9955. 'And fill their hand' means a representative sign of the Lord in respect of the truth of faith. This is clear from the meaning of 'filling the hand' of Aaron and his sons as consecrating to serve as a representative sign of the Lord in respect of Divine Truth that constitutes faith. For 'the hand' means the power that truth from good possesses, and therefore the hand is spoken of in reference to truth, see 3091, 3387, 4931-4937, 7518, 8281, 9025. Consequently, then, just as anointing served to represent the Lord in respect of Divine Good, so the filling of hands represented the Lord in respect of Divine Truth. For everything throughout creation has connection with goodness or truth, or both if it is to have any real existence. In the Word therefore wherever the subject has to do with good, it has to do also with truth, see the places referred to in 9263, 9314. In what way the filling of hands was carried out is described in the next chapter; therefore what needs to be said about it will in the Lord's Divine mercy appear there.

8295. 'My hand will drive them out' means that by its power heaven will be destroyed. This is clear from the meaning of 'driving out' as dislodging and so destroying; and from the meaning of 'hand' as power, dealt with in 878, 4931-4937, 6292, 6947, 7188, 7189, 7518. Heaven is meant because of the words 'will drive them out', that is, from heaven; for when the restraint placed on the evil is loosened they become so bold and arrogant as to think that they have the power to destroy heaven itself. For all who are in the hells are opposed to heaven because they are opposed to goodness and truth and consequently have a constant desire to destroy it, and so far as they are allowed, try to do so, 8273(end).

[2] Seeking to destroy heaven or to dislodge those who are there is not accomplished by a hostile incursion as on earth, for no incursion or conflict such as that takes place in the next life. Instead it is accomplished by the destruction of truth which belongs to faith and of good which belongs to love; for the truth of faith and the good of love constitute heaven. These are the things in which conflicts and wars in the next life consist. How terrible and horrid they are will in the Lord's Divine mercy be told at the ends of the chapters where the hells will be the subject. ¹ The war described in John should not be understood in any other kind of way,

War took place in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, while the dragon fought and his angels, but they did not prevail. Revelation 12:7-8.

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