919. Verse 19. And the angel cast his sickle into the earth and gathered the vineyard of the earth, signifies that this was done. This is evident from what has been just said in the preceding article. That a "vineyard" signifies the spiritual church is evident from the passages in the Word where "vineyard" is mentioned (as in Isaiah 1:8, 3:14; 5:1-10; 16:10; 36:17; 37:30; 65:21; Jeremiah 12:10; 32:15; 35:7, 9; 39:10; Ezekiel 28:26; Hosea 2:15; Amos 4:9; 5:11, 17; 9:14; Micah 1:6; Zephaniah 1:13; 1 Samuel 8:14, 15; Psalms 107:37; Matthew 20:1-8; 21:28, 38-41; Mark 12:1-9; Luke 13:6, 7; 20:9-16).

And concerning a "vine" see John 15:1-12; as well as in the historical parts of the Word.

From these passages it is clearly evident that a "vineyard" means the church (See also above, n. 376, 403, 638, 918, where many passages in which "vineyard" occurs are explained). From the signification of "vineyard" it can be seen that "to gather the vintage" signifies to collect for uses those things that will be serviceable to the understanding, and which will give intelligence and wisdom; and in the contrary sense it signifies to lay waste the church as to spiritual good, and thus as to the affection of truth and the understanding of truth. In this contrary sense "vintage" and "to gather the vintage" are used in the sense that there are no longer any clusters or grapes remaining; and this signifies in the spiritual sense that all spiritual good, and thus all truth that is truth in itself, is destroyed; and this is especially effected in the church by falsifications of the Word, likewise when evil of life corrupts all good, and falsity of doctrine perverts all truth; this is described also by "spoilers" and by "thieves."

[2] That "gathering the vintage" signifies, for this reason, laying waste, can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:

A cry over the wine in the streets; every joy shall be mixed; the gladness of the earth shall be banished. The remnant in the city is a waste, and the gate shall be beaten down even to devastation. For so shall it be in the midst of the land as the beating of an olive-tree, as the gleanings when the vintage is finished (Isaiah 24:11-13).

This describes the mourning over the devastation of the church as to celestial good and as to spiritual good, which in its essence is truth from celestial good. This devastation is compared to "the beating of an olive-tree," and to "the gleanings when the vintage is finished." (But this may be seen explained above, n. 313, 638).

[3] In the same:

Ye confident daughters, perceive My word in your ears; year ¹ upon year shall ye be troubled, ye confident ones, for the vintage is finished, the ingathering shall not come (Isaiah 32:9, 10).

"Confident daughters" signify those in the church who love falsities more than truths. That with such, truths are gradually diminished in every state, is signified by "year ¹ upon year shall ye be troubled." The devastation of all truth until there is nothing left is signified by "the vintage is finished, and the ingathering shall not come."

[4] In Jeremiah:

Upon thy fruits of autumn and upon thy vintage hath the spoiler fallen, therefore gladness and joy are gathered out of Carmel (Jeremiah 48:32, 33).

"Fruits of autumn" signify the goods of the church; "the vintage" signifies its truths; for "bread," which is here meant by the "fruits of autumn," signifies the good of the church, and "wine," which is from the vintage, signifies its truth. "The spoiler" who fell upon them signifies evil and falsity therefrom. That the delight of spiritual and celestial love, which is the very joy of the heart, will perish, is signified by "gladness and joy shall be gathered out of Carmel."

[5] In Micah:

Woe is me, I am become as the gatherings of the summer, as the gleanings of the vintage; there is no cluster to eat; my soul desireth the first ripe fruit (Micah 7:1).

"As the gleanings of the vintage, there is no cluster to eat," signifies such devastation of the church that there is no longer any good or truth. (The rest may be seen explained in the preceding article.) In Jeremiah:

If the grape-gatherers came to thee they would leave no gleanings; if thieves in the night they would destroy sufficiency (Jeremiah 49:9).

In Obadiah:

If thieves came to thee, if destroyers by night, how wouldst thou be cut off? Would they not steal till they had enough? If the grape-gatherers came to thee would they leave any clusters? (Obadiah 1:5).

"Grape-gatherers" signify falsities, and "thieves" evils, which lay waste the truths and goods of the church; but "destroyers" signify both falsities and evils; that "they would leave no clusters" signifies that there are no goods because there are no truths. But "to gather the vintage" signifies to gather for uses such things especially as will be serviceable to the understanding, see in Jeremiah 6:9; Leviticus 19:10, 26:5; Deuteronomy 20:6, 7, 24:21.

Footnotes:

382. [a.] In the inmost heaven there is genuine marriage love because the angels there are in the marriage of good and truth, and also in innocence. The angels of the lower heavens are also in marriage love, but only so far as they are in innocence; for marriage love viewed in itself is a state of innocence; and this is why consorts who are in the marriage love enjoy heavenly delights together, which appear before their minds almost like the sports of innocence, as between little children; for everything delights their minds, since heaven with its joy flows into every particular of their lives. For the same reason marriage love is represented in heaven by the most beautiful objects. I have seen it represented by a maiden of indescribable beauty encompassed with a bright white cloud. It is said that the angels in heaven have all their beauty from marriage love. Affections and thought flowing from that love are represented by diamond-like auras with scintillations as if from carbuncles and rubies, which are attended by delights that affect the interiors of the mind. In a word, heaven itself is represented in marriage love, because heaven with the angels is the conjunction of good and truth, and it is this conjunction that makes marriage love.

382. [b.] Marriages in heaven differ from marriages on the earth in that the procreation of offspring is another purpose of marriages on the earth, but not of marriages in heaven, since in heaven the procreation of good and truth takes the place of procreation of offspring. The former takes the place of the latter because marriage in heaven is a marriage of good and truth (as has been shown above); and as in that marriage good and truth and their conjunction are loved above all things so these are what are propagated by marriages in heaven. And because of this, in the Word births and generations signify spiritual births and generations, which are births and generations of good and truth; mother and father signify truth conjoined to good, which is what procreates; sons and daughters signify the truths and goods that are procreated; and sons-in-law and daughters-in-law conjunction of these, and so on. ¹ All this makes clear that marriages in heaven are not like marriages on earth. In heaven marryings are spiritual, and cannot properly be called marryings, but conjunctions of minds from the conjunction of good and truth. But on earth there are marryings, because these are not of the spirit alone but also of the flesh. And as there are no marryings in heaven, consorts there are not called husband and wife; but from the angelic idea of the joining of two minds into one, each consort designates the other by a name signifying one's own, mutually and reciprocally. This shows how the Lord's words in regard to marrying and giving in marriage (Luke 20:35, 36), are to be understood.

Footnotes: