When 'islands' are contrasted to 'earth' or 'mountains,' they signify the truths of faith, because they are in the sea. They signify doctrinal things which are rituals. 'Islands' signify peoples who are more remote from the worship of God. People who are steeped in the internal sense of the Word, such as angels, do not know what islands are, because they no longer have any concept of such places. Instead they have a perception of more remote worship, like the gentiles outside the church.

'Islands,' in Ezekiel 27:6, signify people in the church in a natural, materially-oriented state but still rational.

(참조: Apocalypse Explained 406; Isaiah 1, Isaiah 49, 49:1)

420. And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. This symbolizes spiritual Divine truth flowing in from heaven into the church with them, examining and exposing them.

A star here symbolizes spiritual Divine truth, because it fell from the spiritual heaven, as described in nos. 387, 388 above. And the earth here symbolizes the church with people concerned with its internal elements, as said in no. 398 above.

Spiritual Divine truth means intelligence springing from a spiritual love, which is love for the neighbor. But because this intelligence is today called faith, and this love, charity, it is faith springing from charity, or rather, it is the truth of faith springing from the goodness of charity, symbolized here by the star.

A star in the singular has a similar symbolic meaning in Revelation 2:28; 22:16. For stars in the plural symbolize concepts of goodness and truth (no. 51), and these are the means to intelligence.

That it is Divine truth examining and exposing is apparent from what follows.