compassions will I gather thee (Isaiah 54:6, 7).

Here, too, "a woman forsaken and afflicted in spirit" means the church that is not in truths and yet is in the affection or longing for them, "woman" meaning the church, which is said to be "forsaken" when it is not in truths, and to be "afflicted in spirit" when in grief from the affection or longing for truths. "A woman of youth" means the Ancient Church, which was in truths from affection; and "one rejected" means the Jewish church, which was not in truths from any spiritual affection; that the church is to be established by the Lord, and delivered from spiritual captivity, is meant by "for a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great compassions will I gather thee."

[6] In Jeremiah:

Hear the word of Jehovah, O ye women, and let your ear perceive the word of His mouth, that ye may teach your sons ² wailing, and a woman her companion lamentation. For death hath come up through the windows, it hath come into our palaces, to cut off the babe from the street, the young man from the broad ways (Jeremiah 9:20, 21).

It was said to women that they should hear and perceive, because "women" signify the church from the affection and reception of truth; "sons whom the women should teach wailing," and the "companion whom a woman should teach lamentation," signify all who are of the church, "sons" signifying those who are in the truths of the church, "companion" they who are in the good of the church; "wailing and lamentation" signify because of the church vastated in respect to truths and goods; "death hath come up through the windows, it hath come into our palaces" signifies infernal falsity entering into the understanding, and thence into all things of thought and affection, "windows" signifying the understanding, and "palaces" all things of the thought and affection; "to cut off the babe from the street, and the young man from the broad ways," signifies the vastation of nascent truth and of truth born; the "babe in the street" meaning nascent truth, and "the young man in the broad ways" truth born.

[7] In Ezekiel:

Two women, the daughters of one mother, who committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth; the name of the elder was Oholah, and the name of her sister Oholibah; and they bare sons and daughter. Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem Oholibah (Ezekiel 23:2-4).

As "Samaria," the metropolis of the Israelites, signifies in the Word the spiritual church, and "Jerusalem," the metropolis of the Jews, the celestial church, each in respect to doctrine; so these are called "women;" and as these two churches act as one, they are called "daughters of one mother," "mother" also signifying the church, as do "Oholah and Oholibah," that is, "the tent or habitation of God," for this signifies heaven where Divine truth and Divine good are, and so, too, the church, for the church is the Lord's heaven on earth; "their committing whoredom in Egypt in their youth" signifies that they were then in no truths but in falsities, for in Egypt they had not the Word; that was given to them afterwards through Moses and the prophets, and it was thus that the church was instituted among them. "To commit whoredom in Egypt" signifies to falsify truths by knowledges of the natural man, and to falsify truths there means to turn holy things into magic, as the Egyptians did; "the sons and daughters whom they bore" signify the falsities and evils of the church.

[8] In Micah:

Ye draw off the robe from them that pass by securely, returning from war. The women of my people ye drive out from the house of their delights (Micah 2:8, 9).

"To draw off the robe from them that pass by securely, returning from war," signifies to deprive of truths all who are in truths, and who have fought against falsities; "who pass by securely" signifies all who are in truths; "returning from war" those who have been in temptations, and who have fought against falsities. "To drive out the women of my people from the house of their delights" signifies to destroy the affections of truth, and thus the pleasantnesses and felicities of heaven, "the women of my people" meaning the affections of truth, and "house of delights" the pleasantnesses and felicities of heaven, for these are the affections of good and truth.

[9] In Zechariah:

I will gather all nations to Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be captured and the house ³ plundered, and the women shall be ravished (Zechariah 14:2).

"All nations" signify evils and falsities of every kind; "Jerusalem" signifies the church, "city" doctrine, "house" everything holy of the church, "women" the affections of truth, and "their being ravished" that truths will be perverted, and that thus the affections of truth will perish.

[10] In the same:

In that day shall the lamentation in Jerusalem increase, and the land shall lament and every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their women apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their women apart; the family of the house of Levi apart, and their women apart; the family of the house of Simeon apart, and their women apart; all the families that are left, every family apart, and their women apart (Zechariah 12:11-14).

What "David" and his house, likewise what "Levi," and "Simeon," and their houses signify, has been shown in the explanations above, namely, that "David" signifies Divine truth, "Nathan" the doctrine of truth, "Levi" the good of charity, and "Simeon" truth and good in respect to perception and obedience. It is said "the families shall lament apart, and their women apart," because "families" signify the truths of the church, and "women" the affections of truth; and these "lament apart" when truth laments because there is no affection of it, and affection laments because it has no truth. This is said of the lamentation over each and all things of the church because they are vastated and destroyed; for each and all things of the church are signified by "all the families that are left," which mean the tribes. That "the twelve tribes" signify all things of the church in the complex may be seen above (n. 430, 431). "Jerusalem" signifies the church and its doctrine.

[11] In Matthew:

Then shall two be in the field, one shall be taken and the other left. Two shall be grinding at the mill, one shall be taken and the other left (Matthew 24:40, 41).

By the first two are meant men, and women by the last two; and "men" signify those who are in truths, and "women" those who are in good from the affection of truth; here, however, "men" mean those who are in falsities, and "women" those who are in evils from the affection of falsity, for it is said that "one shall be taken and the other shall be left;" meaning that those shall be saved who are in truths from affection, and those shall be condemned who are in evils from affection. "Field" signifies the church; "to grind" signifies to acquire for themselves truths of doctrine from the Word; those who apply these truths to good are signified by those who "shall be taken," and those who apply them to evil are signified by those who "shall be left." (But this may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia 4334, 4335.)

[12] In Moses:

I will break for you the staff of bread, that ten women may bake your bread in one oven, and they shall bring back your bread by weight; and ye shall eat and not be satisfied (Leviticus 26:26).

This means, in the spiritual sense, that truth from good, which is spiritual nourishment, shall fail, "bread" signifying all spiritual food by which the man of the church is nourished, and "women" those of the church who are in the affection of truth. "Ten women shall bake bread in one oven" signifies that the truth which may be conjoined to good will be sought for but very little will be found; for "to bake" signifies to prepare and conjoin that it may serve for the use of life; "to bring back the bread by weight" signifies that it is scarce; and "to eat and not be satisfied" signifies because truth from good is so scanty and scarce as to yield hardly any nourishment to the soul.

[13] In Moses:

A man's garment shall not be upon a woman, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment; for whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto Jehovah thy God (Deuteronomy 22:5).

"Man and his garment" signifies truth, and "woman and her garment" signifies the affection of truth. These in every man are as distinct as understanding and will are, or as thought which is of the understanding, and affection which is of the will are; and unless they were distinct, the sexes would be confounded, and there would be no marriage, for in marriage man is the truth which is of the thought, and woman is affection.

That man and woman were both so created that they may be two and yet one, is evident from the book of Genesis in which it is said of the creation of the two:

And God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; ⁴ male and female created He them (Genesis 1:27; 5:2).

[14] And afterwards:

The man said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; for this she shall be called wife, because she was taken out of man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh (Genesis 2:23, 24; Mark 10:6-9).

Man here means the church in general and in particular. The church in particular is the man of the church, or the man in whom the church is. "God created man in His own image" signifies in the image of heaven; for "God," that is, Elohim, in the plural, signifies the Divine proceeding that makes heaven, and the man who is a church is a heaven in the least form, for he corresponds to all things of heaven (See in the work on Heaven and Hell 7-12, 51-58). "Male" signifies here, as above, the truth which is of the understanding, and "female" the good which is of the will; the wife is said to be "bone of man's bones, and flesh of his flesh," to signify that good, which is the wife, is from truth, which is the man, "bone" signifying truth before it is vivified, that is, conjoined to good, such as is the truth of the memory with man; and because all good is formed from truths it is said, "because she was taken out of man." That "the man shall leave his father and mother and shall cleave unto his wife" signifies that truth must be of good, and that thus both must become one good; this is signified by "they shall be one flesh," "flesh" signifying good, and also a human being. But the things here said cannot enter the understanding of man, except with few, unless it is known that the first two chapters of Genesis treat of the new creation, that is, of the regeneration of the men of the church, the first chapter of their regeneration, the second of their intelligence and wisdom; and "male and female," or "man and wife," mean in the spiritual sense the conjunction of truth and good, which is called the heavenly marriage, into which marriage man comes when he is regenerated and becomes a church; and man has been regenerated and has become a church when he is in good and in truths therefrom, which is meant by "the man shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be as one flesh." (But a still clearer idea of these things may be had from what is said in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, On Good and Truth, n. 11-19; On the Will and Understanding, n. 28-33; On Regeneration, n 173-182; also respecting the good from which are truths, n. 24.)

[15] Because "man and woman" signify the conjunction of truth and good:

When Moses saw that the sons of Israel took to themselves the female captives of the Midianites, their enemies, he said that they should kill every woman that had known man by lying with a male; but that they should keep alive the women that had not known man (Numbers 31:17, 18).

These things were commanded because a "woman not conjoined to a man" signified the church in respect to the affection for truth or for conjunction with truth; but "a woman conjoined to a man of Midian" signified good adulterated; for the Midianites represented, and thence signified, truth that is not truth because it is not from good, thus is falsity. This was why the women who had known man were to be killed, but those who had not known man were to be kept alive. "The women of Midian" signified the defilement of good by falsities, and thus good adulterated and profaned, which is filthy adultery, as is evident from what is related respecting "the whoredom of the sons of Israel with the women of the Midianites" (Numbers 25).

[16] Whoever does not know that "woman" signifies the spiritual affection of truth, also that the evils and falsities that everyone has are in the natural man, and none of them in the spiritual man, cannot know what is signified by the following respecting a woman captive in Moses:

If thou shalt see in captivity a woman beautiful in form of the enemy, and hast a desire unto her for a wife, thou shalt bring her into the midst of thy house; where she shall shave her head and pare her nails; then she shall put away the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall weep for her father and her mother a month of days, and after that thou shalt go in unto her and know her, and she shall be thy wife (Deuteronomy 21:11-13).

A "woman" signifies the church in respect to the spiritual affection of truth, or the spiritual affection of truth which a man of the church has, but "a woman captive beautiful in form" signifies the religious principles with the Gentiles in whom is a longing or affection for truth; that "she is to be brought into the midst of the house, and there is to shave her head, pare her nails, and afterwards put away the raiment of her captivity" signifies that she should be led into the interior or spiritual things of the church, and by means of them reject the evils and falsities of the natural and sensual man; "the midst of the house" signifies things interior which are spiritual; "the hair of the head which must be shaved" signifies the falsities and evils of the natural man; "the nails which must be pared," signify the falsities and evils of the sensual man; and "the raiment of captivity" signifies the falsity of religion in which one who from affection longs for truth is held as it were captive; all these, therefore, must be rejected because they are in the natural and sensual man, as has been said above; that she shall "weep for her father and her mother a month of days" signifies that the evils and falsities of one's religion must be consigned to oblivion; "after that the man should go in unto her and know her, and she should be his wife," signifies that thus truth, which is the "man," can be conjoined with its affection, which is the "wife." Why this statute was given no one can know unless he knows from the spiritual sense what is signified by "a woman taken captive from the enemy," by "the midst or inmost of the house," by "hair," "nails," and "the raiment of captivity," and unless he knows something about the conjunction of truth and good, for on this conjunction all the precepts in the Word concerning marriages are founded. The church in respect to the affection of truth is signified also by:

The woman encompassed with the sun, and in labor, before whom the dragon stood when she should bring forth a man child; and who afterwards fled into the wilderness (Revelation 12:1, et seq.).

Here the "woman" signifies the church, and the "man child" whom she brought forth, the doctrine of truth, as will be seen in the explanation further on.

[17] As "woman" signifies the church in respect to the affection of truth from good, or the affection of truth from good of the man of the church, so in the contrary sense a "woman" signifies the cupidity of falsity from evil; for most things in the Word have also an opposite signification. A "woman" (and women) signify this in the following passages. In Jeremiah:

Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The sons gather wood and the fathers kindle the fire and the women knead the dough, to make cakes to the queen of the heavens, and also to pour out libations unto other gods (Jeremiah 7:17, 18)

What this prophecy involves cannot be known unless it is known what "the cities of Judah," "the streets of Jerusalem," what the "sons," "fathers," and "women" signify, also what "gathering wood," "kindling a fire," "kneading the dough," "cakes," "the queen of the heavens," and "libations" signify. But when it is known what these signify, and the signification is taken in place of the things named, there results therefrom the spiritual meaning that is involved in this prophecy. "The cities of Judah" signify the doctrinals of the church; "the streets of Jerusalem" the truths of these, but here falsities; "sons" mean those who are in the truths of doctrine, but here those who are in falsities, who are said "to gather wood" when they acquire for themselves falsities from evils; "fathers" mean those who are in the goods of the church, but here those who are in evils, who are said "to kindle a fire" when from the love of evil they favor and excite evils; "women" mean the affections of truth from good, but here the cupidities of falsity from evil; these are said "to knead the dough" when from falsities and according to them they frame doctrine; "to make cakes to the queen of the heavens" signifies to worship infernal evils of every kind, "to make cakes" meaning to worship from evils, and "the queen of the heavens" meaning all evils in the complex, for "the queen of the heavens" has a similar signification as "the host of the heavens;" "to pour out libations unto other gods" signifies to worship from falsities, "other gods" meaning infernal falsities; for "God" signifies, in a good sense, Divine truth proceeding, but "other gods" signify infernal falsities, which are falsities from evil.

[18] In Isaiah:

As for My people, babes are their oppressors, and women rule over it. ⁵ O My people, thy leaders cause thee to err, and have blotted out the way of thy paths (Isaiah 3:12).

"Oppressors," "babes," and "women," signify those who violate, are ignorant of, and pervert truths, "oppressors" meaning those who violate truths; "babes" those who are ignorant of them, and "women" the cupidities that pervert them; "leaders that cause thee to err" signify those who teach; "to blot out the way of thy paths" signifies that the truth which leads is not known.

[19] In the same:

When the harvest withereth, breaking in pieces, the women coming shall set it on fire; for this is a people of no intelligence (Isaiah 27:11).

This is said of the church vastated; "the harvest withering" signifies the truths of good destroyed by evil loves; "the women who set it on fire" signify the cupidities of falsity which altogether consume.

[20] In the same:

Rise up, ye women that are at ease, hear my voice; ye confident sons ⁶ give ear to my speech; the vintage shall be consumed, the ingathering shall not come (Isaiah 32:9, 10).

"Women that are at ease" signify the cupidities of those who are wholly unconcerned about the vastation of the church; "the confident sons" signify the falsities of those who trust in self-intelligence; "women and sons" signify all in the church who are such, whether men or women; "the vintage that shall be consumed, and the ingathering that shall not come" signify that there shall no longer be any truth of the church, for "vintage" has a similar signification as "wine," namely, the truth of the church; and this makes evident what is signified by its "ingathering."

[21] In Ezekiel:

But if a man be just, and hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled the wife of his companion, neither come near to a menstruous woman (Ezekiel 18:5, 6).

"The just man" is described as one "who hath not eaten upon the mountains," which signifies whose worship is not from infernal loves, for this is the signification of "sacrificing upon mountains," and "eating of the sacrifices;" "who hath not lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel" signifies whose worship is not from the falsities of doctrine, for "idols" signify the falsities of doctrine, and "the house of Israel" means the perverted church in which such falsities are; "who hath not defiled the wife of his companion" signifies who does not adulterate the good of the church and of the Word; "who cometh not near to a menstruous woman" signifies who does not defile truths by the cupidities of falsity.

[22] In Lamentations:

The hands of the compassionate women have sodden their own children that they might become food for them, in the breach of the daughter of My people (Lamentations 4:10).

This signifies the destruction by falsities of the truth and good of doctrine from the Word, and the appropriation of the falsities, with the consequent vastation of the church. "The compassionate women" signify the affections of falsity as if it were truth; "their having sodden children" signifies to destroy by falsities the truths and goods of doctrine from the Word; "to become food for them" signifies to appropriate falsities; and "the breach of the daughter of my people" signifies the vastation of the church. "Women" signify also evil cupidities in Revelation (Revelation 14:4; 17:3, of which in the explanation further on).

Notas a pie de página:

304. (5:3) And no one in heaven, neither upon the earth, nor under the earth, was able to open the book, or to look thereon. That this signifies manifestation, that no one knows and perceives, of himself, anything concerning the state of the life of all in general and of each in particular, is evident from the signification of, "And no one was able to open the book, neither to look thereon," as denoting that no one knows and perceives of himself the states of the life of all in general and of each in particular (concerning which see just above, n. 303): and from the signification of, in heaven, neither upon the earth, nor under the earth, as denoting not only that there is no one anywhere, but also that there is not anything [of such knowledge and perception]; for by, in heaven, upon the earth, and under the earth, are meant the three heavens; and by all therein heaven in the aggregate is meant; and because heaven is heaven from the Divine truth, that flows in from the Lord, and is received by the angels, and not at all from any intelligence proper to the angels, for this is not intelligence, therefore the same words signify that no one has any [knowledge or perception] whatever from himself. (That the angels in heaven, just as men in the world, have a proprium, which viewed in itself is nothing but evil, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 592.) And because evil does not receive anything of intelligence and wisdom, it follows, that angels just as men understand nothing at all of truth from themselves, but solely from the Lord. The reason why the angels are of such a quality, is, that all angels are from the human race, and that every man retains his proprium after death; and they are withheld from the evils of their proprium, and are kept in goods by the Lord. (That all the angels are from the human race, and none created such from the beginning, may be seen in the small work concerning the Last Judgment 14-22; and that all are withheld from evil, and kept in good by the Lord, in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 166.)

[2] The reason why in heaven, upon the earth, and under the earth, signifies the three heavens, is because the angels, who are in the third or highest heaven, dwell upon mountains; and those who are in the second or middle, upon hills; and those who are in the first or ultimate heaven, in plains and valleys under them. For in the spiritual world, where spirits and angels dwell, there are earths, hills, and mountains, just as in the natural world where men are. As to appearance there is such a similitude that they do not at all differ. Therefore men after death scarcely know but that they are yet living upon earth, and when they are permitted to look into our earth, they see nothing dissimilar. Besides the angels who are in the ultimate heaven, call that heaven, where the angels of the third heaven dwell, because it is high above them, but where they themselves dwell, they call earth. The third or highest heaven also, which is upon mountains, appears to those who are below, or upon the earth, only as the highest region of the atmosphere does before us, covered with a light and shining cloud, thus as heaven appears before us. Hence it may be seen what is specifically meant in this place, by, in heaven, upon the earth, and under the earth. (But more may be seen concerning these things in the work concerning Heaven and Hell, where appearances in heaven are treated of, n. 170-176: and concerning the habitations and mansions of the angels, n. 183-189.)

[3] Because men have not known that there are similar appearances of earth in both worlds, the natural and the spiritual, therefore, when they have read the Word, they have simply perceived that by the heaven and the earth there, are meant the heaven visible before our eyes, and the earth inhabited by men; hence has arisen an opinion concerning the destruction of heaven and earth, and concerning the creation of a new heaven and a new earth, at the day of the Last Judgment; when, yet, by the heaven and the earth are there meant the heaven and the earth where spirits and angels are, and, in the spiritual sense, the church with angels and with men; for the church is equally with angels as with men, as may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 221-227). It is said, in the spiritual sense, because an angel is not an angel, nor is a man a man, from the human which both have, but from heaven and the church with them. Hence it is that by the heaven and by the earth, where angels and men dwell, the church is signified; by heaven the internal church, and also the church with the angels and by earth the external church, and also the church with men. But it can hardly be believed, that by the earth in the Word is meant the church, because it is not yet known that in the particulars of the Word there is a spiritual sense. As a result of this a material idea adheres to, and keeps the thought fixed on the most obvious meaning of a word, I therefore wish by some passages thence to illustrate and confirm it.

[4] In Isaiah:

"Behold, Jehovah maketh the earth empty, and maketh it void, and he shall overturn the faces thereof; in emptying, the earth shall be emptied, and in spoiling it shall be spoiled: the habitable earth shall mourn and be confounded, the world shall be confounded; the earth shall be profaned under its inhabitants, wherefore a curse shall devour the earth, and the inhabitants of the earth shall be burnt up, and few men left. A shout over the wine in the streets, the gladness of the earth shall be banished; there shall be in the midst of the earth as the shaking of the olive, as the gleanings when the vintage is done. From the end of the earth we have heard songs, Glory to the just. The floodgates from on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth are moved; in breaking the earth is broken, in rending the earth is rent asunder, in moving the earth is moved; in tottering the earth shall totter as a drunkard; and it shall be moved to and fro as a veil; but it shall be in that day, Jehovah shall visit upon the host of the height in the height, and upon the kings of the earth who are upon the earth" (24:1, 2 [3], 4-6, 11, 13, 16, [18], 19-21, 23).

Here it is quite evident, that by the earth is not meant the earth but the church. The particulars shall be gone through and considered. He who is in a spiritual idea does not think of the earth itself when the earth is named, but of the people there, and of their quality; much more so those in heaven: who, because they are spiritual, have a perception of the church. The subject treated of in this passage is the church destroyed. Its destruction as to the good of love and the truth of faith, which constitute it, is described by Jehovah emptying the earth and making it void, by the earth in emptying being emptied, in spoiling being spoiled, by mourning and being confounded, by being profaned and a curse devouring it, by the flood-gates from on high being opened and the foundations thereof being moved, by being broken, rent asunder, and put in motion, by staggering as a drunkard. These things can be said neither of the earth, nor of any nation, but of the church.

[5] In the same:

"Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners out of it. I will put the heaven in commotion, for the stars of the heavens and the constellations thereof shall not shine with their light, the sun shall be darkened in its rising, and the moon shall not make her light to shine. I will make a man more rare than pure gold; wherefore I will move the heavens, and the earth shall be shaken out of its place" (13:9, 10, 12, 13).

That the earth here denotes the church is evident from each particular understood in the spiritual sense. The subject here treated of is its end, when truth and good, or faith and charity, are no more. For by the stars and constellations which shall not give their light, are signified the knowledges of truth and good; by the sun being darkened in its rising, is signified love; by the moon not causing her light to shine, is signified faith; by a man being made more rare than pure gold, is signified intelligence and wisdom: hence it is plain what is signified by, "Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh to lay the land desolate. I will move the heavens, and the earth shall be shaken out of its place." The day of Jehovah denotes the final end of the church, when judgment takes place. The earth denotes the church. It is evident that the earth itself is not shaken out of its place, but that the church is removed where love and faith are not. To be shaken out of its place, signifies to be removed from a former state.

[6] In the same:

"Behold, the Lord, as an inundation of hail, a storm of slaughter, as an inundation of mighty waters, shall cast down to the earth with the hand; I have heard a consummation and decision from the Lord Jehovih Zebaoth upon the whole earth" (28:2, 22).

These words were spoken of the day of judgment upon those who were from the church. The day of judgment, when there is an end of the church, is meant by, "I have heard a consummation and decision from the Lord Jehovih Zebaoth upon the whole earth": wherefore it is said, that, "as an inundation of hail, a storm of slaughter, as an inundation of mighty waters he shall cast down to the earth with the hand." By hail and an inundation of it falsities are signified which destroy the truths of the church: by slaughter, and a storm of it, evils are signified, which destroy the goods of the church; by the mighty waters the falsities of evil are signified. That an inundation or flood signifies immersion into evils and falsities, and hence the destruction of the church, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 660, 705, 739, 756, 790, 5725, 6853; the same, by casting down to the earth or a violent pouring down of rain.

[7] In the same:

"The earth shall be [turned] into burning pitch; from generation to generation it shall be waste" (34:9, 10).

By burning pitch is signified every evil springing from the love of self, by which the church entirely perishes and is vastated; therefore it is said, the earth shall be [turned] into burning pitch; from generation to generation it shall be waste. Who cannot see that such things are not said of the earth itself?

[8] In the same:

"The earth mourneth and languisheth; Lebanon hath blushed and faded away" (33:9).

Here also the earth denotes the church, which is said to mourn and to languish when falsities begin to be seized upon and acknowledged as truths; therefore it is said, Lebanon hath blushed and faded away. Lebanon signifies the same as the cedar, that is, the truth of the church.

[9] In Jeremiah:

"The lion is come out of his thicket, and the destroyer of the nations is gone forth from his place to lay waste thy land; thy cities shall be destroyed. I beheld the earth, when, lo, it is empty and void; and towards the heavens, when, lo, they have no light. I beheld the mountains, when, lo, they are moved, and all the hills are overturned. Jehovah said, The whole land shall be a waste. For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black" (4:7, 23, 24, 27, 28).

Here also the vastation of the church is treated of; this takes place when truth and good are no longer, but in their place falsity and evil. This vastation is described by the lion coming out of his thicket, and the destroyer of the nations going forth from his place; the lion and the destroyer of the nations signifying falsity and evil vastating. The mountains that are moved, and the hills that are overturned, signify love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour. The reason that these are signified by mountains and hills is, that those who are in love to the Lord dwell upon mountains in heaven, and those who are in charity towards the neighbour, upon hills, as may be seen in what has been stated above, and also in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 188, and the notes there, letter c. By the heavens where no light was, which were black, are signified the interiors of the men of the church, which, when they, are closed by evils and falsities, do not admit the light from heaven, but instead thereof darkness from hell. From these considerations it is evident what is signified by the lion and the destroyer of the nations reducing the earth to desolation: also by, "I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was empty and void"; as also by "the whole land shall be a waste; for this shall the earth mourn," namely, that the earth is not understood, but the church.

[10] In the same:

"How long shall the earth mourn, and the herb of every field [wither], for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? the beasts are consumed, and the birds. The whole earth is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart. The spoilers are come upon all the hills in the desert; for the sword of Jehovah is devouring from the end of the earth even to the end of the earth. They have sown wheat, and have reaped thorns" (12:4, 11-13).

That the earth here signifies the church is evident, from its being said that the earth shall mourn, and the herb of every field [shall wither], and that the beasts and the birds are consumed for the wickedness of them that dwell therein, and because no man layeth it to heart. By the herb of every field is signified every truth and good of the church, and by the beasts and birds are signified the affections of good and truth; and because the church is signified by the earth, and it is here treated of as vastated, it is therefore said, "the spoilers are come upon all the hills in the desert; for the sword of Jehovah is devouring from the end of the earth to the end of the earth; they have sown wheat, and have reaped thorns." By the hills in the wilderness upon which the spoilers came, are signified the things of charity; the desert denotes where there is no good, because there is no truth; by the sword of Jehovah is signified falsity destroying truth; from the end of the earth to the end of the earth, signifies all things of the church; by sowing wheat and reaping thorns, is signified to take from the Word the truths of good, and to turn them into falsities of evil; wheat denoting the truths of good, and thorns denoting the falsities of evil.

[11] In Isaiah:

"Upon the land of my people shall come up the thorn and briar: the palace shall be deserted; the multitude of the city shall be forsaken" (32:13, 14).

The thorn and the briar which shall come upon the earth, signify falsity and evil; the palace that shall be deserted, signifies where good dwells; and the multitude of the city which shall be forsaken, signifies where there are truths; for a city signifies the doctrine of truth.

[12] In the same:

"All the earth shall become a place of briars and thorns: on the other hand, all the mountains which shall be weeded with the hoe, there shall not come thither the fear of briars and thorns; but there shall be the sending forth of the ox, and the treading of the sheep" (7:24, 25).

Briars and thorns signify falsity and evil; hence it is evident what is signified by all the earth shall become a place of briars and thorns. By the mountains which shall be weeded with the hoe, are signified those who do goods from the love of good; that falsity and evil shall not be with them, but both spiritual and natural good, is signified by the fear of briars and thorns not coming thither, but there shall be the sending forth of the ox, and the treading of the sheep; or thither shall the oxen be sent, and there the sheep shall tread; the ox signifying natural good, and the sheep spiritual good.

[13] In Ezekiel:

"Thy mother is a lioness; she lay down among lions; one of her whelps rose up, he has devastated the cities; the earth is desolated and the fulness thereof, by the voice of his roaring" (19:2, 3, 7).

By mother is signified the church; by a lioness and lions, the power of evil and of falsity against good and truth; by the roaring of the lion is signified the lust of destroying and desolating; by the cities which he laid waste, is signified doctrine with its truths; hence it is evident what is signified by, the earth was desolated, and the fulness thereof, namely, the whole church.

[14] In the same:

"They shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their waters with astonishment, that the earth may be devastated from its fulness, for the violence of all them that dwell therein; and the inhabited cities shall be laid waste, and the earth shall be a desolation" (12:19, 20).

Things similar to those above are here signified by the earth and by the cities that shall be laid waste and shall become a desolation; that is, by the earth is signified the church, and by cities doctrine with its truths; therefore it is said, for the violence of all them that dwell therein. Because those things are signified it is premised that they shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their waters with astonishment. Bread and water in the Word signify every good of love and truth of faith (see Arcana Coelestia 9329). And by eating and drinking are signified instruction and appropriation (n. 3168, 3513, 3832, 9412).

[15] In David:

"I called upon Jehovah, and cried unto my God. Wherefore the earth shook and trembled, and the foundations of the mountains quaked and shook when he was wroth" (Psalms 18:6, 7).

Here the earth is for the church, which is said to shake and tremble when it is perverted by the falsification of truths; and in this case the foundations of the mountains are said to quake and to be moved, for the goods of love, which are founded upon the truths of faith, vanish. For mountains denote the goods of love (as above), and their foundations denote the truths of faith; hence also, it is evident that the earth denotes the church.

[16] In the same:

"The earth is Jehovah's and the fulness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein; and he hath founded it upon the seas, he hath established it upon the rivers" (Psalms 24:1, 2).

The earth and the world stand for the church, and fulness stands for all things thereof; the seas upon which He hath founded it, denote the knowledges of truth in general; the rivers denote doctrinals. Because upon the former and the latter the church is founded, it is therefore said, that He would found it upon the seas, and establish it upon the rivers. That this cannot be predicated of the earth and the world, is evident to any one.

[17] In the same:

"Shall we not fear, when the earth shall be moved, and when the mountains shall be shaken in the heart of the seas; when the waters thereof shall roar and be troubled? Let the nations rage, let the kingdoms be moved; when he uttereth his voice, the earth melteth away" (Psalms 46:2, 3, 6).

It is evident that by the earth is meant the church, because it is said to be removed and to melt, also that the mountains shall be shaken in the heart of the seas; the waters thereof also shall be troubled, and let the nations rage, and the kingdoms be moved. By mountains are signified (as above) the goods of love, which are said to be shaken in the heart of the seas, when the essential knowledges of truth are perverted; by waters are signified the truths of the church, which are said to be troubled when they are falsified; by nations are signified the goods of the church, and, in an opposite sense, the evils thereof; and by kingdoms, the truths of the church, and, in an opposite sense, its falsities; also those who are in the former and the latter.

[18] In the same

"O God, thou hast forsaken us, thou hast been angry; restore rest to us. Thou hast made the earth to tremble, thou hast broken it in pieces; heal the breaches thereof, for it shaketh" (Psalms 60:1, 2).

That these things are said of the church and not of the earth is evident; for it is said, "Thou hast made the earth to tremble, thou hast broken it in pieces: heal the breaches thereof, for it shaketh"; and because the earth signifies the church, here the church vastated, therefore it is said, "O God, thou hast forsaken us, thou hast been angry; restore rest to us."

[19] In the same:

"When I take the appointed time, I will judge uprightly. The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved; I will bear up the pillars of it" (Psalms 75:2, 3).

Here, also, the earth is for the church, which is said to be dissolved when truths fail, through which there is good. Because truths support the church, they are called its pillars, which God will bear up: that the pillars of the earth are not borne up is evident. Because the restoration of the church is here described, it is therefore said, "When I take the appointed time, I will judge uprightly." The truths of the church, which are here called the pillars of the earth, are also called the bases of the earth (1 Sam. 2:8); and the foundations of the earth, in Isaiah:

"Do ye not understand the foundations of the earth? It is he that dwelleth upon the circle of the earth, that bringeth the princes to nothing; and maketh the judges of the earth as vanity" (40:21-23).

By the princes who are brought to nothing, and by the judges of the earth whom He maketh as vanity, are signified the things that are from one's own intelligence, and from one's own judgment.

[20] In Jeremiah:

"A tumult cometh even to the end of the earth. Thus said Jehovah, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great wind shall be stirred up from the sides of the earth. And the slain of Jehovah shall be in that day from the end of the earth even unto the end thereof" (25:31-33).

By the end of the earth, and by the sides of the earth, are signified where the ultimates of the church are, and where evils and falsities begin; and from the end of the earth to the end thereof, signifies all things of the church. Hence it may be known what is signified by a tumult shall come to the end of the earth, and a great wind shall be stirred up from the sides of the earth, and by the slain of Jehovah shall be in that day from the end of the earth unto the end thereof. By the slain are signified those with whom the truths and goods of the church are extinguished; as may be seen, n. 4503.

[21] In Isaiah:

"The isles saw, they feared; the ends of the earth trembled, they drew near, and came. I will make the desert a pool of waters, and the dry land a spring of waters" (41:5, 18).

The establishment of the church amongst the Gentiles is so described, they being signified by the isles and the ends of the earth; for islands and the ends of the earth in the Word signify those who are farther apart from the truths and goods of the church, because they have not the Word, and consequently they are in ignorance. That the church shall be established among them, is signified by, "I will make the desert a pool of waters, and the dry land a spring of waters." It is called a desert where there is not yet good, because there is not truth, from which it is also called the dry land. A pool of waters, and a spring of waters, signify good, because they signify truth; for all spiritual good, which is the good of the church, is procured by truths.

[22] In the same:

"Woe to the land shadowed with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Cush. Go, ye ambassadors, to a nation trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled" (18:1, 2).

What the land shadowed with wings, and the land which the rivers have spoiled, signify, no one can know, unless he knows that the earth denotes the church, and that rivers denote falsities; the land shadowed with wings is the church that is in thick darkness as to Divine truths (that these are signified by wings may be seen above, n. 283). Beyond the rivers of Cush signifies, as to knowledges themselves from the sense of the letter of the Word, which are falsified; the nation trodden down, to which the ambassadors should go, whose land the rivers have spoiled, signifies those out of the church who are in falsities from ignorance; rivers denoting truths of doctrine, and, in an opposite sense, falsities; that the ambassadors should go to them, signifies that they should be invited, in order that the church may be with them.

[23] In the same:

"In the wrath of Jehovah Zebaoth the earth is darkened" (9:19).

The earth darkened signifies the things of the church in thick darkness or in falsities; for the falsities of evil are said to be in thick darkness, but truths in the light.

[24] In the same:

"Jehovah shall remove man, and deserts shall be multiplied in the midst of the earth" (6:12).

Man whom Jehovah shall remove, signifies a wise man, and abstractedly wisdom (as may be seen above, n. 280). Deserts shall be multiplied in the midst of the earth, signifies, that there is nothing altogether good, because there is nothing true; the midst of the earth denoting where truth is in the greatest light; therefore when the light is not there, thick darkness pervades the whole; then, there is nowhere any truth.

[25] In the same:

Jehovah "shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the impious" (11:4).

The rod of the mouth of Jehovah which shall smite the earth, signifies truth in ultimates, which is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word; and the breath of the lips with which He shall slay the impious, signifies the truth in the spiritual sense of the Word. These are said to smite the earth, and to slay the impious, when they are condemned thereby; for every one is judged by truths, and is condemned by them.

[26] In the same:

"The earth is at rest, and is quiet. Hell hath stirred up on thy account the Rephaim, all the powerful of the earth. They that see thee shall say, Is this the man that moveth the earth, that maketh the kingdoms to tremble; he hath made the world into a desert, and destroyed the cities thereof? Thou hast destroyed thy land; thou hast slain thy people. Prepare slaughter for his sons, that they may not rise again and possess the earth, and the faces of the earth be filled with cities. I shall break Asshur in my land, and upon my mountains shall I tread him under foot" (14:7, 9, 16, 17, 20, 21, 25)

These things are said concerning the king of Babel, by whom is signified the destruction of truth through the love of ruling over heaven and earth, to which the truths of the Word, or the things of the church, serve as means. In this place it is treated concerning their damnation. The dead (Rephaim) whom hell has stirred up, are those who are in the direful persuasion of falsity, and who are thence called the powerful of the earth: to move the earth, to make the kingdoms tremble, to make the world into a desert, and to destroy the cities thereof, signifies to pervert all things of the church. The earth and the world denote the church; the kingdoms denote the truths which constitute it; and the cities denote all things of doctrine. Hence it is evident what is signified by, thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people. By Asshur who shall be broken in the earth, and be trodden under foot upon the mountains, is signified reasoning from falsities against truths; to be broken is to be dissipated; and to be trodden under foot is to be altogether destroyed. The mountains upon which [this is said to be done], signify where the good of love and charity reigns, for there, or with those [who are there], all reasoning from falsities is dissipated or destroyed.

[27] In the same:

"Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; from the land of Kittim it shall come plainly to them. Pass through thy land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish; the girdle is no more. Behold the land of the Chaldeans; Asshur hath founded it into heaps. Jehovah will visit Tyre, that she may return to the hire of whoredom, and commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the earth upon the faces of the world" (23:1, 10, 13, 17).

That neither the ships of Tarshish, Tyre, the land of Kittim, the land of the Chaldeans, nor Asshur, are here meant, is evident from the particulars in this chapter; but by the ships of Tarshish are meant the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good, also by Tyre; by the land of Kittim, what is idolatrous; by the land of the Chaldeans, the profanation and destruction of truth; and by Asshur, reasoning from falsities. Hence it is evident that, howl, ye ships of Tarshish, because Tyre is devastated, signifies that there are no longer any knowledges of truth; it shall come plainly to them from the land of Kittim, signifies what is idolatrous thence; the girdle is no more, signifies that there is no longer a coherence of truth with good. Behold the land of the Chaldeans, signifies that thus there is profanation and destruction of truth; Asshur hath founded it into heaps, signifies that reasoning from falsities has destroyed it; to return to the hire of whoredom, and to commit fornication with all the kingdoms upon the faces of the world, signifies falsification of all the truths of the whole church.

[28] In the same:

The king of Asshur "shall go through Judah; he shall overflow and pass over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the shakings of his wings shall be the fulness of the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel" (8:8).

Here, also, the king of Asshur signifies reasoning from falsities against truths. "He shall go through Judah, he shall overflow and pass over," signifies that it shall destroy the good of the church. To overflow is said of falsities, because they are signified by waters. "He shall reach even to the neck," signifies that thus there shall be no longer a communication of good and truth; and "the shakings of his wings shall be the fulness of the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel," signifies that falsities shall be against all the truths of the Lord's church. That the breadth of the earth signifies the truths of the church, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 197, and that hence, in an opposite sense, it signifies falsities; therefore the shakings of his wings signify reasonings from falsities against truths. Fulness signifies all; thus, the fulness of the breadth of the earth all the truths of the church.

[29] In the same:

"In that day shall the shoot of Jehovah be for gracefulness and glory, and the fruit of the earth for magnificence and an ornament to the remains of Israel" (4:2).

The shoot of Jehovah which shall be for gracefulness and glory, signifies the truth of the church; and the fruit of the earth which shall be for magnificence and for an ornament, signifies the good of the church; Israel signifies the spiritual church; that the shoot and the fruit of the earth shall not be for gracefulness, glory, magnificence, and ornament, is evident; but the truth and good of the church shall be. When it is said the truth and good of the church, the truth of faith and the good of love are meant; for all truth is of faith, and all good is of love.

[30] In the same:

"Thou hast added to the nation, O Jehovah; thou art glorified, thou hast removed all the ends of the earth" (26:15).

The nation to which Jehovah has added, signifies those who are in the good of love, whom He has adjudged to Himself; the ends of the earth which He has removed, signify the falsities and evils that infest the church, and from which He has purified them.

[31] In the same:

"Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty, they shall behold the land of remotenesses" (33:17).

To see the king in his beauty, denotes genuine truth, which is from the Lord alone; to behold the land of remotenesses, signifies the extension of intelligence and wisdom.

[32] In the same:

"I have given thee for a covenant of the people, to restore the earth. Sing, O heavens, and exult, O earth; and resound, ye mountains, with a song" (49:8, 13).

The Lord and His Advent are here treated of; the establishment of the church by Him is described by, "I have given thee for a covenant of the people, to restore the earth," to restore the earth denoting to re-establish the church; that the Lord did not restore the earth to the Jewish people is known, but that He established the church among the Gentiles. The joy in consequence is described by, "Sing, O heavens, exult, O earth, and resound, ye mountains, with a song." By the heavens are meant the heavens where are angels who are in the interior truths of the church; by the earth is meant the church among men; and by the mountains, those who are in the good of love to the Lord.

[33] In Jeremiah:

"The land is full of adulterers; because of the curse the earth mourneth, the pastures of the desert are dried up" (23:10).

Adulterers signify those who adulterate the goods of the church: therefore it is said, "The land is full of adulterers, and because of the curse the earth mourneth"; the pastures of the desert which are dried up signify no spiritual nourishment in such a church; desert being predicated where there is no good, because no truth.

[34] In the same:

"A drought is upon her waters, that they may be dried up; for it is a land of graven things" (50:38).

A drought upon the waters, that they may be dried up, signifies that truths no longer [exist], waters denoting truths, "for it is a land of graven things," signifies the church destroyed by falsities which are from man's own intelligence, which they call truths; graven things signify those falsities.

[35] In Ezekiel:

"The end cometh upon the four quarters of the earth; the earth is full of the judgment of bloods, and the city is full of violence" (7:2, 23).

"The end cometh upon the four quarters of the earth," signifies the last time and the last state of the church, when its end is; the four quarters denote all the truths and goods thereof, and, in an opposite sense, all the falsities and evils thereof, thus all things of the church. "The earth is full of the judgment of bloods," signifies that it is filled with evils of every kind; bloods denote the evils which offer violence to the goods of love and charity, and entirely destroy them. "The city full of violence," signifies the doctrine of that church acting in a similar way.

[36] In the same:

"All the luminaries of light in heaven will I make dark over thee, and will set darkness upon thy earth" (33:8).

By the luminaries of light in the heavens are meant the sun, moon, and stars; and by the sun is signified love, by the moon faith thence, and by the stars the knowledges of good and truth: hence it is evident what is signified by, "I will make them dark over thee"; namely, that they should no longer exist; hence, also, it is evident what is signified by, "I will set darkness upon thy earth"; namely, that there are falsities in the church, darkness denoting falsities, and earth denoting the church.

[37] In the same

"Prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains and hills and rivers and valleys, Behold, I am with you, and I will look back unto you, that ye may be tilled and sown" (36:6, 9).

By the land of Israel is meant the church; the mountains, hills, rivers, and valleys, signify all things of the church, from the first to the last things thereof; mountains denote the goods of love to the Lord; hills denote the goods of charity towards the neighbour; these are the first things of the church. The rivers and valleys denote the truths and goods which are the last things of the church. That these things are signified is evident from what has been stated in this article; namely, that those dwell upon mountains in heaven who are in the good of love to the Lord, those upon hills who are in charity towards the neighbour, and those in plains and valleys who are in goods and truths, in the ultimate heaven; rivers denote the truths of doctrine there; to inseminate them, is signified by, "I will look back unto you, that ye may be tilled and sown."

[38] In Hosea:

"In that day, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth; and the earth shall hear the corn and the new wine and the oil, and they shall hear Jezreel; and I will sow him unto me in the earth" (2:21-23).

That these things are to be spiritually understood, and not naturally according to the sense of the letter, is evident; for it is said, that these shall hear Jezreel; and I will sow him unto me in the earth; wherefore by the heavens are meant the heavens where the Lord is; and by the earth, the church where, also the Lord is; by the corn, new wine, and oil, are signified all things of spiritual nourishment, which are the goods of love and charity, and the truths of faith.

[39] In Malachi:

"He shall not destroy for you the fruit of the earth, neither shall the vine in the field be barren for you; all nations shall proclaim you blessed, and ye shall be a land of well-pleasing" (3:11, 12).

These things are said of those with whom and in whom the church exists; and because by the fruit of the earth and the vine in the field, are signified the goods and truths of the church - by the fruit the goods, and by the vine the truths thereof - therefore they are called a land of well-pleasing.

[40] In David:

"Let thy good Spirit lead me into the land of uprightness. Make me to live, O Jehovah, for thy name's sake" (Psalms 143:10, 11).

The land of uprightness stands for the church in which is what is right and true; and because the spirit of Jehovah signifies the Divine truth, and every one thereby receives spiritual life, it is therefore said, "Let thy good Spirit lead me," and, "O Jehovah; make me to live."

[41] Because the earth signifies the church, and where the church is there is heaven, it is therefore called the land of the living and the land of life. The land of the living in Isaiah:

"I said, I shall not see Jah in the land of the living" (38:11).

And in Ezekiel:

"Who caused terror in the land of the living" (32:23-27).

The land of life in David:

"Unless I had believed to see good in the land of life" (Psalms 27:13).

[42] In Moses:

"It shall be an entire and just stone, the ephah shall be entire and just, that thy days may be prolonged upon the earth" (Deuteronomy 25:15).

The prolongation of days upon the earth does not signify the long duration of life in the world, but the state of life in the church, thus in heaven; for to prolong is said of good and its increase, and day signifies the state of the life; and because a stone entire and just, which was a weight, and an ephah entire and just, which was a measure, signify truth and good and their quality, and both together signify justice - the stone truth, and the measure good - and because not to deceive by weight and measure is to be just, therefore the life of the church shall be theirs, and afterwards life in heaven, which is meant by their days upon the earth being lengthened.

[43] The same is signified by this precept of the Decalogue:

"Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be prolonged upon the earth" (Exodus 20:12).

The reason why they have heaven and the happiness there, who honour father and mother, is, because in heaven no other father is known but the Lord, for by Him all there have been regenerated. And in heaven by mother is meant the church, and in general, the kingdom of the Lord. That those who worship the Lord and seek His kingdom, will have life in heaven, is evident; also that many of those who honour father and mother in the world, do not live there long.

[44] In Matthew:

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (5:5).

The inheritance of the earth does not signify the possession of the earth, but the possession of heaven and blessedness there; the meek signify those who are in the good of charity.

[45] In Isaiah:

"Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call his name God-with-us; butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil and to choose the good; for before the child shall know to refuse the evil and to choose the good, the land shall be deserted which thou scornest before her two kings. It shall come to pass in that day, by reason of the abundance of giving milk, he shall eat butter; for butter and honey shall every one eat that is left in the midst of the land" (7:14-16, [21], 22).

That these things are spoken of the Lord and His Advent is known; the butter and honey which He shall eat, signify the goods of love; butter, the good of celestial and spiritual love; honey, the good of natural love; by these it is meant that He would appropriate to Himself the Divine even as to the Human, to eat signifying to appropriate. That the earth shall be deserted before He knows to refuse the evil and to choose the good, signifies, that there would not be anything of the church remaining in the whole world when He would be born; and because those, where the church was, rejected every Divine truth, and perverted all things of the Word, and explained it in favour of self, it is therefore said concerning the earth, that is, the church, "which thou scornest before her two kings." Kings signify the truths of heaven and of the church; two kings, the truth of the Word in the internal or spiritual sense, and the truth of the Word in the external or natural sense. Milk signifies the truth through which good comes; and because butter signifies the good thence, therefore by reason of the abundance of giving milk, butter shall every one eat that is left in the midst of the land, signifies that every truth shall be of good.

[46] In Matthew:

"In the consummation of the age, all the tribes of the earth shall mourn" (24:30).

The consummation of the age which is treated of in that chapter, is the last time of the church, when the judgment takes place; all the tribes of the earth signify all the truths and goods of the church, which are said to mourn when they are no more.

[47] In Luke:

"And then shall there be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, the sea and the waves roaring; men expiring for fear, and for expectation of those things that are coming upon the whole earth; for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken." That day "as a snare shall come upon all who sit upon the face of the whole earth" (21:25, 26, 35).

It is also treated there concerning the last time of the church, when the judgment takes place, and by the earth and the world there are meant the church. The distress of nations upon the earth, the fear and expectation of those things coming upon the earth, also upon all who sit upon the face of the whole earth, does not signify upon those who are in the earths in the natural world, but upon those who are in the spiritual world. That there are earths also there, may be seen in what was premised to this article; and that the Last Judgment was accomplished there, may be seen in the small work concerning the Last Judgment. What is signified by the sun, moon, and stars, in which the signs are, was mentioned above, namely, that the sun signifies love, the moon faith thence, and the stars the knowledges of good and truth; the sea and waves roaring, signifies the reasonings and fightings of truth from the sense of the letter of the Word, wrongly and perversely applied. The powers of the heavens, which shall be shaken, signify the Word in the sense of the letter, because this sense is the foundation of the spiritual truths which are in the heavens. (As may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell, in the article which treats of the Conjunction of Heaven with Man by means of the Word, n. 303-310.)

[48] In Isaiah:

"Sing, ye heavens; shout, ye lower parts of the earth; resound with singing, ye mountains, O forest and every tree therein; for Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob. I am Jehovah that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself" (44:23, 24).

"Sing, ye heavens: shout, ye lower parts of the earth; resound with singing, ye mountains, O forest and every tree therein," signify all things of heaven and of the church, as well the internal as the external, which all have reference to good and truth. Things internal are signified by the heavens, things external by the lower parts of the earth; mountains denote the goods of love, the forest denotes natural truth, and the trees therein denote the knowledges of truth. Because such things are signified it is said, "For Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob"; by Jacob in the Word is signified the external church, and by Israel the internal church. To stretch forth the heavens and to spread abroad the earth, signifies the church on all sides, which is stretched forth and spread abroad by the multiplication of truth and the fructification of good, with those who belong to the church.

[49] In Zechariah:

"Jehovah, who spreadeth abroad the heavens, and foundeth the earth, and formeth the spirit of man in the midst of him" (12:1).

Here also by the heavens and by the earth is signified the church on all sides, thus as to its interiors and exteriors; therefore also it is said, "formeth the spirit of man in the midst of him."

[50] In Jeremiah:

"The gods that have not made the heaven and the earth, let them perish from the earth and from under the heavens." Jehovah "that maketh the earth by his power, that prepareth the world by his wisdom, and that spreadeth abroad the heavens by his intelligence. At the voice which he giveth forth a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the end of the earth" (10:11-13:51:15, 16).

Because the heavens and the earth signify the church (as above), therefore it is said, "Jehovah that maketh the earth by his power, that prepareth the world by his wisdom, and spreadeth abroad the heavens by his intelligence"; and therefore it is also said, "At the voice which he giveth forth a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the end of the earth." By the voice which Jehovah gives forth, is signified Divine truth proceeding from Him; by the multitude of waters in the heavens are signified truths in abundance, for waters signify truths; and by the vapours which He causeth to ascend from the end of the earth, are signified the last truths of the church; vapours denote those truths, and the end of the earth is the last of the church. And because gods signify the falsities of doctrine and of worship, which destroy the church, it is therefore said, The gods that have not made the heaven and the earth, let them perish from the earth and from under the heavens."

[51] In David:

"Jehovah who by intelligence, maketh the heavens. Stretcheth forth the earth above the waters" (Psalms 136:5, 6).

Because heaven and earth signify the church, and the church is formed by truths, and the truths of the church constitute intelligence, it is therefore said, "Jehovah maketh the heavens by intelligence, and stretcheth forth the earth above the waters," waters denoting the truths of the church.

[52] In Isaiah:

"Thus saith Jehovah God, that createth the heavens, and stretcheth them out, that spreadeth forth the earth and the products thereof, that giveth life to the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein" (42:5).

By creating the heavens and spreading forth the earth and the products thereof, is signified to form the church and to reform those who are in it, the products denoting all things of the church; therefore it is said, that giveth life to the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein. That to create denotes to reform, may be seen above, n. 294.

[53] In the same:

"Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds flow down with justice; let the earth open itself, and fructify salvation. I have made the earth, and created man upon it. Thus said Jehovah who createth the heavens; God himself who formeth the earth and maketh it and prepareth it; not in secret have I spoken, in a place of darkness of the earth" (45:8, 12, 18, 19).

That by the heavens and the earth are here meant all things of the church, the internals as well as the externals thereof, is evident; for it is said, "Drop down, ye heavens, and let the clouds flow down with justice; let the earth open itself, and fructify salvation." The reason why the heavens signify the interior things of the church, is, that the interior things of the mind of the spiritual man, are the heavens with him. (That heaven is with the man, with whom the church is, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 30-57.) By creating the heavens, and forming the earth, and making and preparing it, is signified fully to establish the church.

[54] In the same:

"Behold, I that create new heavens and a new earth, neither shall the former be remembered" (65:17).

By creating new heavens and a new earth, is signified to establish a new church as to its interiors and exteriors, both in the heavens and on the earths (as was said above).

[55] In the same:

"Who hath heard such a thing? shall the earth bring forth in one day? shall a nation be born at once? For as the new heavens and the new earth which I shall make, shall stand before me, so shall your seed and your name stand" (66:8, 22).

Because the earth signifies the church, therefore, it is said, shall the earth bring forth in one day? shall a nation be born at once? By bringing forth and birth, and by generating and generation in the Word, are signified spiritual birth and generation, which are of faith and love, thus reformation and regeneration; what the new heavens and new earth signify has been mentioned above.

[56] In Jeremiah:

"I have made the earth, man and the beast that are upon the faces of the earth, and I give it to him who is right in my eyes" (27:5).

By man and the beast which are upon the faces of the earth, are signified the affections of truth and good in the spiritual and the natural man (see n. 280: and in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 7424, 7523, 7872); and because those affections with men constitute the church in them, it is therefore said "I have made the earth, man and the beast that are upon the faces of the earth, and I give it to him who is right in my eyes." That God does not give the earth solely to those who are right in His eyes, but also to those who are not right, is known; not the church, however, except to those who are right; right signifies truth and the affection thereof.

[57] In Isaiah:

"The heavens shall vanish like smoke, and the earth shall wax old as a garment, and the dwellers therein shall die in like manner" (51:6).

The heavens which shall vanish away, and the earth which shall wax old like a garment, signify the church; this successively falls away and at length is desolated, but not so the visible heaven and the habitable earth; wherefore it is said, "and the dwellers therein shall die in like manner," to die signifying to die spiritually. The same is signified by

"The heavens and earth shall pass away" (Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 16:17).

[58] In the Apocalypse:

"Four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the winds should not blow on the earth" (7:1).

By the four corners of the earth, and the four winds of the earth, are signified all the truths and goods of the church in the aggregate; for the same things are signified by them as the four quarters of heaven. (That these signify those things may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell, "On the Four Quarters in Heaven," n. 141-153.) To hold them [the four winds], signifies that they [that is, truths and goods], may not flow-in because they are not received; wherefore it is said, that the wind shall not blow upon the earth. The earth also signifies the church in other parts of the Apocalypse (as 10:2, 5, 6, 8; 12:16; 13:13; 16:2, 14; 20:8, 9, 11; 21:1), besides many other places in the Word, too numerous to be adduced.

[59] As the earth signified the church, and especially the land of Canaan, because the church was there, and because the church which was there was a representative church, therefore all things that were there were representative, and all that was said to them by the Lord signified the spiritual or interior things of the church, and this even in regard to the land itself and its products; as in these words in Moses:

If thou keep the precepts, "Jehovah will lead thee into a good land, into a land of rivers of water, of fountains, of depths springing out of valley and mountain; a land of wheat, of barley, of the vine, of the fig, of the pomegranate; a land of the olive, of oil, of honey; a land where thou shalt eat bread without scarceness; it shall lack nothing; a land where the stones are iron, and from the mountains shall be digged copper, and thou shalt eat, and shalt be satisfied in this good land" (Deuteronomy 8:1, 7-10).

By these are described all things of the church, both interior and exterior; but to expound what each particular signifies, would be tedious, and does not belong to this place.

[60] On account of the land signifying the church, it was therefore among the blessings, that if they lived according to the precepts, the earth should give its produce, the evil beasts should cease out of the earth, nor should the sword pass through the land (Leviticus 26:3, 4, 6). That the earth should give its produce, signifies that in the church there should be good and truth; that the evil beasts should cease, signifies that the evil affections and lusts, which destroy it, should no longer exist; that the sword should not pass through the land, signifies that falsity should not cast out truth.

[61] Because the earth signified the church, it was also appointed that

The seventh year should be kept as the Sabbath of the earth,

and that there should be no labour upon it (Leviticus 25:1-8). And therefore it is also said that

The land was polluted on account of the evils, and that on account of the abominations it would spew them forth (Leviticus 18:1-28).

And because the land signified the church, the Lord therefore spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and anointed the eyes of the blind man, and said,

"Go wash thee in the pool of Siloam" (John 9:6, 7, 11, 15).

And therefore the Lord, when the Scribes and Pharisees asked Him concerning the woman taken in adultery, stooped down, and wrote twice on the ground (John 8:6, 8), signifying that the church was full of adulteries, that is, full of the adulteration of good and the falsification of truth; therefore also the Lord said to them,

"He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her; but they went out one by one, beginning from the elders, even unto the last" (vers. 7, 9).

[62] Because most things in the Word have also an opposite sense, so also has the earth, which, in that sense, signifies the church vastated, which takes place when the good of love and the truth of faith no longer exist, but instead thereof evil and falsity; and because these condemn man, by the earth in that sense is also signified damnation, as in the following places (Isaiah 14:12; 21:9; 25:12; 26:19, 21; 29:4; 47:1; 63:6; Lamentations 2:2, 10; Ezekiel 26:20; 32:24; Num. 16:29-33; 26:10), and elsewhere.