116. Internal Meaning of Jeremiah, Chapter 50

Of those who have adulterated and falsified the goods and truths of the church, who are meant by Babylon and Chaldea. (3)

1-3 They will no longer have any good or truth. (3)

4-7 Then those who are in ignorance of good and truth, because of a lack of them, will be brought to the Lord. (11)

8 They will depart from Babylon. 11 (11)

9-10 Babylon will perish, (3)

11 because they have vastated the church. (3)

12-13 It is without any truth. (3, 4)

14-16 Their destruction at the time of judgment, (15)

17 because she has destroyed the church. (15, 3)

18-20 After Babylon has been destroyed, a new church will be established, which will be acceptable to the Lord. (3, 11)

21-24 Babylon will be destroyed because she is against the Lord. (3)

25-30 They are to be wholly destroyed, (3)

31-32 on account of the love of ruling, (3)

33-34 because they do not refrain from destroying the church which the Lord establishes and redeems. (3)

35-38 All things appertaining to them from firsts to lasts have been destroyed by means of falsities. (3)

39-40 They have horrible falsities and evils. (3)

41-46 The last judgment upon them. (15)

342. Verse 13. And every created thing that is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and those that are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, signifies the acknowledgment and consequent glorification of the Lord by the angels that are in the lowest parts of heaven. This is evident from the signification of "every created thing" as being all who are reformed. That "to be created" signifies to be reformed and regenerated, see above (n. 294); therefore "created thing" signifies what is reformed and regenerated; but in reference to the angels, of whom these things are said, it signifies those who were reformed in the world, that is, created anew, for all such are in heaven. "Created thing" here has a like meaning as "creature" in Mark:

Jesus said to the disciples, Go into all the world, preach ye the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15);

where "every creature" means all who receive the gospel and can be reformed by it; the rest are not meant by "creatures," because they do not receive, but hear and reject.

[2] From this the nature of the Word in the sense of the letter can be seen, namely, why the term "creature" is used, and why it is said "every created thing that is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and those that are in the sea, and all that are in them." He who does not know that the sense of the letter is made up of such things as appear before the eyes, and that these signify spiritual things, may easily be led to believe that "every created thing that is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and those that are in the sea, and all that are in them," mean the birds that fly in the sky, the beasts that walk on the earth, and the fishes that are in the sea; and the more because in various other passages in the Word, like things are said of "the birds of heaven," the "beasts of the earth," and also of "whales" and "fishes" (as in Ezekiel 39:17; Psalms 148:7; Job 12:7, 8; Revelation 19:17). Still those whose minds can be somewhat elevated above the sense of the letter instantly perceive by interior sight that these things mean the angels and spirits who are in heaven and under heaven, and that it was these whom John heard when he was in the spirit; for it is said, "heard I saying, Unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, be the blessing, and the honor, and the glory, and the might, unto the ages of the ages;" from which it can be seen that "every created thing" therein means the angels that are in the lowest parts of heaven; moreover, this follows from the fact that the preceding verses treat of the angels of the higher heavens and of the angels of the lower heavens, that they acknowledged and glorified the Lord (See above, n. 322, 335).

[3] It shall now be explained who are meant by those "in heaven," who by those "on the earth and under the earth," and who by those "in the sea." All these mean those who are in the ultimates of heaven, those "in heaven" meaning the higher there, those "on the earth and under the earth" the lower there, and those "in the sea" the lowest there. There are three heavens, and each heaven is divided into three degrees; the same is true of the angels who are in them; consequently in each heaven there are higher, middle, and lower angels; these three degrees of the lowest heaven are meant by those "in heaven," those "on the earth," and those "in the sea." (Respecting this division of the heavens and of each heaven, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 4938, 4939, 9992, 10005, 10017, 10068; and respecting the lowest degree, n. 3293, 3294, 3793, 4570, 5118, 5126, 5497, 5649, 9216; and in the work on Heaven and Hell 29-40.)

It should be known, that in the spiritual world, where spirits and angels are, all things have the same appearance as in the natural world where men are, namely, there are mountains, hills, lands, and seas (See above, n. 304). The angels who are in the third or inmost heaven dwell upon the mountains, those who are in the second or middle heaven dwell upon the hills, and those who are in the first or lowest heaven dwell upon the earth and under the earth, and in the seas. But the seas in which the lowest of that heaven dwell are not like the seas in which the evil dwell; their waters are different. The waters of the seas in which the well-disposed in the lowest heaven dwell are rare and pure; but the waters of the seas in which the evil dwell are gross and impure; thus they are entirely different seas.

[4] These seas I have several times been permitted to see, and also to converse with those who are in them; and it was found that those were there who had been in the world merely sensual, and yet well-disposed; and because they were sensual they were unable to understand what the spiritual is, but only what the natural is; nor could they apprehend the Word and the doctrine of the church from the Word except sensually. All these appear to be as if in a sea; but those who are in it do not seem to themselves to be in a sea, but as it were in an atmosphere like that in which they had lived while in the world; they appear to be in a sea only to those who are above them. At this day there is an immense number there, because so many at this day are sensual. This lowest part of heaven corresponds to the soles of the feet. This is the reason why seas are so often mentioned in the Word, and also fishes therein, "seas" there signifying the generals of truth which belong to the natural man, and "fishes" the sensual knowledges [scientifica sensualia], which are the lowest things of the natural man, consequently such persons, that is, those who are in these knowledges, are signified. (What sensual things and what sensual men are, and that they may be either good or evil, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 50 .) From this it can be known what is meant by "every created thing that is in the heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and those that are in the sea, and all that are in them."

[5] Like things are signified in the following passages by "seas," and by the things that are in them, which are called "fishes" and "whales." In David:

Let heaven and earth praise Jehovah, the seas, and every thing that creepeth therein. For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah (Psalms 69:34-35).

It is said also "every thing that creepeth therein," meaning those who are sensual. "Zion, which God will save," and "the cities of Judah, which He will build," mean the celestial church and its doctrine, "Zion" that church, and "cities" the doctrine. There is a like meaning in these words in David:

Praise Jehovah from the earth, ye whales and all deeps (Psalms 148:7); "whales" meaning the same. For this reason Egypt also is called a "whale" (Ezekiel 29:3);

for "Egypt" signifies the knowing faculty in the natural man, and "whale" knowing in general.

[6] These things have a like signification also elsewhere in the same:

Thou madest him to rule over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet; the flock and all herds, and also the beasts of the field, the bird of heaven, and the fishes of the sea (Psalms 8:6-8).

This treats of the Lord, and His Divine power over heaven and earth; and "the flocks and the herds, the beasts of the field, the bird of heaven, and the fishes of the sea," mean the men, spirits, and angels, in respect to spiritual and natural things pertaining to them; and the "fishes of the sea" meaning those who are in the ultimates of heaven (as above).

In Job:

Ask, I pray, the beasts, and they shall teach thee, or the birds of heaven, and they shall tell thee, or the shrub of the earth, and it shall teach thee; and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not from all these that the hand of Jehovah doeth this? (Job 12:7-10).

[7] In Ezekiel:

The angel brought me back unto the entrance of the house; where behold, waters went out from under the threshold of the house towards the east. Then he said unto me, These waters go out toward the eastern border, and go down into the plain, and come towards the sea; they are sent forth into the sea that the waters may be healed; whence it cometh to pass that every living soul that creepeth, whithersoever the brooks come, shall live; whence it is that there are exceeding many fish, because these waters come thither, and they are healed, that everything may live whither the brook cometh. According to their kind shall the fish be, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. The miry places thereof and the marshes thereof are not healed; they are given to the salt (Ezekiel 47:1, 8-11).

"The waters going out from under the threshold of the house towards the east" signify truths from a celestial origin, "waters" meaning truths, "the east" the good of heavenly love, and "house" heaven and the church; the "plain into which the waters go down," and "the sea into which they come," signify the ultimates of heaven and the church, consequently those who are in ultimates (of whom above), namely, those who are only in the knowledges of truth from the outmost sense of the Word, and apprehend those knowledges naturally and sensually. When such are in simple good, they receive the influx of the higher heavens, whence it is that they also receive in their knowledges what is spiritual, and thus some spiritual life. This is meant by "the waters are sent forth into the sea, that the waters may be healed; whence it cometh to pass that every living soul that creepeth, whithersoever the brooks come, shall live;" likewise by these words, "whence it cometh that there are exceeding many fish, because these waters come thither, and they are healed." But those who are such, and are not good, are meant by these words, "The miry places thereof and the marshes thereof are not healed; they are given to salt;" "to be given to salt" signifying not to receive spiritual life, but to remain in a life merely natural, which, separate from spiritual life, is defiled by falsities and evils, which are "miry places" and "marshes."

[8] Like things are signified by "sea," and by "fishes of the sea," in Isaiah:

Behold, at My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers into a wilderness; their fish stinketh because there is no water, and dieth of thirst (Isaiah 50:2).

"Rebuke" signifies the desolation of all truth; "sea" signifies where truth is in its outmost; "water" signifies truth from a spiritual origin; "to die for thirst" signifies desolation from lack of that truth; "fishes of the sea" signify those who are in the ultimates of truth, in whom there is no life from a spiritual origin.

[9] "Fishes of the sea" have a like signification in Ezekiel:

In My zeal, in the fire of My fury I will speak; that the fishes of the sea, and the fowl of the heavens, and the wild beast of the field, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the ground may quake before Me (Ezekiel 38:19-20).

In Hosea:

They commit robbery, and bloods touch bloods; therefore the land shall mourn, and everyone that dwelleth therein shall languish; as to the wild beast of the field, and as to the fowl of the heavens, and also the fishes of the sea shall be gathered together (Hosea 4:2-3).

And in Zephaniah:

In taking away I will take away all things from upon the faces of the ground; I will take away man and beast; I will take away the fowl of the heavens, and the fishes of the sea (Zephaniah 1:2-3).

"Man and beast" when mentioned together signify the interior and exterior affections of good (See Arcana Coelestia 7424, 7523, 7872); and "the fowl of the heavens and the fishes of the sea" signify the affections of truth and the thoughts spiritual and natural, but in the passages here cited, that these are about to perish.

[10] This significance of "sea" and "fishes" comes from the appearance in the spiritual world; all societies there appear surrounded by an atmosphere corresponding to their affections and thoughts; those in the third heaven appear in an atmosphere pure as the ethereal atmosphere; those in the second heaven appear in an atmosphere less pure, like the aerial; while the societies in the lowest part of heaven appear surrounded by an atmosphere, as it were watery; but those in the hells appear surrounded by gross and impure atmospheres, some of them as if in black waters, and others in other ways. It is the affections and the thoughts therefrom that produce these appearances around them; for spheres are exhaled from all, and these spheres are changed into such appearances. (Of these spheres, see Arcana Coelestia 2489, 4464, 5179, 7454, 8630.) It is also from the appearance in the spiritual world that those who are in spiritual affection and in thought therefrom are signified by "the birds of heaven," and those who are in natural affection and in thought therefrom by "fishes;" for both birds and fishes appear there, birds over the lands, and fishes in the seas. The affections and consequent thoughts of those who are there are what so appear; this is known to all who are in that world; and both the birds and the fishes have been many times seen by me: this appearance is from correspondence. From this it can be seen why "seas" signify the generals of truth, and "whales" and "fishes" the affections and thoughts of those who are in the generals of truth. That "seas" signify the generals of truth has been shown above n. 275.

[11] The quality of those in the spiritual world who dwell in that watery atmosphere which is meant by "seas," I will illustrate by a single example. When such read these words in David:

Everything that Jehovah willeth He doeth, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps (Psalms 135:6);

they do not know otherwise than that "heaven" means the heaven that is visible before our eyes, and "earth" the habitable earth, and "seas" and "deeps" the seas and deeps, thus that Jehovah does in these whatsoever He wills; and they cannot be led to believe that "heaven" means the angelic heaven; "earth" those there who are below, and "seas" and "depths" those there who are in the lowest parts. Because these things are spiritual, and above the sense of the letter, they are not willing and are scarcely able to perceive them because they see all things naturally and sensually.

[12] For this reason, from these words in Revelation:

I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away (Revelation 21:1).

It has been understood heretofore that the visible heaven and the habitable earth were to perish, and that a new heaven and a new earth were to arise. That "heaven" here means the heaven where angels are, and "earth" means the church where men are, and that these are to become new, those who think merely naturally and sensually are not willing to admit, and therefore do not understand; for they do not suffer their mind to be elevated out of the natural light into spiritual light. With such this is difficult, so much so that they can hardly bear that the Word should have any meaning beyond what the letter in its own sense declares and the natural man apprehends. Such persons are not unlike those birds that see and sing in dark places, but in the light of day blink with their eyes and see but little. The good among such are like these birds, and also like flying fishes; but the evil of this class are like night owls and horned owls, which altogether shun the light of day, or like fishes that cannot be elevated into the air without loss of life. The reason is that with the good of this class the internal spiritual man receives some little spiritual influx from heaven, consequently some perception that a thing is so although they do not see it; while with the evil of this class the internal spiritual man is entirely closed up. For everyone has an internal and an external man, or a spiritual and a natural; the internal or spiritual man sees from the light of heaven, but the external or natural man sees from the light of the world.