644. These have power to shut heaven, that the rain rain not in the days of their prophecy.- That this signifies that those who reject the goods and truths of heaven and of the church, which proceed from the Lord, do not receive any influx out of heaven, is evident from the signification of shutting heaven, as denoting lest any influx out of heaven should be received, of which we shall speak presently; from the signification of rain, as denoting truth fertilizing, which is truth from which good is derived, and which flows down out of heaven, concerning this also we shall speak presently; and from the signification of "their prophecy," as denoting prediction concerning the Lord, and His coming, and concerning the good of love to Him and the truths of faith in regard to Him. The days of the prophecy of the two witnesses means principally this revelation and preaching from this revelation (praedicatio) at the end of the church. The reason why the Lord is especially preached at the end of the church, by the two witnesses, is, because the two witnesses, which are the good of love and the truth of faith directed to Him, principally testify concerning Him, therefore it is said in what follows that "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Apoc. 19:10).

[2] The reason why to shut heaven denotes to prevent any influx out of heaven from being received, is, that the words follow, "that the rain rain not," which signify the influx of Divine Truth out of heaven. For it is known that all the good of love and all the truth of faith flow-in out of heaven, that is, from the Lord through heaven, with man, and also that this influx takes place continually; it therefore follows that the good of love and the truth of faith are in no sense man's, but the Lord's with him. Each of these flows in, in the measure that they are not prevented by evil and falsity since these shut heaven and prevent influx. For evil and good, and falsity and truth, are opposites, therefore where the one is, the other cannot be; for evil in man prevents the good from entering and falsity prevents the truth, while good causes the removal of evil, and truth the removal of falsity; for they are as opposite as heaven and hell; the one therefore acts against the other with a perpetual effort to destroy it, and the one that is strong enough destroys the other.

[3] There are also in every man two minds, the one interior, called the spiritual mind, the other exterior, called the natural mind. The spiritual mind is created for the reception of light from heaven, but the natural mind for the reception of light from the world; therefore the spiritual mind, which is the interior mind of man, is heaven in him, and the natural mind, which is his exterior mind, is his world. The interior mind, which is heaven in man, is opened in proportion as man acknowledges the Divine of the Lord, and man so far acknowledges as he is in the good of love and of charity, and in the truths of doctrine and of faith. But this interior mind, which is heaven in man, so far as he does not acknowledge the Divine of the Lord, and does not live a life of love and of faith, is not opened; and that mind is so far closed as a man is in evils and thence in falsities, and when it is closed, then the natural mind in man becomes infernal. For evil and its falsity are in the natural mind, and therefore when the spiritual mind, which is heaven in man, is closed, then the natural mind, which is hell, is dominant. From these things the meaning of the words, "heaven is closed that the rain rain not," is clear.

[4] It is said of the witnesses that they have power to shut heaven; yet they do not shut it, but evil and falsity, which have the rule in the men of the church at its end, close it. This is said of the two witnesses in a manner similar to what was said above, that fire shall go forth out of their mouth, and devour their enemies, although fire does not go forth from them and devour, as explained in the two articles above. The reason why that the rain rain not signifies that there is no influx of Divine Truth out of heaven, is, that water, from which rain comes signifies the truth of the Word, and thence the truth of doctrine and of faith, as may be seen above (n. 71, 483, 518, 537, 538). And because rain water descends out of the clouds in heaven, therefore by raining rain is signified the influx of Divine Truth from the Lord in heaven; and because rain fertilizes the earth, therefore it signifies the Divine Truth fertilizing and fructifying the church, whence also by rain is signified spiritual blessing.

[5] That by rain, in the Word, is not meant rain, but the inflowing Divine, from which intelligence and wisdom, as well as the good of love and the truth of faith in man, grow and fructify; and that by raining is signified influx, is evident from the following passages.

Thus in Moses:

"My doctrine shall flow down as the rain, My word shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the grass, and as drops upon the herb" (Deuteronomy 32:2).

Doctrine is here compared to rain, because rain signifies the proceeding Divine Truth, from which is every thing of doctrine; for all comparisons in the Word are also from correspondences. Because rain signifies the Divine Truth flowing down, it is therefore said, "My doctrine shall flow down as the rain." By dew is signified "good," and this is also signified by "word," therefore it is said, "My word shall distil as the dew"; intelligence and wisdom therefrom are signified by the small rain upon the grass, and by drops upon the herb; for as the grass and the herb of the field grow by reason of the waters of rain and dew, so do intelligence and wisdom from the influx of Divine Truth from the Lord. This was said by Moses, because in that chapter the twelve tribes of Israel are treated of, who, in the spiritual sense, signify all the truths and goods of the church, consequently doctrine in its whole compass.

[6] So again:

"The land which ye shall go over to possess it, is a land of mountains and valleys; it drinketh the waters of the rain of heaven. And I will give the rain of your land in its season, the early and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine (mustum), and thine oil." But if ye shall serve other gods, and shall not walk in my statutes, "the anger of Jehovah shall be kindled against you; he will shut heaven that there be no rain, and the land shall not yield her produce." (Deuteronomy 11:11, 14, 16, 17).

These words describe the land of Canaan and its fruitfulness; but because that land in the spiritual sense signifies the church, it follows that all the things contained in that description signify such things as pertain to the church, as the mountains, valleys, corn, wine (mustum), oil, produce, and rain. A land of mountains and valleys signifies the higher and lower, or the internal and external things of the church; the internal things of the church are in the internal man, which is also called the spiritual man, and the external things of the church are in the external man, which is called the natural man. That each of these is of such a quality as to receive the influx of Divine truth, is signified by drinking the waters of the rain of heaven; that the Divine Truth flows-in in each state, that is, when the man of the church is in his spiritual state and when he is in his natural state, is signified by the rain being given in its season, the early and the latter rain. For the man of the church is alternately in a spiritual state and in a natural state, and the influx and reception of Divine Truth in the spiritual state is meant by the early or morning rain, and in the natural state by the latter or evening rain. Spiritual and celestial good and truth, which the man of the church thence possesses, are meant by the corn, wine (mustum), and oil, which they shall gather in. That falsities of doctrine and of worship would prevent the influx and reception of Divine Truth, whence there would be no growth of the spiritual life, is signified by the words, "if ye shall serve other gods, there shall be no rain, and the land shall not yield her produce," other gods denoting falsities of doctrine and of worship.

[7] Again:

"If ye walk in my statutes, and observe my precepts and do them; and the earth shall yield its produce, and the tree of the field shall yield its fruit" (Leviticus 26:3, 4).

Here by the rain which shall be given in its season, and the produce of the land, are signified similar things to those above. And because the church at that time was an external church, representative of interior spiritual things, therefore also it came to pass when they walked in the statutes, and observed the precepts, and did them, that they had rain in its season, and the earth yielded its produce, and the tree of the field its fruit; but still rain and thence produce were representative and significative, rain representing and signifying the inflowing Divine, produce the truth of doctrine and the understanding of truth, and fruit of the tree the good of love and the will of good.

[8] This is evident from the fact rain was withheld, and thence a famine took place in the land of Israel, for three years and a half, under Ahab, because they served other gods, and slew the prophets (1 Kings 17 and 18; Luke 4:25). This represented, and thence signified, that no Divine truth flowing-in out of heaven could be received on account of the falsities of evil, signified by other gods and by Baal, whom they worshipped. By killing the prophets is also signified to destroy Divine [truth]; for by a prophet, in the Word, is signified the doctrine of truth from the Word.

[9] In Isaiah:

"I will make" my vineyard "a desolation; it shall not be pruned nor weeded, so that the briar and the thorn shall come up; and I will command the clouds, that they rain no rain upon it" (5:6).

Here also it is said of Jehovah that He makes the vineyard a desolation, and commands the clouds that they rain no rain upon it, although this is not done by Jehovah, that is, by the Lord, for He always flows-in with the evil as well as the good, which is meant by His sending His rain upon the just and upon the unjust (Matthew 5:45); but the cause is in the man of the church, for the reason that he does not receive any influx of Divine Truth, and the man who does not receive this closes the interiors of his mind, which are the recipients, and when these are shut, then the Divine influx is rejected. The vineyard, which is made a desolation, signifies the church; by its being neither pruned nor weeded is signified that it cannot be cultivated and so prepared for reception; by the briar and thorn which shall come up, are signified the falsities of evil; by commanding the clouds that they rain no rain, is signified that no influx of Divine truth out of heaven is received.

[10] In Jeremiah:

"The showers have been withheld, and there hath been no latter rain, but notwithstanding the forehead of a harlot remained to thee, thou hast refused to be ashamed" (3:3).

Again:

"They said not in their heart, Let us now fear Jehovah our God, that giveth the rain and the early and the latter rain in its season; He reserveth unto us the weeks, the appointed times of harvest; your iniquities make these to decline" (5:24, 25).

In Amos:

"I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest, so that I caused it indeed to rain upon one city, and I caused it not to rain upon another city; one field received the rain, but the field upon which it rained not, withered; whence two three cities wandered to one city to drink waters, but they were not satisfied; nevertheless ye have not returned unto me" (4:7, 8).

In Ezekiel:

"Son of man, say, Thou art a land that is not cleansed, that hath no rain in the day of anger; a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst of her" (22:24, 25).

In Zechariah:

"Whosoever of the families of the land shall not go up to Jerusalem to adore Jehovah Zebaoth, there shall be no rain upon them" (14:17).

In these passages also rain signifies the reception of the influx of Divine Truth, from which comes spiritual intelligence; and that there is no such intelligence by any influx because of the evils and falsities which refuse to receive it and which reject it, is signified by there being no rain.

[11] In Jeremiah:

"The mighty sent their little ones to seek waters; they came unto the pits and found no waters, because the earth was chapt, for there had been no rain upon the earth; the husbandmen were ashamed, they covered their heads" (14:3, 4).

By the mighty are meant those who teach and lead, and by their little ones, those who are taught and led. Waters signify truths of doctrine; pits in which there is no water signify doctrinals in which there are no truths. By there being no rain upon the earth is signified that no influx of Divine Truth is received because of the falsities in the church; by the husbandmen who were ashamed and covered their heads, are signified those who teach, and their grief.

[12] In Isaiah:

"Then Jehovah shall give rain to thy seed, with which thou shalt sow the earth, and bread of the produce of the earth, and it shall be fat and rich; thy cattle shall feed in that day in a broad meadow" (30:23).

These words refer to the coming of the Lord. The influx of Divine Truth proceeding from Him, is signified by the rain which the Lord shall then give to the seed, rain signifying the Divine influx, seed the truth of the Word. To sow the land signifies to plant and form the church in man. The bread of the produce which Jehovah will give, signifies the good of love and of charity, which is produced by the truths of the Word, vivified by Divine influx. Fat and rich signifies filled with the good of love and truths therefrom, for fat is said of good, and rich of truths. By the cattle shall feed in that day in a broad meadow, is signified the extension and multiplication of these from the Divine influx, and thence spiritual nourishment, cattle denoting the goods and truths with man, that day, the coming of the Lord, and a broad meadow, the Word, by means of which the Divine influx and spiritual nourishment come; breadth is said of the extension and multiplication of truth.

[13] In the same:

"As the rain cometh down and the snow out of heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it to bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater; so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me in vain, but it shall accomplish that which I desire, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it" (55:10, 11).

Here the Word which goeth forth out of the mouth of God is compared to the rain and snow from heaven, because by the Word, the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord, and which flows into us by means of the Word, is meant; the rain and snow descending from heaven have a similar meaning, by the rain is signified spiritual truth, which is appropriated to man, and by snow, natural truth, which, when only in the memory, is like snow, but becomes spiritual by love just as snow becomes rain water by heat. By watering the earth that it may bring forth and bud, is signified to vivify the church, that it may produce the truth of doctrine and of faith and the good of love and of charity; the truth of doctrine and of faith being signified by the seed which it giveth to the sower, and the good of love and of charity by the bread which it giveth to the eater. It shall not return to me in vain, but it shall accomplish that which I desire, signifies that it shall be received, and that man from it shall be led to look to the Lord.

[14] In Ezekiel:

"I will give them and the places round about my hill a blessing, and I will send down the rain in its season, there shall be rains of blessing; then the tree of the field shall yield its fruit and the earth shall yield its produce" (34:26, 27).

The places round about the hill of Jehovah mean all who are in truths of doctrine and thence in the good of charity. By sending down the rain in its season is signified the influx of Divine Truth, accommodated to the affection and desire of receiving; and because the fructification of good and the multiplication of truth are thence, they are called rains of blessing. And it is said that the tree of the field shall yield its fruit, and the earth shall yield its produce; the tree of the field and the earth signify the church and the man of the church, the fruit of the tree of the field signifies the fructification of good, the multiplication of whose truth is signified by the produce of the earth.

[15] And in Joel:

"Sons of Zion, rejoice and be glad in Jehovah your God, for he shall give you the former rain in justice, yea, he shall cause to descend for you the rain, the former and the latter, in the first, that the floors may be full of pure corn, and the presses overflow with wine (mustum), and oil" (2:23, 24).

The sons of Zion signify those who are in genuine truths through which they have the good of love, for by Zion is signified the celestial church which is in the good of love to the Lord by means of genuine truths. He shall give them the former rain in justice, signifies that with them the Lord flows-in with the good of love and from that into truths; justice in the Word is said of the good of love, while the just denote those who are in that good, as may be seen above (n. 204). That the Lord continually flows-in with the good of love into truths, is signified by the words, "He shall cause the rain to descend, the former and the latter, as at first." That thence they will have the good of brotherly and social love, is signified by the floors being full of pure corn; and that from the same source they will have the truth and good of love to the Lord, is signified by the presses overflowing with wine (mustum) and oil. Those who belong to the celestial church of the Lord possess the good of brotherly and social love; this love with those who belong to the spiritual church of the Lord is called "charity towards the neighbour."

[16] In Zechariah:

"Ask of Jehovah rain in its season; Jehovah will make clouds and will give them the rain of the shower, to a man the herb in the field" (10:1).

Rain here also signifies the influx of Divine Truth from the Lord, from which man possesses spiritual intelligence, rain of the shower signifies Divine Truth flowing-in abundantly, while by giving the herb in the field is signified knowledge of truth and good from the Word and intelligence therefrom.

[17] In David:

"Thou visitest the earth, and delightest in it, thou greatly enrichest it; the river of God is full of waters, thou preparest their corn, and so thou establishest it. Water the furrows thereof; settle the ridges thereof; make it soft with drops; bless the budding thereof" (Psalm 65:9, 10).

The earth here signifies the church; the river full of waters signifies doctrine full of truths; by watering the furrows, settling the ridges, and making it soft with drops, is signified to fill with the knowledges of good and truth. By preparing the corn is signified every thing that nourishes the soul, therefore it is said, "so thou establishest the earth," that is, the church; by blessing the budding thereof is signified to continually bring forth anew and to cause truths to spring up.

[18] Again:

"Thou, O God, causest the rain of benevolences to come down" (Psalm 68:9);

and again:

"He shall come down like the rain upon the grass of the meadow, as drops into the cleft of the earth, in his days the just shall flourish" (Psalm 72:6, 7).

In these passages also rain does not signify rain, but the influx of Divine Truth with man, from which he receives spiritual life.

In Job:

"My word they will not repeat, and my speech will drop upon them, and they will wait for me as for the rain, and they will open their mouth for the latter rain" (29:22, 23).

That rain here means truth which is spoken by any one and which flows-in to another, is clear, for word, speech, and to open the mouth, signify truth proceeding from any one by means of speech; therefore it is called rain, and the latter rain, and it is said also to drop, which means to speak.

[19] In Jeremiah:

"The maker of the earth by his power prepareth the world, by his wisdom and by his understanding he stretcheth out the heavens; at the voice which he uttereth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; and he maketh the vapours to ascend from the end of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth the wind out of his treasuries" (10:12, 13; 51:16; Psalm 135:7).

The world which the Maker of the earth prepares by His power signifies the church in all the earth; power signifies the power of Divine Truth. By the heavens which He stretcheth out by wisdom and understanding, is signified the church in the heavens corresponding to the church on earth; wisdom and understanding signify the proceeding Divine, from which angels and men receive the wisdom of good and the understanding of truth, to stretch out signifying the formation and extension of the heavens in general, and the extension of intelligence and wisdom with every one who receives. At the voice which He uttereth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, signifies that from the proceeding Divine are spiritual truths in immense abundance, voice denoting the proceeding Divine, waters truths, and multitude abundance. He maketh the vapours to ascend from the end of the earth, signifies truths in ultimates, such as the truths of the Word are in the sense of the letter, in which are spiritual truths, the end of the earth denoting the ultimates of the church, vapours denoting truths for those who are in ultimates, while to make them ascend denotes, from them, because contained in them, that is, in ultimates, to give spiritual truths, which especially fructify the church. He maketh lightnings with rain signifies illustration from the influx of Divine Truth with them; and bringeth the wind out of His treasuries signifies spiritual things in the Word from heaven.

[20] In Luke:

"When ye see a cloud rising in the west, straightway it is said, There cometh rain, and so it is; and when the south wind bloweth, it is said, There will be heat, and it cometh to pass. Ye hypocrites, ye know how to interpret the face of the earth and of heaven, how is it that ye do not interpret this time?" (12:54-56).

The Lord teaches by this comparison that they see earthly things but not heavenly things; and the comparison itself, as in the case of all comparisons in the Word, is made from correspondences. For by the cloud rising in the west is signified the coming of the Lord at the end of the church, predicted in the Word, the cloud denoting the Word in the letter, the rising of it the coming of the Lord, and the west the end of the church. Straightway it is said, There cometh rain, signifies that then there is the influx of Divine Truth; and when ye perceive the south wind blowing, signifies preaching concerning His coming; it is said, There will be heat, signifies that then there is the influx of Divine Good. The same words also signify contentions and combats of truth from good with falsities from evil, rain and heat also signifying these contentions and combats; for this comparison follows immediately after the Lord's word, that He came not to send peace on the earth, but division; and that the father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father, the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother (Luke 12:51-53). These words signify such contention and combat; that the same is also signified by rain will be seen below. Because this comparison considered in its spiritual sense involves the coming of the Lord, and because they would not acknowledge Him through blindness caused by falsities although He might have been known to them from the Word, therefore these words follow, "Ye hypocrites, ye know how to interpret the face of the earth and of heaven, but ye do not interpret this time," namely, the time of His coming, and the conflict which then took place between the falsity of evil and the truth of good.

[21] In Hosea:

"Let us know, and let us follow on to know Jehovah; his going forth is prepared as the cloud, and he shall come to us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth" (6:3).

These words are said of the Lord and His coming. And because all Divine Truth proceeds from Him, and angels and men have life and salvation from this, therefore it is said that "He shall come to us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth." To water the earth signifies to make the church fruitful, and it is said to be made fruitful when truths are multiplied and intelligence thence increases, and when goods are fructified, and celestial love thence increases.

[22] In the Second Book of Samuel:

"The Rock of Israel spake to me, as the light of the morning the sun riseth, of a morning without clouds; from clear shining after rain grass out of the earth" (23:3, 4).

These words also refer to the Lord, who is called the Rock of Israel from Divine Truth which proceeds from Him. That Divine Truth proceeds from His Divine Good is meant by the words "as the light of the morning the sun riseth." Comparison is made with light, because light signifies the proceeding Divine Truth, and with the morning, because the morning signifies the Divine Good, and with the rising sun, because the east, and the sun, signify the Divine Love; that these are without obscurity is signified by the light of a morning without clouds. The enlightenment of the man of the church by means of the reception and after the reception of Divine Truth from the Divine Good of the Lord, is signified by the words "from clear shining after rain," clear shining denoting illustration, and rain denoting influx and consequent reception. That thence those who are of the church have knowledge (scientia), intelligence, and wisdom, is signified by grass out of the earth, grass, like pasture, denoting spiritual nourishment, and thence knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom, which are spiritual foods, while the earth denotes the church and the man of the church.

[23] In Matthew:

"Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that hurt and persecute you, that ye may be sons of your Father who is in the heavens, who maketh his sun to rise upon the evil and the good, and sendeth rain upon the just and the unjust" (5:44, 45).

Charity towards the neighbour, which is to will good, and to do good, even to one's enemies, is first described, by the expressions loving them, blessing them, and praying for them, for genuine charity regards only the good of another. To love, in this place, signifies charity; to bless, instruction, and to pray, intercession; the reason is, that charity inwardly has for an end the doing of good. That this is the very Divine with man, as it is with regenerated men, is signified by the words "that ye may be sons of your Father in the heavens." The Father in the heavens is the proceeding Divine; for all who receive this are called sons of the Father, that is, of the Lord. The sun which He maketh to rise upon the evil and the good signifies the inflowing Divine Good; and the rain which He sendeth upon the just and the unjust signifies the inflowing Divine Truth. For the proceeding Divine which is "the Father in the heavens," equally flows-in with the evil and the good, but the reception of it depends upon man, although it is not as one man from another, but as from himself; for the power to receive is continually given to him, and also flows-in as far as he removes opposing evils, and does this from the power that is continually given him, the power itself appearing to be the man's, although it is from the Lord.

[24] From these considerations it is now evident that rain in the Word signifies the influx of Divine Truth from the Lord, whence man has spiritual life; and this because waters, of which rain consists, signify the truth of doctrine and the truth of faith. But because waters, in the opposite sense, signify falsities of doctrine and of faith, therefore also rain of the shower, or shower, equally as inundations of waters and a flood, signify not only falsities destroying truths, but also temptations, in which man either falls or conquers. These are signified by shower in Matthew:

"Every one who heareth my words, and doeth them, I will liken to a prudent man, who built his house upon the rock; and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, yet it fell not. But he who heareth my words, and doeth them not, shall be likened to a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand; and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it" (7:24-27).

The rain and the floods here mean temptations, in which man conquers and in which he falls; waters the falsities which usually flow-in in temptations, while the floods, which are here inundations of waters from the rain, signify temptations. The winds which also blow and beat signify the thoughts going forth thence; for temptations arise through irruptions of falsities caused by evil spirits to rush into the thoughts. By the house against which they beat, is signified man, properly his mind, which consists of understanding or thought, and of will or affection. He who receives the words of the Lord, that is, Divine truths, in that part of his mind only which pertains to thought or understanding, and not at the same time in that other part which pertains to affection or will, succumbs in temptations, and falls into grievous falsities, which are the falsities of evil; therefore it is said, "great was the fall of it." But he who receives Divine truths in both parts, as well in the will as in the understanding, conquers in temptations. The rock upon which that house is founded, signifies the Lord as to Divine Truth, or Divine Truth received in the soul and heart, that is, in faith and love, which is in the understanding and will. But by the sand is signified Divine Truth received merely in the memory, and thence in some slight degree in the thought, consequently scattered and unconnected, because intermixed with falsities, and falsified by ideas. From these things, therefore, it is evident what is meant by hearing [the Lord's] words and not doing them. That such is the meaning of the above words is more distinctly evident from those which immediately precede.

[25] By an inundating rain or shower is signified an inundation of falsities also in Ezekiel:

"Say unto them that plaster untempered mortar, that it shall fall because an inundating rain, because ye, O hail-stones, shall fall, and a wind of storms shall break through; thus saith the Lord Jehovih, I will cause a wind of storms to break through in my wrath, and an inundating rain in mine anger, and stones of hail in ardour for consummation, and I will destroy the wall which ye plaster with untempered mortar" (13:11, 13, 14).

By plastering with untempered mortar signifies confirmation of falsity by fallacies; through these falsity appears like truth. The stones of hail signify truths without good, thus without any spiritual life, all of which inwardly are falsities, for the ideas that are dead, cause them to be merely like shells and pictures in which there is nothing living; such are the scientific truths (scientifica vera) of the natural man into which there flows nothing from the spiritual. The inundating rain and wind of storms signify falsities in abundance rushing in and imaginary things, also contentions concerning truths, which render the seeing of anything of truth impossible, and so destroy man.

[26] In the same:

"I will contend with" Gog, "with pestilence and blood, and an inundating rain, and hail-stones, fire and sulphur, I will cause to rain upon him, and upon his wings, and upon the many people who are with him" (38:22).

By Gog are meant those who are in external worship without any internal; and because that worship similarly consists as it were of shells, in which the kernels are either putrified or corroded by worms, therefore they are called an inundating rain and hail-stones, which signify falsities in abundance rushing in and imaginary things which destroy man; evils of falsity and falsities of evil are signified by fire and sulphur.

[27] By the deluge of waters, concerning which it is said that it inundated the whole earth, and destroyed all except Noah and his sons (Genesis 7; 8), is also signified an inundation of falsities, by which the Most Ancient church was at length destroyed; by Noah and his sons is signified the new church - which must be called the Ancient Church - and its establishment after the devastation of the Most Ancient Church. But the details by which that deluge, and the salvation of the family of Noah, are described in those chapters, may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia. That waters signify truths, and, in the opposite sense, falsities, may be seen above (n. 71, 483, 518, 537, 538); and that inundations of waters signify inundations of falsities and temptations, may also be seen above (n. 518:38).

419. That the wind should not blow. - That this signifies lest the good should be hurt, and the evil rejected before the day, is evident from the signification of wind as denoting the proceeding Divine, which is the Divine Good united with the Divine Truth; therefore, that "the wind should not blow," signifies that it might flow in softly and gently. "That that wind should not blow upon the earth" signifies that the good should not be injured, and the evil rejected before the day, for the reason that separations of the good from the evil, and castings out of the evil, in the spiritual world, are effected by various degrees of modification and of intensity of the Divine which proceeds from the Lord as the Sun. When this flows in gently, then the good are separated from the evil; and when powerfully, the evil are rejected. The reason for this is that when the Divine from the Lord flows in gently, there is everywhere a state of calm and serenity, in which every one appears such as he is as to the state of his good, for then every one stands forth in the light; wherefore, those who are in good from a spiritual origin are then separated from those who are in good from a natural origin only; for the Lord looks upon those who are in spiritual good, leads them, and thus separates them. Those who are in good from a spiritual origin, are they of whom it is afterwards said, that they are sealed upon their foreheads, for they are spiritual, and angels of heaven; but those who are in good from a natural origin only, are not good, because they are not spiritual, for the good which they seem to have is evil, because it regards itself and the world as an end. They do good in an external form for their own glory, honour, and gain, and not for their neighbour's good; and, therefore, they do good only to gain the respect of men. The merely natural are those who are not sealed, and who are afterwards rejected. But when the Divine from the Lord flows in powerfully, then the goods which the evil have are dissipated, because in themselves they are not goods, but evils, and evils cannot sustain the influx of the Divine; therefore it comes to pass, that their exteriors are closed, and this being the case, their interiors are opened, in which there is nothing but evils and the falsities thence; and so they come into grief, anguish, and torment, and, on account of these, cast themselves down into the hells, where there are similar evils and falsities.

[2] When the influx of the Divine is intensified, which is the case when the evil are to be removed, then lower down in the spiritual world there arises a strong wind, like a storm or tempest; this wind is what is called in the Word the east wind, which we shall also speak of presently. Hence also the casting down of the evil is described in the Word by strong and impetuous winds, by storms and tempests. By the wind of Jehovah is signified the same as by the spirit of Jehovah, for the wind of respiration is meant, which is also called breath; therefore in the Hebrew tongue, and in many other languages, spirit and wind are expressed by the same word. This is the reason why the greater part of men have no other idea of spirit and of spirits, than as of wind, such as the wind of respiration; and so the opinion prevails in the learned world also that spirits and angels are like wind, possessing only the power of thought. This also is the reason why few suffer themselves to be convinced that spirits and angels are men, possessing a body, face, and organs of sensation, like men in this world. The reason why by wind and breath, when used in reference to man, is signified the life of truth, or a life according to the truths or precepts of the Lord, is that respiration, which is the function of the lungs, corresponds to that life, while the heart and its motion correspond to the life of good; for there are two lives, which make one in man, the life of truth, and the life of good. The life of truth is the life of his understanding, but the life of good is the life of his will; for truths reside in the understanding, because they constitute the understanding, but goods reside in the will, because they constitute the will. The same is signified in the Word by the soul and heart, when they are mentioned together.

[3] From these considerations it is evident that the wind and spirit of Jehovah mean the Divine Truth; and the four winds, the Divine Truth united with Divine Good. Since wind means the wind or breath of respiration, which signifies Divine Truth and spiritual life in those who receive it, therefore that wind is also called the breath of the nostrils of Jehovah, the breath of his mouth, and respiration, as is evident from the following passages.

In Ezekiel:

"I beheld, and sinews and flesh came up" upon the dry bones, "and the skin covered them above, but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the spirit, prophesy, son of man, and say to the spirit, Thus saith the Lord Jehovih; Come from the four winds, O spirit, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live" (37:8, 9).

It was shewn in the preceding article, that dry bones here denote those in whom there is no spiritual life, or in whom there is not any life by means of the Divine Truth. The inbreathing of it by the Lord, is signified by, "Prophesy unto the spirit, and say to the spirit, Come from the four winds, O spirit, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live." It is evident that by the spirit here named is meant the spirit of respiration, for there were nerves, flesh, and skin, but as yet there was no respiration; therefore it is said, "Say unto the spirit, Breathe upon these." Hence it is evident that spirit or wind signifies spiritual life. That common respiration is not meant, is plain from the fact that it is said, that those dry bones were the house of Israel, that is, that it was destitute of spiritual life; and from its being afterwards said of them, "I will put my spirit in you, that ye may live, and I will place you in your own land" (Ezekiel 37:14); which signifies that they were to be regenerated in order that a church might be formed from them. Regeneration is effected by a life according to Divine Truth, from which there is spiritual life; and to be placed in their own land, signifies to become a church, the land of Canaan signifying the church.

[4] In Moses:

Jehovah "breathed into his nostrils the breath of lives, and man became a living soul" (Genesis 2:7).

Here also, in the sense of the letter, is meant the wind of respiration, since it is said he breathed into his nostrils; but that spiritual life is meant, which is the life of intelligence and wisdom by means of Divine Truth, is evident from its being said that He breathed the breath of lives, and that man thus became a living soul. The breath of lives and living soul denote spiritual life; for, without this soul man is called dead, although he lives so far as the body and the senses are concerned. It is therefore plain that soul, spirit, and wind, in the Word, mean spiritual life.

[5] In John:

Jesus said to the disciples, "Peace be unto you; as the Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit" (20:21, 22).

By the Lord's breathing and saying to them, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit," is signified the same as by Jehovah breathing into Adam's nostrils the breath of lives, which means spiritual life; for the Holy Spirit signifies Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord, from which arises spiritual life. That they should teach this from the Lord, is signified by these words: "As the Father hath sent me, even so send I you." For the Lord when in the world was the Divine Truth itself, which He taught from His Divine Good which was in Him from conception. This Divine is what the Lord here and in other places calls the Father; and because, when He went out of the world, He united Divine Truth with Divine Good, in order that they might be one in Himself, and as the Divine Truth then proceeded from Him, He therefore said, "As the Father hath sent me, even so send I you." That the wind of respiration signifies spiritual life, and this from correspondence, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 3883-3896). All who are in the spiritual world also are known as to their quality from their respiration alone. Those who are in the life of the respiration of heaven, are amongst the angels; but those who are not in that respiration, cannot breathe if they come into heaven, and so they suffer pain as though from suffocation. Concerning this fact, see Arcana Coelestia 1119, 3887, 3889, 3892, 3893). It is in agreement with this correspondence that the term inspiration is used, that the prophets are said to be inspired, and the Word divinely inspired.

[6] From these observations the signification of these words of the Lord in John is evident:

"Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh, and whither it goeth; so is every one that is born of the spirit" (John 3:5, 7, 8).

To be born again means to be regenerated; and because man is regenerated by a life according to Divine Truth, and all Divine Truth by which he is regenerated proceeds from the Lord, and flows into man without his knowledge, it is therefore said, "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh or whither it goeth." Thus is described the life of the spirit of man, which he has by regeneration; wind denoting the Divine Truth, by which that life is acquired. Man during his abode in the world, does not at all know how this flows in from the Lord, for he then thinks from his natural man, and has a faint perception only of anything which flows from the spiritual man into the natural, therefore this is what is meant by "Thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh, and whither it goeth." The water of which man is born signifies truth from the Word, and the spirit a life according to it.

[7] That water signifies truth, may be seen above (n. 71).

In Lamentations:

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

By the anointed of Jehovah is here meant the Lord as the Divine Truth, for the anointed of Jehovah signifies the same as king. That a king in the highest sense signifies the Lord as to Divine Truth, may be seen above (n. 31), and that the anointed of Jehovah signifies the same, see above (n. 375). Hence it is said, "the breath of our nostrils, of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live;" for breath and wind of the nostrils, in the highest sense, signify the Divine Truth, as said above. That the Divine Truth perished by means of the falsities of evil, is signified by being taken in their pits, pits denoting the falsities of evil.

[8] Again, in Lamentations:

"Thou hast heard my voice," Jehovah "hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry" (3:56).

"To hide thine ear at my breathing, at my cry," signifies, in regard to worship, confession, and prayers, which are from truths and goods, for all worship, confession, and prayer must be from both truths and goods, in order to be heard. If from truths alone, they are not heard, because there is no life in them, for the life of truth is from good. Breathing is there spoken of truths, and cry, of goods. That cry is spoken of goods will be seen elsewhere.

[9] Again, in Moses:

"All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of lives, of all that was upon the dry land, died" (Genesis 7:22).

Every one can see that these words in the sense of the letter mean, that every thing upon the earth was destroyed by the flood, thus all men, except Noah and his sons; but what they signify in the spiritual sense, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 805, 806), where it is shewn that by the breath of the spirit of lives in the nostrils is meant spiritual life, such as the men of the Most Ancient Church had; for the flood signifies the end of that church and a last judgment, which took place at the time when everything of the church had become extinct.

So in David:

"They have ears, but they hear not; yea, there is no breath in their mouth" (Psalm 135:17).

No breath in their mouth, signifies that there was no truth in their thought, for mouth signifies thought.

[10] Again, in Jeremiah:

"And the wild asses breathed out the wind like whales; their eyes are consumed because there is no herb" (14:5, 6).

To breathe out the wind like whales, signifies, that no truth was granted them; and "because there is no herb," denotes that there was no truth in the church. Since the evil are cast down by a more vehement influx of Divine Truth and Good, proceeding from the Lord as the Sun, as stated above, therefore, also, the casting down of those who are in the falsities of evil is described by the breath of the nostrils of Jehovah; as in Isaiah:

"For Tophet is prepared of old; the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of Jehovah like a stream of brimstone doth kindle them" (30:33).

In David:

"The channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at the rebuke of Jehovah, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils" (Psalm 18:15).

In Moses:

"And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were heaped up together. Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea covered them" (Exodus 15:8, 10).

And in Job:

"They that plough iniquity, by the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed" (Job 4:8, 9).

By the blast, breath, and breathing of the nostrils of Jehovah, is meant the proceeding Divine, by which the evil are dispersed and cast down, when it flows in strongly and with intensity. But this influx will be spoken of in what follows, where storms, tempests, and the east wind, are treated of.

[11] That the wind of the earth signifies the proceeding Divine, arises also from correspondence with the winds in the spiritual world. For winds also exist in the spiritual world, arising from the direction of the influx of the Divine, and they extend to the lower parts of the earth there. In the heavens rarely any but gentle winds are perceived; but they are frequently perceived with those who dwell below upon the lands (terroe), for they increase in proportion to descent. Their directions are from the quarters into which the Divine flows, especially from the north; and because the winds there have a spiritual origin, they therefore also signify spiritual things, in general the Divine Truth, from which they exist. Thus, in David:

Jehovah "layeth his chambers in the waters; he maketh the clouds his chariot; he walketh upon the wings of the wind; he maketh his angels winds; his ministers a flaming fire" (Psalm 104:3, 4).

By waters, clouds, and wings of the wind, is signified Divine Truth in ultimates, which is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word; because this is in ultimates it is said, "He layeth his chambers in the waters; he maketh the clouds his chariot; he walketh upon the wings of the wind;" waters denoting truth in ultimates, and similarly clouds and wings of the wind; chariot signifies truth of doctrine. "He maketh his angels winds, his ministers a flaming fire," signifies that He makes them recipients of Divine Truth and Divine Good. By angels are meant those who are in the spiritual kingdom of the Lord, and because they are recipients of Divine Truth, it is said, He maketh them winds. By ministers are meant those who are in the celestial kingdom of the Lord, and because they are recipients of the Divine Good, it is said, He maketh them a flaming fire, a flaming fire denoting the good of love and thence truth. That those who are in the spiritual kingdom of the Lord are recipients of the Divine truth, and those who are in the celestial kingdom recipients of the Divine Good, may be seen in the Heaven and Hell 20-28). That angels are called angels from the reception of Divine Truth, may be seen above (n. 130:2, 412:7), and that ministers are called ministers from the reception of Divine Good, may also be seen above (n. 155); and that fire signifies the good of love (n. 68).

[12] Again, in David:

Jehovah "Bowed the heavens, and came down; and thick darkness was under his feet. And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly; yea, he was borne upon the wings of the wind" (Psalm 18:9, 10).

By Jehovah bowing to the heavens and coming down, is signified the visitation, which precedes a last judgment; by the thick darkness under His feet, are signified falsities of evil in the lower parts; by His riding upon a cherub, His flying, and being carried upon the wings of the wind is signified Omnipresence with the Divine, and the wings of the wind denote Divine Truth in ultimates, as above.

[13] Again, in Jeremiah:

"He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his understanding. When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the end of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasuries" (10:12, 13; 51:15, 16).

And again, in David:

"He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries" (Psalm 135:7).

These things in the spiritual sense, describe the reformation of man, and the establishment of the church. From this reformation and this establishment the Lord is called the Maker of the earth, and elsewhere the Former and Creator; earth denoting the church. The Divine Good by means of which reformation is effected, is signified by His establishing the world by His wisdom; world denotes the church, and has reference to good. The Divine Truth by means of which this is also effected, is signified by, the voice which he uttereth, a multitude of waters in the heavens. The voice which he uttereth, signifies the influx of the Divine Truth; the multitude of waters in the heavens, signifies reception, waters denoting truths. Ultimate truths, which are knowledges from the sense of the letter of the Word, are signified by vapours from the end of the earth; spiritual things thence are signified by lightnings for the rain, lightnings having reference to the light of heaven, and rain to influx; reformation thence by means of Divine Truth from the Lord, is signified by, "He bringeth forth the wind out of his treasuries." All these things are in this way understood in the heavens.

[14] Again, in David:

"He casteth forth his hail like morsels: who can stand before his cold? He sendeth out his Word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow. He declareth his Word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel" (Psalm 147:17-19).

By these words also, reformation is described, but in regard to the natural man; the scientifics therein, and the knowledges which a man possesses before reformation are signified by, "Hail like morsels; who can stand before his cold?" For man previous to reformation is altogether cold, and that cold is also distinctly felt when the Divine flows in out of heaven; and because such cold is dissipated when the Divine Good and the Divine Truth are received, that is when reformation takes place, it is therefore said, "He sendeth out his Word, and melteth them; he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow." By the Word is signified the Divine Good united with the Divine Truth; by the wind is signified Divine Truth, and by the waters flowing, the reception of truth; and because this is the signification of the above words, it is therefore added, "He declareth his Word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel." Jacob and Israel signify the church, the former, the church which is in good, the latter, the church which is in truths. Statutes and judgments denote external and internal truths from good.

[15] So again:

"Praise Jehovah; fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his Word" (Psalm 148:7, 8).

It is evident that fire and hail, snow and vapour, and wind signify things different from these; for what purpose could be served in the Divine Word by saying that they should praise Jehovah? But by fire and hail, snow and vapours, are signified the delights of the loves of the natural man, and his scientifics and knowledges; for these, before man is reformed and made spiritual, are fire, and hail, and snow and vapour; and the sphere of their life, when it flows forth from them causes similar things to appear in the spiritual world. To worship the Lord from those things, is signified by their praising Jehovah, for to praise is to worship. But by the stormy wind is signified the Divine Truth as to reception; wherefore it is also said, stormy wind fulfilling his Word. To fulfil His Word signifies to receive in the life the things pertaining to doctrine.

[16] Because everything in the Word has also an opposite sense, so also has wind, and in that sense it signifies falsity, as in the following passages.

In Isaiah:

"Behold they are all iniquity, their works are naught; their molten images are wind and emptiness" (41:29).

Wind and emptiness denote the falsities of evil, and the evils of falsity; wind denotes the falsities of evil, and emptiness, the evils of falsity; for where there is emptiness and vacuity, or, in other words, where there is neither good nor truth, there are evil and falsity. That falsities are there signified by wind is plain, from the fact that it is said, "They are all iniquity, their works are naught"; and also because it is said, "their molten images are wind and emptiness"; for molten images signify the things which man brings forth from his own intelligence, all of which are evils and falsities.

In Jeremiah:

"The prophets shall become wind, and the Word is not in them" (5:13).

Prophets signify those who teach truths, and in the abstract, truths of doctrine, but in this case falsities of doctrine which are signified by wind; therefore it is also said, "the Word is not in them," the Word signifying the Divine Truth.

[17] Again:

"I will scatter them as the stubble that passeth away unto the wind of the desert" (13:24).

The wind of the desert signifies where there is no truth, consequently, where there is only falsity; for desert in the Word signifies where there is no good, because there is no truth.

Again in the same prophet:

"The wind shall feed all thy shepherds, and thy lovers shall go into captivity" (22:22).

Shepherds in the Word signify those who teach the good of life and lead to it, this being accomplished by means of truths, but in this case, by shepherds are meant those who do not teach the good of life, still less lead to it, because they are in falsities; this is meant by, "the wind shall feed all thy shepherds," wind denoting the falsity which they seize upon and love. The lovers who shall go into captivity signify the delights of the love of self and the love of the world, and therefore the delights of the evil; lovers denote those delights, and captivity denotes detention in the hells.

[18] Again in Hosea:

"Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind; he daily multiplieth lies and desolation; and they make a covenant with the Assyrian, and oil is carried into Egypt" (12:1).

Ephraim signifies the Intellectual of the church; the Assyrian, reasoning; and Egypt, the Scientific; therefore by, "Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind," is signified that those in the church who are intelligent take up with falsities by means of which truths are completely driven out, for wind denotes what is false, and the east wind falsity withering and dissipating truths. Because of this signification of wind and the east wind, it is also said, "he daily multiplieth lies and desolation," a lie denoting falsity, and desolation the dissipation of truth. By their making a covenant with the Assyrian, and by oil being carried into Egypt, is signified, that by reasoning from scientifics falsely applied, they pervert the truths and goods of the church. To make a covenant with the Assyrian, signifies to reason from falsities and to destroy truths, and to carry oil into Egypt, signifies to destroy the good of the church by means of scientifics. For he who is in principles of falsity applies to them the scientifics which he has received from childhood, for his understanding sees nothing else, since the understanding is formed from either truths or falsities; if from truths, then a man sees truths, if from falsities, then he sees falsities, and these he sees in the natural man, in whose memory scientifics reside, from which he selects such as favour his ideas, and those which do not favour them are either perverted or rejected.

[19] Again, in the same prophet:

"Ephraim is joined to idols. Their wine is gone; they have committed whoredom continually; they have loved; they have added shame to her shield. The wind hath bound her up in its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices" (Hosea 4:17-19).

Ephraim signifies the church in regard to the understanding of truth; but in the present case, the understanding of that which is not true but false, falsities of the church being meant by idols; the signification of "Ephraim is joined to idols," is therefore evident. By the wind in its wings is signified reasoning from fallacies, from which falsities arise. The signification of the rest is explained above (n. 283:16 and 376:38). The same is signified in Zechariah by the wind in the wings (5:9).

So in Jeremiah:

"And their camels shall be a booty, and the multitude of their cattle a spoil; and I will scatter them unto every wind, the cut off of the corner" (49:32).

By dispersing them into every wind is signified into every kind of falsity and evil, truths and goods having been dissipated. The rest of the prophecy is explained above (n. 417:7).

[20] Again, in Ezekiel:

"And a third part thou shalt scatter to the wind, and I will draw out a sword after them" (5:2, 12).

This is said concerning the hair of the head and of the beard, which the prophet was commanded to shave with a razor; and hair signifies the ultimate of truth in the church, for the entire heaven and the entire church in the sight of the Lord are as one man, and therefore all things of heaven and the church correspond to all things of man, both those without and those within him. See Heaven and Hell 87-102). The hair of the head and the hair of the beard being the ultimates of man, correspond to the ultimates of truth and good. The ultimates of truth and good are of such a quality as the ultimate truths of the sense of the letter of the Word. That these ultimates were perverted, falsified, and adulterated by the Jews, is signified by what is stated here concerning the hair of the head and of the beard of the prophet. A third part of the hair being scattered into every wind signifies the dissipation of all truth; when this is the case mere falsities are seized upon, and it is therefore said, "I will draw out a sword after them," a sword signifying the destruction of truth by falsity. See above (n. 131). Without the knowledge of this signification of the hair, who could understand what is involved in the command given to the prophet, that he should shave off the hair of his head and of his beard, burn a third part of it with fire in the midst of the city, take a third part and smite about it with a sword, and scatter a third part into every wind, and draw out a sword after them?

[21] That the falsification of truth by the Jews is signified by these things is very evident from what follows in the same chapter, where, among other things, it is said, "This is Jerusalem. And she hath changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that are round about her" (Ezekiel 5:5, 6).

In the same:

"And I will scatter to every wind all his hands; and I will draw out the sword after them" (Ezekiel 12:14).

These words have a similar meaning.

In Matthew:

"And the rain descended, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock" (Matthew 7:25).

Here, by the rain descending, and the winds blowing, are signified temptations, and consequently also falsities rushing in; for as spiritual temptations are nothing else but infestations of the mind by falsities and evils, therefore winds also here signify falsities. The rest is explained above (n. 411).

[22] It has been before stated, that in the spiritual world, just as in the natural world, strong winds and storms exist; but the storms in the spiritual world exist from the influx of the Divine into the lower parts where those are who are in evils and falsities. That influx, as it descends out of the heavens towards the lands (terroe), which are below, becomes denser and has the appearance of clouds which with the evil are dense and opaque, according to the degree and quality of their evil. These clouds are appearances of falsity from evil, and arise from the spheres of their life, for every angel and every spirit is encompassed by the sphere of his life. When the Divine goes forth powerfully from the Lord as the Sun, and flows into these dense and opaque clouds, a storm arises which is seen by the spirits there just as storms are seen by men on the earth. I was sometimes permitted to have experience of these storms, and also of the east wind, by which the evil were dispersed and cast into the hells, at the time when the Last Judgment was taking place. It is clear from these considerations what storms, tempests, and impetuous winds signify in the following passages.

In Isaiah:

"Thou shalt scatter them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall disperse them" (Isaiah 41:16).

And in Jeremiah:

"Behold, the tempest of Jehovah, his fury has gone forth, even a grievous whirlwind; it shall burst upon the head of the wicked" (Jeremiah 23:19; 30:23).

And in David:

"I will hasten my escape from the stormy wind and tempest" (Psalm 55:8).

Again:

"O my God, pursue them with thy tempest, and terrify them with thy storm" (Psalm 83:13, 15).

And in Ezekiel:

"I will make the storm-winds to burst through in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower, in mine anger, for a consummation" (Ezekiel 13:13).

And in Jeremiah:

"Evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great tempest shall be raised up from the sides of the earth" (Jeremiah 25:32).

Again in Isaiah:

"Thou shalt be visited by Jehovah of hosts with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire" (Isaiah 29:6).

And in Amos:

"I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rahab, and it shall devour the palaces thereof, with a tempest in the day of the storm" (Amos 1:14).

And in Zechariah:

"The Lord Jehovih shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with the tempests of the south" (Zechariah 9:14).

In Nahum:

"Jehovah hath his way in the tempest and in the storm" (Nahum 1:3).

In David:

"Upon the wicked, the wind of the tempests, the portion of the cup of the wicked" (Psalm 11:6).

Again:

"God shall come and shall not keep silence; and it shall be very tempestuous round about him" (Psalm 50:3).

And in Hosea:

"They sow the wind, and they shall reap the tempest" (Hosea 8:7).

In these passages storms and tempests signify the dispersion of falsities and evils, because those who are in falsities of evil are cast down into hell by a stormy wind.

[23] In David:

"They who go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, and lifteth up the waves thereof. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still" (Psalm 107:23, 25, 29).

These things refer to temptations and liberation from them; the stormy wind, and the lifting up of the waves of the sea signify temptations, because spiritual temptations are caused by falsities rushing into the thoughts, from which arise pains of conscience and grief of mind and soul, and these are signified by "He raiseth the stormy wind and lifteth up the waves thereof." Liberation from them is signified by, "He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still."

[24] The same is signified by these words in Mark:

"And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow; and they awoke him, and say unto him, Carest thou not that we perish? And he awoke, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm" (Mark 4:37-39).

Also in Luke:

"As they sailed he fell asleep; and there came down a storm of wind on the lake, and they were filled with water and were in jeopardy. And they came to him and awoke him, saying Master, Master, we perish. Then he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water; and they ceased, and there was a calm" (Luke 8:23, 24).

This, like all the miracles of the Lord, contains arcana of heaven, and interior things of the church. Divine miracles differ from those that are not divine in this, that Divine miracles also signify Divine things, because the Divine is in them, but miracles not divine have no signification, because there is nothing of the Divine in them. And, moreover, in the description of the Divine miracles in the Word, and in every detail of it, there is a spiritual sense. The above miracle refers to spiritual temptations. The great storm of wind that caused the waves to beat into the ship, so that it was full, signifies those temptations; and deliverance from these is signified by Jesus awakening when they were in great fear, rebuking the wind, and saying to the sea, "Peace, be still;" and by the ceasing of the wind, and the great calm. Every word contains a spiritual sense. We shall not here however explain it in detail, but merely say that a whirlwind and a tempest signify temptations, which are irruptions of falsities, or inundations of the mind by falsities. This is also evident from the fact that the wind and the waves were rebuked, and from the Lord's words to the sea, "Peace, be still," as being said to those things, or to those who induce temptations.

[25] Moreover the winds in the spiritual world, appear to arise from different quarters, some from the south, some from the north, and some from the east. Those which come from the south disperse truths with those who are in falsities, and those which come from the east disperse goods with those who are in evils. The reason why winds disperse these, is, that winds exist from a strong and powerful influx of the Divine through the heavens into the lower parts, [of the world of spirits], and where the influx reaches, it fills truths and goods, that is the minds and souls of those who are in truths and goods, with the Divine. Therefore those whose minds and souls are merely falsities and evils as to the interiors, and truths mingled with falsities, and goods with evils as to the exteriors, cannot sustain such influx from the Divine, and consequently they betake themselves to their own falsities and evils which they actually love, and reject the truths and goods which they love merely for the sake of themselves and of appearances.

[26] The effect produced by the wind coming from the east, called the east wind, is evident from what we have stated, for it disperses all the goods and truths of which the evil had made an external display before the world, and talked about for the sake of appearance, therefore withering and drying up are ascribed to this wind. "Withered" signifies a state in which there is no good, and "dried up" a state in which there is no truth. This is evident from those passages of the Word, where this wind is mentioned.

Thus, in Ezekiel:

Behold the planted vine. "Shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it?" (Ezekiel 17:10).

Again, in the same:

The vine "was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit; the rods of her strength were broken and withered" (Ezekiel 19:12).

And in Hosea:

Ephraim, "fruitful among his brethren, an east wind shall come, the wind of Jehovah shall come up from the wilderness, and his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up; it shall spoil the treasure of every vessel of desire" (Hosea 13:15).

And in Jonah:

"And it came to pass when the sun arose, that God prepared a withering east wind" (Jonah 4:8).

[27] That the east wind also destroys everything where the evil are, their lands (terroe), their dwellings, and their treasures, may be seen in the small work on The Last Judgment 61). The reason why this destruction takes place is that lands, dwellings, and treasures, in the spiritual world, are correspondences, therefore, when these perish, the things which correspond perish also, and consequently when the land where the evil dwell in that world is destroyed, the face of a new land appears for the good. Because the east wind in the spiritual world has such power, therefore, on account of its correspondence an east wind arose which divided the Sea Suph (Red Sea) (Exodus 14:21); which brought the locust (Exodus 10:13). It is called a rough wind (Isaiah 27:8) breaking the ships of Tarshish (Psalm 48:7); breaking in the heart of the seas (Ezekiel 27:26); and scattering enemies (Jeremiah 18:17).