Arcana Coelestia #7519
7519. 'The ashes of the furnace' means to arouse the falsities that are a product of evil desires, by being present with those engaged in molestation. This is clear from the meaning of 'the ashes of the furnace' as the falsities that are a product of evil desires, dealt with below. The fact that they are aroused through presence with those who molest is clear from what follows in the present verse, for it goes on to say that Moses scattered the ashes in the direction of heaven, before 'Pharaoh's eyes', 'before the eyes' meaning presence, and 'Pharaoh' meaning those who engage in molestation, as has been shown often.
[2] The nature of these things cannot be known without revelation, for they are things such as take place in the next life and are unknown in the world. As long as evil spirits or those from hell have been removed and are separated from heaven, that is, from the good of love and the truth of faith which are there, they are unaware of the fact that they are under the influence of evils and falsities. For in these circumstances they believe falsities to be truths and evils to be forms of good. But as soon as heaven, that is, some heavenly community, moves closer towards them, they recognize them to be falsities and evils; for the truth of faith that flows in then enables them to recognize falsities, and the good of love that flows in enables them to recognize evils. Also the closer heaven comes, or the inflow from it of the good of love and truth of faith becomes more directly present, the worse are those evil spirits tormented by their own evils and falsities, because they cannot bear that goodness and truth.
[3] From all this one may now see why Moses was commanded to take the ashes of the furnace and to scatter them in the direction of heaven, and to do this before Pharaoh's eyes, and why he, not Aaron, was commanded to scatter the ashes in the direction of heaven. For the requirement that the ashes should be scattered in the direction of heaven means the influx of heaven; the requirement that it should be done before Pharaoh's eyes means in the presence of those who molest; and Moses, not Aaron, was told to do it because this situation is brought about among the evil by truth that goes forth directly from God, 'Moses' being truth that goes forth directly from God, 'Aaron' that which goes forth in an indirect way, see 7010. All this shows what is meant in the internal sense by the contents of this verse and those immediately following - that foul and filthy things that are products of evil desires, together with blasphemy, meant by 'sores breaking out into pustules', should be aroused. They are aroused when Divine Truth flows in and heaven moves closer.
[4] Anyone may see that Moses would never have been commanded by Jehovah to do such things - to take the ashes of the furnace and scatter them in the direction of heaven - unless some heavenly arcanum had lain within them. Jehovah would never have given orders for the employment of such means to produce their effect unless they had contained something heavenly to which they corresponded. From this one may see what the Word is like, that it is very full of arcana, but arcana that are not clearly visible in the sense of the letter.
[5] The reason why 'the ashes of the furnace' means falsities that are a product of evil desires is that ashes are formed from things that have been burnt. What is being burnt, as also the actual fire, in the Word means in the good sense good that is the object of heavenly affections, but in the contrary sense evil that is the object of hellish desires. For the fact that 'fire' means those things, see 934, 1861, 2446, 4906, 5071, 5215, 6314, 6832, 6834, 6849, 7324; and 'burning' means evil desires, 1297, 5215. So it is that 'ashes' means falsities, for falsities are the product of evil desires. Since evil desires are meant by 'fire' they are also meant by 'a furnace'. 'A furnace', being a container, often implies the same as its contents.
[6] The fact that 'a furnace' means these things is clear from the following places: In Malachi,
Behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, and all the arrogant, and every evil-doer will be stubble; and the day that is coming will burn them up; it will leave them neither root nor branch. Malachi 4:1
'Burning like a furnace' stands for evil desires; 'burning them up' stands for burning with evil desires.
[7] In the book of Genesis,
Abraham looked out towards the face of Sodom and Gomorrah, and towards the whole face of the land of the plain; and he saw, and the smoke went up like the smoke of a furnace. Genesis 19:28.
'The smoke of a furnace' stands for falsities arising from evil desires. For 'Sodom' is evil desires that stem from self-love, and 'Gomorrah' is falsity arising from that evil, 2220, 2246, 2322. In John,
Out of the pit of the abyss there went up smoke, like the smoke of a furnace. Revelation 9:2.
'The smoke of a furnace' again stands for falsities arising from evil desires, 'the pit of the abyss' standing for hell.
[8] In Matthew,
The Son of Man will send His angels, who will gather out of His kingdom all offences, and those who work iniquity, and will send them into the furnace of fire. Matthew 13:41-42.
'The furnace of fire' stands for evil desires; for the fire of evil desires is what is meant in the Word by hell-fire. Loves too are simply what fire people's lives; and loves extend into desires.
[9] In Nahum,
Draw yourself water for the siege, strengthen your fortifications; go into the mud and tread the clay; renew the brick-kiln. 1 There the fire will devour you, the sword cut you off. Nahum 3:14-15.
'Going into the mud' stands for entering into falsity, 'treading the clay' stands for stepping into evil, 6669. 'The brick-kiln' 1 stands for the falsities which they fashion and which are introduced by the evil, 1296, 6669, 7113; 'the fire' stands for the desire for evil, 1861, 2446, 5071, 5215, 6832, 7324; and 'the sword' stands for falsity, 4499.
[10] In Jeremiah,
Take into your hand large stones, and hide them in the clay in the brick-kiln 1 which is at the gate of Pharaoh's house in Tahpanhes, in the eyes of the men of the Jews, and say to them, Behold, I am sending and will bring Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babel, and will put his throne onto these stones which I have hidden, so that he may spread his tent over them. He will come and strike the land of Egypt. Jeremiah 43:9-11.
One cannot know what these verses mean without the internal sense. 'Large stones' are falsities; 'the brick-kiln' 1 is the desire for falsity arising from evil; 'Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babel' is one who lays truth and goodness waste; the presence of his throne and tent on these stones means that he will cause falsities to reign; and 'the land of Egypt' which he will strike is the natural mind.
Footnotes:
1. literally, brick-furnace
Revelation 9
1
And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
2
And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
3
And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
4
And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
5
And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
6
And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
7
And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.
8
And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.
9
And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.
10
And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.
11
And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.
12
One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
13
And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14
Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.
15
And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.
16
And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
17
And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
18
By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.
19
For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.
20
And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
21
Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
