531. Woe, woe, woe, to them that dwell on the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels which are about to sound.- That this signifies grievous lamentation over the changes of the state of the church at its end, on account of aversion from good and truth, and thence damnation, is evident from the signification of woe, which denotes lamentation over aversion from good and truth, and consequent damnation; and from its being said three times, which denotes grievous lamentation, concerning which we shall speak presently; from the signification of them that dwell on the earth, as denoting those who are of the church, the earth denoting the church, as may be seen above (n. 29, 304, 417); and from the signification of the voices of the trumpet of the three angels which are about to sound, as denoting the changes of the state of the church; for by the angels sounding the trumpets, are signified changes from influx out of heaven; see above (n. 502). That three signifies what is complete even to the end, will be seen in the following article. It is therefore evident that these words, "Woe, woe, woe, to those that dwell on the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels which are about to sound," signify grievous lamentation over the changes of the state of the church at its end, on account of aversion from good and truth, and consequent damnation.

[2] That woe signifies lamentation over calamity, danger, misery, destruction, and so forth, is clear from the passages in the Word where it occurs; but here it signifies lamentation over aversion from good and truth, and consequent damnation, because this is the subject treated of in that which follows. And because aversion from good and truth becomes successively more grievous in the church, even unto its end, therefore it is three times named, to denote every successive increase of the grievousness of evil. This is evident from the following passages, where it is said,

"One woe is past; and behold, there come two woes more hereafter" (9:12).

And afterwards:

"The second woe is past; and behold, the third woe cometh quickly" (11:14).

That woe in the Word signifies lamentation over various accidents, especially over the evils which devastate the church, is evident from various passages therein; as in Matthew:

"Woe unto you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites!" (23:13, 14, 15, 16, 23, 25, 27, 29).

And in Luke:

"Woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed!" (22:22).

Again, in the same:

"Woe unto him, through whom offences come!" (17:1).

And in Isaiah:

"Woe unto them that join house to house" (5:8).

"Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink" (5:11).

"Woe unto them that draw iniquity" (5:18).

"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil" (5:20).

"Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes" (5:21).

"Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine (vinum)" (5:22).

See also Isaiah, chap. 3:11; 10:1; 17:12; 18:1; 29:1, 15; 30:1; 31:1; 33:1; 45:9, 10, etc.; Jeremiah 22:13; Ezekiel 13:3; Apoc. 18:16, 19.

6853. 'For I know their sorrows' means foresight of how deeply they would be plunged into falsities. This is clear from the meaning of 'knowing', when used in reference to the Lord, as foresight (the reason why 'knowing' is foresight is that the Lord has known from eternity about every single thing); and from the meaning of 'sorrows' as being plunged into falsities. For when people who are governed by good are plunged into falsities they experience feelings of anguish and anxiety. They suffer torment, for they love truths and loathe falsities, and are thinking all the time about salvation and about how unhappy they will be if those falsities get the better of them. But those who are not governed by good are completely unconcerned about whether falsities or truths reign in them; for they do not think at all about salvation and unhappiness since they do not believe there are any such things. The delights of self-love and love of the world take away any firm belief regarding life after death. These people are immersed all the time in falsities. Being plunged into falsities is presented in the next life as waves engulfing a person and rising ever higher as the falsities grow more profuse, until the waves rise over his head; and they appear tenuous or solid according to the nature of the falsities. The experience of being plunged into falsities which the wicked undergo looks like a mistiness or cloudiness, more or less murky, which surrounds them and cuts them off completely from the brightness of the light of heaven.