Apocalypse Explained #728
728. And her child was caught up unto God and His throne.- That this signifies the protection of the doctrine by the Lord, because it is for the New Church, is evident from the signification of the child or male child, which was brought forth by the woman who was encompassed with the sun, under whose feet was the moon, and on whose head was a crown of twelve stars, as denoting doctrine from the Word, and in fact the doctrine of truth, that is, the doctrine of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbour, and lastly of faith; and from the signification of being caught up unto God and His throne, as denoting protection by the Lord from the dragon, that stood before the woman who was about to bring forth, with the intention and desire of devouring that which should be brought forth. Such protection by the Lord against those who are meant by the dragon is signified here by these words. And as that doctrine is to be the doctrine of the church which is called the New Jerusalem, therefore it is said to be protected because it is for the New Church. It is said, "Caught up unto God and His throne," God meaning the Lord, and His throne heaven; it is caught up unto the Lord and to heaven, because that doctrine is from the Lord, and heaven is in that doctrine.
[2] An expression is also used of Enoch, the son of Jared, similar to that applied here to the child born of the woman, which it is said "was caught up unto God," but in these words "Enoch walked with God, and was no more, because God took him" (Genesis 5:24). Who are meant by this Enoch, and what Enoch signifies has been disclosed to me from heaven, namely, that they were those of the Most Ancient Church who collected together the representatives and correspondences of natural things with spiritual. For the men of the Most Ancient Church had a spiritual understanding and perception of all things which they saw with their eyes, and thus from the objects in the world they clearly perceived the spiritual things to which they corresponded. And because the Lord foresaw that this spiritual perception would perish with their posterity, and with this perception also the knowledge of correspondences, through which the human race has conjunction with heaven, therefore the Lord provided that some of those who lived among the most ancient people should make a compilation of correspondences and reduce them to book form (in codicem conferrent); these are meant by Enoch, and it is this book that is here signified. Because this book was to furnish the coming churches, to be established by the Lord after the deluge, with a knowledge (scientia) and cognition of what is spiritual in natural things, therefore it was preserved by the Lord for their use, and also guarded lest the final posterity of the Most Ancient Church, who were evil, should do injury to it. This therefore is the signification, in the spiritual sense, of Enoch being no more, because God took him. From these things it is evident what is signified by the child of the woman being caught up unto God and His throne.
Exodus 17
1
And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink.
2
Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD?
3
And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
4
And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.
5
And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and Go.
6
Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
7
And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?
8
Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.
9
And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.
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So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
11
And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
12
But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
13
And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
14
And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.
15
And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi:
16
For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
