594. Encompassed with a cloud, signifies the ultimate of the Word. This is evident from the signification of "encompassed," as being by what is outside of one, for that which is round about is also without, for it is more remote in the circumference; so here it means the ultimate. Also from the signification of a "cloud," as being Divine truth in ultimates, consequently the Word in the sense of the letter. This signification of "cloud" is evident from appearances in the spiritual world; also from the Word wherever "clouds" are mentioned. From appearances in the spiritual world, as follows: the universal angelic heaven consists solely of the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord; the reception of this constitutes angels. In the highest heaven this truth appears like a pure aura which is called ether; in the next lower heaven as less pure, almost like the atmosphere that is called air; in the lowest heaven it appears like something thinly aqueous over which is a vapor like a cloud; such is the appearance of Divine truth according to degrees in its descent. There is a like appearance when angels of the higher heavens speak about Divine truths; what they say is then presented to the view of those who are in the lowest heaven under the appearance of a cloud that floats hither and thither; the more intelligent of them know from its movement and brightness and form what the angels of the higher heavens are speaking about with each other. This makes evident why a "cloud" signifies Divine truth in ultimates. As most things in the Word were taken from the appearances in the spiritual world, and thence have a like significance as they have there, so is it with "clouds."

[2] That a "cloud" signifies in the Word the sense of the letter, which is Divine truth in ultimates, can be seen from the following passages. In the Gospels:

Jesus took Peter, James, and John into a high mountain; and He was transfigured before them; and His face did shine as the sun, and His garments became as the light. And behold, there appeared Moses and Elijah speaking with Him. While Peter was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son, hear ye Him (Matthew 17:1-10; Mark 9:1-11).

And in Luke:

While Peter thus spake there came a cloud and overshadowed them; hence they feared as they entered into the cloud. But there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son; hear ye Him (Luke 9:34, 35).

In this transfiguration the Lord represented Divine truth, which is the Word; for the Lord, when He was in the world, made His Human Divine truth, and when He went out of the world He made His Human Divine good by uniting it with the Divine Itself, that was in Him from conception. (That the Lord made His Human Divine truth when He was in the world, and afterwards Divine good, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 303-306; and that the Lord is the Word, n. 263.) Consequently the particular things that were seen when He was transfigured signify the proceeding of Divine truth from the Lord's Divine good. The Divine good of Divine love which was in Him, and from which He had Divine truth in His Human, was represented by "His face did shine as the sun;" for the "face" represents the interiors, since these shine forth through the face; and the "sun" signifies the Divine love (See above, n. 401, 412). The Divine truth was represented by the "garments" which became as the light; "garments" in the Word signify truths, and "the Lord's garments" Divine truth (See also above, n. 64, 271, 395); this is why they appeared "as the light;" for Divine truth makes the light in the angelic heaven, and is therefore signified by "light" in the Word (respecting which see in the work on Heaven and Hell 126-140). Because it was the Word, which is Divine truth, that was represented, therefore "there appeared Moses and Elijah speaking with Him;" "Moses and Elijah" signifying the Word; "Moses" the historical Word, and "Elijah" the prophetical Word. The Word in the letter was represented by the "cloud that overshadowed the disciples, and into which they entered;" for the "disciples" represented in the Word the church, which at that time and afterwards was only in truths from the sense of the letter; and because, as has been said in the article above, revelations and responses are made by Divine truth in ultimates, and because this truth is such as is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word, it came to pass that "a voice was heard out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son, hear ye Him," meaning that He is Divine truth, or the Word.

[3] He who does not know that a "cloud" in the spiritual sense of the Word means the Word in the letter, cannot know what arcanum is involved in this:

That in the consummation of the age they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and glory (Matthew 24:30; Mark 13:26; 14:61, 62; Luke 21:27).

And in Revelation:

Behold, Jesus Christ cometh with the clouds and every eye shall see Him (Genesis 1:7).

And again:

I saw, and behold a white cloud, and on the cloud One sat like unto the Son of man (Numbers 14:14).

And in Daniel:

I was seeing in the night visions, and behold, there was coming with the clouds of the heavens one like the Son of man (Daniel 7:13).

He who is ignorant that "the clouds of heaven" signify the truths of the Word in the sense of the letter, cannot know otherwise than that in the consummation of the age, that is, in the end of the church, the Lord is to come in the clouds of heaven, and manifest Himself to the world; but it is well known that since the Word was given, the Lord manifests Himself through that only, for the Word, which is Divine truth, is the Lord Himself in heaven and in the church. From this it can now be seen that the manifestation here predicted signifies His manifestation in the Word; and His manifestation in the Word was effected through His opening and revealing the internal or spiritual sense of the Word, for in that sense is the Divine truth itself, such as it is in heaven, and the Divine truth in heaven is the Lord Himself there. This makes clear that "the Lord's coming in the clouds of heaven with glory" signifies the revelation of Him in the sense of the letter of the Word from its spiritual sense. "The clouds of heaven" signify the things belonging to the sense of the letter, and "glory" signifies those belonging to the spiritual sense (See in the work on Heaven and Hell 1), also the revelation itself of the spiritual sense (in the small work on The White Horse); "Son of man" also signifies the Lord in relation to Divine truth (as may be seen above, n. 63, 151).

[4] That a "cloud" signifies Divine truth in ultimates, consequently the Word in the sense of the letter, can be seen further from the following passages. In Isaiah:

Behold, Jehovah rideth upon a light cloud, and cometh into Egypt, and the idols of Egypt are moved before Him, and the heart of the Egyptian melteth in the midst of him (Isaiah 19:1).

"Egypt" here does not mean Egypt, but the natural man when separated from the spiritual, which is then in falsities and evils, and through these perverts all the truths and goods of the church; that the natural man is destroyed by these falsities and evils when truth from good flows in from the Lord is described by these words of the prophet understood in the internal sense. Jehovah is said "to ride upon a light cloud" to signify that the Lord enlightens the understanding with truths; "to ride" in reference to Jehovah or the Lord, signifying to enlighten the understanding, and "a light cloud" signifying truth; that then "the idols of Egypt are moved, and the heart of the Egyptian melteth," signifies that the evils and falsities of the natural man, separated from the spiritual, then destroy the natural man; "idols" meaning falsities, the "heart" evils, and "Egypt" the natural man.

[5] In Moses:

There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth in heaven and in His magnificence upon the clouds, the abode of the God of antiquity, and underneath are the arms of the world (Deuteronomy 33:26, 27).

Here, too, "riding in heaven upon the clouds" signifies to enlighten the understanding by the influx of spiritual truth into natural truth, which is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word. Because Divine truth in the heavens is spiritual, and Divine truth on the earth is natural, and the latter is enlightened by the former, therefore it is said, "and in His magnificence upon the clouds;" "the abode of the God of antiquity" means Divine truth with the angels, and "the arms of the world," mean Divine truths with men; the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word are what are meant by "the arms of the world," for that sense is the very strength of Divine truth, "arms" signifying strength. (That the strength of Divine truth is in the sense of the letter can be seen in the article just above.)

[6] In David:

God rode upon a cherub and did fly, and was borne upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness His hiding place; His tent round about Him the darkness of waters, the clouds of the heavens. At the brightness before Him the clouds passed (Psalms 18:10-12).

This, too, describes the enlightenment of the Word, and thus of the church; enlightenment by the influx of Divine truth from the heavens is signified by "God rode upon a cherub and did fly;" Divine truth in ultimates which is enlightened is signified by "the wings of the wind," "the darkness of waters," and "the clouds of the heavens," these signifying the various degrees of the understanding receiving enlightenment; that the obscurities of the ultimate sense are thereby dissipated is meant by "at the brightness before Him the clouds passed."

[7] In the same:

Sing unto God, praise His name; extol Him that rideth upon the clouds (Psalms 68:4).

Here, too, "Him that rideth upon the clouds" means the Lord as to enlightenment; "clouds" meaning truths in ultimates, which are enlightened, and these are enlightened by the influx of light, which is Divine truth, from the spiritual world or heaven.

[8] In Nahum:

Jehovah hath His way in the storm and in the tempest, and the clouds are the dust of His feet (Nahum 1:3).

Truth in ultimates, which is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word, is called "clouds, the dust of the feet of Jehovah," because it is the natural and lowest truth, into which Divine truth in heaven, which is spiritual, closes, and upon which it subsists. Divine truth in ultimates, because it is but little understood unless there is enlightenment from heaven, is a subject of discussion and controversy, and this is meant by "storm and tempest in which Jehovah hath His way," spiritual "storm and tempest" meaning discussion concerning the genuine sense, which nevertheless, with those who desire truth, the Lord enlightens by means of influx.

[9] In David:

His seed shall be to eternity, and His throne as the sun before Thee. ¹ It shall be established as the moon to eternity, and as a faithful witness in the clouds (Psalms 89:36, 37).

This is said of the Lord, and the "seed that shall be to eternity" signifies Divine truth which is from Him. The "throne that shall be as the sun and as the moon" signifies heaven and the church as to the good of love and as to the truth of faith; "throne" signifying heaven and the church; "as the sun" in respect to the good of love, and "as the moon" in respect to the truth of faith. "A faithful witness in the clouds" signifies that He is Divine truth, for "witness" in reference to the Lord, signifies that which proceeds from Him, and as that is His, it witnesses respecting Him.

[10] In the same:

Jehovah layeth the beams of His chambers in the waters; He maketh the cloud ² His chariot; He walketh upon the wings of the wind (Psalms 104:3).

These few words describe heaven and the church, and at the same time doctrine from the Word. "He layeth the beams of His chambers in the waters" signifies that the Lord forms the heavens and the church from Divine truths; "waters" signify Divine truths; "Jehovah's chambers" signify the heavens and the church, and "to lay beams" signifies to form. "He maketh the clouds His chariot" signifies doctrine from ultimate Divine truths; "clouds" meaning ultimate Divine truths, such as are in the sense of the letter of the Word, and a "chariot" doctrine; this is said because every doctrine of the church is to be formed from and confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word. "He walketh upon the wings of the wind" signifies the life which doctrine has from spiritual influx; "to walk" signifying to live, and in reference to the Lord life itself; "the wings of the wind" mean the spiritual things of the Word. (That "waters" signify truths, see above, n. 71, 483, 518, 537, 538.)

[11] In Isaiah:

I will lay waste My vineyard, I will even command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it (Isaiah 5:6).

This means that the church shall have no understanding of Divine truth or of the Word; "vineyard" signifying the church, "clouds" the Word in the letter, and "their raining no rain," that there shall be no understanding of Divine truth from the Word.

[12] In David:

Jehovah who covereth the heavens with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains (Psalms 147:8).

"To cover the heavens with clouds" signifies to defend and preserve the spiritual things of the Word which are in the heavens, by means of natural truths such as are in the sense of the letter of the Word; "who prepareth rain for the earth" signifies instruction therefrom for the church; "who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains" signifies nourishment thereby for those who are in the good of love.

[13] The like is signified by the following words in Isaiah:

Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds stream down with righteousness; let the earth open and bring forth the fruit of salvation (Isaiah 45:8).

And in Judges:

Jehovah, when Thou didst go forth out of Seir, when Thou didst march out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, the heavens also dropped, yea, the clouds dropped waters (Judges 5:4).

"To go forth out of Seir, and to march out of the field of Edom," signifies, in reference to Jehovah, the enlightenment of the Gentiles by the Lord when He assumed the Human; "the earth trembling" signifies the state of the church then changed; "the heavens dropped, and the clouds dropped waters," signifies instruction, influx, and perception of Divine truth; "to drop" signifying instruction and influx; "waters" truths; "the heavens" the interior things of truth, and "clouds," the exterior, such as are in the sense of the letter of the Word.

[14] In David:

The clouds poured out waters; the skies gave forth a voice, and Thine arrows went forth (Psalms 77:17).

"The clouds poured out waters" signifies that there are genuine truths from the sense of the letter of the Word; "the skies gave forth a voice" signifies influx from the heavens; "Thine arrows went forth" signifies Divine truths therefrom. In Job:

God bindeth up the waters in His clouds, and the cloud is not rent under them. He spreadeth His cloud upon His throne (Job 26:8, 9).

Here, too, "clouds" stand for truths ultimate in order, and because these contain in themselves and enclose spiritual truths that they may not be dispersed, this is described and signified by "God bindeth up the waters in His clouds, and the cloud is not rent;" because exterior truths, which are called natural, also encompass and enclose interior truths, which are called spiritual, and are proper to the angels of the heavens, this is described and signified by "He spreadeth His cloud upon His throne."

[15] In Isaiah:

Jehovah said, I will be quiet, and I will behold in My dwelling place like clear heat upon light, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest (Isaiah 18:4);

a "cloud of dew" signifying truth bringing forth fruit from good. In the same:

Jehovah will create over every dwelling place of Mount Zion and upon her convocations a cloud by day, and a smoke and the brightness of a flame of fire by night; for over all the glory shall be a covering (Isaiah 4:5).

"The dwelling place of Mount Zion" signifies the good of the celestial church, and "her convocations" signify the truths of that good; protection lest it should be hurt by too much light or too much shade is signified by "a cloud by day and a smoke, and the brightness of a flame of fire by night," and as every spiritual good and truth is preserved from harm by natural good and truth, it is said that "upon all the glory shall be a covering," "glory" meaning spiritual good and truth.

[16] The same is signified by:

The cloud that was upon the tabernacle by day, and the fire by night (Exodus 40:36-38; Numbers 9:15-23to the end;Numbers 10:11, 12, 34;14:14;Deuteronomy 1:33).

Jehovah went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, and by night in a pillar of fire (Exodus 13:21).

The pillar of the cloud stood between the camp of the sons of Israel and the camp of the Egyptians (Exodus 14:19-21).

In David:

God led them in the daytime in a cloud, and all the night in the light of fire (Psalms 78:14).

And elsewhere in the same:

Egypt was glad when they went forth, for the dread of them had fallen upon them. He spread out a cloud for a covering, and fire to make light the night (Psalms 105:38, 39).

"There was a cloud upon the tabernacle by day, and a fire by night," because the "tabernacle" represented heaven and the church, the "cloud" the Lord's presence through Divine truth, and the "fire" His presence through Divine good, which is called the good of faith, each ultimate in order; therefore they were as coverings over the tabernacle; for this reason it is said in the passages cited above from Isaiah and David, "over all the glory shall be a covering," and "He spread out a cloud for a covering."

The like is signified by:

The cloud that covered Mount Horeb, into which cloud Moses entered (Exodus 24:15-18).

And the like by:

The cloud in which Jehovah came down upon Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16, 18; 34:5).

And the like by:

The pillar of cloud that stood at the door of Moses' tent (Exodus 33:9, 10).

[17] So again of the "cloud" in Ezekiel:

I looked, and behold a wind of a tempest came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself in itself, and a brightness round about it (Ezekiel 1:4).

And in the same:

The cherubim stood on the right side of the house when the man entered in; and the cloud filled the inner court; and the glory of Jehovah mounted up from above the cherub upon the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of Jehovah's glory (Ezekiel 10:3, 4).

The "cherubim" signify the Lord in respect to guarding, that there be no approach except through the good of love; so, too, the "cherubim" signify the heavens, in particular the inmost or third heaven, because the angels who are there receive Divine truth in the good of love, therefore it is Divine truth, which is in its essence the good of love, that guards. This Divine truth, as it comes down out of the inmost heaven into the lower heavens, and at length into the world where men are, from being pure becomes thus by degrees more dense, consequently in the lowest degree it appears like a cloud; this is why it signifies Divine truth accommodated to the apprehension of the angels who are in the lowest heaven, who are spiritual-natural, and finally to the apprehension of men in the natural world. Moreover, as Divine truth in this degree is similar to the Divine truth in the sense of the letter of the Word, "cloud" signifies the Word as to the sense of the letter. It was this Divine truth that filled the court like a cloud, and at length the house, at the right side of which stood the cherubim; and as this Divine truth is inwardly the spiritual that shines from heavenly light, therefore it is called "glory," and it is said that "the court was full of the brightness of Jehovah's glory." Also in Job:

When God maketh the light of His cloud to be bright (Job 37:15).

[18] Because the higher heavens appear before the eyes of those who are in the lower heavens as covered by a light and bright cloud (for the reason that the lower angels are unable to see the higher or interior Divine otherwise than in accordance with their own quality), therefore also Divine truth in the higher heavens, or what is the same thing, the higher heavens themselves, are meant in some passages in the Word by "clouds;" for whether you say Divine truth or the heavens it is the same, since the heavens are heavens from Divine truth, and the angels there are angels from the reception of Divine truth. It is in this sense that "clouds" are mentioned in Isaiah:

Lucifer, thou hast said in thy heart, I will ascend above the heights of the cloud; I will become like the Most High (Isaiah 14:13, 14).

In Jeremiah:

Forsake Babylon, and let us go everyone into his own land; for her judgment hath reached even unto the heavens, and it hath lifted up itself even to the clouds (Jeremiah 51:9).

And in David:

Give ye strength unto God; His excellency is over Israel, and His strength is above the clouds (Psalms 68:34).

The same is here signified by "clouds" as:

By the waters above the expanse (Genesis 1:7).

And by the waters above the heavens (Psalms 148:4);

for clouds consist of water. That "waters" signify Divine truths may be seen above (n. 71, 483, 518).

[19] As there are clouds that are lighter and brighter, also clouds that are denser and blacker, and lighter and brighter clouds appear beneath the heavens, but dense and black clouds are seen about many of the hells, it is evident that "clouds" in the contrary sense signify the falsities of evil which are contrary to truths from good, as in the following passages. In Ezekiel:

Egypt a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity (Ezekiel 30:18).

He shall ascend like a cloud to cover the land (Ezekiel 38:9).

Sheep scattered in the day of cloud and thick darkness (Ezekiel 34:12).

So the Last Judgment, when those who are in the falsities of evil are to perish, is called:

A day of cloud and of obscurity (Joel 2:2; Zephaniah 1:15).

The like is signified by:

The clouds and thick darkness that appeared to the sons of Israel when the law was given from Mount Sinai (Deuteronomy 4:11, 12, 15; 5:22-26);

for although Jehovah, that is, the Lord, came down upon that mountain in a bright cloud, yet it appeared before the eyes of the people, who were in the falsities of evil, as a thick dark cloud (See Arcana Coelestia 1861, 6832, 8814, 8819, 9434, 10551).

Footnotes:

684. It is said the "kingdoms of the world are become our Lord's and His Christ's," and this signifies that Divine good and Divine truth are received when the evil are separated from the good and are cast into hell; for then both the higher and the lower heavens can be in enlightenment and thus in the perception of good and truth; and this could not be effected so long as the evil were conjoined with the good, because the interiors of the angels, who are in the lower heavens, could not then be opened, but only the exteriors, and the Lord does not reign in spirits and men in externals separate from internals, but in internals, and from internals in externals; for this reason, until the interiors of the angels of the lowest heaven, which are spiritual and celestial, were opened, that heaven did not become the kingdom of the Lord as it did after the separation of the evil from them.

[2] It is said that "the kingdoms of the world are become our Lord's and His Christ's," and "Lord" here has the same meaning as "Jehovah" in the Old Testament, and "Father" in the New, namely, the Lord in respect to the Divine Itself and in respect to Divine good; while "Christ" has the same meaning as "God" in the Old Testament, and "the Son of God" in the New, namely the Lord in respect to the Divine Human and also in respect to Divine truth, for "Christ" has a like meaning as "Anointed," "Messiah," and "King;" and "Anointed," "Messiah," and "King" mean the Lord in respect to Divine truth, and also in respect to the Divine Human when He was in the world, for the Lord in respect to His Human was then Divine truth. So "the Anointed of Jehovah" has a similar meaning, for the Divine Itself which is called "Jehovah" and "Father," and in its essence was the Divine good of Divine love, anointed the Divine Human, which is called "the Son of God," and which in its essence while it was in the world was Divine truth; for "anointing" signified that the Lord's Divine Human proceeded from His Divine Itself, and consequently the Divine truth from His Divine good.

[3] From this it is clear that the Lord alone in relation to the Divine Human was essentially "the Anointed of Jehovah," while kings and priests were called "the anointed of Jehovah" representatively; for the "oil" with which the anointing was performed signified the Divine good of the Divine love. Now as it was Divine truth with the Lord that was anointed by the Divine good, so "Christ," and likewise "the Messiah" and "Anointed," and also "King," signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Divine good of the Lord's Divine love. That this is so can be seen from passages in the Word where "Christ," "Messiah," and "Anointed" are mentioned.

[4] That "Christ" is the Messiah, or Anointed, is evident in John:

Andrew findeth his brother Simon and said to him, We have found the Messiah, which is, when interpreted, Christ (John 1:41).

And in the same:

The woman of Samaria said, I know that Messiah cometh, who is called Christ (John 4:25).

This shows that the Lord is called "Christ" because He was the Messiah whose coming was foretold in the Word of the Old Testament; for the word for Anointed is "Christ" in the Greek, and "Messiah" in the Hebrew, and a king is one anointed. This is why the Lord is called "King of Israel," and "King of the Jews," which also He acknowledged before Pilate, wherefore it was inscribed upon the cross:

The king of the Jews (Matthew 27:11, 29, 37, 41; Luke 23:1-4, 35-40).

Also in John:

Nathaniel said, Thou art the Son of God, the King of Israel (John 1:48).

[5] As "Anointed," "Christ," "Messiah," and "King," are synonymous terms, so also "Son of God;" and each one of these names signifies in the spiritual sense Divine truth (that this is the signification of "king" may be seen above, n. 31, 553, 625); and "Son of God" also has the same meaning, because in the Word "sons" signify truths, and thus "the Son of God" signifies Divine truth. That "sons" signify truths may be seen above (n. 166). "Christ" and "Messiah" have a like signification.

[6] That "Christ" signifies Divine truth is evident in Matthew:

Be not ye called Rabbi, one is your teacher, Christ (Matthew 23:8).

"Rabbi" and "teacher" signify one that teaches truth, thus in an abstract sense the doctrine of truth, and in the highest sense Divine truth, which is Christ. That the Lord alone is Divine truth is meant by "Be not ye called Rabbi, one is your teacher, Christ."

[7] In the same:

See that no one lead you astray; for many shall come in My name, saying, I am the Christ, and shall lead many astray. If anyone shall say to you, Lo, here is the Christ, or there, believe it not; for there shall arise false Christs and false prophets (Matthew 24:4-5, 23-24; Mark 13:21-23).

This must not be understood as meaning that there will arise those who will call themselves the Christ or Christs, but those who will falsify the Word, and declare that this or that is Divine truth when it is not; those who confirm falsities by the Word are meant by "false Christs," and those who hatch out falsities of doctrine by "false prophets." For these two chapters treat of the successive vastation of the church, thus of the falsification of the Word, and lastly of the profanation of truth thence. (But this may be seen further explained in the Arcana Coelestia 3353-3356, and n. 3897-3901.)

[8] And as "Son of God" also signifies Divine truth, as has just been said, He is sometimes called:

The Christ, the Son of God (as in Matthew 26:63; Mark 14:61; Luke 4:41, 22:66-71 to the end; John 6:69, 11:26-27, 20:31).

In a word, when the Lord was in the world He was called "Christ," "Messiah," "Anointed," and "King," because in Him alone was the Divine good of Divine love, from which Divine truth proceeds, and this was represented by "anointing;" for the "oil" with which anointing was performed signified the Divine good of Divine love, and the "king," who was anointed, represented Divine truth. This is why kings, when they had been anointed, represented the Lord, and were called "the anointed of Jehovah;" yet it was the Lord alone in relation to His Divine Human that was "the Anointed of Jehovah," since the Divine good of Divine love was in Him, and this was Jehovah and the Father from whom the Lord had the being [esse] of life. For it is well known that He was conceived of Jehovah, thus it was from the Divine good of Divine love, which was in Him from conception, that the Lord in relation to His Human was Divine truth so long as He was in the world. This shows that the Lord alone was "the Anointed of Jehovah" essentially, and that kings were called "the anointed of Jehovah" representatively. Thence now it is that the Lord in relation to His Divine Human was called "Messiah" and "Christ," that is, "Anointed."

[9] This can also be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:

The spirit of the Lord Jehovih is upon Me, therefore Jehovah hath anointed Me to proclaim good tidings unto the poor, He hath sent Me to bind up the broken in heart, to preach liberty to the captives, to the bound, to the blind, to proclaim the year of Jehovah's good pleasure, and the day of vengeance for our God, to comfort all that mourn (Isaiah 61:1, 2).

This is plainly said of the Lord. The meaning is that the Lord Jehovih anointed His Divine Human "to proclaim good tidings unto the poor, and sent it to bind up the broken in heart," and so on, for all this the Lord accomplished from His Human (but the particulars may be seen explained above, n. 183, 375, 612).

[10] In David:

Why have the nations become tumultuous, and why have the peoples meditated vanity? The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers took counsel together against Jehovah and against His Anointed. I have anointed My king upon Zion, the mountain of My holiness. I will declare the statute, Jehovah said unto me, Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee; ask of Me and I will give the nations for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and ye perish in the way, for His anger will shortly burn forth; blessed are all they that put their trust in Him (Psalms 2:1-2, 6-8, 12).

Evidently "the Anointed of Jehovah" means here the Lord in relation to the Divine Human, for it is said, "Jehovah said unto Me, Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee; kiss the Son lest ye perish; blessed are all they that put their trust in Him." In the sense of the letter this indeed is said of David, but in the Word "David" means the Lord in relation to Divine truth, or as a King (See above, n. 205). It is evident also that the Lord's coming and finally the Last Judgment by Him, and afterwards His sovereignty over all things of the world, are here treated of.

[11] The spiritual things that lie hidden and are signified in the particulars of this passage are as follows: "The nations have become tumultuous and the peoples have meditated vanity," signifies the state of the church and of the former heaven that was to pass away, "nations" meaning those who are in evils, and "peoples" those who are in falsities (See above n. 175, 331, 625); "the kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers took counsel together, against Jehovah and against His Anointed," signifies the falsities of the church and its evils, as being utterly opposed to the Divine good and the Divine truth, and thus to the Lord, "the kings of the earth" meaning the falsities of the church, and the "rulers" its evils, "Jehovah" meaning the Lord in relation to the Divine itself, thus in relation to Divine good, and the "Anointed" the Lord in relation to the Divine Human, thus as to Divine truth.

[12] "I have anointed My king upon Zion, the mountain of My holiness," signifies the Lord's Human in relation to Divine truth proceeding from the Divine good of His Divine love, and thus His sovereignty over all things of heaven and the church, "Zion" and "the mountain of holiness" meaning heaven and the church; and thus all things of heaven and the church; "I will declare the statute" signifies an arcanum of the Divine providence and will; "Jehovah said unto Me, Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee," signifies the Lord as the Anointed, Messiah, Christ, and King, thus in relation to His Human conceived and afterwards born of the Divine Itself, that is, Jehovah; "this day" signifies what is decreed from eternity and looks therefrom to the conjunction and union accomplished in time.

[13] "Ask of Me, and I will give the nations for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession," signifies His kingdom and dominion over all things of heaven and the church, which shall be His; "kiss the Son" signifies conjunction with the Lord by love, "to kiss" signifying conjunction by love; "lest He be angry, and ye perish in the way," signifies lest evils assault you and you be condemned, for "to be angry" when predicated of the Lord, signifies the turning away of men from Him, thus their anger and not the Lord's; and evils are what turn away, and then are angry; "for His anger will shortly burn forth" signifies the Last Judgment, and the casting down of the evil into hell; "blessed are all they that trust in Him" signifies salvation by love to the Lord and faith in Him.

[14] In the same:

Thou art fairer than the sons of men, grace is poured upon thy lips. Gird about thy sword upon the thigh, O Mighty One, in thy majesty and thy honor; and in thy honor mount, ride upon the word of truth and of meekness of righteousness, and thy right hand shall teach thee in wonderful things; thine arrows are sharp, the peoples shall fall under thee, enemies of the king from the heart. Thy throne, O God, is for an age and for eternity; a scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Thy kingdom; thou hast loved righteousness and hated evil; therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of joy above thy fellows, with myrrh, aloes, and cassia, all thy garments. Kings' daughters are among thy precious ones; on thy right hand standeth the queen in the best gold of Ophir (Psalms 45:2-9).

It is clear from all the particulars in this psalm that this is said of the Lord, and consequently that He it is of whom it is said "God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of joy, with myrrh, aloes, and cassia, and all thy garments." What this signifies can be seen from the series as follows, namely, that He has Divine wisdom and that from Him is the doctrine of Divine truth, is signified by "thou art fairer than the sons of men, grace is poured upon thy lips," "fair" signifies wisdom, "the sons of men" signify those who are intelligent in Divine truths, and "lips" signify doctrinals.

[15] The Lord's omnipotence from Divine truth proceeding from Divine good, and the consequent destruction of falsities and evils and the subjugation of the hells, is signified by "gird about the sword upon the thigh, O Mighty One, in majesty and in honor, and in thy honor mount, ride upon the word of truth; thy right hand shall teach thee in wonderful things, thine arrows are sharp, the peoples shall fall under thee, enemies of the king from the heart;" "sword" signifies truth combating against falsity and destroying it; "chariot," like as "the word of truth," signifies the doctrine of truth; "to ride" signifies to instruct and combat; "right hand" signifies omnipotence; "arrows" signify truths combating; "peoples" those who are in the falsities of evil; and "enemies of the king" those who are opposed to truths, thus the hells.

[16] That the kingdom and dominion would thus be His to eternity is signified by "Thy throne, O God, is for an age and for eternity; a scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Thy kingdom," "scepter of uprightness" meaning Divine truth which has power and sovereignty. That as He delivered the good from damnation by destroying the evil, therefore the Divine itself united itself to His Human, is signified by "thou hast loved righteousness and hated evil, therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of joy above thy fellows," "to love righteousness and to hate evil" signifying to deliver the good from damnation by destroying the evil, "to anoint with the oil of joy" signifying to unite Himself by victories in temptations, "God, thy God," signifying the reciprocal uniting of the Human with the Divine, and of the Divine with the Human.

[17] Divine truths united to Divine goods are signified by "He hath anointed with myrrh, and aloes, and cassia all thy garments," "myrrh" signifying good of the lowest degree, "aloes" good of the second degree, and "cassia" good of the third degree, like as these three spices when mixed with olive oil, out of which the "oil of holiness" for anointing was made (Exodus 30:23-24); and that "oil" signified the Divine good of the Divine love, and the "garments" that were anointed signified Divine truths.

[18] That those who are of His kingdom have the spiritual affection of truth is signified by "kings' daughters are among thy precious ones," "kings' daughters" meaning the spiritual affections of truth, which are called "precious" when truths are genuine. That heaven and the church are under His protection and are conjoined to Him, because they are in love to Him from Him, is signified by "on thy right hand standeth the queen in the best gold of Ophir," "queen" signifying heaven and the church, "at the right hand" signifying under the Lord's protection from conjunction with Him, and "the best gold of Ophir" the good of love to the Lord.

[19] In the same:

I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to David My servant, even to eternity will I establish thy seed, and will build up thy throne to generation and generation. Thou hast spoken in vision to thy holy one, and hast said, I have laid help upon one that is mighty, I have exalted one chosen out of the people; I have found David My servant, with the oil of My holiness have I anointed him, with whom My hand shall be established; Mine arm also shall strengthen him. I will beat in pieces his adversaries before him, and will strike down them that hate him. I will set his hand in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers; he shall call me, Thou art my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation; I will also make him the firstborn, high above the kings of the earth; and My covenant shall be steadfast for him; and I will set his seed forever, and his throne as the days of the heavens. Once have I sworn by My holiness, I will not deal falsely with David, his seed shall be to eternity, and his throne as the sun before Me, it shall be established as the moon to eternity, a faithful witness in the clouds (Psalms 89:3-4, 19-21, 23, 25-29, 35-37).

That by "David" here David is not meant, but the Lord as to His kingship, which is the Divine spiritual, and is called the Divine truth, is very evident from what is here said of David, namely, that "his seed and throne shall be as the days of the heavens, and as the sun and the moon to eternity," that "he shall set the hand in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers," and that "he shall call Jehovah his Father, and shall be the firstborn, high above the kings of the earth," with other things that could not be said of David, his sons and his throne. That "David" in the Word means the Lord may be seen above n. 205.

[20] But to proceed to particulars. "I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to David My servant," signifies the union of the Lord's Divine with the Human, "to make a covenant" signifying to be united, and "to swear" to confirm the union; "chosen" is predicated of good, and "servant" of truth. "Even to eternity will I establish thy seed, and will build up thy throne to generation and generation," signifies Divine truth, and heaven and the church from Him, "seed" meaning Divine truth and those who receive it, and "throne" heaven and the church.

[21] "Thou hast spoken in vision to thy holy one" signifies a prophetic arcanum respecting the Lord; "I have laid help upon one that is mighty, I have exalted one chosen out of the people," signifies Divine truth whereby Divine good operates all things, which is called "help upon one that is mighty," and elsewhere "the right hand of Jehovah;" Divine majesty and consequent power is signified by "the exalting of one chosen out of the people;" "I have found David My servant, with the oil of holiness have I anointed him," signifies the Lord in relation to the Divine Human and union with the Divine Itself, which union is called in the Word of the New Testament glorification, and is meant by "being anointed with the oil of holiness," for "the oil of holiness" signifies the Divine good of Divine love, and "to be anointed" signifies to be united to Divine truth, which was of the Lord's Human in the world.

[22] "With whom My hand shall be established, Mine arm also shall strengthen him," signifies omnipotence therefrom, "hand" signifying the omnipotence of truth from good, and "arm" the omnipotence of good by means of truth; "I will beat in pieces his adversaries before him, and will strike down them that hate him," signifies combat with victory against falsities and evils, thus against the hells; "I will set His hand in the sea, and His right hand in the rivers," signifies the extension of His dominion and sovereignty over all things of heaven and the church, for "seas and rivers" mean the ultimates of heaven, and ultimates signify all things.

[23] "He shall call Me, Thou art my Father, my God, and the Rock of my Salvation," signifies the Divine Human which is the Son of God, who was conceived from Him, and afterwards born; and as the Lord's Human had therefrom Divine truth and Divine power He is also called "God" and "Rock of Salvation;" "I will also make him the firstborn, high above the kings of the earth," signifies that He is above every good and truth of heaven and the church, because goods and truths therein are from Him; "and My covenant shall be steadfast for him" signifies eternal union; "I will set his seed forever, and his throne as the days of the heavens," has the same signification here as above, "days of the heavens" meaning the states of the entire heaven, which are from His Divine.

[24] "Once have I sworn by My holiness, I will not deal falsely with David," signifies eternal confirmation, because from the Divine, respecting the Lord and the union of His Human with the Divine Itself; "His seed shall be to eternity, and his throne as the sun before Me, it shall be established as the moon to eternity," has a like signification as above, where "seed" and "throne" are mentioned; it is said "as the sun and moon," because eternity in respect to Divine good is predicated of the "sun," and in respect to Divine truth of the "moon," for these are signified by "sun and moon;" "a faithful witness in the clouds" signifies the acknowledgment and confession from the Word of the Divine in the Lord's Human; that this is "a witness in the clouds" may be seen above (n. 10, 27, 228, 392, 649).

[25] In the same:

O Jehovah, remember David, all his labor; who sware unto Jehovah, and vowed unto the Mighty One of Jacob, Surely I will not enter within the tent of my house, nor go up upon the couch of my bed, until I find out a place for Jehovah, habitations for the Mighty One of Jacob. Lo, we have heard of Him in Ephrathah, we have found Him in the fields of the forest. We will go into His habitations, we will bow ourselves down at His footstool. Arise, O Jehovah, to Thy rest, Thou and the ark of Thy strength. Let Thy priests be clothed with righteousness, and let Thy saints shout for joy; for Thy servant David's sake turn not back the face of Thine anointed. In Zion will I make the horn of David to bud; I will set in order a lamp for Mine anointed; his adversaries will I clothe with shame, but upon himself shall his crown flourish (Psalms 132:1-3, 5-10, 17-18).

Here, too, "David" and "Anointed or Christ" do not mean David, but the Lord in relation to the Divine Human, for it is said that "His habitations," that is, of the Mighty One of Jacob, "are found in Ephrathah," which is Bethlehem, and that they "would bow themselves down at His footstool;" but that this is so will be more evident in the explanation of the particulars in their order.

[26] "Who sware unto Jehovah, and vowed unto the Mighty One of Jacob," signifies irrevocable affirmation before the Lord, who is called "Jehovah" from the Divine in things first, and "Mighty One of Jacob" from the Divine in ultimates, in which is Divine power in its fullness; "surely I will not enter within the tent of my house, nor go upon the couch of my bed," signifies not to enter into and know the things that are of the church and its doctrine, "tent of the house" signifying the holy things of the church, and "the couch of a bed" its doctrine; "until I find out a place for Jehovah, habitations for the Mighty One of Jacob," signifies until I shall know about the Lord's coming, and the arcana of the union of His Human with the Divine; these in the highest sense are "a place for Jehovah" and "habitations" of the Lord's Divine Human.

[27] "Lo, we have heard of Him at Ephrathah, we have found Him in the fields of the forest," signifies both in the spiritual sense of the Word and in the natural, for "Ephrathah" and "Bethlehem" signify the spiritual-natural of the Word, and "fields of the forest" the natural of the Word, for there the Lord is found; "we will go into His habitations, we will bow ourselves down at His footstool," signifies that there He is found, for He is the Word; "His habitations" here mean the things of the spiritual sense of the Word, and thus the heavens, for these are in the spiritual sense of the Word, and "His footstool" means the things of the natural sense of the Word, and therefore the church, since in the church are Divine truths in their ultimates, which serve as a footstool for the spiritual things of the Word and of the heavens, thus for the Lord Himself who dwells therein.

[28] "Arise, O Jehovah, to Thy rest, Thou and the ark of Thy strength," signifies the union of the Divine itself with the Human in the Lord, and consequent peace to all in heaven and in the church, "Jehovah's rest" meaning that union, and "the ark of His strength" heaven and the church; "let Thy priests be clothed with righteousness, and let Thy saints shout for joy," signifies worship from love for those who are in celestial good, and worship from charity for those who are in spiritual good, "priests" meaning those who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom, while those who are in His spiritual kingdom are called "saints."

[29] "For Thy servant David's sake turn not away the face of Thine anointed" signifies that they may be enkindled by love and enlightened by the light of truth, when Divine truth has been united with Divine good in the Lord, thus the Divine Itself with the Human and the Human with the Divine, for "David" as a "servant" signifies the Lord's Human in relation to Divine truth, and "the anointed" signifies the same united to Divine good, and "his face" signifies Divine love and enlightenment therefrom; "in Zion will I make the horn of David to bud" signifies the power of Divine truth from Him in heaven and in the church; "I will set in order a lamp for Mine anointed" signifies enlightenment of Divine truth from the union of the Divine and Human in the Lord, "lamp" meaning Divine truth in respect to enlightenment. "His adversaries will I clothe with shame" signifies the subjugation of the hells and the dispersion of the evils thence; "but upon himself shall his crown flourish" signifies perpetual and eternal victory over them.

[30] From the passages here cited from the Word it can be seen that the Lord is called "the Anointed," that is, the Messiah or the Christ, from the union of Divine good with Divine truth in His Human, for the Lord's Human from that union is meant by "the Anointed of Jehovah."

[31] Likewise in the first book of Samuel:

Jehovah will judge the ends of the earth, and will give strength unto His King and exalt the horn of His Anointed (1 Samuel 2:10).

This is a part of the prophetic song of Hannah, the mother of Samuel, before there was any king or anointed over Israel, therefore "King" and "Anointed" here mean the Lord, to whom "is given strength" and whose "horn is exalted" when the Divine is united to the Human, "strength" signifying the power of good over evil, and "horn" the power of truth over falsity, and truth is said "to be exalted" when it becomes interior, and in the same degree becomes more powerful.

[32] "The anointed" has a similar meaning in Lamentations:

The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of Jehovah, was taken in their pits, of whom we had said, Under his shadow we shall live among the nations (Lamentations 4:20).

"The anointed of Jehovah" here means in the sense of the letter a king who was made captive, but in the spiritual sense it means the Lord, therefore it is said, "the breath of our nostrils," that is, the life of the perception of good and truth; "taken in the pits" signifies rejected by those who are in the falsities of evil, "pits" meaning the falsities of doctrine; "to live under his shadow" signifies to be under the Lord's protection against the falsities of evil, which are meant by "nations."

[33] Since "the Anointed," "Messiah," or "Christ" signifies the Lord in relation to the Divine Human, thus in relation to Divine good united to Divine truth, so "anointing" signifies that union, respecting which the Lord says:

I am in the Father and the Father in Me; believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me (John 14:7-11);

and elsewhere:

The Father and I are one; know ye and believe that I am in the Father and the Father in Me (John 10:30, 38).

And because this was represented by the anointing of Aaron and his sons, therefore:

The holy things of the sons of Israel which belonged to Jehovah Himself were given to Aaron and His sons for the anointing (Numbers 18:8).

These holy things belonging to Jehovah which were given to Aaron and his sons are enumerated from verses 9 to 19 of that chapter. But see what has been said before, n. 375, respecting "anointings," namely, that the Lord alone, in relation to the Divine Human, was "the Anointed of Jehovah" because in Him was the Divine good of the Divine love, which was signified by "oil," and that all others anointed with oil were only representatives of Him. This has been said of "the Anointed of Jehovah," since "the Anointed of Jehovah" is the Christ, that it may be known that by "the Lord and His Christ" in this passage of Revelation two are not meant but one, that is, that they are one, as are "the Anointed of Jehovah" and "the Lord's Christ" in Luke 2:26.

[34] Since the Lord is here treated of, to show why He was called "the Christ," that is, Messiah or Anointed, it is important to explain what is said of the Messiah in Daniel:

Seventy weeks are decreed upon thy people and upon thy city of holiness, to consummate the transgression, and to seal up sins, and to expiate iniquity, and to bring in the righteousness of the ages, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Holy of Holies. Know, therefore, and perceive that from the going forth of the Word even to the restoration and building of Jerusalem, even to Messiah the prince, shall be seven weeks. After sixty and two weeks it shall be restored and built with street and moat, but in straitness of times. But after sixty and two weeks the Messiah shall be cut off, yet not for Himself. Then the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary, so that its end shall be with an inundation, and even unto the end of the war desolations are determined. Yet He shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the midst of the week He shall cause the sacrifice and meal-offering to cease. At last upon the bird of abominations shall be desolation, and even to the consummation and decision it shall drop upon the devastation (Daniel 9:24-27).

The meaning of these words has been investigated and explained by many of the learned, but in the literal sense only, and not as yet in the spiritual sense, for that sense has been hitherto unknown in the Christian world. In that sense these words have the following signification: "Seventy weeks are decreed upon thy people" signifies the time and state of the church that then existed with the Jews, even to its end, "seven" and "seventy" signifying fullness from beginning to end, and "people" those who were then of the church; "and upon thy city of holiness" signifies the time and state of the end of the church in respect to the doctrine of truth from the Word, "city" signifying the doctrine of truth, and "the city of holiness" Divine truth, which is the Word.

[35] "To consummate the transgression and to seal up the sins and to expiate iniquity" signifies when there are nothing but falsities and evils in the church, thus when iniquity is fulfilled and consummated; for until this is done the end does not come, for reasons given in the small work on The Last Judgment; for if the end should come before, the simple good, who are conjoined as to externals with those who imitate and hypocritically make a show of truths and goods in externals, would be destroyed; therefore it is added "to bring in the righteousness of the ages," which signifies to save those who are in the good of faith and charity; "and to seal up vision and prophecy" signifies to fulfill all things contained in the Word; "to anoint the Holy of Holies" signifies to unite the Divine itself with the Human in the Lord, for this is "the Holy of Holies."

[36] "Know, therefore, and perceive from the going forth of the Word," signifies from the end of the Word of the Old Testament, since that was fulfilled in the Lord, for all things of the Word of the Old Testament treat in the highest sense of the Lord and of the glorification of His Human, and thus of His dominion over all things of heaven and the world; "even to the restoration and building of Jerusalem" signifies when a New Church was to be established, "Jerusalem" signifying that church, and "to build" to establish anew; "even to Messiah the Prince" signifies even to the Lord and Divine truth in Him and from Him, for the Lord is called "Messiah" from the Divine Human, and "Prince" from Divine truth; "seven weeks" signify a full time and state.

[37] "After sixty and two weeks it shall be restored and built with street and moat" signifies the full time and state after His coming until the church with its truths and doctrine is established, "sixty" signifying a full time and state as to the implantation of truth, like as the number "three" or "six," and "two" signifying the same for the implantation of good, thus the "sixty and two" together signify the marriage of truth with a little good; "street" signifies the truth of doctrine, and "moat" doctrine. (What "street" signifies see above, n. 652; and "moat" or "pit," n. 537.) "But in straitness of times" signifies hardly and with difficulty, because with the Gentiles that have little perception of spiritual truth.

[38] "But after the sixty and two weeks" signifies after a full time and state of the church now established in respect to truth and to good; "the Messiah shall be cut off" signifies that they fall away from the Lord, which took place chiefly with the Babylonians, by their transferring the Lord's Divine power to the popes, and thus by not acknowledging the Divine in His Human; "yet not for Himself" signifies that yet the power is His and the Divine is His.

[39] "Then the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary" signifies that thus doctrine and the church will be destroyed by falsities, "city" signifying doctrine, "sanctuary" the church, and "the prince that shall come" the reigning falsity; "so that its end shall be with an inundation, and even unto the end of the war desolations are determined," signifies the falsification of truth, even until there is no combat between truth and falsity; "an inundation" signifying the falsification of truth, "war" the combat between truth and falsity, and "desolation" the last state of the church, when there is no longer any truth, but mere falsity.

[40] "Yet He shall confirm a covenant for one week" signifies the time of the Reformation when the Word is again read and the Lord acknowledged, that is, the Divine in His Human; this acknowledgment, and conjunction therefrom with the Lord by means of the Word, is signified by "covenant," and the time of the Reformation by "one week;" "but in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the meal offering to cease" signifies that still interiorly with the Reformed there will be no truth and good in worship; "sacrifice" signifying worship from truths, and "meal offering" worship from goods, "the midst of the week" signifying not the midst of that time but the inmost of the state of the Reformed, for "midst" signifies inmost, and "week" a state of the church; there was no truth and good interiorly in worship after the Reformation, because they adopted faith as the essential of the church, and separated it from charity, and when faith is separated from charity then there is no truth or good in the inmost of worship, for the inmost of worship is the good of charity, and from that the truth of faith proceeds.

[41] "At last upon the bird of abominations shall be desolation" signifies the extinction of all truth by the separation of faith from charity, "the bird of abominations" signifying faith alone, thus faith separated from charity, for "a bird" signifies thought respecting the truths of the Word and the understanding of them, and this becomes "a bird of abominations" when there is no spiritual affection of truth, which enlightens truth and teaches it, but only a natural affection, which is for the sake of reputation, glory, honor, and gain, and as this affection is infernal it is abominable, since from it there are mere falsities; "and even to the consummation and decision it shall drop upon the devastation" signifies its last state, when there is no longer anything of truth or of faith, and when the Last Judgment takes place.

[42] That these last things in Daniel were predictions respecting the end of the Christian church is evident from the Lord's words in Matthew:

When ye shall see the abomination of desolation foretold by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place, let him who readeth understand (Matthew 24:15).

For that chapter treats of the consummation of the age, thus of the successive vastation of the Christian church, therefore the devastation of that church is meant by these words in Daniel. (But what they signify in the spiritual sense has been explained in Arcana Coelestia 3652.) From this it can now be seen what is signified by "the kingdoms of the world are become the Lord's and His Christ's," also what is signified by "the Lord's Christ" (or the Christ of the Lord), in Luke:

A promise was made to Simeon by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord (Luke 2:26).