610.That there shall be time no longer.- That this signifies that there would be no longer any understanding of Divine Truth, nor any state of the church from it, is evident from the signification of time, as here denoting the state of man as to the understanding of the Word, and therefore the state of the church, because these are the subjects treated of in this chapter. The reason why time signifies state, is, that times in the spiritual world are determined and distinguished only by particular and general states of life. The cause of this is, that the Sun in that world, which is the Lord, is fixed and stationary in the same part of heaven, which is the east, nor is it carried round as the sun in the natural world appears to be. Times are determined by the apparent revolution of this sun, and so exist in general and in particular; in general, the year and its four seasons, which are called spring, summer, autumn, and winter. These four seasons of the year also are the four natural states thereof corresponding to as many states in the spiritual world, which are its general spiritual states. In particular, within those general states in the natural world, there are fixed and stated times, called months and weeks, but especially days, which are distinguished into four natural states, called morning, noon, evening, and night, to which also correspond four states in the spiritual world. Since the Sun, in the spiritual world, as was said above, is not carried round but remains fixed and stationary in the east, therefore there are neither years, months, weeks, days, nor hours, consequently neither are there any determinations by times, but only determinations by states of life, general and particular. For this reason it is not known in the spiritual world what time is, but only what state is; for the determination of a thing gives the idea of it, and the thing is named according to the notion. This then is the reason why it is not known, in the spiritual world, what times are, although they succeed each other there, as in the natural world, but instead of times there are states and their changes; times, therefore, when mentioned in the Word, signify states. Concerning time, and times, in the spiritual world, more, may be seen in Heaven and Hell 162-169); and concerning the changes of state with the angels (n. 154-161). ¹

[2] Since by time are meant those things that pertain to time in the natural world, as those of the year, and of the day, those of the year being seed time and harvest, and those of the day being morning and evening, the states of the church also are described in the Word by those things which belong to time. By seed time is described and signified the establishment of the church; by harvest, its fructification; by morning, the first time of the church; and by noon to evening, its progression. These natural states also correspond to spiritual states, which are states of heaven and the church. In regard to the church, it passes through those states in general, and so does every man of the church in particular. Every man of the church is also inaugurated into those states from his earliest days, but when the church is at its end, he can then no longer be inaugurated, for he does not receive Divine Truth, but either rejects or perverts it, consequently there can be to him neither seed time nor harvest, that is, neither establishment nor fructification, nor has he morning or evening, that is, neither beginning nor progression. These are the states meant and signified by times in the Word; and because in the end of the church those states cease with the men of the church, it is therefore said here that there shall be time no longer, by which therefore is signified, that there shall be no longer any understanding of Divine Truth or the Word, consequently not any state of the church.

[3] The same is signified by time in Ezekiel:

"The evil, one evil, behold, cometh. The end is come, the end is come; it hath watched over thee. Behold the morning cometh upon thee, O thou that dwellest in the land; the time is come" (7:5-7).

These things also are said concerning the state of the church. The end of the former church is first described, and afterwards the establishment of the new church. The end of the former church is described by these words, "The evil, one evil, behold, cometh, the end is come, the end is come;" the establishment of the new church by these words, "The morning cometh upon thee, O thou that dwellest in the land; the time is come." The morning signifies the state of a new church, or the commencement of a church, and time, its progressive state, consequently the same as seed time and harvest, and noon and evening, mentioned above, consequently the state of the church as to the understanding of truth and the will of good.

[4] So in Daniel:

The fourth beast "shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the highest ones, because he shall think to change times and the right (jus); and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times, and part of a time" (7:25).

By the fourth beast is meant the evil which was about fully to vastate the church. The falsities destroying the truths of the church are meant by the words which he shall speak against the Most High, and by the saints of the highest ones, whom he will wear out; the saints of the highest ones, in the abstract sense, signifying Divine truths. That the truths of the Word and the goods thereof, will then be changed into falsities and evils, is signified by his changing the times and the right; times denoting states of the church as to the understanding of truth. The duration of that state in regard to the end of the church is signified by, until a time, and times, and part of a time, which means a full state of vastation.

[5] The same is signified by the following words in Daniel:

"I heard the man clothed in linen when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth unto the ages of the ages, that [it shall be] for a fixed time of fixed times and a half, and when they were about to make an end to disperse the people of holiness, all these things shall be consummated" (12:7).

Time here signifies state and by time, times, and a half, is signified a full state of vastation; it is therefore said, "when they were about to make an end to disperse the people of holiness," the people of holiness denoting those of the church who are in Divine truths, and, in the abstract, Divine truths. Similarly it is said in the Apocalypse that the woman should be nourished in the wilderness" for a time and times and half a time" (12:14).

[6] Because time signifies those things which pertain to time, as spring, summer, autumn, and winter, by which are signified the states of one who is being regenerated, and of one who is regenerated; also such things as pertain to those times, namely, seed time and harvest, which signify the state of the church in regard to the implantation of truth, and the fructification of good thence; therefore similar things are also signified by the times of the day, morning, noon, evening and night, as in the following passages.

Thus in Genesis:

"During all the days of the earth, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease" (8:22).

These words are explained in the Arcana Coelestia 930-937).

So in David:

"The day is thine, the night also is thine; thou hast prepared the light and the sun. Thou hast set all the borders of the earth; thou hast made summer and winter" (Psalm 74:16, 17).

And in Jeremiah:

"Jehovah, giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, If those ordinances depart from before me, the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me all the days" (31:35, 36).

And again, in the same prophet:

"Jehovah said, if I have not appointed my covenant of day and night, the ordinances of heaven and earth, I will also refuse the seed of Jacob, and of David my servant" (33:25, 26).

Here the ordinances of the sun, of the moon, and of the stars, also the covenant of the day and of the night, and the ordinances of heaven and of the earth, have a signification similar to times, since times have their existence from those ordinances. That seed time and harvest, summer and winter, also day and night, have a similar signification to times, was shown above.

[7] It follows therefore that the same things are signified by times in these words in Genesis:

"God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and they shall be for signs and for seasons, and for days, and for years" (Genesis 1:14).

The two luminaries, the sun and the moon, signify love and faith; for in the spiritual sense of that chapter the new creation or regeneration of the man of the church is treated of, and those things that chiefly regenerate man, and make the church are signified by what is said of the sun and moon. The above and following words therefore describe the process by which regeneration is accomplished and afterwards the states of regeneration are described. The signification of there being time no longer is therefore now evident from these things.

Footnotes:

674. There was a great earthquake.- That this signifies a remarkable change of the state of the interiors in those who are of the church, is evident from the signification of a great earthquake (terrae motus), as denoting a remarkable change of the state of the church; for the earth (terra) signifies the church, motion, change of state, and great, what is remarkable. That an earthquake, in the Word, signifies a change of the state of the church, may be seen above (n.400:2, 499).

[2] That a change of state as to the truths and goods of the church, sprang from causes involved in the preceding verse, is evident; that is, because the two witnesses that had been slain and restored to life ascended by command into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies saw them. It is therefore clear that the cause was the separation of the good from the evil, as shown in preceding articles, where the ascent of the two witnesses has been explained. But these things cannot be made plain to the understanding, until the state of the case in the spiritual world be made known. For the things described in this verse - namely, that there was a great earthquake, that the tenth part of the city fell, and that there were killed in the earthquake names of men seven thousand, also, that the rest became afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven - do take place, and also did take place at the time of the Last Judgment, but in the spiritual world, not in the natural world. For when it is necessary for the good there to be separated from the evil, and the good to be protected from being injured by the evil, then the good are removed from the societies, and the evil left, according to the words of the Lord in Matthew:

"Two shall be in the field, one shall be taken, the other shall be left; two [women] grinding, one shall be taken, the other shall be left" (24:40, 41);

this may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia 4334, 4335). When the good are taken away, then in the societies in which the good and evil were intermingled, a remarkable change takes place as to those things which pertain to the church.

[3] But the cause of that change shall be further explained. In the spiritual world there is a communication of all affections, and sometimes of thoughts; and within every society there is a general communication, extending itself from the midst in every direction, even to the boundaries, almost as light spreads from the centre to the circumference. The variations and changes of the affections arising from communication and its extension, spring from an influx of affections from other societies, which are either above or at the sides, also from the new comers who enter the society, and also from the fact of few or many being removed from the society.

[4] The societies upon which the Last Judgment took place, consisted of both the good and the evil, the evil being those who were interiorly, but not outwardly, opposed to the goods of love and the truths of doctrine, for outwardly they could act according to what was right and just, and speak what was pious and true not for the sake of rectitude, justice, piety, and truth, but from habit acquired in the world, for the sake of fame, glory, honour, gain, and various delights of the natural loves; also on account of the laws and their penalties. Such persons therefore, although interiorly evil, were still able to associate with those who were not only outwardly but also interiorly good. When therefore the good were being separated from those who appeared good only in external form, then the external good [of the latter] vanished, and their interior evil became apparent; for they were kept in such external good by communication with those within the same society, who, as said above, were not only outwardly but also interiorly, good. When external good then was removed from the evil, their interiors, which were full of mere evil and filthy things were opened, and consequently their real quality was made manifest. These are the things, therefore, that are specifically meant by the two witnesses ascending by command into heaven in a cloud, and their enemies seeing them; and here, that in that hour there was a great earthquake, that is, that when that state came, a remarkable change took place as to those things which pertain to the church.