THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 66

(Note: Rev. Smithson's translation of the Isaiah text is appended below the explanation.)

1. THUS says Jehovah: The heavens are My throne, and the earth is My footstool: where is this house which you build for Me ? and where is this place of My rest?

VERSE 1. The "heavens" are things celestial and spiritual, consequently inmost things. both of the Lord's kingdom in the heavens, and of the Lord's kingdom in the earth, or in the church, and also with every individual man who is a kingdom of the Lord, or a church; consequently the "heavens" denote likewise all things appertaining to love and charity, and faith grounded therein, as also of things appertaining to internal worship, and in like manner all things appertaining to the internal sense of the Word; all these things are heavens, and are called "the throne of the Lord."

But the "earth" denotes all inferior things corresponding to these internal or superior things, as inferior rational and natural things, whereof all things celestial and spiritual are predicated by reason of correspondence; these inferior things are such as are in the inferior heavens, and also in the church, and in external worship, and likewise such as are in the literal sense of the Word; in short, all things which proceed from internal things, and are fixed and exhibited in things external, as being things natural, are called "earth", and "the Lord's footstool."

What is meant by "heaven" and "earth", in the internal sense, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 82; what by the "new heaven" and the "new earth", Arcana Coelestia 2117; and that man is a "little heaven", see Arcana Coelestia 911, 978. Arcana Coelestia 2162.

2. For all these things My hand has made; and all these things exist [by Me], says Jehovah: and to him will I look, even to him that is humble and of a contrite spirit, and that trembles at My Word.

Verse 2. As to "creation", and as to the end for which it exists, see Chapter 43:1, 7, the Exposition.

To him will I look, even to him that is humble and of a contrite spirit. - Good and Truth from the Lord can flow in into a humble and contrite heart, which acknowledges that in itself there is nothing but evil, and in the Lord nothing but Good; for in this acknowledgement there is the annihilation of self, thus a state of aversion and absence from self.

Thus they who are averse to all that is evil and false, because it is from themselves, and in the affection of all that is Good and True, because it is from the Lord, are in humiliation, and in a state of receiving Good and Truth from the Lord. A merely external humiliation is not the humiliation of acknowledgement, for the latter cannot exist without the correspondence of the external and internal, and thus, their conjunction. Unless a man humbles himself by acknowledging that he is nothing but evil, he is in merit and in self-righteousness; and as Good cannot then flow in, he cannot be withheld from the evils of his proprium.

The Lord requires humiliation and adoration, not for the sake of Himself, but for the sake of man, who is thus brought into a state of receiving Good, and of being separated from the love of self and its evils.

By "humbling himself" is denoted that a man ought to compel himself to submit to Divine Good and Divine Truth. Arcana Coelestia 3994. See also Arcana Coelestia 1937, 1947, 4956, 5420, 5758, 5957, 8263.

[To "tremble at the Lord's Word", is to come into this state of humiliation.]

3. He that slays an ox, smites a man; he that sacrifices a lamb, beheads a dog; he that makes an oblation, [offers] swine's blood; he that offers incense, blesses an idol: yea, they have chosen these things in their own ways; and in their abominations their soul delights.

Verse 3. To "slay or to sacrifice an ox", and to "smite a man", signify to worship God in externals, and nevertheless to reject all Truth; by "sacrificing an ox" is signified worship from those things which represented natural Good; for an "ox" denotes natural Good; and by "smiting a man" is meant to reject and to deny the Truth, "man", in the Word, denoting Truth.

To "offer incense", and to "bless an idol [or vanity]", signify to worship God from such things as represented spiritual Good, and notwithstanding, to love evil and the false, and to imbibe them; an "offering of incense" denoting worship from spiritual Good, and "vanity" [or an idol] evil and the false of evil. Apocalypse Explained 340.

He that sacrifices a lamb, beheads a dog; he that makes an oblation, [offers] swine's blood. - [It does not appear that Swedenborg has expounded, or even quoted these two clauses of the verse, but the following, we submit, is, from correspondence, the spiritual instruction they involve. To "sacrifice a lamb", is to worship from pretended innocence in the external form; but instead thereof to "behead (or to decollate) a dog", is to worship from selfish and sensual cupidities, denoted by a "dog". (See the Exposition of Isaiah Chapter 56:10.)

All those who, in the external form, worship under the semblance of innocence and piety, and yet, in the internal, cherish the filthy cupidities of whoredom, fraud, malice, etc., are guilty of this abominable profanity.

To "make an oblation", is to worship in the external form under the pretence of love to the Lord and to the neighbour, or from celestial Good, signified by an "oblation" or a "meat-offering"; (Arcana Coelestia 458) but instead thereof to "offer swine's blood", is to cherish in the heart the cupidities of avarice, (see Chapter 65:4, the Exposition), and the false principles, signified by the "blood", which are connected with these cupidities.

The inside must first be cleansed of these cupidities and evils, before a pure and an acceptable worship can be offered to the Lord, who says, "You blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and the platter, that the outside of them may be clean also." Matthew 23:26.]

He that offers incense, blesses an idol. - To "offer incense" is to worship from spiritual Good, (Apocalypse Explained 491) which is love to the neighbour, or charity; [but by doing this in the external form, and, at the same time to "bless an idol", is to cherish what is evil and false in the internal, or in the heart. All who go to church to worship God, and, at the same time, do not in their daily life act justly with their neighbour, but cherish fraud, ill-will, malice, or some other evil in their hearts, instead of worshipping God, "bless an idol, or what is vain.]

As to the true nature of worship, signified by "incense", "sacrifices", etc., see Chapter 43:23; also Chapter 1:11-19, the Exposition.

In their abominations their soul delights. - "Abominations" signify infernal evils; also profanations of the holy things of the church; and especially the evils of murder, hatred, adultery, whoredom, theft, fraud, falsehood, and lies, etc., forbidden in the second table of the Decalogue. Apocalypse Explained 728, 821. See also Apocalypse Explained 827.

4. I will also choose their devices, and the things they dread I will bring upon them; because I called, and no one answered; I spake, and they did not hear: and they did evil in Mine eyes, and that in which I delighted not they have chosen.

Verse 4. Evil brings upon itself its own punishment, which, at the period of Judgment, breaks out and overwhelms the wicked. The punishment of evil was represented by this law of retaliation:

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, burning for burning", etc. (Exodus 21:24, 25)

The punishment of retaliation comes from this law of order in heaven:

"All things whatsoever you would that men should do to you, even so do you to them; this is the Law and the Prophets"; (Matthew 7:12) wherefore they who do good from good, or from the heart, receive good from others; and, on the other hand, likewise, they who do evil from evil, or from the heart, receive evil from others. Hence it is that every good has its own recompense adjoined to it, and every evil its own punishment. Arcana Coelestia 8214

Because I called, and no one answered; I spoke, and they did not hear, etc. - That to "call" and to "answer" denotes reciprocation, reception, and conjunction; but that to "call" and "not to answer" signifies non-reciprocation, non-reception, and non-conjunction, see Chapter 36:21, the Exposition.

5. Hear you the word of Jehovah, you that tremble at His Word! Your brethren that have bated you, and that have cast you out for My name's sake, have said, Let Jehovah be glorified! and we shall see your joy; but they shall be ashamed.

Verse 5. It does not appear that Swedenborg has quoted this verse, but from the internal sense in the margin, it would seem that the "brethren" here intended are those who, although out of the church, are nevertheless in charity, and of whom a church can consequently be formed. The reason why it is said that "they have hated and cast them out (the people of the Jewish church) for the Lord's name's sake", is, we apprehend, because the Gentiles had a great aversion to the Jews, as a people, on account of their arrogance and cruelties, as described by Swedenborg in the Exposition of verse 20. These "brethren" will say, "Let Jehovah be glorified! that we may see the joy of those who thus desire to see Jehovah glorified"; or, that the Lord should be acknowledged and worshipped; whilst the wicked, or "they who plot devices" (verse 4), and thus do evil, shall be "ashamed and rejected."]

That to be "ashamed" signifies to be averse to what is Good, and consequently to be in evil, see Chapter 24:2, the Exposition.

6. A voice of tumult from the city! a voice from the temple! the voice of Jehovah! rendering recompense to His enemies,

Verse 6. By the "city" is understood the doctrine of Truth; by "temple" the church, and by "the voice of Jehovah from the temple" Divine Truth itself. Apocalypse Explained 220.

7. Before she was in travail, she brought forth; before her pangs came upon her, she was delivered of a male.

Verses 7-11. These words treat of the advent of the Lord, and of the establishment of the church with the Gentiles. Their reformation and regeneration is described by "travailing", "bringing forth", and by being" delivered of a male", and by "coming to the birth", and by "generating"; for, as was said above, the man who is born anew, is, in like manner, as it were, conceived, carried in the womb, born, educated, and grows to adolescence, as from a father and mother.

By "Zion" and "Jerusalem" are here understood the church and its doctrine; and by "sucking", and by being "satisfied from the breast of her consolations", is signified to be fully instructed in Truths originating in Good from the delight of love, according to desire.

By the "one day", in which these things shall take place, is signified the advent of the Lord. Apocalypse Explained 721. See also Arcana Coelestia 264.

Verse 7. She was delivered of a male. - By a "son", in the Word, is signified the Truth of doctrine, also the understanding, and hence the thought of what is True and Good; but by a "daughter" is meant the Good of doctrine, and also the will, and hence the affection of what is True and Good; and by "a son a male" is signified Truth conceived in the spiritual man, and born in the natural. The reason is, because by "generations" and "nativities", in the Word, are signified spiritual generations and nativities, all which, in general, relate to what is Good and True; for nothing else is generated and born of the Lord as "Husband", and of the church as a "wife." Apocalypse Revealed 543.

8. Who has heard a thing like this? Who has seen things like these? Does the earth bring forth in one day'? Is a nation born at once? for as soon as Zion was in travail, she brought forth her sons.

9. Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? says Jehovah: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut up [the womb]? says your God.

Verse 8. Where the reason of its being said, "Does the earth bring forth in one day? Is a nation born at once?" is, because the "earth" signifies the church.

By " bringing forth" and by "birth", and also by " generating" and "generation", in the Word, are signified spiritual births and generations, which are of Faith and of Love, thus reformation and regeneration.

What the "new heavens" and "new earth " signify, has been already explained. Apocalypse Explained 304. See also True Christian Religion 583.

10. Rejoice with Jerusalem, and exult in her, all you that love her: be exceedingly joyful with her, all you that mourn over her:

11. That you may suck, and be satisfied from the breast of her consolations; that you may draw forth [nourishment], and be delighted from the brightness of her glory.

12. For thus says Jehovah, Behold, I will spread over her peace like a river; and like a flowing stream the glory of the nations: and you shall suck; you shall be carried at the side; and on the knees shall you be caressed.

13. As a man whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you; and in Jerusalem shall you have comfort.

Verses 10-12. Here also by "Jerusalem" is understood the church as to doctrine, or, what is the same thing, the doctrine of the church; concerning the latter it is said - "Rejoice with Jerusalem and exult in her, all you that love her"; and concerning doctrine it is also said, "That you may suck, and be satisfied from the breast of her consolations; that you may draw forth [nourishment] from the brightness of her glory"; by the "breast of consolations" is signified the Divine Good, and by the "brightness or splendour of glory" the Divine Truth from which doctrine is derived.

That there shall be an abundance of all those things by virtue of conjunction with the Lord, is signified by "Behold, I will spread over her peace like a river; and like a flowing stream, the glory of the nations; and you shall suck"; - "peace" signifying conjunction with the Lord, and the "glory of the nations "the conjunction of Good and Truth thence derived; to "suck" denotes influx from the Lord; and a "river" and a "flowing stream "denote abundance.

That hence exist spiritual love and celestial love, by which conjunction with the Lord is effected, is signified by "You shall be carried at the side, and on the knees shall you be caressed;"-the "side" signifying spiritual love, and the "knees" celestial love; and to be "taken up and be caressed", is eternal felicity by virtue of conjunction.

That the "breasts" signify spiritual love and also the "side" or " breast", may be seen above, Apocalypse Explained 65; that the "knees" denote conjugial love, and hence celestial love, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 3021 Arcana Coelestia 3021[1-8] Arcana Coelestia 3021[1-8] Arcana Coelestia 3021[1-8], 5060-5062.

That "glory" signifies Divine Truth, and intelligence and wisdom thence derived, may be seen above, n. Apocalypse Explained 34, 288; and that "nations" signify those who are in the Good of love, and, abstractedly from persons, the Goods of love, may also be seen above, Apocalypse Explained 175, 331.

Hence "the glory of the nations" is genuine Truth, originating in the Good of love, and consequently their conjunction. Apocalypse Explained 305. See also Chapter 60:15, 16, the Exposition.

14. And you shall see it, and your heart shall rejoice; and your bones shall bud forth like the herb: and the hand of Jehovah shall be made known to His servants; but He will be indignant against His enemies.

Verse 14. And your bones shall bud forth like the herb, etc. - As to the meaning of "flesh" and "bones", both in a good and in a bad sense, see Chapter 58:11, the Exposition.

15. For, behold, Jehovah shall come in fire; and like a whirlwind are His chariots: to recompense in the wrath of His anger; and His rebuke in flames of fire.

Verse 15. Like a whirlwind are His chariots, etc. - For what is said respecting "whirlwinds" and "storms", etc., at the time of Judgment in the world of spirits, see Chapter 17:13, the Exposition.

16. For by fire shall Jehovah contend, and by His sword, with all flesh: and many shall be the slain of Jehovah.

Verse 16. By a "sword", in this passage, is signified Truth combating and destroying; this destruction appears especially in the spiritual world, where they who are in falsities cannot sustain the Truth, but are in a state of anguish, as if they struggled with death, when they come into the sphere of light, that is, into the sphere of Divine Truth; and thus also they are deprived of Truths, and devastated. As most expressions in the Word have also an opposite sense, so likewise has the "sword", and in that sense it signifies the false combating against Truth, and destroying it. Apocalypse Explained 131.

17. They who sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one [tree] in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abominable thing, and the mouse; together shall they be consumed, says Jehovah.

Verse 17. That to "sanctify themselves in gardens", is to worship from intelligence self-derived, and thus from false doctrines, see just above, Chap 65:3, 4, the Exposition. "Behind one [tree] in the midst"; this "one in the midst." (whether it be a tree or an idol), implies the governing principle which rules in this perverted state of self-intelligence and of impure worship.

This "one thing in the midst" has its origin either in the love of self, - and is, therefore, either the love of dominion and power and pre-eminence, - or in the love of the world; and is, consequently, the love of opulence, and the pride and conceit of one's own intelligence. It is said to be "in the midst", because whatsoever is in the centre, universally governs, as one king in his kingdom.

What the "eating of swine's flesh and of the abominable thing" signifies, may be seen above, Chapter 65:4, the Exposition.

As to the "mouse", which was unclean, (Leviticus 11:29) and which signifies the cupidities of the sordidly avaricious, see Arcana Coelestia 938, 1514.

To cherish these cupidities is, in the language of correspondences, signified by "eating mice", which was forbidden as an abomination in the Lord's sight.]

18. For I [know] their works and their thoughts: and [the time] shall come to gather all nations and tongues together; and they shall come, and shall see My glory.

Verses 18, 19. These words are said concerning the Lord, and concerning the New Church to be established by Him, consequently concerning the "new heavens" and the "new earth", as is evident from verse 22 of this chapter.

By "gathering together all nations and tongues", is signified the same as by "gathering together the elect from the four winds"; (Matthew 24:31) to "gather together" signifies to call to Himself those who are His; "nations" denote those who are in Good, and "tongues" those who are in life according to doctrine; to "come" and to "see the glory of the Lord", is to be illustrated in Divine Truth, and to be thence in the fruition of heavenly joy; for the "glory of the Lord" signifies the Divine Truth, and illustration and joy therefrom.

To "set a sign upon them", signifies to distinguish and separate them from the evil, and to conjoin them to the good. Apocalypse Explained 427. See also Apocalypse Revealed 347.

19. And I will set a sign upon them, and those that escape I will send to the nations; to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow; to Tubal, and Javan, and the islands afar off; to those who have not heard My fame, and who have not seen My glory: and they shall declare My glory among the nations.

Verse 19. "Those that escape" signify remains or remnants. (See above, Chap, 1:9, the Exposition.) "Tarshish" signifies those who are in external worship [but from somewhat of an internal principle]; "Pul and Lud, drawing the bow", signify those who are in the knowledges of Truth, namely, from the Lord, by charity, and thus by faith, by means of reason and science, as in Ezekiel:

"They of Persia, of Lud, and of Phut, were in thine army, your men of war; they banged their shield and their helmet in you; they set forth your comeliness"; (Ezekiel 27:10) where the subject treated of is concerning Tyre.

"Lud" and "Phut" denote knowledges, which are said to be "in an army", and are called "men of war", because they serve to defend Truths, and are a support to reason, which is also understood by "hanging up the shield and the helmet." That by "Phut'" are signified the exterior knowledges of the Word, may be seen above, Arcana Coelestia 1166.

By "drawing the bow", as said of those who are meant by "Tubal" and "Javan", is signified to teach doctrine. Arcana Coelestia 1231.

[By these words are therefore implied that the "remains", or those who escape at the period of Judgment, will be sent to those who can instruct them in Truths from the Word, and initiate them into the externals of a true worship.]

20. And they shall bring all your brethren, from all the nations, an offering to Jehovah; upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters; upon mules, and upon dromedaries; to the mountain of My holiness, to Jerusalem, says Jehovah: like as the sons of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel to the house of Jehovah.

Verse 20. This passage treats concerning the establishment of the New Church by the Lord; wherefore it is not understood that "they shall bring their brethren upon horses, and in chariots, and in liners, upon mules, and upon dromedaries, into Jerusalem", but that all who are in Good are to be instructed in divine Truths, and being thereby made intelligent and wise, are to be introduced into the church; for by "brethren" are signified all who are in Good; by "horses" is denoted the understanding of Truth, by "chariots" the doctrine of Truth, by "litters the knowledges of Truth, by "mules" the internal rational [principle], which is spiritual, and by "dromedaries" [or swift beasts] the external rational [principle], which is natural; by Jerusalem is signified the church, where is the doctrine of Truth which is called "the mountain of holiness" from the love of Truth. Apocalypse Explained 355.

By "horses", "chariots", "litters", "mules", and "dromedaries" in the spiritual sense , are understood things appertaining to doctrine, and thence to the church; for the subject here treated of is concerning the New Church to be established by the Lord.

By "horses" are signified intellectual things, by "chariots" doctrine", by "litters" doctrinals of Good, by "mules" rational things, and by "dromedaries" likewise things rational as to Good.

By the "brethren", whom they shall bring, are signified all who are in the Good of charity; and by "Jerusalem, the mountain of holiness", is signified the church in which charity reigns. Apocalypse Explained 1155. See also Apocalypse Explained 175.

As the sons of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel, etc. - As to the meaning of "vessels", see Chapter 52:11, the Exposition. "An offering in a clean vessel" is representative of sincere and holy worship: See the Exposition of Isaiah Chapter 18:7.

21. And of them will I also take for priests and for Levites, says Jehovah.

Verse 21. What "priests" and "ministers" signify, see Chapter 61:6, the Exposition. "Levites" and the "tribe of Levi" signify the church as to its charity and good works; for every "tribe" has its own particular signification. The reason why the "tribe of Levi" signifies [in a good sense] good works is, because spiritual love, or charity, consists in performing Goods, which are good works. Essential charity, viewed in itself, is the affection of Truth and Good, and where that affection is, there is a life according to Truths and Goods; for affection, without a life according to the Truths and Goods with which it is affected, has no existence. If such affection be supposed to exist and to be present, it is a natural affection, and not a spiritual one. These two affections differ in this, that natural affection has for its end self and the world, therefore the Truths and Goods with which a person is then affected he loves for the sake of his own fame, and to obtain honour and gain; in which case the life according to doctrinals is only assumed from self for the sake of appearance, and so it is pretended and inwardly hypocritical; but spiritual affection has for its end the Lord, heaven, and life eternal, which it regards in the Truths and Goods, thus it loves Truths and Goods spiritually; and when this affection has place with man, he then loves to think those things and to will them, consequently to live according to them.

To live according to Goods and Truths is understood in the Word by "doing", and the life itself by the "deeds" and "works" which are so often mentioned in the Word.

These, therefore, are what were represented and signified by "Levi" and his "tribe" in the church with the Jews. Inasmuch as this affection is the very essential principle of the church, therefore the "tribe of Levi" was made the priesthood; and therefore "the staff of Levi in the tent of the assembly blossomed with almonds"; and therefore to that "tribe" was given an inheritance, not in the same manner as the rest, but amongst each of them.

Inasmuch as most things in the Word have also an opposite sense, so have "Levi" and his "tribe"; and in this sense "Levi" signifies the evil of the falsity which is opposite to the Good of Charity, consequently no charity towards the neighbour. This is signified by "Levi", in the prophecy of Israel concerning his sons, in Genesis 49:5-7; this opposite principle is also understood by the "Levite", in theLord's parable concerning him who was wounded by thieves. (See Luke 10:29-37.) Apocalypse Explained 444.

22. For like as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall stand before Me, says Jehovah: so shall stand your seed and your name,

Verse 22. Speaking of the Lord, and of the salvation of the faithful by Him. The New Church from Him is understood by "the new heavens and the new earth", - by the "new heavens" the internal church, and by the "new earth" the external church. That divine Truth and its quality shall continue, is signified by "so shall stand your seed and your name", "seed" denoting divine Truth which also is the Truth of doctrine from the Word, and "name" is the quality thereof; that by "name" is signified the quality of a thing and state, may be seen above, n. 148. Apocalypse Explained 768. See also Chapter 65:17, 18, the Exposition.

23. And it shall be, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to bow down before Me, says Jehovah.

Verse 23. By "month" or "moon" is signified man's state of life as to Truth. He who thinks that man does Good which is acceptable to the Lord, and which is called spiritual Good, If there are not in him Truths from the Word, is much mistaken. Goods without Truths are not Goods, and Truths without Goods are not Truths in man, although they are Truth in themselves; for Good without Truth is like the voluntary principle of man without understanding, , which voluntary principle is not human, but is like that of a beast, or like that of an image which an artist causes to operate; but the voluntary principle, united with its intellectual principle, becomes human according to the state of the understanding by which it exists; for every man's state of life is such, that his will cannot do anything but by his understanding, neither can his understanding, think anything but from his will.

It is the same with Good and Truth, because Good is of the will, and Truth is of the understanding. From these considerations it is evident that the Good which the Lord produces in man, is according to the state of the Truth in man, from which the understanding is formed. The reason why this is signified by "the Tree of Life yielding its fruit according to every month"; is, because by "month" is signified the state of Truth in man.

That by all "times" and "seasons", as hours, days, weeks, months, years, ages, are signified states of life, may be seen, Apocalypse Revealed 476, 562.

The reason why "months" signify states of life relating to Truth, is, because by "months" are signified times determined by the moon, and by the "moon" is understood the Truth of the understanding and of faith.

The like is also signified by "months" in the following passages:

"Blessed of Jehovah is the land of Joseph, with the precious things of the produce of the sun, and with the precious things of the produce of the months", (Deuteronomy 33:13, 14)

By reason of the signification of "month" or "moon", sacrifices were offered at the beginning of every month or new moon. (Numbers 29:6; Isaiah 1:14) Apocalypse Revealed 935.

24. And they shall go forth, and shall see the carcases of the men who have transgressed against Me: for their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched; and they shall be an abhorrence unto all flesh.

Verse 24. What is signified by a "carcase", see Chapter 34:3, the Exposition.

By "their worm dying not", is signified the false principle of evil which is in the good derived from man's selfhood, which false principle is compared to a "worm", because their effects are similar; for the false principle corrodes, and thereby torments. There are two things which make hell, as there are two things which make heaven; - the two things which make heaven are Good and Truth, and the two things which make hell are evil and what is false. Consequently those two things in heaven are what make happiness there, and the two things in hell are what make torment there. Torment in hell, derived from the false principle, is compared to a "worm", and torment from evil is compared to "fire", as in Isaiah 66:24; and in Mark:

"Where their worm dieth not, and their fire shall not be quenched." (Mark 9:44, 46, 48) Arcana Coelestia 8481.

Their fire shall not be quenched. - All love in the spiritual world, when it is excited, appears at a distance like fire; within the hells like a burning fire; and without, like the smoke of a burning fire, or like the smoke of a furnace. Apocalypse Explained 422.

Infernal spirits are not in any material fire, but in spiritual fire, which is their love, wherefore they do not feel any other fire; concerning which, see Heaven and Hell 566-575.

In respect to "fire", in a bad sense, as signifying the evil of lusts and cupidities arising from the love of self and of the world, see Chapter 9:17-19; 33:11, 12, 14, the Exposition.

---

Isaiah Chapter 66.

1. THUS says Jehovah: The heavens are My throne, and the earth is My footstool: where is this house which you build for Me? and where is this place of My rest?

2. For all these things My hand has made; and all these things exist [by Me], says Jehovah: and to him will I look, even to him that is humble and of a contrite spirit, and that trembles at My Word.

3. He that slays an ox, smites a man; he that sacrifices a lamb, beheads a dog; he that makes an oblation, [offers] swine's blood; he that offers incense, blesses an idol: yea, they have chosen these things in their own ways; and in their abominations their soul delights.

4. I will also choose their devices, and the things they dread I will bring upon them; because I called, and no one answered; I spake, and they did not hear: and they did evil in Mine eyes, and that in which I delighted not they have chosen.

5. Hear you the word of Jehovah, you that tremble at His Word! Your brethren that have bated you, and that have cast you out for My name's sake, have said, Let Jehovah be glorified! and we shall see your joy; but they shall be ashamed.

6. A voice of tumult from the city! a voice from the temple! the voice of Jehovah! rendering recompense to His enemies,

7. Before she was in travail, she brought forth; before her pangs came upon her, she was delivered of a male.

8. Who has heard a thing like this? Who has seen things like these? Does the earth bring forth in one day? Is a nation born at once? for as soon as Zion was in travail, she brought forth her sons.

9. Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? says Jehovah: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut up [the womb]? says your God.

10. Rejoice with Jerusalem, and exult in her, all you that love her: be exceedingly joyful with her, all you that mourn over her:

11. That you may suck, and be satisfied from the breast of her consolations; that you may draw forth [nourishment], and be delighted from the brightness of her glory.

12. For thus says Jehovah, Behold, I will spread over her peace like a river; and like a flowing stream the glory of the nations: and you shall suck; you shall be carried at the side; and on the knees shall you be caressed.

13. As a man whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you; and in Jerusalem shall you have comfort.

14. And you shall see it, and your heart shall rejoice; and your bones shall bud forth like the herb: and the hand of Jehovah shall be made known to His servants; but He will be indignant against His enemies.

15. For, behold, Jehovah shall come in fire; and like a whirlwind are His chariots: to recompense in the wrath of His anger; and His rebuke in flames of fire.

16. For by fire shall Jehovah contend, and by His sword, with all flesh: and many shall be the slain of Jehovah.

17. They who sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one [tree] in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abominable thing, and the mouse; together shall they be consumed, says Jehovah.

18. For I [know] their works and their thoughts: and [the time] shall come to gather all nations and tongues together; and they shall come, and shall see My glory.

19. And I will set a sign upon them, and those that escape I will send to the nations; to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow; to Tubal, and Javan, and the islands afar off; to those who have not heard My fame, and who have not seen My glory: and they shall declare My glory among the nations.

20. And they shall bring all your brethren, from all the nations, an offering to Jehovah; upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters; upon mules, and upon dromedaries; to the mountain of My holiness, to Jerusalem, says Jehovah: like as the sons of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel to the house of Jehovah.

21. And of them will I also take for priests and for Levites, says Jehovah.

22. For like as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall stand before Me, says Jehovah: so shall stand your seed and your name,

23. And it shall be, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to bow down before Me, says Jehovah.

24. And they shall go forth, and shall see the carcases of the men who have transgressed against Me: for their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched; and they shall be an abhorrence unto all flesh.

304. Verse 3. And no one was able, in heaven nor upon the earth, nor under the earth, to open the book, neither to look thereon, signifies manifestation that no one knows and perceives of himself anything whatever of the state of life of all in general, and of each one in particular. This is evident from the signification of "And no one was able to open the book, neither to look thereon," as being that no one of himself knows and perceives the states of the life of all in general and of each one in particular (of which see just above, n. 303); also from the signification of "in heaven nor upon the earth nor under the earth," being that no one anywhere has such knowledge, not even in the slightest degree; for "in heaven, upon the earth, and under the earth," means the three heavens; and by all who are there heaven in its entire complex is meant. And as 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 self-intelligence of the angels, for this is no intelligence, so the same words signify that no one has any knowledge or perception whatever from himself. That angels in heaven as well as men in the world have a selfhood [proprium], which regarded in itself is nothing but evil, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 592), and as evil receives nothing of intelligence and wisdom, it follows that angels equally with men understand nothing at all of truth from themselves, but solely from the Lord. Angels are such for the reason that all angels are from the human race, and every man retains after death what is his own [suum proprium], and angels are withheld from the evils that pertain to what is their own [proprii eorum] and are kept in goods by the Lord. (That all angels are from the human race, and not one is created such from the beginning, see in the small work on The Last Judgment 14-22; and that they are all withheld from evil, and kept in good by the Lord, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 166.)

[2] "In heaven," "upon the earth," and "under the earth," signify the three heavens, because the angels that are in the third or highest heaven dwell upon mountains; and those that are in the second or middle, upon hills; and those that are in the first or lowest, in plains and valleys below these. For in the spiritual world, where the spirits and angels are, it is just as it is in the natural world where men are, that is, there are lands, hills, and mountains; and in appearance the resemblance is such that there is no difference at all; therefore men after death scarcely know otherwise than that they are still living on the earth, and when the privilege is granted them to look into our world, they see nothing dissimilar. Moreover, the angels who are in the lowest heaven call that heaven where the angels of the third heaven dwell, because it is high above them, and where they themselves dwell they call earth; moreover, the third or highest heaven, which is upon the mountains, does not appear, to those who are below or upon that earth, otherwise than as the highest region of the atmosphere covered with a thin bright cloud appears before us, thus as the sky appears to us. From this it can be seen what is here meant, specifically, by "in heaven," "upon the earth," and "under the earth." (But more can be seen on this subject in the work on Heaven and Hell, where Appearances in Heaven are treated of, n 170-176; and The Habitations and Dwelling Places of Angels, n. 183-189)

[3] As men have not known that there is a like surface of the earth in both worlds, the natural and the spiritual, therefore they have not perceived otherwise when they have read the Word than that "heaven" and "earth" there mean the heaven visible before our eyes, and the earth inhabited by men; from this arose the belief in the destruction of heaven and earth, and the creation of a new heaven and a new earth at the day of the Last Judgment; when yet "heaven" and "earth" there mean the heaven and the earth where spirits and angels dwell, and in the spiritual sense the church with angels and with men (for there is a church with angels equally as with men, as may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell 221-227). It is said, in the spiritual sense, for an angel is not an angel, nor is a man a man, from the human form, which both have, but because of heaven and the church with them. This is why "heaven" and "earth," where angels and men dwell, signify the church; "heaven" the internal church and also the church with angels, and "earth" the external church and also the church with men. But since it can only with difficulty be believed that "earth" in the Word means the church, because it is not yet known that in every particular of the Word there is a spiritual sense, whence a material idea adheres and keeps the thought fixed in the nearest meaning of the expression, I wish to illustrate and confirm it by a number of quotations.

[4] In Isaiah:

Behold, Jehovah maketh the earth empty and maketh it void, and He shall disfigure 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; therefore a malediction shall devour the earth, and the inhabitants of the earth shall be burnt up, and a man shall be rare. A shout over the wine in the streets; the gladness of the earth shall be banished; it shall be in the midst of the earth as the shaking of an olive tree, as the gleanings when the vintage is ended. From the uttermost part of the earth we have heard songs, Glory to the righteous. The floodgates from on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth quake; 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 one drunken; and it shall be moved to and fro as a veil; but it shall be in that day that Jehovah will visit upon the host of the height in the height, and upon the kings of the earth who are upon the earth (Isaiah 24:1, 3-6, 11, 13, 16, 18-21).

Here it is very clear that "earth" does not mean the earth, but the church. Let the particulars be run over and considered. One who is in a spiritual idea does not think, when "earth" is mentioned, of the earth itself, but of the people on it and their quality; still more is this true of those who are in heaven; who, since they are spiritual, perceive that the church is meant. Here the church destroyed is treated of; its destruction in respect to the good of love and the truth of faith, which constitute it, is described by "Jehovah maketh the earth empty and maketh it void," "in emptying the earth shall be emptied, in spoiling it shall be spoiled," "it shall mourn and be confounded," "it shall be profaned," and "a malediction shall devour it;" "the floodgates from on high are opened, and the foundations of it quake;" "it is broken," "it is rent asunder," "it is moved," "it shall totter as one drunken." These things can be said neither of the earth, nor of any nation, but only of the church.

[5] In the same:

Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh, to lay the earth waste; and He shall destroy the sinners out of it. For the stars of the heavens and the constellations thereof do not cause their light to shine, the sun hath been darkened in its rising, and the moon maketh not bright her light. I will make a man more rare than fine gold; wherefore I will cause the heavens to tremble and the earth shall quake out of its place (Isaiah 13:9-10, 12-13).

It is clear from the particulars understood in the spiritual sense, that "earth" here means the church. The end of the church is here treated of, when truth and good, or faith and charity, are no more. For "the stars and constellations that do not cause their light to shine," signify the knowledges of truth and good; the "sun that has been darkened in its rising," signifies love; the "moon that maketh not bright her light," signifies faith; a "man made more rare than fine gold," signifies intelligence and wisdom: this makes clear what is signified by "Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh to lay the earth waste. I will cause the heavens to tremble and the earth shall quake out of its place;" "the day of Jehovah" is the last end of the church, when there is the judgment; the "earth" is the church. It can be seen that the earth itself does not quake out of its place, but that the church is removed when love and faith are not. "To quake out of its place" signifies to be removed from its former state.

[6] In the same:

Behold, the Lord, as a deluge of hail, a storm of slaughter, as a deluge of mighty waters. He shall cast down to the earth with the hand. A consummation and decision I have heard from the Lord Jehovih of hosts upon the whole earth (Isaiah 28:2, 22).

This is said of the day of judgment upon those who are of the church. The day of judgment, when the church is at an end is meant by "a consummation and decision I have heard from the Lord Jehovih of Hosts upon the whole earth;" it is therefore said "as a deluge of hail, a storm of slaughter, as a deluge of mighty waters. He shall cast down to the earth with the hand;" by "hail" and "a deluge of it" falsities that destroy the truths of the church are signified; by "slaughter," and "a storm of it," evils that destroy the goods of the church are signified; by "mighty waters" falsities of evil are signified. (That a "deluge" or "flood" signifies immersion into evils and falsities, and the consequent destruction of the church) see Arcana Coelestia (Arcana Coelestia 660, 705, 739, 756, 790, 5725, 6853 the like is meant by "casting down to the earth," or a violent rain.

[7] In the same:

The land shall become burning pitch; from generation to generation it shall be desolate (Isaiah 34:9-10).

"Burning pitch" signifies every evil springing from love of self, through which the church entirely perishes and is desolated; it is therefore said, "the land shall become burning pitch; from generation to generation it shall be desolate." Who does not see that such things are not said of the land itself?

[8] In the same:

The land mourneth and languisheth; Lebanon blusheth, and hath withered away (Isaiah 33:9).

Here also the "land" means the church, which is said "to mourn" and "to languish" when falsities begin to be accepted and acknowledged in place of truths; it is therefore said, "Lebanon blusheth and hath withered away;" "Lebanon" signifying the like as "cedar," namely, the truth of the church.

[9] In Jeremiah:

The lion is gone up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the nations hath gone forth from his place to make thy land a waste; thy cities shall be destroyed. I saw the earth, when lo, it was void and empty; and towards the heavens, and lo, they had no light. I saw the mountains, and lo, they quaked and all the hills are overturned. Jehovah said, The whole earth shall be a waste. For this shall the land mourn, and the heavens above be black (Jeremiah 4:7, 4:23-24, 27-28).

Here also the vastation of the church is treated of, which takes place when there are no longer truth and good, but falsity and evil in place of them. This vastation is described by "the lion going up from 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, laying waste. The "mountains that quake," and the "hills that are overturned," signify love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbor. This is the signification of "mountains" and "hills," because those who are in love to the Lord dwell upon mountains in heaven, and those who are in charity towards the neighbor, upon hills (See what has been said above, also in the work on Heaven and Hell, 188, and in the notes there, letter c, original edition). "The heavens where there was no light, and that were black" signify the interiors of the men of the church, which, when closed by evils and falsities, do not admit light from heaven, but darkness from hell instead. From this it can be seen what is signified by "the lion and the destroyer of the nations making the land a waste;" so likewise by "I saw the earth, and lo, it was void and empty;" also by "the whole earth shall be a waste; for this shall the land mourn," namely, that the earth is not meant, but the church.

[10] In the same:

How long shall the land mourn, and the herb of every field [wither]? for the evil of them that dwell therein the beasts shall be carried off, and the fowl. The whole land is made waste because no man layeth it to heart. Wasters are come upon all the bare heights in the wilderness; for the sword of Jehovah devoureth from one end of the land even to the other end of the land. They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns (Jeremiah 12:4, 11-13).

That the "land" here signifies the church is evident, from its being said that "the land shall mourn, and the herb of every field [wither]," and that "the beasts and the birds shall be carried off for the evil of them that dwell therein, and because no man layeth it to heart." "The herb of every field" signifies every truth and good of the church, and the "beasts and the fowl" signify the affections of good and truth; and since the church is signified by the "land," and it is here treated of as being vastated, it is said "wasters are come upon all the bare heights in the wilderness; for the sword of Jehovah devoureth from one end of the land even to the other end of the land. They have sown wheat, and have reaped thorns." "The bare heights in the wilderness upon which the wasters came" signify the things that are of charity, "wilderness" meaning where there is no good because no truth; "the sword of Jehovah" signifies falsity destroying truth; "from one end of the land to the other end of the land" signifies all things of the church; "to sow wheat and reap thorns" signifies to take from the Word the truths of good and to turn them into the falsities of evil, "wheat" meaning the truths of good, and "thorns" the falsities of evil.

[11] In Isaiah:

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

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

[12] In the same:

All the land shall be a place of briars and brambles; but as to all the mountains that shall be hoed with the hoe, there shall not come thither the fear of the briar and bramble; but there shall be the sending-forth of the ox and the trampling of the sheep (Isaiah 7:24-25).

"Briars and brambles" signify falsity and evil; which makes evident what is signified by "all the land shall be a place of briars and brambles." "The mountains that shall be hoed with the hoe" signify those who from the love of good do goods, that with them there shall be no falsity and evil, but good, natural as well as spiritual, is signified by "there shall not come thither the fear of the briar and bramble, but there shall be the sending forth of the ox, and the trampling of sheep;" that is, thither shall oxen be sent, and there the sheep shall trample, "ox" signifying natural good, and "sheep" spiritual good.

[13] In Ezekiel:

Thy mother is a lioness; she couched among lions; one of her whelps went up; he desolated the cities; the land and the fullness thereof was made waste by the voice of his roaring (Ezekiel 19:2-3, 7).

"Mother" signifies the church; a "lioness" and "lions" signify the power of evil and falsity against good and truth; the "roaring of the lion" signifies the lust of destroying and desolating; the "cities that he desolated" signify doctrine with its truths, which makes evident what is signified by "the land and the fullness thereof was laid waste," namely, the whole church.

[14] In the same:

They shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their waters with astonishment, that the land may be laid waste from the fullness thereof, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein; and the cities that are inhabited shall be desolated, and the land shall be a waste (Ezekiel 12:19-20).

Here "the land and the cities that shall be desolated and shall be a waste" have the same signification as above, namely, "the land" signifies the church, and "cities" doctrine with its truths; it is therefore said, "because of the violence of all them that dwell therein." Since this is what is meant, it is first said that "they shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their waters with astonishment," "bread" and "water" in the Word signifying all the good of love and truth of faith (See Arcana Coelestia 9323), and "eating" and "drinking" signifying instruction and appropriation (n. 3168, 3513, 3832, 9412).

[15] In David:

I called upon Jehovah, and cried unto my God. Then the earth tottered and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled and tottered when He was wroth (Psalms 18:6-7).

Here the "earth" stands for the church, which is said to "totter and quake" when it is perverted by the falsification of truths; and then "the foundations of the mountains" are said "to tremble and totter," for the goods of love, which are founded upon the truths of faith, vanish; "mountains" meaning the goods of love (as above), and their "foundations" the truths of faith; which also shows that the "earth" is the church.

[16] In the same:

The earth is Jehovah's and the fullness 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 "fullness" for all things thereof; the "seas upon which He hath founded it," mean the knowledges of truth in general; the "rivers" doctrinals; because the church is founded on both of these, it is said that "He hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers." That this cannot be said of the earth and the world is clear to anyone.

[17] In the same:

We will not fear, when the earth shall be changed, and when the mountains shall be moved in the heart of the seas, when the waters thereof are in tumult and do foam. The nations are in tumult, the kingdoms are moved, when He giveth forth His voice the earth shall dissolve (Psalms 46:2-3, 6).

The "earth" evidently means the church, since it is said "to be changed" and "to dissolve," also that "the mountains shall be moved in the heart of the seas, and the waters thereof shall be in tumult," and "the nations are in tumult and the kingdoms are moved." "Mountains" signify (as above) the goods of love, which are said "to be moved in the heart of the seas" when the essential knowledges of truth are perverted; "waters" signify the truths of the church, which are said "to foam" when they are falsified; "nations" signify the goods of the church, and in a contrary sense, its evils; and "kingdoms" the truths of the church, and in a contrary sense, its falsities; and also those who are in the one and the other."

[18] In the same:

O God, Thou hast cast us off; Thou hast been angry; bring back rest to us. Thou hast made the earth to quake, Thou hast broken it up; heal the breaches thereof, for it is moved (Psalms 60:1-2).

It can be seen that these things are said of the church, and not of the earth, for it is said, "Thou hast made the earth to quake, Thou hast broken it up; heal the breaches thereof, for it is moved;" and as "the earth" signifies the church, and here the church vastated, it is said, "O God, Thou hast cast us off, Thou hast been angry; bring back rest to us."

[19] In the same:

When I shall receive the set time, I shall judge with uprightness. The earth and all the inhabitants thereof shall be dissolved; I will make firm the pillars of it (Psalms 75:2-3).

Here, likewise, the "earth" stands for the church, which is said to "dissolve" when the truths by which there is good fail; truths, because they support the church, are called its "pillars," which God will make firm; it is not the pillars of the earth evidently that are made firm. As the restoration of the church is here described, it is said, "When I shall receive the set time, I shall judge with uprightness." The truths of the church, here called the "pillars of the earth," are also called the "bases of the earth" (1 Samuel 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 emptiness (Isaiah 40:21-23).

The "princes who will be brought to nothing," and the "judges of the earth, whom He will make as emptiness," signify the things that are from self-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 tempest 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 (Jeremiah 25:31-33).

The "end of the earth" and the "sides of the earth" signify 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; from this it can be known what is signified by "a tumult shall come to the end of the earth," and "a great tempest shall be stirred up from the sides of the earth," also by "the slain of Jehovah in that day shall be from the end of the earth to the end thereof." The "slain" signify those in whom the truths and goods of the church are extinguished (See Arcana Coelestia 4503[1-11]).

[21] In Isaiah:

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

The establishment of the church among the Gentiles is thus described; they are signified by the "isles" and the "ends of the earth;" for "isles" and "the ends of the earth" in the Word signify those who are far removed from the truths and goods of the church because they do not have the Word, and consequently, are in ignorance. That a church is to be established with such is signified by "I will make the wilderness into a pool of waters, and the dry land into a spring of waters." That is called a "wilderness" where there is not yet good because there is not yet truth, and for the same reason it is called "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 acquired by means of truths.

[22] In the same:

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

No one knows what is meant by "a land shadowed with wings," and "a land that the rivers have despoiled," unless he knows that "land" means the church, and "rivers" falsities; "a land shadowed with wings" is a church that is in thick darkness in respect to Divine truths (that these are signified by "wings," see above, n. 283; "beyond the rivers of Cush" signifies in respect to the knowledges themselves from the sense of the letter of the Word, which have been falsified; "a nation trodden down, to which the messengers should go, whose land the rivers have despoiled," signifies those out of the church who are in falsities from ignorance; "rivers" meaning the truths of doctrine, and in a contrary sense falsities; that "the messengers should go to them" signifies that they should be invited to receive the church.

[23] In the same:

In the fury of Jehovah of Hosts the land is obscured (Isaiah 9:19).

A "land obscured" signifies the things of the church in thick darkness, that is, in falsities; for the falsities of evil are said to be in thick darkness, but truths in light.

[24] In the same:

Jehovah shall remove man, and forsaken places shall be multiplied in the midst of the land (Isaiah 6:12);

"man whom Jehovah shall remove," signifying him who is wise, and abstractly, wisdom (as may be seen above, n. 280; "forsaken places multiplied in the midst of the land" signifying that there shall be no good at all, because no truth; "the midst of the land" meaning where truth is in the highest light; consequently when there is no light there, thick darkness pervades the whole; thus there is nowhere any truth at all.

[25] In the same:

Jehovah shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He put to death the wicked (Isaiah 11:4).

"The rod of Jehovah's mouth which shall smite the earth," signifies truth in ultimates, which is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word; "the breath of the lips which shall put to death the wicked," signifies truth in the spiritual sense of the Word; these truths are said "to smite the earth," and "to put to death the wicked," when such are condemned by truths; for by truths everyone is judged and is condemned.

[26] In the same:

The earth is at rest, and is quiet. Hell hath stirred up the Rephaim because of thee, all the powerful of the earth. They that see thee shall say, Is this the man that maketh the earth to tremble, that maketh the kingdoms to quake; that hath made the world as a wilderness and threw down the cities thereof? Thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people. Prepare slaughter for his sons, that they rise not up and possess the land, and the faces of the world be filled with cities. I will break the Assyrian in My land, and upon My mountains I will tread him down (Isaiah 14:7, 9, 16-17, 20-21, 25).

These things are said of the king of Babylon, by whom is signified the destruction of truth by the love of ruling over heaven and earth; which love the truths of the Word or of the church are made to serve as means; here their damnation is treated of. The "Rephaim whom hell stirred up," mean those who are in the direful persuasion of what is false, who are therefore called the powerful of the earth; "to make the earth to tremble," "to make the kingdoms quake," "to make the world as a wilderness," and "to throw down the cities thereof," signifies to pervert all things of the church; "earth" and "world" mean the church, "kingdoms" the truths that constitute it; and "cities" all things of doctrine. From this it is clear what is signified by, "Thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people." The "Assyrian who shall be broken in the land and trodden down upon the mountains," signifies the reasonings from falsities against truths; "to be broken" means to be dispersed, and "to be trodden down" means to be wholly destroyed; "mountains upon which this is done," signify where the good of love and charity reigns, for there, or with such, all reasoning from falsities is dispersed or destroyed.

[27] In the same:

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

Neither ships of Tarshish, nor Tyre, nor the land of Chittim, nor the land of the Chaldeans, nor Assyria, are here meant, as can be seen from the particulars in this chapter; but "the ships of Tarshish" mean the knowledges of truth and good, "Tyre" the like; "the land of Chittim" what is idolatrous; "the land of the Chaldeans" the profanation and destruction of truth, and "Assyria" reasoning from falsities. From this it is clear that, "Howl, ye ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is desolated" signifies that there were no longer any knowledges of truth; "from the land of Chittim it shall manifestly come to them" signifies idolatry therefrom; "the girdle is no more" signifies that there is no longer any coherence of truth with good; "behold the land of the Chaldeans" signifies that thus there is profanation and destruction of truth; "Assyria hath founded it into heaps" signifies that reasonings from falsities have destroyed it; "to return to the hire of whoredom" and "to commit whoredom with all kingdoms upon the faces of the ground" signifies the falsification of all truths of the whole church.

[28] In the same:

The king of Assyria shall pass on through Judah, he shall overflow and pass through, he shall reach even to the neck; and the flappings of his wings ¹ shall be the fullness of the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel (Isaiah 8:8).

Here, too, "the king of Assyria" signifies the reasoning from falsities against truths; "he shall pass on through Judah, he shall overflow and pass through" signifies that this shall destroy the good of the church (to "overflow" is predicated of falsities, because they are signified by "waters"); "he shall reach even to the neck" signifies that thus there shall be no longer any communication of good and truth; and "the flappings of his wings shall be the fullness of the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel" signifies that falsities shall be opposed to all the truths of the Lord's church; "the breadth of the land" signifies the truths of the church (See Heaven and Hell 197), consequently, in a contrary sense, falsities; therefore the "flappings of his wings" signify reasonings from falsities against truths; "fullness" signifies all; thus "the fullness of the breadth of the land" signifies all the truths of the church.

[29] In the same:

In that day shall the bud of Jehovah be for adornment and glory, and the fruit of the earth for magnificence and splendor to those left of Israel (Isaiah 4:2).

The "bud of Jehovah," that shall be for adornment and glory, signifies the truth of the church; and the "fruit of the earth," that shall be for magnificence and splendor, signifies the good of the church; "Israel" signifies the spiritual church. Evidently it is the truth and good of the church, and not the bud and the fruit of the earth, that shall be for adornment, glory, magnificence, and splendor. 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 hast been glorified; Thou hast removed all the ends of the earth (Isaiah 26:15).

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

[31] In the same:

Thine eyes shall behold the king in his beauty, they shall behold a land of far distances (Isaiah 33:17).

"To see the king in his beauty," means to see genuine truth, which is from the Lord alone; "to behold a land of far distances" signifies to behold the extension of intelligence and wisdom.

[32] In the same:

I have given thee for a covenant to the people, to restore the earth. Sing aloud O heavens, and exult O earth, and break forth O mountains with a song (Isaiah 49:8, 13).

This treats of the Lord and His coming; 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" being to reestablish the church; it is known that the Lord did not restore the earth to the Jewish people, but that He established a church among the Gentiles; the joy in consequence is described by, "Sing aloud O heavens, and exult O earth, and break forth O mountains with a song," "the heavens" being the heavens where angels are who are in the interior truths of the church, "the earth" the church among men, and "the mountains" those who are in the good of love to the Lord.

[33] In Jeremiah:

The land is full of adulterers; for because of malediction the land mourneth; the pastures of the wilderness are dried up (Jeremiah 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 malediction the land mourneth;" the "pastures of the wilderness that are dried up" signify no spiritual nourishment in such a church; that is called "wilderness" where there is no truth.

[34] In the same:

A drought is upon her waters, so that they shall become dry; for it is a land of graven images (Jeremiah 50:38).

"A drought upon the waters, so that they shall become dry" signifies that there are no more truths, "waters" being truths; "for it is a land of graven images" signifies the church destroyed by falsities which are from self-intelligence, which they call truths, "graven images" signifying those falsities.

[35] In Ezekiel:

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

"The end hath come 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 being all truths and goods of the church, and in a contrary sense, all its falsities and evils, thus all things of the church; "the earth full of the judgment of bloods" signifies that it is filled with evils of every kind, "bloods" being the evils that offer violence to the goods of love and charity and wholly destroy them; "the city full of violence" signifies the doctrine of that church likewise offering violence.

[36] In the same:

All the luminaries of light in heaven will I make black over thee, and will set darkness upon thy land (Ezekiel 32:8).

"The luminaries of light in the heavens" mean the sun, moon, and stars; the "sun" signifying love, the "moon" faith therefrom, and the "stars" the knowledges of good and truth; from this it is clear what is signified by "I will make them black over thee," namely, that these no longer exist; thence also it is clear what is signified by "I will set darkness upon thy land," namely, that there will be falsities in the church," "darkness" meaning falsities, and "land" the church.

[37] In the same:

Prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains and to the hills and to the watercourses and to the valleys, Behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you that ye may be tilled and sown (Ezekiel 36:6, 9).

"The land of Israel" means the church; "mountains, hills, watercourses, and valleys" signify all things of the church from the first to the last things thereof, "mountains" are the goods of love to the Lord, "hills" the goods of charity towards the neighbor-these are the first things of the church; "watercourses and valleys" are truths and goods that are the last things of the church. That this is the meaning can be seen from what was said at the beginning of this article, namely, that those in heaven who are in the good of love to the Lord dwell upon mountains, those who are in charity towards the neighbor upon hills, and those who are in goods and truths in the lowest heaven in plains and valleys; "watercourses" are the truths of doctrine there; to implant these is signified by "I will turn 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 these shall hear Jezreel, ² and I will sow her unto me in the earth (Hosea 2:21-23).

Evidently these things are to be understood spiritually, and not naturally according to the sense of the letter, for it is said that "these shall hear Jezreel; and I will sow her unto me in the earth;" therefore the "heavens" mean the heavens where the Lord is; and the "earth" the church where also the Lord is; "corn, new wine, and oil" signify all the 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 ground, neither shall the vine in the field be barren to you; all nations shall proclaim you happy, and ye shall be a land of good pleasure (Malachi 3:11-12).

These things are said of those with whom is the church; and because "the fruit of the ground," and "the vine in the field" signify the goods and truths of the church ("fruit" goods, and "the vine" its truths), therefore they are called "a land of good pleasure."

[40] In David:

Let thy good spirit lead me into the land of uprightness; vivify me, O Jehovah, for Thy name's sake (Psalms 143:10-11).

"The land of uprightness" stands for the church in which is the right and the true; and because "the spirit of Jehovah" signifies Divine truth, and everyone receives spiritual life through that, therefore it is said, "Let Thy good spirit lead me," and "vivify me, O Jehovah."

[41] As the "earth" signifies the church, and where the church is there is heaven, therefore heaven is 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 (Isaiah 38:11);

and in Ezekiel:

Who caused terror in the land of the living (Ezekiel 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:

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

"Days to be prolonged upon the earth" does not mean a lengthening of life in the world, but the state of life in the church, thus in heaven; for "to be prolonged" is predicated of good and its increase, and "day" signifies the state of life; and as "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, "stone" signifying truth, and "measure" good, and as not to deceive by weight and measure is to be just, therefore such shall have the life of the church and afterwards life in heaven, which is meant by "their days upon the earth shall be prolonged."

[43] The like is signified by this precept in the Decalogue:

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

Those who honor father and mother have heaven and the happiness there, because in heaven no other father but the Lord is known, for all there have been generated anew from Him; and in heaven by "mother" the church is meant, and in general, the kingdom of the Lord. It is clear that those who worship the Lord and seek his kingdom will have life in heaven, also that many of those who honor father and mother in the world do not live there long.

[44] In Matthew:

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

"Inheriting the earth" signifies not possession of the earth, but possession of heaven and blessedness there; the "meek" mean 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 reject the evil and to choose the good; for before the Lad knoweth to reject the evil and to choose the good, the land which thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of its two kings. It shall come to pass in that day, by reason of the abundance of milk they yield, He shall eat butter; for butter and honey shall everyone eat that is left in the midst of the land (Isaiah 7:14-16, 21-22).

It is known that these things were said respecting the Lord and His coming; "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; this means that He would appropriate the Divine to Himself even in respect to the Human; "to eat" signifying to appropriate. That "the land shall be forsaken before He knoweth to reject the evil and to choose the good" signifies that when He should be born there would not be anything of the church remaining in the whole world; and because those where the church was, rejected every Divine truth and perverted all things of the Word, and explained it in favor of self, it is said of the land, that is, the church, "which thou abhorrest from the presence of its two kings; "king" signifying 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 truth through which good comes, and as "butter" signifies the good therefrom, "by reason of the abundance of yielding milk, butter shall everyone eat that is left in the midst of the land" signifies that every truth shall be from good.

[46] In Matthew:

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

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

[47] In Luke:

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

Here also the last time of the church is treated of, when judgment takes place, and the "earth" and the "world" here mean the church. "The distress of nations upon the earth," "the fear and expectation of the things coming upon the earth, and upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth" signifies upon those who are in the spiritual world, not upon those who are in the countries in the natural world. (That there are lands in the spiritual world also, see what is said at the beginning of this article; and that the Last Judgment was accomplished there, see in the small work on The Last Judgment.) It has been told before what "sun," "moon," and "stars" signify, in which are signs, namely, that "sun" signifies love, "moon" faith therefrom, and "stars" the knowledges of good and truth; the "sea and waves roaring" signify the reasonings and assaults of truth from the sense of the letter of the Word, wrongly and perversely applied. The "powers of the heavens that shall be shaken" signify the Word in the sense of the letter, since this sense is the foundation of the spiritual truths that are in the heavens. (See Heaven and Hell, in the article that treats of The Conjunction of Heaven with Man by the Word, n.303-310.)

[48] In Isaiah:

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

"Sing aloud, ye heavens; shout, ye lower parts of the earth; break forth with singing, ye mountains, O forest and every tree therein" signifies all things of heaven and of the church, both internal and external, all of which have reference to good and to truth. Things internal are signified by "the heavens," things external by "the lower parts of the earth;" "mountains" mean the good of love, the "forest" means natural truth, and the "trees" therein mean the knowledges of truth. Because such things are signified, it is said, "for Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob," "Jacob" in the Word signifying the external church, and "Israel" the internal church; "to stretch forth the heavens," and "to spread abroad the earth" signifies the church on all sides, which is spread forth and extended by the multiplication of truth and the fructification of good, with those who are of the church.

[49] In Zechariah:

Jehovah stretcheth out the heavens, and foundeth the earth, and formeth the spirit of man in the midst of him (Zechariah 12:1).

Here, too, in like manner "heavens" and "earth" signify the church everywhere, thus in respect to its interiors and as to its exteriors; therefore it is also said, "He 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 maketh the earth by His power, prepareth the world by His wisdom, and stretcheth out the heavens by His intelligence. At the voice which He giveth forth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He causeth the vapors to ascend from the end of the earth (Jeremiah 10:11-13; 51:15-16).

Because the "heavens" and the "earth" signify the church (as above), it is said, "Jehovah maketh the earth by His power, prepareth the world by His wisdom, and stretcheth out the heavens by His intelligence;" and therefore also it is said, "At the voice which He giveth forth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He causeth the vapors to ascend from the end of the earth;" "the voice that Jehovah giveth forth" signifies Divine truth proceeding from Him; the "multitude of waters in the heavens" signifies truth in abundance, for "waters" signify truths; and "the vapors that He causeth to ascend from the end of the earth" signify the ultimate truths of the church, "vapors" are those truths; and "the end of the earth" is the ultimate of the church; and as "gods" signify the falsities of doctrine and of worship, which destroy the church, it is 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, and spreadeth out 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 said, "Jehovah maketh the heavens by intelligence, and spreadeth out the earth above the waters," "waters" meaning 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 breath to the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein (Isaiah 42:5).

"To create the heavens" and "to spread forth the earth and the products thereof" signifies to form the church and to reform those who are in it, "products" meaning all things of the church; therefore it is said, "that giveth breath to the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein." That "to create" is to reform, see above n. 294.

[53] In the same:

Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the [higher] clouds flow down with righteousness; let the earth open, and bring forth the fruit of salvation. I have made the earth, and created man upon it. Thus said Jehovah who created the heavens; God Himself who formeth the earth and maketh it and prepareth it: I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness (Isaiah 45:8, 12, 18-19).

"Heavens" and "earth" here plainly mean all things of the church, both its internals and externals; for it is said, "Drop down, ye heavens, and let the [higher] clouds flow down with righteousness; let the earth open, and bring forth the fruit of salvation." "Heavens" signify the interiors of the church, because the interiors that are of man's spiritual mind are the heavens with him. (That with the man with whom the church is there is a heaven, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 30-57.) "To create the heavens and to form the earth, and make and prepare it," signifies to fully establish the church.

[54] In the same:

Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered (Isaiah 65:17).

"To create new heavens and a new earth" signifies to establish a new church in respect to its interiors and exteriors, both in the heavens and on earth (as above).

[55] In the same:

Who hath heard a thing like this? shall the earth bring forth in one day? shall a nation be begotten at one time? For as the new heavens and the new earth which I am about to make shall stand before Me, so shall your seed and your name stand (Isaiah 66:8, 22).

Because the "earth" signifies the church, it is said, "shall the earth bring forth in one day? shall a nation be begotten at one time?" "To bring forth," and "birth," and "to beget," and "begetting," in the Word, signify spiritual birth and begetting, which are of faith and love, thus reformation and regeneration. What the "new heavens" and the "new earth" signify has been told above.

[56] In Jeremiah:

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

"Man and beast that are upon the faces of the earth" signify the affections of truth and good in the spiritual and the natural man (See n. 280; and Arcana Coelestia 7424, 7523, 7872); and since these affections with men constitute the church in them it is said, "I have made the earth, man and beast that are upon the faces of the earth, and I give it to him who is right in My eyes." Everyone knows that God gives the earth not alone to those who are right in His eyes, but also to those who are not right, while the church He gives to those only who are right; "right" signifying truth and its affection.

[57] In Isaiah:

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

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

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

has a like signification.

[58] In Revelation:

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

"The four corners of the earth," and "the four winds of the earth" signify all truths and goods of the church in the complex; for they have the like signification as the four quarters of heaven (that these have this signification, see Heaven and Hell, On the Four Quarters in Heaven, n141-153). To "hold the four winds" signifies that truths and goods do not flow in because they are not received; therefore it is said that "the wind should not blow upon the earth." "The earth" signifies the church elsewhere in Revelation (as Revelation 10:2, 5-6, 8; 12:16; 13:13; 16:2, 14; 20:8-9, 11; 21:1), as well as in many other places in the Word, too numerous to be cited.

[59] As the church was signified by the "earth" and especially by the "land of Canaan," because the church was there, and as the church which was there was a representative church, so all things 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 to the land itself and its products; as in these words in Moses:

If thou wilt keep the commandments, Jehovah will lead thee into a good land, into a land of brooks of waters, of fountains, of depths coming forth out of valley and mountain; a land of wheat, of barley, of vine, of fig, of 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 out of the mountains is digged copper; and thou shalt eat, and shalt be satisfied in this good land (Deuteronomy 8:6-10).

This is a description of all things of the church, both its interiors and its exteriors; but to explain what the particulars signify would be tedious and not to the present purpose.

[60] Because the "land" signifies the church it was among the blessings, that if they lived according to the commandments:

The land would yield its increase, evil beasts would cease out of the land, nor would the sword pass through the land (Leviticus 26:3-4, 6).

That "the land would yield its increase" signifies that there would be good and truth in the church; that "evil beasts would cease" signifies that there would not be evil affections and lusts, which destroy the church; that "the sword would not pass through the land" signifies that falsity would not cast out truth.

[61] Again, as the "land" signifies the church, it was also decreed that:

The seventh year should be a sabbath of the land, and that there should be no labor upon it (Leviticus 25:1-8).

It is therefore said also that:

The land was defiled on account of their evils, and would vomit them out because of their abominations (Leviticus 18:25-28).

Because the "land" [or ground] signified the church:

The Lord spat on the earth, 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);

So the Lord, when the Scribes and Pharisees questioned Him respecting the woman taken in adultery, stooping down, wrote twice on the earth (John 8:6, 8);

which signified that the church was full of adulteries, that is, full of the adulteration of good and the falsification of truth; therefore 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 (John 8:7, 9).

[62] As most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so has the "earth," which in that sense signifies the church vastated; it is vastated when the good of love and the truth of faith are no more, but instead thereof evil and falsity; as these damn man, the "earth" in that sense signifies 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; Numbers 16:29-33; 26:10; and elsewhere.

Notas a pie de página: