840. (Verse 17) And that no man should be able to buy or sell, save he that hath the mark of the beast. That this signifies prohibition lest any one should learn or teach anything else but what is acknowledged and thence received in doctrine, is evident from the signification of buying and selling, as denoting to acquire knowledges and to communicate them, thus also to learn and to teach, concerning which we shall speak presently; prohibition is signified by that no one may do those things; and from the signification of mark, as denoting a witness and sign of acknowledgment that those belong to the church who are in the so-called truths and the goods of that faith (concerning which see above, n. 836). It is therefore evident, that by lest any one should buy and sell, if he has not the mark of the beast, is signified prohibition, lest any one should learn and teach anything else but what is acknowledged, thus also what is received in doctrine.
The reason why buying and selling signifies to acquire knowledges of truth and good from the Word, and to communicate them, or, what amounts to the same, to learn and teach is, that by wealth and riches, in the Word, are signified the knowledges of truth and good; and by silver and gold, by means of which buying and selling are transacted, are signified the truths and goods of heaven and the church. This is why buying and selling are spoken of in many parts of the Word, also merchandise and business. By those expressions spiritual buying, selling, merchandise, and business are signified.
[2] Thus in Isaiah:
"Every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price" (55:1).
Every one may see that to buy wine and milk is not here meant. And because to buy signifies to acquire for themselves those things that conduce to the spiritual life of man, it is evident that each thing there mentioned is to be understood spiritually. Thus by the waters to which every one that thirsts might go, are signified truths for those who desire them; waters denote truths from the Word, and to thirst is to desire them. That they should be given freely from the Lord, is signified by, "he that hath no money," likewise "without money and without price." To eat signifies to appropriate; wine and milk signify spiritual truth and natural truth thence, both from good.
[3] In Matthew:
The prudent virgins said to the foolish, "Go rather to them that sell, and buy" oil "for yourselves"; "but whilst they went to them to buy, the bridegroom came" (25:9, 10).
By the prudent virgins are signified those in the church with whom faith is conjoined to charity and by the foolish are signified those in the church with whom faith is separated from charity; for lamps signify the truths of faith, and oil signifies the good of love. Hence by going to them who sell and buying, is signified to those who teach, and to learn or acquire for themselves. But because they had not procured for themselves the good of love, and thereby vivified the truths of faith, while they lived in the world, but afterwards indeed procured these things for themselves - and because no one can procure the good of love after death, and retain it - therefore those foolish virgins, by whom are signified all who separate the good of love or the good of charity from the truths of faith, were not admitted to the marriage, and received by the bridegroom. The marriage signifies heaven; and the bridegroom, the Lord.
[4] In the Evangelists:
"Jesus entered into the temple, and cast out all that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers and the seats of them that sold doves" (Matthew 21:12; Mark 11:15; Luke 19:45).
By the sellers and buyers are here signified those who make gain for themselves out of holy things; by the tables of the money-changers is signified - from holy truths; and by the seats of them who sold doves is signified - those who [make this gain for themselves] from holy goods. Therefore it is afterwards said, that they made the temple a den of thieves; thieves denoting those who lay waste the truths and goods of the church, and thence make to themselves gain.
[5] In Luke:
"As it was in the days of Lot," so shall it be in the days of the Son of man, "they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built" (17:28).
By eating and drinking is there signified to live to themselves and the world, and to appropriate to themselves evils and falsities. By buying and selling is signified to procure those things for themselves and to communicate them to others. By planting and building is signified to confirm themselves therein, and to live in them.
[6] In the same
Jesus said, "Now he that hath a purse let him take it, and likewise his scrip; but he that hath not, let him sell his garments, and buy a sword" (22:36).
What is meant here by these words is evident from what follows in the same chapter, that is, that everything written must be fulfilled in the Lord, thus that He was about to suffer the passion of the cross. And because this must necessarily distract the minds of those who then lived, and also the minds of the disciples, and cause them to have doubts concerning Him, and His kingdom, and so bring them into temptations; and since these can be shaken off only by means of truths, therefore the Lord says, "He that hath a purse and a scrip, let him take them," that is to say, he who possesses truths from the Word in which it is foretold that Christ should suffer such things, let him take heed lest he put them away. For the purse and the scrip signify the same as the coins and the money contained in them, or the knowledges of truth and good from the Word. But he who hath not, let him sell his garments and buy a sword, signifies, let those who have not truths reject everything of their own, and get truths for themselves, with which to fight against falsities. A sword signifies the combat of the truth against falsity and the destruction of the latter.
[7] Because Tyre, in the Word, signifies the church with respect to the knowledges of truth and good, and thence also the knowledges of truth and good which the church has and which are also serviceable for its doctrine, therefore, where Tyre is treated of in the Word, her tradings are also treated of, by which is signified their acquisition, and also communication to others.
As in Ezekiel:
"All the ships in the sea were for trading thy trading; Tarshish was thy trader in silver, iron, tin, and lead; they gave thy markets. Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, these were thy merchants; with the persons of men and vessels of brass they gave thy trading. The sons of Dedan were thy merchants; many islands the merchants of thy hand. Syria was thy trader with chrysoprasus. But thy wealth and thy tradings, thy markets, and they who trade thy trading, shall fall into the heart of the seas in the day of thy fall" (27:1, to the end).
In Isaiah:
"Howl, ye ships of Tarshish, because Tyre is laid waste, whose merchants are princes, her traders the honoured of the earth" (23:1, 8).
Who cannot see that by the tradings and merchandise here are not meant tradings and merchandise? For what has the Word in common with such things, which in itself is Divine and heavenly, and teaches man about God, heaven and the church, eternal life, and similar things? Who cannot see, then, that all the particulars there signify spiritual things, pertaining to heaven and the church; not only the names of the places there with which trading was carried on, but also the special kinds of merchandise? But what the particulars in the spiritual sense signify it would be too tedious to unfold in this place. It is sufficient to know, that tradings there signify the acquisition and communication of the knowledges of truth and good; and the merchandise or wares those knowledges, which are multifarious.
[8] That such things are signified is evident also from theses words in Ezekiel:
In thy wisdom and in thine intelligence thou hast gotten thee wealth, and hast gotten gold and silver in thy treasures; by the abundance of thy wisdom in thy trading, thou hast multiplied to thee wealth (28:4, 5).
This treats of the prince of Tyre, by whom are meant knowledges (cognitiones) of truth from the Word, by which intelligence and wisdom are procured. And because these same knowledges are signified by wealth, and procuring them is meant by trading, therefore, it is said, "by the multiplication of thy wisdom in thy trading thou hast multiplied to thee wealth."
[9] From these things it is evident,
why the Lord compared the kingdom of the heavens "to a merchantman seeking goodly pearls, who, when he had found one precious pearl, went and sold all that he had, and bought it" (Matthew 13:45, 46).
By pearls are signified knowledges, also truths themselves; and by one precious pearl is signified the acknowledgment of the Lord. By selling all that he had is signified to banish everything of one's own love; and by buying it is signified to procure that Divine truth for himself.
[10] The same is also meant by the treasure hid in a field,
"which a man, having found, hid it, and for joy went and sold all that he had, and bought the field" (Matthew 13:44).
By the treasure is signified the Divine truth in the Word; by the field is signified the church and its doctrine; and by selling all that he had and buying the field is signified, in this case as above, to banish what is one's own and procure for oneself the Divine truth which is in the Lord's church.
[11] Because trading signified the acquisition and possession of truths, therefore the Lord spoke by a parable
Of a man going a journey and giving to his servants talents, that they might trade with them and make gain (Matthew 25:14-20).
And of another:
Who gave to his servants ten pounds, that they might trade with them (Luke 19:12-26).
Similar things are also signified by trading, matters of trade, and traders, in other parts of the Word. So also in the opposite sense, in which the receptions and appropriations of falsities are signified; as in Isaiah 48:15; Ezekiel 16:3; Nahum 3:14; Apoc. 18:3, 11-24. Hence the church in which such things prevail is called
A land of trading (Ezekiel 16:29; 21:30, 31 2
; 29:14).
Moreover, by selling and being sold is signified to banish truths, and to be alienated from them, and, instead of them, to accept falsities and be captivated by them, as in Isaiah 50:1; 52:3; Ezekiel 30:12; Joel 3:6, 7; Nahum 3:4; Zech. 13:5; Psalm 44:11-13; Deuteronomy 32:30.
From these things it is evident what is properly signified by being redeemed and by redemption, where the Lord is treated of.
As in Isaiah:
"Ye have sold yourselves for nought; therefore ye shall be redeemed without money" (Isaiah 52:3);
and in many other passages.
