3451. And they said, Seeing we have seen that Jehovah was with thee. That this signifies that they knew the Divine was therein, is evident from the signification of “seeing to see,” as being to observe and thus know for certain; and from the signification of “Jehovah being with thee,” as being that the Divine was therein. The subject here, as before said (n. 3447), is the agreement of the literal sense of the Word with the internal sense; consequently the agreement therewith of the doctrinal things of faith, which are signified by “Abimelech, Ahuzzath, and Phicol,” insofar as they are from the literal sense of the Word; thus also the conjunction of the Lord’s kingdom on earth with His kingdom in the heavens and consequently with the Lord, by the Word. For the Word as to the supreme sense is the Lord Himself; and as to the internal sense it is the Lord’s kingdom itself in the heavens; and as to the literal sense it is the Lord’s kingdom itself on earth, as also before said.

[2] But as regards the Lord’s kingdom on earth, that is, His church, the case is that inasmuch as it has its doctrinal things from the literal sense of the Word, it cannot but be various and diverse in respect to these doctrinal things; that is to say, one society will profess one thing to be a truth of faith, because it is so said in the Word, and another society will profess another thing, also because it is so said; and so on. Consequently, as the Lord’s church has its doctrinal things from the literal sense of the Word, it will everywhere differ, and this not only as to societies, but sometimes as to the individuals in a society. Nevertheless a difference in the doctrinal things of faith does not prevent the church from being one, provided there is unanimity as to willing well and doing well.

[3] For example, if anyone should acknowledge as a matter of doctrine that charity is from faith, and at the same time lives in charity toward the neighbor, then indeed he is not in truth as to doctrine, but still he is in truth as to life; consequently there is in him the Lord’s church or kingdom. And again, if anyone should say that good works ought to be done in order that he may have recompense in heaven, according to the literal sense of the Word in Matthew 10:41-42; 25:34-46; and in other places; and yet in doing good works never thinks of merit, he in like manner is in the Lord’s kingdom, because as to life he is in the truth; and because he is such as to life, he readily suffers himself to be instructed that no one can merit heaven, and that works wherein merit is placed are not good. And so in other cases. For the literal sense is such that in many passages it appears opposed to itself; but the reason is that in this sense there are appearances of truth accommodated to those who are in externals, consequently to those who are also in worldly and even in bodily loves.

[4] Here therefore by “Abimelech” those are treated of who are in the doctrinal things of faith, and who as before said are such as make faith that which is essential to salvation; and there is also treated of the agreement of their, doctrinal things with the internal sense; with whom also it is evident that conjunction is effected, but only with those who are in good, that is, with those who, although they make faith essential as to doctrine, still make charity essential as to life; for when with such there is confidence or trust in the Lord, which they call faith itself, then they are in the affection of love to the Lord, consequently as to life they are in good. But see what was said and shown above on this subject, namely: That what is doctrinal does not make the church, but charity (n. 809, 916, 1798, 1799, 1834, 1844): That doctrinal things are of no account unless men live according to them (n. 1515): That the church is various as to truths, but is one through charity (n. 3267): That there is a parallelism between the Lord and man as to celestial things which are of good, but not as to spiritual things which are of truth (n. 1831, 1832): That there is one only doctrine, namely, that of love to the Lord and of charity toward the neighbor (n. 3445): That the church would be one if all had charity, although they differed as to worship and doctrinal things (n. 809, 1285, 1316, 1798, 1799, 1834, 1844, 2982): That the church would be like the Lord’s kingdom in the heavens, if all had charity (n. 2385): That in heaven there are innumerable varieties of good and truth, but that by harmony they nevertheless make a one, like the organs and members of the body (n. 684, 690, 3241).

3448. And Ahuzzath his companion, and Phicol the captain of his army. That this signifies the primaries of the doctrine of their faith, is evident from the representation of Abimelech, as being the doctrine of faith that looks to rational things; hence “his companion and the captain of his army” signify these primaries, and indeed the primaries which are of doctrine; for a “captain,” like a “prince,” signifies the things that are primary (n. 1482, 2089); and an “army” signifies the doctrinal things themselves. That an “army” signifies the doctrinal things that are of truth, or that are lower truths, is because by “warfare” in the Word, and by “war,” are signified the things that are of spiritual warfare and war (n. 1664, 1788, 2686); as also by “arms,” such as spears,” “shields,” “bows,” “arrows,” “swords,” and the like, as has been shown elsewhere. And because it is truths or doctrinal things by means of which spiritual combats are waged, therefore by “armies” these are signified; and also in the opposite sense things false or heretical.

[2] That both are signified in the Word by “armies,” may be seen from many passages, as in Daniel:

One horn of the he-goat grew exceedingly toward the south, and toward the sunrise, and toward beauty. And it grew even to the army of the heavens, and some of the army and of the stars it cast down to the ground, and trampled upon them. Yea, it magnified itself, even to the Prince of the army. His army was given over with the continual sacrifice to transgression; and it cast down truth to the ground. I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said, How long shall be this vision, the continual sacrifice, and the transgression that wasteth, to give both the sanctuary and the army to be trampled down? (Daniel 8:9-13).

The “horn which grew toward the south, toward the sunrise, and toward beauty,” is the power of falsity from evil (n. 2832); the “armies of the heavens” are truths; the “Prince of the army” is the Lord as to Divine truth; and because in a good sense an “army” is truth, it is said that the horn “cast down of the army to the ground,” and afterwards that it “cast truth to the ground.”

[3] Again:

The king of the north ¹ shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and he shall come on at the end of the times of years, coming with a great army, and with much substance. And he shall stir up his power and his heart against the king of the south, with a great army; and the king of the south shall war in battle with an exceeding great and mighty army; but he shall not stand, for they that eat of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow; and many shall fall down slain (Daniel 11:13, 25-26).

The subject of this whole chapter is the war between the king of the north and the king of the south; and by the “king of the north” are meant falsities, as also by his “army;” and by the “king of the south” and his “army” are meant truths: it is a prophecy of the vastation of the church.

[4] In John:

I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse, and he that sat upon him was called faithful and true. He was clothed in a garment dipped in blood. And his armies in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen white and clean. And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against him that sat upon the horse, and against his army (Revelation 19:11, 13-14, 19);

“he that sat upon the white horse” denotes the Lord’s Word, or the Lord as to the Word (n. 2760-2762); “his armies in heaven that followed him” denote the truths therefrom, consequently those in heaven who are in truths; the “beast” denotes the evils of the love of self; the “kings of the earth and their armies” denote falsities. The combats of falsity with truth are what are here described.

[5] In David:

By the word of Jehovah were the heavens made, and all the army of them by the breath of His mouth (Psalms 33:6).

The “army of them,” or of the heavens, denotes truths. Because truths are signified by an “army,” the sons of the kingdom and the angels, from the truths in which they are, are called the “army of the heavens” as in Luke:

Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army praising God (Luke 2:13).

In David:

Bless Jehovah, all ye His armies, ye ministers of His that do His will (Psalms 103:21).

Praise ye him all His angels; praise ye Him all His army (Psalms 148:2).

In Isaiah:

Lift up your eyes on high, and see who hath created these; He that bringeth out their army by number. He calleth them all by name; of the multitude of the powerful and of the mighty not a man is lacking (Isaiah 40:26).

I have made the earth and created man upon it; I, My hands have stretched out the heavens, and all their army have I commanded (Isaiah 45:12); where the “army of the heavens” denotes truths, thus the angels, because they are in truths, as has been shown.

[6] In the first book of Kings:

I saw Jehovah sitting on His throne, and all the army of the heavens standing by Him on His right hand and on His left (1 Kings 22:19).

In Joel:

Jehovah uttereth His voice before His army; for His camp is very great; for he is strong that doeth His word (Joel 2:11).

In Zechariah:

I will encamp about My house against the army that passeth through and returneth, and no exactor shall pass through them any more. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; make a loud noise, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold thy King cometh unto thee (Zech. 9:8-9); where the coming of the Lord is treated of; his “army” denotes truths Divine. It is from this and also because the Lord alone fights for man against the hells which are in the continual effort to assault him, that in the Word the Lord is so often called “Jehovah Zebaoth,” “God Zebaoth,” the “Lord Zebaoth,” that is, “of armies” as in Isaiah:

The voice of a tumult of the kingdoms of the nations gathered together; Jehovah Zebaoth mustereth the army for the battle (Isaiah 13:4);

“the kingdoms of the nations” denote falsities from evils; “mustering the army for the battle” denotes fighting for man.

[7] Inasmuch as the twelve tribes of Israel represented the Lord’s heavenly kingdom, and “tribes” and likewise “twelve” signified all things of faith in one complex, that is, all truths of the kingdom (n. 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272), therefore also they were called the “armies of Jehovah;” as in Exodus 7:4; 12:17, 41, 51; and it was commanded that they should be brought out of Egypt “according to their armies” (Exodus 6:26); and should mete out the camp “according to their armies” (Numbers 1:52); and should be distributed into their “armies” (Numbers 2).

[8] That by “armies” are signified truths, is evident also in Ezekiel:

Persia and Lud and Put were in thine army, thy men of war; they hanged the shield and the helmet in thee, they set forth thine honor; the sons of Arvad and thine army were upon thy walls round about, and the Gammadim were in thy towers (Ezekiel 27:10-11);

speaking of Tyre, by which are signified the interior knowledges of good and truth, and thus those who are therein (n. 1201); “army” denotes the truths themselves; that “Lud and Put” are also those who are in knowledges may be seen above (n. 1163, 1164, 1166, 1195, 1231); “shield and helmet” are such things as pertain to spiritual combat or war.

[9] That in the opposite sense “armies” signify falsities, is manifest in Isaiah:

It shall come to pass in that day that Jehovah shall visit upon the army of the height in the height, and upon the kings of the earth upon the earth (Isaiah 24:21); where the “armies of the height” denote falsities from the love of self.

In Ezekiel:

I will bring thee back, and put hooks in thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them completely clad, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them handling swords. Thou shalt come from thy place out of the sides to the north, thou and many peoples with thee, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army (Ezekiel 38:4, 15);

speaking of Gog, by whom is signified external worship separate from internal, thus become idolatrous (n. 1151); his “army” denotes falsities.

[10] In Jeremiah:

I will send against Babylon him that bendeth, bending his bow, and lifting up himself in his coat of mail; spare ye not her young men, give to the curse all her army (Jeremiah 51:2-3);

“Babylon” denotes worship the externals of which appear holy, but the interiors are profane (n. 1182, 1283, 1295, 1304, 1306-1308, 1321, 1322, 1326); “her army” is the falsities of such profane interiors, as in like manner the “army of Babylon” in other passages (as Jeremiah 32:2; 34:1, 21; 39:1).

In Ezekiel:

Pharaoh shall see them, and shall be comforted over all his multitude, Pharaoh and all his army, slain by the sword. For I will put the terror of Me in the land of the living (Ezekiel 32:31-32);

speaking of Egypt, by which are signified those who pervert truths by reasonings from memory-knowledges (n. 1164, 1165); “his army,” or the army of Pharaoh, denotes falsities therefrom; the like is also signified by the “army of Pharaoh” in other passages (as Jeremiah 37:5, 7, 11; 46:2; Ezekiel 17:17).

In Luke:

When ye see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that her desolation is at hand (Luke 21:20); where the consummation of the age is treated of, or the last time of the church, when there is no longer any faith. That by “Jerusalem” is signified the church, see above (n. 2117), which is “compassed with armies” when it is beset by falsities.

[11] Hence it is evident that by the “armies of the heavens” which the Jews and idolaters adored, in the internal sense were signified falsities, concerning which in the second book of Kings:

They forsook all the commandments of their God, and made them a molten image, even two calves, and made a grove, and bowed themselves down to all the army of the heavens (2 Kings 17:16).

This is said of the Israelites; and in another place it is written concerning Manasseh that:

He built altars for all the army of the heavens (2 Kings 21:5);

and again that:

Josiah the king brought forth out of the temple all the vessels made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the army of the heavens (2 Kings 23:4);

and in Jeremiah, that:

They should bring out the bones of the princes, of the priests, and of the prophets, and should spread them before the sun and the moon, and all the army of the heavens, which they have loved, and which they have served, and after which they have walked (Jeremiah 8:1-2

The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah shall be unclean like Tophet, as to all the houses upon whose roofs they have burned incense unto all the army of the heavens, and have poured out drink-offerings unto other gods (Jeremiah 19:13).

And in Zephaniah:

I will stretch out Mine hand against them that worship the army of the heavens upon the roofs (Zeph. 1:4-5);

for it is principally the stars that are called the “army of the heavens;” and that by the “stars” are signified truths, and in the opposite sense falsities, may be seen above (n. 1128, 1808).

Footnotes: