9408. 'And it was like the substance of the sky for clearness' means the translucence of the angelic heaven. This is clear from the meaning of 'the sky (or heaven)' as the angelic heaven, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'clearness' or purity of substance, when said of the sky, as translucence. What the translucence of the angelic heaven is when the Word is the subject must be stated briefly. The angelic heaven is said to be translucent when God's truth shines through; for the whole of heaven is nothing other than a receptacle of God's truth. Each angel is an individual recipient of it, so that all the angels or heaven as a whole is a general recipient. This explains why heaven is called 'God's dwelling-place' and also 'God's throne'. For 'dwelling-place' means God's truth emanating from the Lord and received in the inmost heaven, which in comparison is good, 8269, 8309; and 'throne' means God's truth emanating from the Lord and received in the middle heaven, 5313, 6397, 8625, 9039. Since that which shines through, out of the sense of the letter of the Word, is God's truth as it exists in the heavens, it is the angelic heaven that shines through. For the Word is Divine Truth adjusted to all the heavens, and as a consequence of this it joins the heavens to the world, that is, angels to men, 2143, 7153, 7381, 8920, 9094 (end), 9212 (end), 9216 (end), 9357, 9396. From all this it is evident what the words 'the translucence of the angelic heaven' are used to mean.

[2] The reasons why in the internal sense 'the sky (or heaven)' means the angelic heaven lie with correspondence and also with the appearance. So it is that where the words 'heavens' and 'heavens of heavens' occur in the Word the angelic heavens are meant in the internal sense. For the ancients had no other idea of the visible sky than this, that the inhabitants of heaven lived there and that the stars were their dwelling-places. At the present day too, simple people - especially young children - have the same idea. So it is also that people look upwards to the sky or heaven when they worship God. This action too arises from correspondence; for a sky with stars appears in the next life, but this is not the sky seen by people in the world. Instead it is a sky that takes on an appearance which accords with the spirits and angels' state of intelligence and wisdom. The stars in it are cognitions or knowledge of goodness and truth, and the clouds which are sometimes seen in the sky vary in meaning according to their colours, translucence, and movements, the blue of the sky being truth transparent with good. All this goes to prove that by 'heavens' the angelic heavens are meant. But by the angelic heavens God's truths are meant, because angels are recipients of God's truth emanating from the Lord.

[3] Similar things are meant by 'heavens' in David,

Praise Jehovah, heavens of heavens, and waters that are above the heavens! Psalms 148:4.

In the same author,

Make melody to the Lord who rides above the heaven of the heaven of old. Psalms 68:33.

In the same author,

By the Word of Jehovah were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the spirit ¹ of His mouth. Psalms 33:6.

In the same prophet,

The heavens recount His glory, and the firmament declares the works of His hands. Psalms 19:1.

In the Book of Judges,

O Jehovah, when You went forth from Seir, the earth trembled, the heavens also dropped, the clouds indeed dropped water. Judges 5:4.

In Daniel,

The horn of the he-goat grew right on towards the host of the heavens, and cast down to the earth some of the host, and of the stars, and trampled on them. Daniel 8:10.

In Amos,

The Lord Jehovih, who builds His steps in the heavens ... Amos 9:6.

In Malachi,

If there is food in My house I will open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing for you. Malachi 3:10.

In Isaiah,

Look out from the heavens, and see from the dwelling-place of Your holiness and of Your glory. Isaiah 63:15.

In Moses,

Blessed by Jehovah is the land of Joseph, in regard to the precious things of heaven, to the dew. Deuteronomy 33:13.

In Matthew,

Jesus said, You shall not swear by heaven, for it is God's throne. He who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by Him who sits on it. Matthew 5:32; 23:22.

[4] In these and very many other places 'heavens' means the angelic heavens. And since the Lord's heaven on earth is the Church, the Church too is meant by 'heaven', as in the following places: In John,

I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away. Revelation 21:1.

In Isaiah,

Behold, I am creating new heavens and a new earth; therefore the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. ² Isaiah 65:17.

In the same prophet,

The heavens will vanish away like smoke, and the earth will grow old like a garment. Isaiah 51:6.

In the same prophet,

I clothe heaven with darkness, and I make sackcloth its covering. Isaiah 50:3.

In Ezekiel,

I will cover the heavens, and darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light. And all the bright lights in heaven I will make dark, and I will put darkness over the land. Ezekiel 32:7-8.

In Matthew,

After the affliction of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Matthew 24:29.

What the meaning is of 'sun', 'moon', 'stars', and 'in the heavens', see 4056-4060.

In Isaiah,

O Jehovah God of Israel, You are God alone over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Isaiah 37:16.

In the same prophet,

[I am] Jehovah who makes all things, who spreads out the heavens Alone, who stretches out the earth by Myself. Isaiah 44:24.

In the same prophet,

Jehovah who created the heavens, who formed the earth, and made it, and prepared it, did not create it an emptiness. Isaiah 45:18.

[5] In the internal sense 'heaven and earth' in these and other places means the Church, the internal Church being meant by 'heaven' and the external Church by 'earth', see 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118 (end), 3355 (end), 4535. From all this it is evident that by creation in the earliest chapters of Genesis, where it says, In the beginning God created heaven and earth, Genesis 1:1, And the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them, Genesis 2:1, a new Church is meant. For creation there describes regeneration, which is also called the new creation, as has been shown and may be seen in the explanations of those chapters.

539. And there arose smoke out of the well, as the smoke of a great furnace.- That this signifies dense falsities thence from the evils of earthly and corporeal loves, is evident from the signification of smoke, which denotes the falsity of evil, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of the well of the abyss, which denotes the hell where those are who have falsified the Word (see above, n. 537); and from the signification of a great furnace, which denotes the evils of earthly and corporeal loves, from which such falsities break forth, of which we shall speak in the following article. Smoke signifies the falsity of evil, because it proceeds from fire, and fire signifies the loves of self and of the world, and all evils thence; therefore also the hells which are in falsities from the evils of those loves, and more so where those are who have falsified the Word by applying it to favour those loves, appear in a fire as of a great furnace, from which ascends a dense smoke mixed with fire. I have also seen them, and it was evident that the loves of those who were there caused the appearance of such fire, and that the falsities issuing therefrom presented the appearance of a fiery smoke. But such things do not appear to those who are there; for they are in those loves and in the falsities thence; in them is their life; they are tormented by these in various ways, and not by material fire and smoke, such as are in our natural world as may be better seen from the article in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 566-575), where what is meant by infernal fire and by gnashing of teeth is explained.

[2] That smoke signifies the dense falsity which goes forth from evil, is evident from the following passages.

Thus in Moses:

Abraham "looked toward the faces of Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the faces of the land of the plain, and he saw, and lo, the smoke of the land went up as the smoke of a furnace" (Genesis 19:28).

Sodom and Gomorrah, in the spiritual sense, mean those who are altogether in the loves of self, therefore the smoke seen by Abraham to rise out of the earth after the burning [of those cities], signifies the dense falsity pertaining to those who are entirely in that love. For those who love themselves above all things, are in the utmost darkness as to things spiritual and celestial, being merely natural and sensual, and altogether separated from heaven; and then they not only deny Divine things, but also contrive falsities, by which they destroy them. These falsities are signified by the smoke seen to arise from Sodom and Gomorrah.

[3] In the same:

"And the sun went down, and there was thick darkness, and behold a smoking furnace, and a torch of fire that passed between those pieces" (Genesis 15:17).

These things are said concerning the posterity of Abraham from Jacob, as is evident from the preceding parts of that chapter. The sun going down signifies the last time, when there is a consummation; and thick darkness arising signifies evil in the place of good, and falsity in the place of truth. "Behold a smoking furnace," signifies very dense falsity from evils; the torch of fire signifies the heat of disorderly desires, and that these separated them from the Lord is signified by its passing between the pieces. These things are more fully explained in the Arcana Coelestia 1858-1862).

[4] Again, in Moses:

"Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether parts of the mount. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because Jehovah descended upon it in fire; and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly" (Exodus 19:17, 18).

And afterwards it is said:

"And all the people saw the voices and the torches and the voice of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and the people saw it, and they were moved and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die" (Exodus 20:18, 19).

These things represented the nature and quality of that people, for Jehovah, that is the Lord, appears to every one according to his quality. To those who are in truths from good, He appears as a serene light, but to those who are in falsities from evil, as smoke from fire; and because that people was in earthly and corporeal loves, and thence in the falsities of evil, therefore the Lord from mount Sinai appeared to them as a devouring fire, and as the smoke of a furnace. That the sons of Jacob were of such a character is shown in many places in the Arcana Coelestia, from which a number of passages are quoted in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 248); and that the Lord appears to every one according to his quality, as a vivifying and recreating fire to those who are in good, and as a consuming fire to those who are in evil, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 934, 1861, 6832, 8814, 8819, 9434, 10551). The signification of the remaining details in the passages above adduced, is also given in the Arcana Coelestia, where the book of Exodus is explained.

[5] The signification of smoke and fire in the following passages in David is similar:

"Because he was wroth, there went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and a fire out of his mouth devoured; coals were kindled by him. He bowed the heaven also, and came down; and thick darkness was under his feet" (Psalm 18:7-9; 2 Sam. 22:8, 9).

This does not mean that smoke and devouring fire ascended from Him, for there is no wrath in Him; but it is so said, because the Lord thus appears to those who are in falsities and evils, for they view Him from their own falsities and evils.

[6] Similar things are signified by the following in the same:

"He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth; he toucheth the mountains, and they smoke" (Psalm 104:32).

And again:

"Bow thy heavens, O Jehovah, and come down; touch the mountains, and they shall smoke" (Psalm 144:5).

And in Isaiah:

"Howl, O gate, cry, O city; thou whole Philistia, art dissolved; for there cometh a smoke from the north" (14:31).

By the gate is signified truth which introduces into the church; by city is signified doctrine. By Philistia is signified faith; hence by howl, O gate, cry, O city, thou whole Philistia, art dissolved, is signified the vastation of the church as to the truth of doctrine, and thence as to faith. The north signifies the hell where and whence are the falsities of doctrine and the falsities of faith, and the smoke those falsities themselves. Therefore by smoke coming from the north is signified falsity vastating from the hells.

[7] So in Nahum:

"Behold, I will burn her chariot in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions" (2:13).

The subject here treated of is the vastation of the church. By burning the chariot in the smoke is signified the perversion of all the truths of doctrine into falsities, smoke signifying falsity, and chariot denoting doctrine. By the sword shall devour the young lions, is signified that falsities will destroy the principal truths of the church, young lions denoting the principal and defensive truths of the church, and sword denoting falsity destroying truth.

[8] So in Joel:

"I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood and fire, and pillars of smoke" (2:30).

These things are said concerning the Last Judgment, and by blood, fire, and pillars of smoke, are signified the truth of the Word falsified, the good thereof adulterated, and absolute falsities therefrom. Blood denotes the truth of the Word falsified, fire, its good adulterated, and pillars of smoke denote the absolute and dense falsities thence.

[9] Again, in David:

"The wicked shall perish, and the enemies of Jehovah as the glory of lambs shall be consumed; in smoke shall they be consumed" (Psalm 37:20).

By the wicked perishing, and the enemies of Jehovah being consumed in smoke, is signified that they shall perish by means of the falsities of evil. Those who are in falsities are called wicked, and enemies those who are in evils, while smoke denotes the falsity of evil.

[10] Again:

"As smoke is driven away, so shalt thou drive them away; as wax melteth before the fire, so the wicked shall perish before God" (Psalm 68:2).

The destruction of the wicked is here compared to smoke driven away by the wind, and to wax which melts before the fire, because smoke signifies falsities, and fire, evils.

[11] So in Isaiah:

"The heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment" (51:6).

Here also smoke signifies falsity, in which they should perish who were in the former heaven; and by the garment waxing old is signified truth destroyed by the falsities of evil. Comparison is made with smoke vanishing away, and with a garment waxing old, because comparisons in the Word are also correspondences, and are equally significative.

[12] So in Hosea:

"They sin more and more, and make them a molten image of their silver, and idols in their intelligence, all of it the work of the craftsmen; therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early falling dew that passeth away, as the [chaff] that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney" (13:2, 3).

By these words are described doctrinals which are from [man's] own intelligence in which are evils of falsity, and falsities of evil. Such doctrinals are signified by the molten images of silver, and by idols. Their silver signifies that which is from [man's] own intelligence, and the work of the craftsmen signifies that intelligence; therefore it is also said, that they have made them idols in their own intelligence, all of it the work of the craftsmen. That those doctrinals because they are falsities, would pass away, is signified by their passing away as smoke out of the chimney. The reason why they are said to be as the morning cloud, and as the early falling dew that passeth away, and as [the chaff] out of the floor, is, because the church in its beginning is as the morning cloud, as the early falling dew, and as corn on the threshing floor, by which are signified truths of good, and goods of truth, which yet successively pass away, and are changed into falsities of evil, and into evils of falsity.

[13] By smoke is also signified falsity in other passages in the Apocalypse; as in the following:

"Out of the horses' mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone" (9:17, 18).

Again:

"The smoke of their torment ascendeth up unto ages of ages" (14:11).

And again:

"The smoke of Babylon rose up unto ages of ages" (19:3).

[14] Because fire signifies love in both senses, both heavenly love and infernal love, and smoke signifies that which flows from love, both the falsity from infernal love, and the truth from heavenly love, therefore smoke also, in a good sense, signifies holy truth; this is what smoke from the fire of the incense offerings signifies, as may be seen above (n. 494), and also in the following passages:

"Jehovah shall create over every dwelling-place of mount Zion, and over her assemblies, a cloud by day and smoke, and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory a covering" (Isaiah 4:5).

This passage may be seen explained above (n. 294:10, 504:11).

Again, in the same prophet:

"The posts of the thresholds were moved at the voice of the seraphim that cried, and the house was filled with smoke" (6:4).

And in the Apocalypse it is written:

"The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power" (15:8).

And again:

"The smoke of the offerings of incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand" (8:4).