In chapter 4 of the Book of Amos, verses 1-3 are talking about people who pervert the truths of the church. They will fall into falsities in outermost things.

In the Bible, fish represent "lower" things than mammals, so we can interpret the fishhooks in verse 2 as meaning being caught and held fast in natural or lower things.

Verses 4-6 are about acts of worship such as tithes and sacrifices. These look similar to genuine worship, but are only external sorts of things. We can tell because ‘teeth’ (in verse 6) represent ultimates or outermost things (see Secrets of Heaven 6380). It follows that “cleanness of teeth” would mean outermost things that look good but only imitate genuine worship. The Lord exhorts, “Yet you have not returned to me.”

Verses 7-8. Some things true will remain, when where there are too many false ideas, the truths don't get through. This can be seen where the Lord says, “I made it rain on one city; I withheld rain from another city... where it did not rain the part withered.” Again the Lord exhorts, “Yet you have not returned to me.”

Verse 9. Afterward all things of the church are falsified, shown by blight attacking the gardens, vineyards, fig tree and olive trees. The last three represent spiritual, natural and celestial things, or all the things of spiritual life. “Yet you have not returned to me,” says the Lord.

Verses 10-11. The Lord explains the devastating things he allowed to happen: plague in Egypt, death of young men by swords, stench in the camps, Sodom and Gomorrah. This is because they are profaned by sensual knowledges. Profanation means the mixing of good and evil together. (See Secrets of Heaven 1001[2]).

This extends to all things of the church, with the church being the Lord’s kingdom on earth (Secrets of Heaven 768[3]).

With profanation “as soon as any idea of what is holy arises, the idea of what is profane joins immediately to it,” (Secrets of Heaven 301).

Now there is hardly anything left. “Yet you have not returned to Me,” says the Lord again.

Verses 12-13: Because people adamantly remain in their profane ways, they are warned, “Prepare to meet your God!”. This is the God powerful and mighty, “who forms mountains, and creates the wind,” and even more close to home, “Who declares to man what his thought is.” As intimately a knowing as that is, the Lord’s love for all humanity is contained in His exhortations for them to turn themselves to Him.

See, for example, Luke 6:44-45, and True Christian Religion 373.

3300. 'And the first came out, ruddy all over, like a hairy garment' ¹ means good constituting the life of natural truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'coming out' as being born, from the meaning of 'ruddy' as good constituting the life, dealt with below, and from the meaning of 'a hairy garment' as the truth of the natural, also dealt with below. His being 'the first' means that in essence good is prior, as stated above in 3299. It is also called 'a hairy garment' so as to mean that good was clothed with truth as in a thin casing or body, as also stated above in 3299. In the Word 'a tunic' means nothing else in the internal sense than something that clothes another thing, and that also is why truths are compared to garments, 1073, 2576.

[2] The reason why 'ruddy' or 'red' means good constituting the life is that all good flows from love, and love itself is celestial and spiritual fire. Love is also compared to and actually called fire, see 933-936, as well as being compared to and actually called blood, 1001. Because both fire and blood are red, good that flows from love is meant by 'ruddy' and 'red', as may also be seen from the following places in the Word: In the prophecy of Jacob, who by then was Israel,

He will wash his clothing in wine and his garment in the blood of grapes. His eyes will be redder than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk. Genesis 49:11-12.

This refers to Judah, who is used here to mean the Lord, as may be clear to anyone. 'Clothing' here and 'garment' are the Lord's Divine Natural. 'wine' and 'the blood of grapes' are the Divine Good and Divine Truth of the Natural - Divine Good being spoken of as 'eyes redder than wine', and Divine Truth as 'teeth whiter than milk'. It is the joining together of good and truth within the Natural that is described in this fashion.

[3] In Isaiah,

Who is this who is coming from Edom, red as to his clothing, and his clothes like his that treads in the winepress? Isaiah 63:1-2.

Here 'Edom' stands for the Divine Good of the Lord's Divine Natural, as will be evident later on. 'Red as to clothing' is the good of truth, and 'clothes like his that treads in the winepress' the truth of good. In Jeremiah,

Her Nazirites were brighter than snow, they were whiter than milk. They were ruddier in body ² than rubies, polished like sapphire. ³ Lamentations 4:7.

'Nazirites' represented the Lord's Divine Human, in particular the Divine Natural, and so the good of the latter was represented by their being 'ruddier in body than rubies'.

[4] Because 'red' meant good, in particular the good of the natural, the Jewish Church - in which every single thing was representative of the Lord, and from this of His kingdom, and consequently of good and truth which are the source of the Lord's kingdom - was therefore commanded to have a covering for the tabernacle of red-rams' skins, Exodus 25:5; 26:14; 35:5-7, 23; 36:19. That Church was also commanded to prepare the water for making atonement from the ashes of the red heifer that had been burnt, Numbers 19:2 and following verses. Unless the colour red had been a sign of something heavenly in the Lord's kingdom, it would never have been commanded that the rams should be red and that the heifer should be red. The fact that they represented sacred things anyone acknowledges who considers the Word to be sacred. Because the colour red had that meaning, therefore also the coverings of the Tabernacle were interwoven with, and had loops made of, scarlet, purple, and violet yarn, Exodus 35:6.

[5] Seeing that almost everything also has a contrary sense, as often stated, so too has 'red'. In the contrary sense 'red' means evil that is the outcome of self-love, the reasons for this being that the desires belonging to self-love are compared to and actually called fire, 934 (end), 1297, 1527, 1528, 1861, 2446, and are likewise compared to and actually called blood, 374, 954, 1005. Consequently 'red' in the contrary sense means those things, as in Isaiah,

Jehovah said, Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white as snow. Though they are red as crimson, ⁴ they will be as wool. Isaiah 1:18.

In Nahum,

The shields of the mighty men of Belial have been made red, the mighty men are in crimson!; enveloped in the fire of torches are the chariots on the day [of preparation]. Nahum 2:3.

In John,

Another sign appeared in heaven, Behold, a great fiery-red dragon having seven heads, and on his heads seven jewels. Revelation 12:3.

In the same book,

I saw, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; to him a crown was given; he went out conquering and to conquer. Then there came out another horse, fiery-red; and he who sat on the horse was permitted to take peace away from the earth, and so that men would slay one another. Therefore to him was given a great sword. After that a black horse came out, and at length a pale horse, whose name is death. Revelation 6:2-8.

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