7553. Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail. That this signifies falsities destroying all things of the church with them, is evident from the signification of a “rain of hail,” as being falsities from evil destroying the truths and goods of faith, thus the things of the church. That a “rain of hail” has this signification is because it is like stones, and destroys both men and beasts, also the produce of the field, and likewise because it is cold. A “rain” in general signifies a blessing, and in the opposite sense a curse (see n. 2445); when a blessing, it signifies the influx and reception of the truth that is of faith and of the good that is of charity, for this is a blessing; but when it signifies a curse, it signifies falsity that is contrary to the truth of faith, and evil that is contrary to the good of charity, for these are a curse. But a “rain of hail” in general signifies the curse that belongs to falsity from evil, and indeed to falsity from evil against the truths and goods of the church.

[2] This is signified by a “rain of hail” in the following passages:

I will dispute with God with pestilence and with blood; and I will make it rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many peoples that are with him, an inundating rain, and hailstones, fire, and sulphur (Ezekiel 38:22);

“Gog” denotes outward worship separate from inward, thus those who when charity is extinct make everything of Divine worship consist in outward things; “hailstones” denote falsities from evil.

[3] In the same:

My hand shall be against the prophets that see vanity, and that divine a lie; say unto them that daub with what is untempered, that it shall fall; there shall be an inundating rain, by which ye hailstones shall fall; and a wind of storms shall burst through it (Ezekiel 13:9, 11);

“the prophets that see vanity and divine a lie” denote those who teach evils and falsities; “those who daub with what is untempered” denotes that they invent falsities, and make them appear like truths. These are called “hailstones” from falsities; but “hail” in this and in the passage above quoted is expressed in the original by another word which means “great hail.”

[4] In Isaiah:

Then Jehovah shall cause the glory of His voice to be heard, and His arm shall see quiet, in the indignation of anger, and a flame of devouring fire, with scattering and inundation, and with hailstone (Isaiah 30:30-31); where “hailstone” denotes the vastation of truth through falsities. In the same:

Behold the Lord is strong and mighty; like an inundation of hail, a storm of slaughter, like an inundation of mighty waters overflowing, shall He cast down to the earth with the hand; the hail shall overthrow the refuge of a lie, and they shall inundate the hiding place of waters (Isaiah 28:2, 17);

“an inundation” denotes immersion in falsities, and thus the vastation of truth (n. 705, 739, 790, 5725, 6853); “an inundation of hail” denotes the destruction of truth through falsities.

[5] In David:

He smote their vine with hail, and their sycamores with grievous hail; and He shut up their beast with the hail, and their cattle with coals of fire. He sent against them the wrath of His anger (Psalms 78:47-49).

He made their rains hail, a flaming fire in their land, and smote their vine and their fig-tree, and broke in pieces the tree of their border (Psalms 105:32-33);

“hail and rain” denote the vastation of truth and good through falsities from evil; the “vine” denotes the truth and good of the internal church; the “sycamore” and the “fig-tree,” denote the truths and goods of the external church. In the same:

Who giveth snow like wool; He scattereth the hoar frost like dust, who castest forth His hail like morsels; who can stand before His cold? (Psalms 147:16-17);

“hail” denotes falsities from evils. In the same:

He made darkness His hiding place, His circuits His tent, the darkness of the waters, the clouds of the heavens, from the brightness before Him the clouds passed, with hailstone and coals of fire; Jehovah thundered in the heavens, and the Most High gave His voice, hailstone and coals of fire, so that He sent arrows and scattered them (Psalms 18:12-15);

“hailstone” denotes falsities from evil which vastate truths and goods.

[6] In John:

The first angel sounded, and there came hail and fire mingled with blood, and it fell upon the earth, so that the third part of the trees was burnt up, and all the green grass was burnt up (Revelation 8:7);

“hail” denotes falsities from evil; “fire mingled with blood,” the evil of cupidities together with falsified truths; the “trees that were burnt up” denote the knowledges of truth destroyed by the evil of cupidities; the “green grass that was burnt up” denotes the memory-knowledges of truth likewise destroyed. (That “fire” denotes the evil of cupidities, see n. 1297, 1861, 2446, 5071, 5215, 6314, 6832, 7324; that “blood” denotes falsified truth, n. 4735, 6978, 7317, 7326; that “trees” denote knowledges, n. 2722, 2972)

[7] In Joshua:

It came to pass, as they fled before Israel in the going down of Bethhoron, when Jehovah cast down upon them great stones from the heavens even unto Azekah, that they died; there were more who died with the hailstones than they whom the sons of Israel slew with the sword (Josh. 10:11);

this is said of the five kings who fought against Gibeon; by these kings and their people were represented those who are in falsities from evils, therefore they died with the hailstones; morsels of hail are called “stones,” because “stones” also signify falsities. From all this it is evident what is signified by “hail” and “rain of hail,” namely, falsities from evils; and consequently the vastation of truth and good is also signified, for this is effected through falsities from evils.

5215. And parched with the east wind. That this signifies full of cupidities, is evident from the signification of “parched with the east wind,” as being to be consumed by the fire of cupidities. For the “east wind” and the “east,” in the genuine sense, are love to the Lord and love toward the neighbor (see n. 101, 1250, 3249, 3708, 3762); hence in the opposite sense they are love of self and love of the world, consequently evil desires and cupidities; for these belong to the loves referred to. “Fire” is predicated of these things for the reason spoken of above (see n. 5071), and consequently “to be parched” is predicated of them.

[2] For there are two sources of heat, as also of light; one source of heat is the sun of the world, and the other source is the sun of heaven, which is the Lord. It is known that the sun of the world pours forth heat into its world, and into all the things therein; but that the sun of heaven pours heat into the whole heaven is not so well known. And yet this may be known, if anyone will reflect upon the heat that is within man, and that has nothing in common with the heat of this world, that is, the heat called vital heat. From this it might be known that this heat is of a different nature from that of the heat of this world; and this true heat is living, while that of this world is not living; and that because spiritual heat is living, it kindles man’s interiors, of his will and understanding, and gives him to desire and to love and also to be affected. For this reason also desires, loves, and affections are spiritual heat, and are so called. That they are heat is very manifest, for heat is exhaled on all sides from living bodies, even in the greatest cold; and also when the desires and affections, that is, the loves, grow warmer, the body also grows warm in the same degree. This is the heat that is meant in the Word by “burning,” “fire,” and “flame”; and in the genuine sense it is heavenly and spiritual love, but in the opposite sense bodily and earthly love. From this it is evident that here by being “parched with the east wind” is signified being consumed by the fire of cupidities, and when predicated of memory-knowledges, which are the “thin ears” of corn, there is signified that they are full of cupidities.

[3] That by the “east wind” is signified what is of cupidites and the derivative phantasies is evident from the passages in the Word where it is mentioned, as in David:

He made the east wind to go forth in the heavens, and by His power He brought forth the south wind, and He made it rain down flesh upon them as dust, and winged fowl as the sand of the sea (Psalms 78:26-27).

That by the “flesh” which that wind brought are signified evil desires, and by the “winged fowl” the derivative phantasies, is plain in Moses (Numbers 11:31-35), where it is said that the name of the place in which the people were smitten with a plague because of their eating flesh was called “The graves of lust, because there they buried the people that lusted.”

[4] In Ezekiel:

Behold the vine that has been planted, shall it prosper? Shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? Upon the beds of its shoots it shall wither (Ezekiel 17:10).

The vine was plucked up in anger, it hath been cast forth to the earth, and the east wind hath withered its fruit; all the rods of its strength have been plucked off and withered; the fire hath devoured everyone, for fire hath gone forth from a rod of its branches, it hath devoured its fruit, so that there is not in it a rod of strength, a scepter for ruling (Ezekiel 19:12, 14); where the “east wind” denotes what belongs to cupidities.

In Isaiah:

He meditated upon His rough wind, in the day of the east wind (Isaiah 27:8).

[5] In Hosea:

The east wind shall come, the wind of Jehovah coming up from the wilderness; and its spring shall become dry, and its fountain shall be dried up; it shall make a prey of the treasure of all vessels of desire (Hos. 13:15); where also the “east wind” denotes what belongs to cupidities. Likewise in Jeremiah:

As the east wind I will scatter them before the enemy (Jeremiah 18:17).

[6] In David:

With the east wind thou wilt break the ships of Tarshish (Psalms 48:7).

In Isaiah:

Thou hast forsaken Thy people, the house of Jacob, because they are filled with the east wind, and the soothsayers are Philistines (Isaiah 2:6).

In Hosea:

Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind; every day he multiplieth a lie and a wasting (Hos. 12:1);

“wind” here denotes phantasies, and the “east wind,” cupidities. Similar also is the meaning in the internal sense of the “east wind” by which locusts were produced, and by which they were driven into the sea (Exodus 10:13, 19); and also by which the waters of the sea Suph were divided (Exodus 14:21).