515. Verses 10, 11. And the third angel sounded, and there fell from heaven a great star burning as a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers and upon the fountains of the waters. And the name of the star is called Wormwood; and the third part of the waters became wormwood, and many men died of the waters because they were made bitter.

10. "And the third angel sounded," signifies influx out of heaven, and the consequent third change with the evil (n. 516); "and there fell from heaven a great star burning as a lamp," signifies the truth of the Word falsified by self-love n. 517; "and it fell upon the third part of the rivers and upon the fountains of the waters," signifies that consequently all the understanding of truth perished, and thereby the doctrine of the church n. 518.

11. "And the name of the star is called Wormwood," signifies truth mixed with the falsity of evil n. 519; "and the third part [of the waters] became wormwood," signifies that every truth became such in the understanding and in doctrine n. 520; "and many men died of the waters," signifies that all who were such were destroyed by the falsities into which the truths of the Word were changed (n. 521); "because they were made bitter," signifies because the truths of the Word were falsified n. 522.

520. And the third part [of the waters] became wormwood, signifies that every truth in the understanding and in doctrine became such. This is evident from the signification of "the third part," as being all, here every truth in the understanding and in doctrine, because it is predicated of "the rivers" and "the fountains of waters," which signify the understanding of truth, and doctrine from the Word (that "the third part" signifies all, see above, n. 506; also from the signification of "wormwood," as being truth mixed with the falsity of evil (as was explained in the preceding article). This makes evident that "the third part became wormwood" signifies that every truth in the understanding and in doctrine was mixed with the falsity of evil. Truth is mixed with the falsity of evil when evils of life, which are adulteries, whoredoms, murders, hatreds of various kinds, enmities, injustices for the sake of gain, artful and clandestine thefts and robberies, cunning, deceit, and other like evils are confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word, so, too, when falsities of religion are upheld by such means by those who are in the love of self, and thus in the pride of self-intelligence. Truths are then mixed with the falsities of evil, because all things of the Word are truths, but when they are applied and wrested to confirm evils of life and false principles of religion, the truths of the Word are mingled with the falsities of evil, and in this way truths themselves come to be no longer truths, but truths falsified, and these in themselves are falsities. The truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, that they may remain truths, must be applied to the confirmation of goods of life and true principles of religion; if they are drawn aside and diverted from this application as their end they are no longer truths, since there is no perception of truth in them. The perception of truth comes from good, not from evil.

[2] For in every part of the Word there is a marriage of good and truth; consequently if good is not in the truths of the Word, as they are perceived, truths are without their consort, and may be applied to any evil cupidities and to any false principles whatsoever, and thus become the falsities of evil. In this way the truths of the Word are falsified by all those who from self-love are in the pride of self-intelligence; for inwardly, evils of every kind from love of self, and thence falsities of every kind from the pride of self-intelligence, have rule, while outwardly, in speech and in preaching, there are truths from the Word which sound like truths to those who are in simple good, but within with the one speaking or preaching these swarm with falsities of every kind. With such the truth of the Word is like a vessel pure and shining, in which are filthy waters that are not seen through the vessel by those who are in simple good, but are plainly seen by the angels of heaven.