Water is the basis of life, the essential ingredient in all drinks, and in the form of rivers, lakes and oceans supports life in myriad ways. The spiritual meaning of water is similarly basic: It represents truth in general, the ideas and concepts that guide us to do good things in our lives. In a more specific sense, it represents truth at its simplest level: the ideas we learn from the Bible and simply believe. Swedenborg refers to this as “natural” truth or “truths of faith.” They are not things we have explored, figured out or confirmed through life; rather they are things that we accept to be true because we’ve been told they are true. Like water, these ideas flow to us from other sources. And like water, they are ever-changing; to build something permanent we might look to the more permanent ideas represented by stones. But water is crucial to life, and so are these accepted ideas. Water can also, of course, be threatening. Rivers, lakes and oceans are inherently dangerous, and flooding was an ever greater threat in Biblical times than it is now. These aspects represent the opposite meaning – water as falsity, twisted ideas which support evil and can overwhelm and destroy us if we’re not careful.

37. And I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet. This symbolizes a manifest perception of Divine truth revealed from heaven.

A loud voice, when heard from heaven, symbolizes Divine truth, as we will show next. It sounded like the voice of a trumpet for the reason that when Divine truth descends from heaven, it is sometimes heard as such by angels of the lowest heaven, and they then manifestly perceive it. That is why "a voice, as of a trumpet" symbolizes a manifest perception. More on the symbolism of a trumpet will be seen in nos. 397 and 519 below.

That a loud voice, when heard from heaven, symbolizes Divine truth, is apparent from the following passages:

The voice of Jehovah is over the waters... The voice of Jehovah is powerful; the voice of Jehovah is accompanied with honor. The voice of Jehovah breaks the cedars... The voice of Jehovah falls like a flame of fire. The voice of Jehovah shakes the wilderness... The voice of Jehovah makes the deer give birth... (Psalms 29:3-9)

You kingdoms of the earth..., sing praises to the Lord... Behold, He will send out His voice, a mighty voice. (Psalms 68:32-33)

Jehovah has given voice before His army...; for numerous is he who obeys His word. (Joel 2:2)

Jehovah... will utter His voice from Jerusalem. (Joel 3:16)

Moreover, because a voice symbolizes Divine truth from the Lord, therefore the Lord said that "the sheep hear His voice," that "they know His voice" (John 10:3-4). Also,

Other sheep I have...; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice... My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. (John 10:16, 27)

And elsewhere:

The hour is coming... when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of Man, ¹ and those who hear will live. (John 5:25)

The voice here is the Lord's Divine truth emanating from His Word.

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