1045. Having in her hand a golden cup, full of abominations and the uncleanness of whoredoms, signifies having doctrine from profaned goods and truths. This is evident from the signification of a "cup," as being falsity from hell, for a "cup" has a similar signification as "wine," and "wine" signifies truth from heaven, and in the contrary sense falsity from hell (See n. 887, 960, 1022). And as a "cup" signifies truth or falsity, and the doctrine of every church is either of truth or of falsity, for all truth or falsity of the church is contained in doctrine, so a "cup" also signifies doctrine, and "a golden cup" the doctrine of falsity from evil.

[2] As in Jeremiah:

Babylon is a golden cup in the hand of Jehovah, making the whole earth drunken (Jeremiah 51:7).

It is called "a golden cup" for the same reason that the woman is said to be "arrayed in purple and scarlet, and inwrought with gold, precious stones and pearls," that is, from the appearance in externals; and yet in internals it is like a cup "full of abominations and uncleanness." For it is like what the Lord says of the externals and internals with the Scribes and Pharisees:

Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees, who cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. And ye make yourselves like unto whited sepulchers, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of bones of the dead and all uncleanness (Matthew 23:25-27).

The above is evident also from the signification of "abominations," as being the profanations of good (of which presently); also from the signification of "the uncleanness of whoredom," as being the profanation of truth. For "whoredom" signifies falsification of truth (See above), therefore its "uncleanness" signifies profanation.

[3] In regard to the profanations that are signified by "abominations," they are perversions of the holy things of the church, thus conversions of its goods into evils, and of its truths into falsities. They are called "abominations" because the angels abominate them; for so far as they have been holy things of the church, derived from goods and truths from the Word, they ascend into heaven; but so far as they have been applied to evils, and thus profaned, they carry with them what is infernal, which lies hidden within; and consequently they are perceived as things dead, in which there was once a living soul; and this is why heaven abominates and detests them.

[4] That this is the meaning of "abominations" in the Word is evident from the account of the abominations of Jerusalem in Ezekiel:

As that she took of the garments of her adorning which were given to her, and made for herself high places of various colors, and committed whoredom upon them;

That of the gold and silver given to her, she made herself images of a male, and committed whoredom with them;

That the oil, incense, bread, fine flour, and honey, that were given to her, she gave for an odor of rest;

That they sacrificed their sons and daughters;

That she committed whoredom first in Egypt, and afterwards with the sons of Assyria, and finally with the Chaldeans; besides other things that are there called abominations. (Ezekiel 16:2-63).

All these things signify profanations of the Word, of the church, and of worship. So in other passages where abominations are either recounted or mentioned (as Jeremiah 7:9, 10; 16:18; 32:35; Ezekiel 5:11; 7:19, 20; 8:6-18; 11:21; 14:6; 20:7, 8; Deuteronomy 7:25, 26; 12:31; 18:9, 10; Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14; Daniel 9:27; 11:31).

1116. In the cup that she hath mingled mingle to her double, signifies as much retribution as they have profaned truth. This is evident from the signification of "cup," as being truth, and in the contrary sense falsity, for "cup" has a similar signification as "wine" (See above, n. 887, 1045). Also from the signification of "to mingle," as being to profane, for he who mingles falsity with truth or truth with falsity profanes (of which presently). Also from the signification of "double," as being much, and as said of retribution (See just above, n. 1115. "To mingle" signifies to profane, because it is predicated of the wine that is in the cup, which signifies truth, and in the contrary sense falsity; and when truth and falsity are mingled profanation takes place (See above, n. 1053-1063). "To mingle" has this signification in David:

There is a cup in the hand of Jehovah, and He hath mingled it with wine, He hath filled it with the mixture, and hath poured it out therefrom; but the dregs of it all the wicked of the earth shall suck out and drink (Psalms 75:8).

"The cup in the hand of Jehovah," and the "wine," signify the Divine truth; "to mingle" and "mixture" signify profanation, for the mingling of falsity with truth is meant; "He hath poured it out therefrom, but the dregs of it all the wicked of the earth shall suck out and drink," signifies the punishment of profanation; all of which makes clear that "mingling the cup" has the same meaning here as in Revelation.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith and respecting the Lord)

[2] In consequence of this intuition the most ancient people worshiped God visible under the Human form more than their posterity did. Moreover, the Word bears witness that they saw God as Man; as that Adam heard the voice of Jehovah walking in the garden; and Moses spoke with Jehovah mouth to mouth; and Abraham saw Jehovah in the midst of three angels, that Lot spoke with two of them. Jehovah also appeared as man to Hagar, to Gideon, to Joshua, to Daniel as "the Ancient of days" and as "the Son of man"; likewise to John as "the Son of man in the midst of seven lampstands"; also to other prophets. That it was the Lord who was seen by these He Himself teaches where He says:

That Abraham exulted to see his day, and that he saw and rejoiced (John 8:56);

Also that He was before Abraham was (John 8:58),

And that He was before the world was (John 17:5, 24).

[3] It was not the Father but the Son that was seen, because the Divine being [esse], which is the Father, cannot be seen except by means of the Divine manifesting [existere], which is the Divine Human. That the Divine being [esse], which is called the Father, was not seen, the Lord teaches in John:

The Father who hath sent Me, He hath borne witness of Me. Ye have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form (John 5:37).

Not that anyone hath seen the Father save He that is with the Father, He hath seen the Father (John 6:46).

No one hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath manifested Him (John 1:18).

From this it is clear that the Divine being [esse], which is the Father, was not seen by the ancients, nor could it be seen; nevertheless it was seen by means of the Divine manifesting [existere], which is the Son.

[4] Since a being is in its manifesting as a soul is in its body, so he who sees the Divine manifesting [existere] or the Son sees also the Divine being [esse] or the Father, as the Lord confirms in these words:

Philip said, Lord, show us the Father. Jesus said unto him, Have I been so long time with you and hast thou not known Me, Philip? He who hath seen Me hath seen the Father; how sayest thou, Show us the Father (John 14:8, 9)?

These words show that the Lord is the Divine manifesting [existere] in which is the Divine being [esse], thus the God-man who was seen by the ancients. From what has been cited it follows also that the Word is to be understood according to the sense of the letter in saying that God has a face, that He has eyes and ears, and that He has hands and feet.