427. And it was given them not to kill them, but to torment them for five months. (9:5) This symbolically means that owing to the Lord's Divine providence it was impossible for them to take away from those without the faith accompanying charity their faculty for understanding and willing truth and good, but only to be able for a short time to induce a mental numbness.

Its being given them means, symbolically, that it was owing to the Lord's Divine providence, as said just above. Their being unable to kill the men lacking the seal of God means, symbolically, that it was impossible for them to take away from those without the faith accompanying charity their faculty for understanding and willing truth and good; for if this faculty were to be taken away from a person, it would kill him spiritually. To torment for five months means, symbolically, to induce a mental numbness for a short time. The number five symbolizes a little something or for a short time, and to torment means, symbolically, to induce a mental numbness, because this is the symbolic meaning of a scorpion (no. 425), and of torment like the torment of a scorpion, as said next in no. 428.

That the faculty of understanding truth and willing it, or rationality and freedom, cannot be taken away from a person, is something we showed many times in Angelic Wisdom Regarding Divine Providence, nos. 73 74, 82-86, 92-99, 138-149, 322.

[2] "Five months" means, symbolically, a little something or for a short time because this is the symbolic meaning of the number five. For periods of time, whether they be hours, days, weeks, months, or years, do not signify a period of time, but a state, and numbers define its character (nos. 4, 10348, 947).

That the number five symbolizes something, and also a little, can be seen from the following passages:

A thousand shall flee... at the threat of five... (Isaiah 30:17)

Five... shall chase a hundred... (Leviticus 26:8)

(Jesus said that) the kingdom of heaven (is like) ten virgins..., five (of whom) were prudent, and five foolish. (Matthew 25:1-2)

The ten virgins symbolize all in the church. Five of them symbolize a part or some.

The like is symbolically meant by the numbers ten and five in the parable in which minas were given to some servants with which to do business, and one of them used his mina to earn ten minas, and a second used his to earn five (Luke 19:13-20). Ten minas symbolize much, and five minas a little. So, too, elsewhere, as in Isaiah 17:6; 19:18, Matthew 14:15-21.

476. That there should be no more time. This symbolically means that there will be no church or any state of the church unless people acknowledge one God, and that the Lord is that God.

Time symbolizes state, and because the church is the subject here, it symbolizes a state of the church. Consequently, that there should be no more time means, symbolically, that there should be no state of the church.

It follows also that it means there would be no church unless people acknowledge one God, and that the Lord is that God. But what is the case today? No one denies that there is one God, but people do deny that the Lord is that God. And yet there cannot be one God in whom there is at the same time a Trinity unless that God is the Lord. No one denies that the church originates from Him who is the Savior and Redeemer, but people do deny that they should turn to Him directly as their Savior and Redeemer.

It is apparent from this that the church will die unless a new one arises, one that acknowledges the Lord alone as God of heaven and earth and accordingly turns to Him directly (see Matthew 28:18 ¹ ). Consequently the statement here that there should be no more time, that is to say, no church, is related to what is said in verse 7 of this chapter, ² and verse 7 in turn is related to what is said in chapter 11:15, ³ where we are told that there would be a church which would be the Lord's alone.

[2] Time symbolizes state because in the spiritual world time is not measured by days, weeks, months and years, but instead by states which are progressions of the inhabitants' lives, by which they recall the past. (On which subject, see the book Heaven and Hell, published in London in 1758, nos. 162-169, where we dealt with time in heaven.)

The state of the church is meant here by time because although day and night, morning and evening, summer and winter mark periods of time in the world, when interpreted in the spiritual sense they mark states of the church. Consequently, when these states come to an end, there is no church; and that is the case when there is no longer any good and truth, thus when the light of truth has become dark, and the warmth of goodness cold. That is what is meant by the statement that there should be no more time.

The following passages in the Word have similar meanings:

(The fourth beast) shall think to change times... (Daniel 7:25)

There shall be one day which is known to Jehovah - neither day nor night (and so not a period of time). (Zechariah 14:7)

...I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in broad daylight (and so not in a period of time). (Amos 8:9)

...a single evil, behold, it has come! An end has come, the end has come... The morning has come upon you, who dwell in the land; the time has come... (Ezekiel 7:5-7)

The morning is the commencement of the New Church (no. 151), which is why it says, "The time has come."

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