1691. That “the mountain” means the love of self and the love of the world, may be seen from the signification of a “mountain,” concerning which presently. All evil and falsity come forth from the love of self and the love of the world; they have no other origin; for the love of self and the love of the world are the opposites of celestial love and spiritual love; and because they are the opposites, they are what are continually endeavoring to destroy the celestial and spiritual things of the kingdom of God. From the love of self and of the world come forth all hatreds; from hatreds, all revenges and cruelties; and from these, all deceits; in short, all the hells.
[2] That in the Word by “mountains” there is signified the love of self and the love of the world, may be seen from the following passages.
In Isaiah:
The proud eyes of man shall be humbled and the loftiness of men shall be brought low. The day of Jehovah Zebaoth is upon all that is proud and lofty, upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up, and upon every lofty tower (Isaiah 2:11-12, 14-15).
The “high mountains” plainly denote the love of self; and the “hills that are lifted up,” the love of the world.
[3] Again:
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low (Isaiah 40:4);
here also “mountain and hill” manifestly denote the love of self and the love of the world. Again:
I will lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbage (Isaiah 42:15); where also “mountains” denote the love of self, and “hills” the love of the world.
In Ezekiel:
The mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the earth (Ezekiel 38:20).
[4] In Jeremiah:
Behold I am against thee, O destroying mountain, which destroyest all the earth; and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a mountain of burning (Jeremiah 51:25); where Babel and Chaldea are spoken of, by which is signified the love of self and of the world, as before shown. In the Song of Moses:
A fire is kindled in Mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall devour the earth and her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains (Deuteronomy 32:22);
“the foundations of the mountains” mean the hells, as is plainly said; these are called the foundations of the mountains, because the love of self and the love of the world reign in them, and are from them.
[5] In Jonah:
The waters compassed me about, even to the soul; the deep was round about me; the seaweed was wrapped about my head; I went down to the cuttings-off of the mountains; the bars of the earth were upon me forever; yet hast Thou brought up my lives from the pit, O Jehovah my God (Jonah 2:5-6).
The Lord’s temptations against the hells are thus prophetically described by Jonah, when he was in the belly of the great fish. So likewise in other passages of the Word, especially in David. He who is in temptations is in the hells; place has nothing to do with being in the hells, but state.
[6] As “mountains” and “towers” signify the love of self and of the world, it may be seen what is signified by the Lord’s being taken by the devil “upon a high mountain,” and “upon a pinnacle of the temple,” namely, that He was led into temptation combats, the most extreme of all, against the loves of self and of the world, that is, against the hells. “Mountains” also, in the opposite sense, signify celestial and spiritual love, as before shown (n. 795, 796).
