101. Verse 3. And hast borne and hast endurance, signifies resistance against those who assail the truths of faith, and diligence in instructing. This is evident from the signification of "bearing," in reference to those who are in the knowledges of truth and good, as being resistance against those who assail the truths of faith, for those who are in knowledges defend those truths, and resist those who are against them; also from the signification of having "endurance" or "patience," as being diligence in instructing.

3354. These individual meanings show what the Lord's words are used to mean, namely the first state of the perversion of the Church, which occurs when people cease to know any longer what good is and what truth is, and instead argue with one another about them, which gives rise to falsities. But because this is only the first state it is said that the end is not yet, and that these are the beginning of sorrows; and that state is referred to as earthquakes in various places, which in the internal sense means an alteration of the state of the Church - a partial or initial alteration. The fact that this was told to the disciples means that it was addressed to all who belonged to the Church, for the twelve disciples represented these, 2089, 2129, 2130. This explains why they are told, See that no one leads you astray, and also, When you hear of wars and rumours of wars, see that you are not alarmed.

4017. 'In the troughs of water where the flocks came to drink' means affections for truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'water' as cognitions and facts, which are the truths of the natural, dealt with in 28, 2702, 3058; from the meaning of 'troughs' or water-holders, which, since they are containers of water, in the internal sense mean the goods that go with truth, for these goods are the holders of truth, dealt with in 3095- and from the meaning of 'coming to drink' as the affection for truth. The reason why 'coming to drink' means the affection for truth is that it implies thirst, and 'thirst' in the Word means appetite and desire, and so the affection for knowing and taking in truth. It has this meaning because 'water' means truth in general. 'Hunger' however means appetite and desire, and so the affection for assimilating good. It does so because 'bread', which is used to denote food in general, 2165, means good. From this it is evident that these words mean affections for truth.