918. Saying, Send thy sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripened, signifies that the collection and the separation of the good from the evil must take place, since there are no longer any truths of faith because there is no spiritual good, which is charity. This is evident from the signification of "sending the sharp sickle and gathering," as being to collect the good and to separate them from the evil (See above, n. 911). "To gather" has here the same signification as "to reap" above, but "to gather" has reference to clusters and grapes, and "to reap" has reference to the harvest; and both signify to devastate and make an end of the church, which is signified both by "harvest" and "vineyard;" and when the church is devastated, and thus brought to an end, the good are collected and separated from the evil. What is further signified by "gathering" will be seen in what follows. The above is evident also from the signification of "clusters," as being the goods of faith and their truths (of which presently). Also from the signification of "for her grapes are fully ripened," as being, because there are no longer any goods of charity, thus because the church is at its end. From all this it can be seen that "send thy sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripened," signifies that the collection and the separation of the good from the evil must take place, since there are no longer any goods or truths of faith because there is no spiritual good, which is charity. There are no truths of faith when there is no good of charity, because truth is not given without good, since truth derives its essence or its life from good; from which it follows that there are no truths and no faith in truths when there is no good or charity.

[2] What charity is, which is the same as spiritual good, shall be told briefly. Charity or spiritual good is to do good because it is true; thus it is to do truth, and to do truth is to do what the Lord has commanded in His Word. This shows that charity is spiritual good. And when a man does what is good because it is true, that is, does what is true, charity becomes moral good; and this is similar in external form to the good that every man who is a moral and civil man does at the present day, but with this difference, that genuine moral good is good from the spiritual good from which it proceeds. For spiritual good is from the Lord, but moral good is from man, consequently unless the good that man does is from the Lord, that is, through man from the Lord, it is not good, the end for the sake of which it is done determines its quality. Moral good separated from spiritual good has regard to man, his honor, gain, and pleasure, as the end for which it is done; while moral good from spiritual good has regard to the Lord, heaven, and eternal life, as its end. This has been said to make known why there is no truth of faith where there is no good of charity; consequently where these two are not, the church is laid waste, which is the subject treated of here and in what now follows in Revelation. (That there is no faith where there is no charity can be seen in the small work on The Last Judgment 33-39.)

[3] That "clusters" and "grapes" signify the good of charity can be seen from the passages in the Word where they are mentioned, as in the following. In Jeremiah:

In consuming I will consume them; there shall be no grapes on the vine, neither figs on the fig-tree, and the leaf shall fade; and I will give them to those who pass over them (Jeremiah 8:13).

"No grapes on the vine" signifies that there is no spiritual good with man; "no figs on the fig-tree" signifies that there is no natural good with him, "vine" and "fig-tree" signifying man as to the church, thus the church with him. But this can be seen explained above n. 403.

[4] In Isaiah:

My beloved had a vineyard in the horn of a son of oil, which he fenced, and gathered out the stones, and planted it with a noble vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also hewed out a wine-press in it; and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes (Isaiah 5:1, 2, 4).

The "vineyard" that the beloved had signifies the spiritual church which was instituted with the sons of Israel; "in the horn of a son of oil" signifies that it had truths from the good of charity; "which he fenced, and gathered out the stones," signifies that it was protected from falsities and evils; "he planted it with a noble vine" signifies that it had genuine truths; "he built a tower in the midst of it" signifies the interior things that receive influx, and through which there is communication with heaven; "he also hewed out a wine-press in it" signifies bringing forth truth from good; "and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes," signifies a hope of the fructification of truths from the good of charity, but in vain, because there was iniquity in the place of good.

[5] In Micah:

Woe is me, I am become as the gatherings of the summer, as the gleanings of the vintage; there is no cluster to eat; my soul desireth the first ripe fruit. The holy one has perished from the earth, and the upright one among men; all lie in wait for bloods (Micah 7:1, 2).

Grief because of the vastation of good and of truth therefrom in the church is meant and described by "Woe is me, I am become as the gatherings of the summer, as the gleanings of the vintage." That there is no longer any spiritual good or natural good from which the Lord is worshiped is signified by "there is no cluster to eat; my soul desireth the first ripe fruit;" that there is no longer any spiritual or natural truth is signified by "the holy one has perished, and the upright one among men;" that the truths and goods of the Word and thus of the church are destroyed by falsities and evils is signified by "all lie in wait for bloods."

[6] In Hosea:

I found Israel like grapes in the desert; I saw your fathers like the first ripe fruit on a fig-tree in its beginning (Hosea 9:10).

This is said of the Ancient Church, and its establishment. That church is here meant by "Israel;" its first state by "in the desert," and "in the beginning;" and the spiritual good with them by "grapes;" and the good springing from it in the natural man by "the first ripe fruit on the fig-tree."

[7] That the men of the Ancient Church, and not the sons of Jacob, are here meant by "Israel in the desert," and by "their fathers in the beginning," is evident in Moses:

Their vine was of the vine of Sodom and of the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes were grapes of gall, their clusters were of bitternesses (Deuteronomy 32:32).

Here the sons of Jacob, such as they were in the desert, are described. That their religion was infernal, because they worshiped the gods and idols of the nations, is signified by "their vine was of the vine of Sodom and of the fields of Gomorrah." That instead of the goods of charity they had hatred, and falsities breaking forth therefrom instead of truths, is signified by "their grapes were grapes of gall, their clusters were of bitternesses."

[8] In Moses:

He bindeth his foal to the vine, and the son of his she-ass unto the choice vine; he washeth his garment in wine, and his covering in the blood of grapes (Genesis 49:11).

This is in the last address of the father Israel to his sons; this was said to Judah, by whom is meant in the highest sense the Lord as to the celestial church and as to the Word; and the "blood of grapes" signifies the Divine truth from His Divine good, and in the relative sense the good of charity. (But this and the other things here said may be seen explained in Arcana Coelestia 6375-6379.) "The blood of grapes," like "wine," signifies also truth from spiritual good (Deuteronomy 32:14).

[9] The "grapes" signify the good of charity because a "vineyard" signifies the spiritual church, and "vine" the man of that church; and therefore "clusters" or "bunches," and "grapes," which are its fruits, signify the goods which make that church, which are called spiritual goods and also goods of charity. And as all truth is from good, as all wine is from grapes, so "wine" signifies in the Word truth from good. (On this signification of "wine" see above, n. 220, 376) But "clusters" or "bunches" signify strictly the variations of the state of spiritual good, or of the good of charity, because in them many grapes are connected together in order. What is meant by variations of the state of good will be told elsewhere.

[10] As "the land of Canaan" represented and thus signified the church, and the church is a church from spiritual good, for this is the mark of the church, therefore:

The explorers of that land brought back a cluster of grapes of a remarkable size, carried on a pole by two (Numbers 13:23, 24).

This was a representative sign of the church that was signified by "the land of Canaan." The church is a church from the good of charity because that good regarded in itself is the good of life arising from love to the Lord; consequently it is an effect of that love. The good of charity means justice, sincerity, and uprightness in every work and in every function from a love of justice, sincerity, and uprightness, which love is solely from the Lord.

[11] As it has not heretofore been known what was represented by the "Nazirite," and what was signified by his abstaining from grapes and from wine, and making the hair of his head to grow, it may be disclosed here. Of his abstinence from grapes and from wine it is said:

He shall abstain from wine and strong drink, he shall drink no vinegar of wine or vinegar of strong drink, yea, he shall not drink any maceration of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or dried; all the days of his Naziriteship he shall eat nothing that is made of the grape of the vine, from the kernels even to the skin (Numbers 6:3, 4).

This was the law for the Nazirite before he had fulfilled the days of his Naziriteship, because he then represented the Lord as to His first state. The Lord's first state, like that of every man, was a sensual state. For every man is first sensual, afterwards he becomes natural and rational, then spiritual, and finally, if the third degree is opened with him, he becomes celestial, like an angel of the third heaven. The sensual of man is signified by "the hair of the head" (See above, n. 66, 555). And as the sensual is the most external part of man's life, and in that all power resides, therefore the Nazirites had so great strength. That all power resides in the most external or ultimate things, consequently in the ultimate sense of the Word, which is the sense of the letter, and that this is what "hair" corresponds to and signifies, may be seen above (n. 346, 417, 567, 666, 726). Such power the Lord had when He was a boy, and by it He conquered and subjugated the most direful hells, where all are sensual. This state of the Lord was represented by "the days of fulfillment" with the Nazirites, and when these were fulfilled the Lord entered from the sensual and natural into the spiritual and celestial Divine. Now as that state, with its good and truth, is signified by "grapes" and "wine," it was not lawful for the Nazirite to eat grapes or to drink wine until he had fulfilled those days. That it was lawful for him afterwards is evident from the twentieth verse of that chapter, where it is said, "And after that the Nazirite may drink wine."

[12] At the end of the days of fulfillment:

He should shave his head, and put the hair of his head on the fire that was under the sacrifice of peace-offerings (Numbers 6:18).

This represented the sensual that was then new from the celestial Divine, for new hair grew afterwards upon the Nazirite. This also represented that the Lord from ultimate Divine truth, which is the sense of the letter, entered into interior Divine truth, which is the Word in the internal sense, even to its highest. For when the Lord was in the world He was the Word, because He was the Divine truth, and that more interiorly by degrees as He grew up, even to its highest, which is purely Divine and wholly above the perceptions of the angels. It is to be known that while the Lord was in the world, from infancy even to the last day there, He progressed successively to union with the Divine Itself that was in Him from conception. (On this successive progression see the Arcana Coelestia 1864, 2033, 2632, 3141, 4585, 7014, 10076.) This makes clear what was represented by the Nazirite not being allowed to eat anything from the grape, or to drink any kind of wine, until the days of his Naziriteship were fulfilled.

4180. 'Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Dread of Isaac, had been with me' means but for the Divine and the Divine Human. This is clear from the meaning of 'the God of my father' when used in reference to the Lord, as the Divine as regards Good - 'Father' meaning Divine Good, and 'Son' Divine Truth, see 2803, 3704, in this case the Divine Good of each Essence; from the meaning of 'the God of Abraham' as the Divine itself which is called the Divine Essence - 'Abraham' representing the Lord as regards the Divine itself, 2011, 3439; and from the meaning of 'the Dread of Isaac' as the Divine Human. The expression 'the Dread' is used because it is Divine Truth that is meant by it. For among people who are not governed by good Divine Truth holds fear, dread, and terror within it, unlike Divine Good which does not strike fear into anyone. The same expression and meaning occur later on in this chapter,

Jacob swore by the Dread of Isaac his father. Verse 53.

Because he had been separated from Jacob by now, that is, because intermediate good had been separated from Divine good, Laban's state was such that he wished to do harm, as is evident from the things that are mentioned regarding Laban. It is because his state was such that the expression 'the Dread of Isaac' is used. Anyone can see that 'the Dread of Isaac' means the God of Isaac, and also that Laban's state was such. For 'Isaac' represents the Lord's Divine Human, in particular as regards the Divine Rational, see 1893, 2066, 2072, 2083, 2630, 3012, 3194, 3210, 3704.

[2] As regards what is said above, that Divine Truth coming from the Lord, unlike Divine Good, holds dread within it so far as those not governed by good are concerned, the position is this: The holiness which radiates from the Lord has Divine Good and Divine Truth within it. These go forth from the Lord unceasingly and are the source of the light which shines in the heavens and the source of the light which shines in human minds. Consequently they are the source of wisdom and intelligence, for these are present within that light. But the way in which anyone is affected by that light, or wisdom and intelligence, depends on how he receives it. Those who are governed by evil do not receive Divine Good since they possess no love or charity, for everything good is a manifestation of love and charity. But Divine Truth is able to be received even by the evil, though only by their external man, not by their internal.

[3] It is like the warmth and light which come from the sun. Spiritual warmth is love, and so good, whereas spiritual light is faith, and so truth. When warmth from the sun is being received, trees and flowers grow, producing leaves and blossom and fruit, or seeds. This occurs in spring and summer-time. But when warmth from the sun is not received, only light, nothing grows. All vegetation then becomes inactive, as it does in autumn and winter-time. The same also applies to spiritual warmth and spiritual light which come from the Lord. If a person is spring-like or summer-like he receives the good which flows from love and charity and produces fruit; but if he is autumn-like or winter-like he does not receive that good and therefore does not produce any fruit. Yet he is still able to receive light, that is, he is able to know things that are matters of faith or truth. The effect of the light of winter is similar to that of summer, in that it too produces colourful and beautiful sights and enables them to be seen. But it is different in that it does not penetrate beneath the surface because it has no warmth in it, and as a consequence nothing can grow.

[4] The reception of light alone therefore and not of good is as when objects do not receive any warmth. Merely the outward form and the beauty of that form is received from the light, so that they are cold within; and when they are cold within they are all inactive, looking so to speak like something wrinkled with its hairs standing on end when the light meets it. And these are the conditions which produce fear, dread, and terror in living creatures. This comparison enables one to comprehend to some extent the nature of the fear, dread, and terror experienced by the evil. That is to say, such feelings are not the product of Divine Good but of Divine Truth; and they occur when people do not receive Divine Good yet do receive Divine Truth. The comparison also enables one to comprehend that Divine Truth devoid of Good cannot penetrate beneath the surface but stays in the outermost parts, that is, in the external man, and mainly in the area of sensory awareness belonging to the external man. More than this it enables one to comprehend that a person may sometimes look beautiful in outward form and yet in inward form be detestable. From all this one may also see the nature of the faith with very many - faith which, they say, saves without good works, that is, without goodwill and good actions.

[5] It being the Divine Human, and not the Divine itself, from which Divine Truth proceeds, it is the Divine Human therefore which is meant here by 'the Dread of Isaac'. For as has been stated, it is Divine Truth which strikes fear into someone, not Divine Good. That it is the Lord's Divine Human, and not the Divine itself, from which Divine Truth proceeds is an arcanum that has not been disclosed up to now. The implications of the arcanum are as follows: Before the Lord came into the world the Divine itself flowed into the whole of heaven; and because heaven at that time consisted for the most part of those who were celestial, that is, who were governed by the good of love, that influx of God's Almighty power furnished the light which shone in the heavens, and with that light wisdom and intelligence. But when the human race departed from the good of love and charity it was no longer possible for that light to be provided by way of heaven, nor consequently for the wisdom and intelligence to come through to the human race. For this reason, so that the human race might be saved, the Lord out of necessity came into the world and made Divine the Human within Himself in order that as to that Divine Human He might become Divine Light, and in so doing might bring light to the whole of heaven and to the whole world. He had been from eternity Light itself, for the Divine itself passing through the heavens was the source of that Light. And it was the Divine itself which took on the Human and made this Human Divine; and once that Human had been made Divine He was then able to bring light not only to the celestial heaven itself but also to the spiritual heaven, and to the human race too, which received and receives Divine Truth within good, that is, within love to Him and within charity towards the neighbour, as is evident in John,

As many as received Him, to them He gave power to be sons of God, to those believing in His name, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13.

[6] The things that have now been stated make clear the meaning of the following in John,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. He was the true Light that enlightens every man coming into the world. John 1:1-4, 9.

Here 'the Word' means Divine Truth. Yet as to both Essences the Lord is Divine Good, whereas Divine Truth is that which proceeds from Him, see 3704. For Divine Good cannot be received by any man, nor even by any angel, but only by the Lord's Divine Human, which is what the following words in John are used to mean,

Nobody has ever seen God; the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known. John 1:18.

Man is however able to receive Divine Truth, though only in a form possible for it to exist with the recipient. And within that Truth, Divine Good is able to dwell, but in differing ways according to the kind of reception it is given.

[7] Such are the arcana which come to mind among the angels when man reads the words 'Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Dread of Isaac, had been with me'. It shows how heavenly in content the Word is, and every detail of it, although nothing of that content is visible in the sense of the letter. It also shows how superior angelic wisdom is to human wisdom, and that angels are aware of the deepest arcana while man does not even know that the Word contains any arcanum at all. Those which have been mentioned are only a very few, for within these arcana angels see and perceive countless details. Indeed, compared with those few arcana an infinity of details are seen by angels which cannot possibly be made known here because human language is inadequate to express what they are. Nor is the human mind capable of receiving them.