THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 63

(Note: Rev. Smithson's translation of the Isaiah text is appended below the explanation.)

1. WHO is this that cometh from Edom, with sprinkled garments from Bozrah? this, that is magnificent in His apparel; marching on in the greatness of His strength? I, who speak in justice, mighty to save.

2. Wherefore art You red in Thine apparel, and Your garments as of him that treads the wine-vat?

VERSES 1-3. These things are said concerning the Lord, and His combats against all the hells; and whereas He fought against them from the human, in which was the Essential Divine it is therefore said - "Who is this that cometh from Edom, with sprinkled garments from Bozrah?" whereby is signified combating from the Good of Love and from Truth, which are from the Divine; for "Edom" denotes what is red, and "Bozrah" the vintaging, and red" is predicated of Good, and "vintaging" of Truth; and whereas those things are meant by "Edom" and by "Bozrah", therefore in what follows He is called "red as he that treads the wine-vat"; and, whereas the Divine Good and the Divine Truth, which is here understood, is the Word in the letter, and this is slgnified by the "garments" of the Lord, therefore it is said, - , "Who has sprinkled His garments"; likewise, "Who is magnificent in His apparel"; and whereas all strength is contained in the Word, in the letter, therefore it is said, "walking [or marching on] in the greatness of His strength".

Judgment from His Divine upon the good find upon the evil, salvation in consequence thereof, is understood by "I who speak in justice, mighty [or great] to save". The violence offered to the Word by the Jewish nation, is signified by "Wherefore art You red in Thine apparel, and Your garments as of him that treads the wine-vat!" - "red as to the apparel" being predicated of the violence offered to the Divine Good of the Word, which was understood above by "Edom", and "the garments as of him that treads in the wine-vat" being predicated of the violence offered to the Divine Truth therein, which was understood above by "Bozrah".

The "garments", of the Lord, signify the Word in the letter, to which violence was offered by the adulterations and falsifications thereof. The prostration of the hells, and of the falsities thence derived, by virtue of His own proper power, is signified by "I have trodden the wine-press alone, and of the peoples there was not a man with Me"; the casting of them down into the hells, who were in direful evils, and falsities thence derived, is signified by "I trod them down in Mine anger, and I trampled! them in My wrath"; "anger" being predicated of evils, and "wrath" of falsities; and they are attributed to the Lord, although it is they who are in evils and falsities thence derived, and that are angry and wrathful against the Lord; and whereas the judgment whereby the hells were subjugated was accomplished by the Lord, by temptations admitted into His Human, even to the last, which was the passion of the cross, therefore it is said, "Their victory was sprinkled upon My garments, and I have stained all Mine apparel"; for the Lord, by all things of His passion, and by the last upon the cross, represented the violence offered by the Jewish nation to the Word, or to Divine Truth; concerning which, see above, Apocalypse Explained 183, 195, at the end; 627, at the end; 655, 805. Apocalypse Explained 922.

Verses 1, 2, 3, 5. Who is this that cometh from Edom! etc.

- That "Edom" is the Lord as to the Divine Good of the Divine-Natural is evident, for the subject here treated of [in the supreme sense] is the conjunction of Good and Truth in the Humanity of the Lord; and the combats of temptations by which He conjoined them. That the "garments" here mentioned are the Truths of the natural man, or inferior Truths respectively, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 2576; and that "red" is the Good of the natural principle, Arcana Coelestia 3300. That the Lord, by His own power, through combats in temptations, conjoined Truths therein to Good, is described by His "treading the wine-press alone", and by "His looking, and there was none to help", etc. "His own arm" signifies His own power. Arcana Coelestia 3322.

The subject here treated of is concerning the Lord, and His combats against the hells, and concerning the subjugation of them. The Lord Himself, as to His Divine Human, is here understood by "Edom, who had sprinkled garments from Bozrah", and by His "garments" is understood the Word in the letter; for "garments" signify Truths investing, and, when predicated of the Lord, they signify Divine Truths, consequently the Word; inasmuch as all Divine Truths are therein, as may be seen, Apocalypse Explained 195.

The Word, in the sense of the letter, is here also understood by "garments", because in the letter are Truths investing; for the sense of the letter serves for a vestment or clothing to the spiritual sense, and inasmuch as the Word, as to that sense, was torn asunder by the Jewish people, and thereby the Divine Truth adulterated, it is therefore said, "Who is this that cometh from Edom, with sprinkled garments from Bozrah?", "their victory was sprinkled upon My garments, and I have stained all Mine apparel"; the "garments of Bozrah" signifying the ultimate of the Word, which is the literal sense thereof; and "their victory upon My garments" denoting the sinister interpretation and application of the Word by those who wrest the sense of the letter to favour their own loves, and the principles thence conceived, as was done by the Jews, and is done by many at this day; this is understood by "their victory upon My garments."

That the Lord alone fought, is signified by "I have trodden the wine-press alone, and of the peoples there was not a man with Me"; the "wine-press" denotes combat from Divine Truths against falsities, because in wine-presses the wine is pressed out from the grapes, and by "wine" is signified Divine Truth; hence to "tread alone, and of the peoples there was not a man with Me", signifies that the Lord alone fought, without aid from anyone.

That the Lord subjugated the hells, is understood by "I trod them down in Mine anger, and I trampled them in My wrath"; "I have trodden" and "I have trampled" being expressions applicable to the wine-press, and signifying that He destroyed them; "anger" and "wrath" are expressions relating to destruction, and are attributed, in the sense of the letter, to the Lord, when notwithstanding there is not anything of anger and of wrath in Him, but in those who are against Him; wherefore, in this and in many other places, these things are said according to appearances. That they were subjugated and condemned to hell, is signified, in verse 6, by "I brought down their victory to the earth"; - "to the earth" denoting into damnation, thus into hell; that by the "earth" is also signified damnation, may be seen, Apocalypse Explained 304, at the end. Apocalypse Explained 359.

3. I have trodden the wine-press alone; and of the peoples there was not a man with Me: and I trod them down in Mine anger, and I trampled them in My wrath; and their victory was, sprinkled upon My garments, and I have stained all Mine apparel.

Verse 3. By "treading the wine-press" is signified exploration, at the time of Judgment, as to the quality of their works; for by "treading the vine-press" is signified to explore, and by "the clusters which are trodden" are understood works, as may be seen above, Apocalypse Explained 649.

By "treading the wine-press" is not only signified, in an opposite sense, to explore evil works, but also to sustain them with others, and likewise to remove them, and to cast them into hell, as may be seen from Isaiah:

"I trod them down in Mine anger, and I trampled them in My wrath." (Isaiah 63:3)

Again:

"Jehovah has trodden the wine-press of the virgin of the daughter of Judah"; (Lamentations 1:15) speaking of what takes place at the Judgment. Apocalypse Revealed 652.

4. For the day of vengeance was in My heart, and the year of My redeemed was come.

5. And I looked, and there was none to help; and I was astonished that there was none to uphold: therefore Mine own arm wrought salvation for Me, and Mine indignation, it sustained Me.

6. And I trod down the peoples in Mine anger, and I inebriated them in My wrath; and I brought down their victory to the earth.

Verses 4, 6. By the combats which were temptations admitted into Himself the Lord subjugated the hells, and thus accomplished the Last Judgment. This is the Judgment which is understood by "the day of anger and of wrath of Jehovah", in the Word of the Old Testament; but the Last Judgment which is at this day performed by the Lord, is understood by "the day of His anger" in the Apocalypse. That a Last Judgment was performed by the Lord, when He was in the world, may be seen in the work concerning the Last Judgment 46. "The year of the redeemed", signifies judgment upon the good who are saved. Apocalypse Explained 413. See also True Christian Religion 116.

7. The mercies of Jehovah I will record, and the praises of Jehovah, according to all that Jehovah has rendered unto us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel, which He has rendered to them, according to His compassions, and the multitude of His mercies.

8. For He said, Surely they are My people, sons that will not deceive; so He was their Saviour.

Verses 7-9. The divine Mercy in the Divine Human is here called " the Angel of the faces of Jehovah." That the "face of Jehovah", or of the Lord, is mercy, and also peace and goodness, because these are of Mercy, might be shown from many passages, as from the following: Numbers 6:25, 26; Psalm 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19. That the "face of Jehovah", or of the Lord, is Divine Love, is evident from His face when He was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, when "His face shone like the sun." (Matthew 17:2)

That "those who see the Lord, see the Father", is expressly declared in John 14:8, 9. Arcana Coelestia 5585.

9. In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the Angel of His faces saved them: in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He took them up, and He bare them, all the days of old.

Verse 9. Treating concerning the Lord, who is called "the Angel of the faces of Jehovah", by virtue of the Divine Truth from His Divine Love; for by an "angel", in the Word, is signified Divine Truth, whence angels are also called "gods", as may be seen, Apocalypse Explained 130, 200, 302; and by the "faces of Jehovah" is understood the Divine Love which is in the Lord, whence it is also said, "In His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He took them up, and He bare them, all the days of old [or of eternity]"; these things being of the Divine Love. The Lord, as to His Human, was Divine Truth, from which He combated with the hells, and by which He subjugated them; and, therefore, He is here called an "Angel", which is His Divine Human. Apocalypse Explained 412.

10. But they rebelled, and provoked the Spirit of His holiness: so that He was turned to be their enemy, and He fought against them.

Verses 10, 11. In the Word of the Old Testament there is no mention made of the "Holy Spirit", but only of the "Spirit of Holiness", in three places, - once in David, Psalm 51:11; and twice in Isaiah, Isaiah 63:10, 11; whereas in the Word of the New Testament, both in the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and the Epistles, it is mentioned frequently. The reason is, because there was no "Holy Spirit" before the coming of the Lord, inasmuch as it proceeds out of the Lord from the Father; for " the Lord only is Holy"; (Revelation 15:4) wherefore also it is said by the angel Gabriel to the mother Mary "The Holy Thing which shall be born of you." (Luke 1:35) It is written that "the Holy Spirit was not yet, because Jesus was not yet glorified"; (John 7:39) and yet it is said before that "the Holy Spirit filled Elizabeth", (Luke 1:41) and "Zechariah", (Luke 1:67) and "Simeon." (Luke 2:25)

The reason of which seeming contradiction is, because these three persons were filled with the Spirit of Jehovah the Father, which was called the "Holy Spirit" on account of the Lord, who was already in the world. This is the reason, too, why in the Word of the Old Testament it is nowhere said that the prophets "spake from the Holy Spirit", but from Jehovah; for, in expressIng themselves on this subject, they constantly use some of these terms:

"Jehovah spoke to me"; "The word of Jehovah came to me", "Jehovah has spoken", "The saying of Jehovah." The reader may convince himself of this fact by reading the Prophets, and observing the very numerous passages in which these declarations occur, which are too numerous to he adduced here, in which it is never said that "the Holy Spirit spoke by them, nor that "Jehovah spoke to them by the Holy Spirit." True Christian Religion 158. See also above, Chapter 1:1, the Exposition. In respect the true Doctrine of "the Holy Spirit its Divine Operation", True Christian Religion 138-158.

11. But He remembered the days of old, Moses and His people, [saying] Where is He that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of His flock? where is He that put in the midst of him the Spirit of His holiness?

12. Who led them at the right hand of Moses, with His glorious arm; dividing the waters before them, to make for Himself an everlasting name:

Verse 11. Where is He that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of His flock? etc.

In this prophetic declaration by "Moses" is understood the Lord, who is also "the Shepherd of the flock"; by "the people, whom He brought up out of the sea", are signified those who are delivered from damnation. Arcana Coelestia 8099.

Verse 12. Dividing the waters before them, etc. - As to the "sea" or the "waters", out of whioh they were brought", see Chapter 51:10, the Exposition.

13. Who led them through the deeps; as a horse in the desert, they did not stumble:

14. As the cattle goes down into the valley; so the Spirit of Jehovah led him: thus didst You guide Your people, to make for Yourself a name of glory.

Verses 13, 14. The subject of this chapter is concerning the Lord and His combats with the hells, and the subjugation of them; but, in this passage, concerning those who are in love and faith in Him, who are compared to "a horse in the desert", and to "cattle [or a beastJ in the valley"; because by a "horse" is signified the understanding of Truth, and by "cattle" [or a beast] the affection of Good; for, all comparisons in the Word are from correspondences. Apocalypse Explained 355.

15. Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of Your holiness and of Your beauty: where is Your zeal and Your strength? [For] the yearning of Your bowels, and Your compassions, are restrained toward me.

Verse. 15. Zeal here stands for Mercy, which is "the yearning [commotio] of the bowels, and is predicated of Good; for it is said, "Your zeal and Your strength [virtutes]", where "zeal" is predicated of Good and "strength" of Truth; in like manner "the yearning of the bowels" is predicated of Good, and "compassions" of Truth.

"The habitation of holiness" is the heaven where those are who are of the celestial kingdom, and "the habitation of beauty" is the heaven where those are who are of the spiritual kingdom. Hence also it is evident that in the Word where "Good" is mentioned, "Truth" is also named, on account of the heavenly marriage which is in every particular of the Word; thus also the Lord, as to His two names "JESUS" and "CHRIST" which signify the divine marriage which is in the Lord; concerning which see Arcana Coelestia 683, 793, 8339. Arcana Coelestia 8875. See also Arcana Coelestia 3960, 9815.

As to the distinction between "glory" and "beauty", see above Chapter 46:13, the Exposition.

"Bowels", in the Word, signify love or mercy, by reason that the bowels or inward parts, especially the mother's womb, represent and thence signify chaste conjugial love, and love towards infants thence derived, as in Isaiah:

"The yearning [or commotion] of Your bowels, and Your compassions, are restrained toward me"; and in Jeremiah:

"Is not Ephraim My dear son? Is not he a pleasant child? Therefore My bowels are troubled fo. him; I will surely have compassion on him. (Jeremiah 31:20)

Hence it appears that love Itself, or mercy itself and the Lord's compassion towards mankind, are the things which in the internal sense, are signified by "bowels", and by "coming forth", or by "the offspring of the bowels"; (Isaiah 48:19) to "come forth out of the bowels", signifies to be born, and, in a spiritual sense, to be born of the Lord, or regenerated. They who have not the Lord's love, that is, who do not love their neighbour as themselves, have not in any respect the Lord's life, consequently they are in no respect "born" of Him, or "come forth out of His bowels", wherefore they cannot be heirs of His kingdom. Arcana Coelestia 1803.

16. Surely You art our Father, for Abraham knows us not, and Israel doth not acknowledge us: You, O Jehovah! art our Father, our Redeemer; Your name is from eternity.

Verse 16. That the Lord, as to His Divine Human, in whom is the Divine Trinity, is the "Father" see Chapter 9:6, the Exposition; see also Isaiah 22:21-24, the Exposition; and True Christian Religion 83, 113, 188, 294, 299, 637.

For Abraham knows us not. - As to "Abraham", see Chapter 41:8; 51:2, the Exposition.

17. Why, O Jehovah! have You made us to err from Your ways; why have You hardened our heart from the fear of You? Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Thine inheritance.

Verse 17. [That Jehovah is here said to "cause or make the people err from His ways, is spoken according to appearance, In a manner similar to that in which He is said to be "angry", to "punish", to "do evil", to "lead into temptation", etc. See the Exposition of Isaiah Chapter 45:7.]

Why have You hardened our heart from the fear of You? - What is meant by "the fear of the Lord", see Chapter 11:3, the Exposition.

Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your inheritance.

- "Tribes" are often mentioned in the Word, because the people of Israel were divided into twelve tribes; and he who does not know the internal sense of the Word supposes that by "tribes" are understood the tribes of Israel; tribes, however, are not understood by "tribes", nor Israel by "Israel", but by the "tribes" are understood all who are in Truths from Good, and by "Israel" is meant the church of the Lord. He who does not know this may easily seize upon the common belief that the sons of Israel were elected above all others in the universal world, and also that at length they are to be introduced into the land of Canaan, yea, that even heaven itself is to consist chiefly of them; whereas by the names of the "tribes" they are not understood, but those who are in Truths from Good, thus those who are of the church, - by the "twelve tribes" all, and by each "tribe" some particular Truth and Good, which they who belong to the church possess. That this is the case might be proved from many passages in the Word where "tribes" are mentioned, as in Isaiah 63:17. Apocalypse Explained 39.

18. They had, within a little, possessed the people of Your holiness: our enemies have trodden down Your sanctuary.

Verse 18. That "the people of holiness" signify holy Truths, see Chapter 62:12, the Exposition.

Our enemies have trodden down Your sanctuary. - By "enemies" are signified evils of life; by "treading down the sanctuary", is meant to destroy the Truths of doctrine from the Word, and this by the sensual-corporeal principle; for those who are in evils of life are all sensual-corporeal. The reason why "trampling" or "treading down" signifies these things is, because treading down is effected by the soles of the feet, and by the "soles of the feet" are signified the external-sensual things of man, and by the "feet" his natural things. In the spiritual world those who have denied and despised the Truths of heaven and the church, appear to tread them down with the soles of their feet, and this because, as said above, the external-sensual [principle] of man corresponds to the "soles of the feet." It is said that the external-sensual principle of man does this, but only the sensual [principle] with those who are merely sensual, who are those that deny the Truths of heaven and of the church, and also who believe nothing but what they can see with their eyes and touch with their hands. Apocalypse Explained 632. See also above, Chapter 5:5, 10:6, the Exposition.

That the internal of the natural degree is signified by the "feet", the middle by the "soles", and the lowest by the "shoes", see above, Chapter 11:15, 16, the Exposition.

19. We have been as those over whom You have never ruled, and who were not called by Your name.

Verse 19. Who were not called by Your name. - What is signified by being "called by a name", see Chapter 4:1, the Exposition.

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Isaiah Chapter 63

1. WHO is this that cometh from Edom, with sprinkled garments from Bozrah? this, that is magnificent in His apparel; marching on in the greatness of His strength? I, who speak in justice, mighty to save.

2. Wherefore art You red in Thine apparel, and Your garments as of him that treads the wine-vat?

3. I have trodden the wine-press alone; and of the peoples there was not a man with Me: and I trod them down in Mine anger, and I trampled them in My wrath; and their victory was, sprinkled upon My garments, and I have stained all Mine apparel.

4. For the day of vengeance was in My heart, and the year of My redeemed was come.

5. And I looked, and there was none to help; and I was astonished that there was none to uphold: therefore Mine own arm wrought salvation for Me, and Mine indignation, it sustained Me.

6. And I trod down the peoples in Mine anger, and I inebriated them in My wrath; and I brought down their victory to the earth.

7. The mercies of Jehovah I will record, and the praises of Jehovah, according to all that Jehovah has rendered unto us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel, which He has rendered to them, according to His compassions, and the multitude of His mercies.

8. For He said, Surely they are My people, sons that will not deceive; so He was their Saviour.

9. In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the Angel of His faces saved them: in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He took them up, and He bare them, all the days of old.

10. But they rebelled, and provoked the Spirit of His holiness: so that He was turned to be their enemy, and He fought against them.

11. But He remembered the days of old, Moses and His people, [saying] Where is He that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of His flock? where is He that put in the midst of him the Spirit of His holiness?

12. Who led them at the right hand of Moses, with His glorious arm; dividing the waters before them, to make for Himself an everlasting name:

13. Who led them through the deeps; as a horse in the desert, they did not stumble:

14. As the cattle goes down into the valley; so the Spirit of Jehovah led him: thus didst You guide Your people, to make for Yourself a name of glory.

15. Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of Your holiness and of Your beauty: where is Your zeal and Your strength? [For] the yearning of Your bowels, and Your compassions, are restrained toward me.

16. Surely You art our Father, for Abraham knows us not, and Israel doth not acknowledge us: You, O Jehovah! art our Father, our Redeemer; Your name is from eternity.

17. Why, O Jehovah! have You made us to err from Your ways; why have You hardened our heart from the fear of You? Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Thine inheritance.

18. They had, within a little, possessed the people of Your holiness: our enemies have trodden down Your sanctuary.

19. We have been as those over whom You have never ruled, and who were not called by Your name.

130. Verse 12. And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write, signifies for remembrance to those within the church who are in temptations. This is evident from the signification of "writing," as being for remembrance (See Arcana Coelestia 8620); and from the signification of "angel," as being a recipient of Divine truth, and in the highest sense Divine truth itself proceeding from the Lord (of which more in what follows); and from the signification of the "church in Pergamum," as being those within the church who are in temptations.

That these are meant by the "church in Pergamum" is clear from the things written to that church, which follow. From no other source can it be known what is signified by each of the seven churches. For as was shown before, what is meant is not any church in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, or Laodicea, but all who are of the Lord's church, and by each of these churches something that constitutes the church with man is meant. And as the first things of the church are the knowledges of truth and good, and the affections of spiritual truth, these are first treated of, namely, in what is written to the angel of the Ephesian church and of the Smyrnean church; of the knowledges of truth and good to the angel of the Ephesian church, and of the spiritual affection of truth to the angel of the Smyrnean church. And as no one can be imbued with the knowledges of truth and good in respect to life, and be steadfast in the spiritual affection of truth, unless he undergoes temptations, so temptations are now treated of in what is written to the angel of the church in Pergamum. From this it appears in what order the things follow that are taught under the names of the seven churches.

[2] It is said "To the angel of the church, write," and not, To the church, because by "angel" is signified Divine truth, which makes the church; for Divine truth teaches how man is to live that he may become a church. That "angel" in the Word, in its spiritual sense, does not mean any angel, but in the highest sense, Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and in a respective sense, he that receives it, can be seen from this, that all the angels are recipients of Divine truth from the Lord, and no angel is of himself an angel; but he is so far an angel as he receives Divine truth; for angels more than men know and perceive that all the good of love and all the truth of faith are from the Lord, not from themselves, and as the good of love and the truth of faith constitute their wisdom and intelligence, and as these constitute the whole angel, they know and say that they are merely recipients of the Divine proceeding from the Lord, and thus are angels in the degree in which they receive it. On this account they desire that the term "angel" should be understood spiritually, that is, in a sense abstracted from persons, and as meaning Divine truths. By Divine truth is meant at the same time Divine good, because these proceed from the Lord united (See in the work on Heaven and Hell, n.

[133-140] ¹ .

[3] And as Divine truth proceeding from the Lord constitutes the angel, by "angel" in the Word in the highest sense is meant the Lord Himself, as in Isaiah:

The angel of the faces of Jehovah delivered them, in His love and His pity He redeemed them, and took them up, and carried them all the days of eternity (Isaiah 63:9).

In Moses:

The angel who hath redeemed me from all evil, bless them (Genesis 48:16).

In the same:

I send an angel before thee to keep thee in the way; take ye heed of His faces, for my name is in the midst of Him (Exodus 23:20-23).

[4] As the Lord in respect to Divine truth is called an "angel," so also Divine truths are meant by "angels" in the spiritual sense, as in the following passages:

The Son of man shall send His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that cause stumbling. In the consummation of the age the angels shall come forth and sever the wicked out of the midst of the just (Matthew 13:41, 49).

In the consummation of the age the Son of man shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and shall gather together the elect from the four winds (Matt. 24:3, 31).

When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory (Matthew 25:31).

Jesus said, After this ye shall see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man (John 1:51).

In these passages, in the spiritual sense, by "angels" Divine truths and not angels are meant. So when it is here said that, in the consummation of the age, "the angels are to gather out all things that cause stumbling," "are to sever the wicked from the midst of the just," "are to gather together the elect from the four winds with a great sound of a trumpet," and that "the Son of man with the angels is to sit upon a throne of glory," it is not meant that angels, together with the Lord, are to do these things, but that the Lord alone will do them by means of His Divine truths; for angels have no power of themselves, but all power is the Lord's through His Divine truth (See in the work on Heaven and Hell 230-233). That "ye shall see the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man," means the like, namely, that Divine truths should be in Him and from Him.

[5] Moreover, in other places also "angels" mean Divine truths from the Lord, consequently the Lord in respect to Divine truths, as:

To the seven angels were given seven trumpets, and the angels sounded on the trumpets (Revelation 8:2, 6-8, 10, 12, 13; 9:1, 13, 14).

It is said that to the angels were given trumpets, and that they sounded thereon, because "trumpets" and their "sound" signify Divine truth to be revealed (See above, n. 55). Similar things are also meant:

By the angel warring against the dragon (Revelation 12:7, 9);

By the angel flying in the mid-heaven, having the eternal

gospel (Revelation 14:6);

By the seven angels pouring out the seven bowls (Rev. 16:1-4, 8, 10, 12);

By the twelve angels upon the twelve gates of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:12).

That this is so will also be seen in what follows.

[6] That by "angels" are meant Divine truths which are from the Lord is clearly manifest in David:

Jehovah maketh His angels winds, and His ministers a flaming fire (Psalms 104:4);

by which words are signified Divine truth and Divine good; for the "wind" of Jehovah in the Word signifies Divine truth, and His "fire" Divine good (as can be seen from what is shown in the Arcana Coelestia, as that the "wind of the nostrils" of Jehovah is Divine truth, n.8286; that the "four winds" are all things of truth and good, n. 3708, 9642, 9668; consequently "to breathe" in the Word signifies the state of the life of faith, n. 9281; from which it is evident what is signified by Jehovah's "breathing" into the nostrils of Adam (Genesis 2:7); by the Lord's "breathing" upon His disciples (John 20:22); and by these words, "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh" (John 3:8); concerning which see n. 96, 97, 9229, 9281 also n. 1119, 3886, 3887, 3889, 3892, 3893; that "flaming fire" is Divine love, and therefore Divine good, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 133-140, 566-568; and above, n. 68).

[7] That "angel" signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is clearly manifest from these words in Revelation:

He measured the wall of the New Jerusalem, a hundred and forty-four cubits, the measure of a man, which is that of an angel (Revelation 21:17).

That the wall of the New Jerusalem is not the measure of an angel anyone can see, but that all protecting truths are there meant by an "angel" is evident from the signification of the "wall of Jerusalem," and of the number "one hundred and forty-four." (That the "wall" signifies all protecting truths, see Arcana Coelestia 6419; that the number "one hundred and forty-four" signifies all things of truth in the complex, n. 7973; that "measure" signifies the quality of a thing in respect to truth and good, n. 3104, 9603, 10262. These things may also be found explained as to the spiritual sense, in The small work on The New Jerusalem and its Doctrine 1.)

[8] Because by "angels" in the Word Divine truths are signified, therefore the men through whom Divine truths are made known are sometimes called "angels" in the Word, as in Malachi:

The priest's lips ought to guard knowledge, and they shall seek the law at his mouth, because he is the angel of Jehovah (Malachi 2:7).

He is said to be the "angel of Jehovah," because he teaches Divine truth; not that he is the angel of Jehovah, but the Divine truth that he teaches is. Moreover, it is known in the church that no one has Divine truth from himself. "Lips" also here signify the doctrine of truth, and "law" Divine truth itself. (That "lips" signify the doctrine of truth, see Arcana Coelestia 1286, 1288; and that "law" signifies Divine truth itself, see n. 3382, 7463)

[9] From this it is that John the Baptist also is called an angel:

Jesus said, This is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send Mine angel before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee (Luke 7:27).

John is called an "angel," because by him, in the spiritual sense, is signified the Word, which is Divine truth, in like manner as by Elias (See Arcana Coelestia 7643, 9372, and what is signified; this is what is meant by the persons mentioned in the Word, see n. 665, 1097, 1361, 3147, 3670, 3881, 4208, 4281, 4288, 4292, 4307, 4500, 6304, 7048, 7439, 8588, 8788, 8806, 9229).

[10] It is said that by "angels" in the Word, in its spiritual sense, Divine truths proceeding from the Lord are meant, because these constitute the angels; when angels utter these truths, they speak not from themselves, but from the Lord. The angels not only know that this is so, but they also perceive it. The man who believes that nothing of faith is from himself, but that all faith is from God, also knows this, indeed, but he does not perceive it. That nothing of faith is from man, but all faith is from God, is the same as saying that nothing of truth that has life is from man, but all truth is from God, for truth is of faith and faith is of truth.