887.(Verse 10) The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, mixed pure in the cup of his indignation. That this signifies appropriation of falsity and of the evil, conjoined with falsified truths from the sense of the letter of the Word, is evident from the signification of drinking, as denoting to take in and appropriate to themselves; concerning which see above (n. 617); and from the signification of wine, as denoting truth from good, and, in the opposite sense, falsity from evil (see n. 376); and from the signification of wrath, as denoting evil, because this is angry with good, and desires its destruction (concerning which see (n. 693, 754). It is said, the anger of God, but anger against God is meant, as in many passages where anger and wrath are attributed to God, and also evil in general (see n. 481, at the end, and n. 647). In this case, therefore, by drinking the wine of the wrath of God, is signified the imbibing and appropriation of falsity and of the evil therefrom. The reason why imbibing and appropriating evil is effected by faith separated from good works is, that goods of life, which constitute good works, are separated as having no justifying power, thus as not being saving; in their place these evils then succeed. For in proportion as goods recede, in the same proportion evils enter; for no one can serve two masters - evil and good together. And from the signification of being mixed pure, as denoting to be conjoined with falsified truths, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of cup, as denoting the external containant of truth, thus the Word in the sense of its letter. For when by wine is signified truth, by cup is signified its containant; and the sense of the letter of the Word is that which contains truth, both natural and spiritual. That cup signifies the same as wine, thus the thing contained; and that it also signifies that which is contained, is evident from the passages in the Word where cup, chalice, goblet, and vial are mentioned; these will be adduced in the explanation of chapters 17 and 18, following. Because cup signifies the external or containant of truth, that is, the sense of the letter of the Word, which is falsified by those who are in the doctrine and also in the life of faith separated, therefore it is called the cup of God's indignation. It is here said, the anger and indignation of God, as in many other passages of the Word; and by anger is meant the love of and desire for evil in man; and by indignation the love of and desire for falsity in him; for anger is said of evil, and indignation of falsity; concerning which see above (n. 481, at the end). From these things it is clear, that by wine mixed pure in the cup of the indignation of God, is signified conjunction with falsified truths derived from the sense of the letter of the Word.

[2] The reason why being mixed pure signifies to be conjoined with falsified truths of the Word is, that by pure (merum) is meant intoxicating wine, and thence also intoxication; consequently, in the spiritual sense, delirium as to truths by means of falsities; for such delirium is spiritual intoxication. The word, also, by which pure (merum) is expressed in the original tongue, is derived from a word signifying to be intoxicated. Because this is signified by pure (merum), and those who falsify the Word are spiritually drunken, that is, are in a state of delirium as to truths; therefore, in the two passages where pure (merum) is mentioned in the Word, the subject is the falsification of truth. As in Isaiah and Hosea.

[3] In Isaiah:

"How is the faithful city become a harlot; full of judgment, justice lodged in her; but now murderers. Thy silver is become dross, thy pure (merum) [wine] mixed with waters" (1:21, 22).

By harlot, everywhere in the Word, is signified falsified truth; as may be seen above (n. 141, 161); and by city is signified doctrine. Hence by the faithful city becoming a harlot, is signified that the doctrine, which before had been the doctrine of genuine truth, is become the doctrine of falsified truth. Full of judgment, justice lodged in her, signifies where the truth of doctrine and the good of love were in abundance; for judgment, in the Word, is said of the truth of doctrine and of the understanding; and justice, of the good of love and of the will. But now murderers, signifies that falsification has extinguished the understanding of truth and the perception of good. That these things are signified by a murderer, may be seen above (n. 589). Thy silver is become dross, signifies that genuine truth was converted into falsity. Thy pure [wine] mixed with waters, signifies truth made vile and destroyed by its falsification.

[4] And in Hosea:

"Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone. Their wine (vinum) hath gone; they have committed whoredom continually, they have doated" (4:17, 18).

By Ephraim is signified the understanding of the truth of the church; by idols are signified the falsities of religion. It is evident, therefore, what is signified by Ephraim being joined to idols. Let him alone, signifies the rejection of the falsities of that religion from the church. Their wine (vinum) hath gone, signifies the truth of the Word having perished. They have committed whoredom continually, signifies the falsification of it. They have doated, signifies the love of falsity.

From these things it is now evident what is signified in particular by pure [wine] (merum).

481. Neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.- This signifies that they shall not be affected by evil and falsity arising from lusts, as is evident from the signification of the sun, which denotes the Lord as to Divine Love, and in reference to men, spirits, and angels, the good of love from the Lord and directed to the Lord; and in the opposite sense, as here, it denotes the love of self, and thence evil from lusts (ex concupiscentiis); see above (n. 401); and in the Heaven and Hell 116-125). And from the signification of heat, which denotes falsity from that evil, consequently falsity from lusts. For when a man is in heat, that is, when he becomes hot, then he eagerly desires drink that his heat may be allayed, for he is thirsty, and drinking signifies to drink in truths, and in the opposite sense, to drink in falsities, because water and wine (vinum), which are drunk or imbibed, signify truths.

[2] That heat signifies falsity from lusts, or the lust for falsity, is evident from the following passages.

Thus in Jeremiah:

"Blessed is the man that trusteth in Jehovah, for he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, that spreadeth out his roots by the river; he shall not see when heat cometh, but his leaf shall be green; he shall not be anxious in the year of drought, neither shall he cease from yielding fruit" (17:7, 8).

The man who suffers himself to be led by the Lord is compared to a tree, to its growth and fructification, because a tree in the Word signifies the knowledge and perception of truth and good, consequently the man in whom those things are. The tree planted by the waters, means the man in whom there are truths from the Lord, waters denoting truths. That spreadeth out his roots by the river, signifies the extension of intelligence from the spiritual man into the natural. This is said because a river signifies intelligence, and because roots are sent out from the spiritual into the natural man; he shall not see when heat cometh, signifies that he shall not be affected by the lust for falsity. But his leaf shall be green, signifies scientifics (scientifica) living from truths; for leaf signifies the scientific (scientificum), and green signifies what is living from truths. He shall not be anxious in the year of drought, neither shall he cease from yielding fruit, signifies, that in the state when there are no truth and good, he shall not be in fear for the loss and deprivation of them, but that even then truths united to good shall bear fruit. The year of drought signifies a state in which there are loss and deprivation of truth; this is said, because with spirits and angels there are alternations of state; see the Heaven and Hell 154-161).

[3] In Isaiah:

"For thou art become a place of defence to the poor, a fortress to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the inundation, a shadow from the heat; for the blast of the violent is as an inundation against the wall, as drought in a dry place; the tumult of strangers shalt thou subdue; the heat by the shadow of a cloud, the branch of the violent shall he repress" (25:4, 5).

By the poor and the needy are signified those who are destitute of good from ignorance of truth, and yet they desire these. It is called inundation and heat, when evils and falsities rise up and flow in from the proprium, and also from others who are in evil. The blast of the violent, signifies that those things are contrary to the goods and truths of the church; they are called violent who endeavour to destroy goods and truths, and their blast signifies their eager desire to destroy. The tumult of strangers shalt thou subdue, signifies that the Lord will allay and remove the irruption of falsities from evil; tumult signifies irruption, strangers signify falsities from evil, and to subdue signifies to allay and remove. To subdue the heat by the shadow of a cloud, signifies to defend from the lust for falsity, heat denoting the lust for falsity, and the shadow of a cloud, defence therefrom; for the shadow of a cloud tempers the heat of the sun, and assuages its intensity.

[4] In Jeremiah:

"His dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost" (36:30).

These words were said concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah, after he had burned the roll written by Jeremiah, and this act signifies that the truths of the church would perish through the lust for falsities, and thence by hatred of truths. The kings of Judah represented and thence signified in the Word truths from good, and the king there mentioned, the truth of the church which was about to perish. The roll which he burnt signifies the Word; this is said to be burnt when it is falsified and adulterated, and this takes place by means of the lust for falsity from evil. His dead body signifies the man of the church without that spiritual life which is acquired by means of truths from the Word. If this spiritual life becomes extinct, lust for falsities and an aversion to truths alone remain, and consequently he becomes dead, and in the spiritual sense a carcase. Lust for falsities is signified by heat in the day, and hatred of truths by frost in the night. For when the light of heaven, which in its essence is Divine Truth, flows in, those who are in falsities from evil are seized with cold, which is more or less intense according to the warmth of the falsity from evil.

[5] In the same:

"When they are heated I will make their feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may exult, and sleep the sleep of an age, and not awake" (Jeremiah 51:39).

These words are concerning Babylon, which signifies the profanation of good and truth. When they are heated, signifies the warm desire and lust to falsify truths and adulterate goods. To make their feasts, to make them drunken, and to exult, signifies from falsifications to be insane in an extreme degree; their feasts signify the adulterations of good and truth, drunkenness and rejoicing signify insanities in the highest degree, or such as are extreme. To sleep the sleep of an age, and not awake, signifies that they will not perceive truths for ever.

[6] In Hosea:

"They are all hot as an oven, and devour their judges; all their kings fall; there is none among them that calleth unto me" (7:7).

To be hot as an oven signifies lusting after falsity from love of it. To devour their judges, and all their kings to fall, signifies the destruction of all intelligence, the truths from which it arises having been destroyed; judges signify those that are intelligent, and, in an abstract sense, those things which belong to intelligence; and kings signify truths. There is none among them that calleth unto me, signifies that no one cares for truths from the Divine.

[7] In Job:

"He regardeth not the way of the vineyards; drought and heat shall consume the waters of snow" (24:18, 19).

Not to regard the way of the vineyards signifies to regard the truths of the church as of no importance. Drought and heat shall consume the waters of snow, signifies that the want of truth, and thence the lust for falsity will destroy all genuine truths, waters of snow denoting genuine truths.

[8] In Isaiah:

"He will say to the bound, Go forth, to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed upon the ways, and their pasture shall be on all heights. They shall not hunger nor thirst, neither the heat nor the sun shall smite them; for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, yea, even unto fountains of waters shall he guide them" (49:9, 10).

The signification of these words need not be explained in detail, since they are similar to those that we are now explaining in the Apocalypse, and are as follows:- "They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat, for the Lamb shall feed them and lead them unto living fountains of waters."

These things in the Apocalypse, in a similar manner to those in the prophet, are spoken of the Lord. By the bound here mentioned, to whom he shall say, "Go forth," and by those who are in darkness, to whom he shall say, "shew yourselves," are signified also the Gentiles, who had lived in good according to their religion, and yet were in falsities from ignorance; they are said to be bound, when they are in temptations. Darkness denotes falsities arising from ignorance. That the heat shall not smite them, signifies that falsity from lust (ex concupiscentia) shall not affect them.

[9] In the Apocalypse:

"And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun, and it was given unto him to scorch men with fire; and men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God" (16:8, 9).

These words will be explained hereafter in their proper place. Because the sun signifies the Divine Love, therefore also heat signifies ardent desire for truth, as in Isaiah 18:4; and Zech. 8:2, where heat is attributed to Jehovah, that is, to the Lord. In many passages anger and wrath are predicated of God, and by anger is signified zeal for good, and by wrath zeal for truth; for wrath and heat are from the same word in the original tongue.