253. It is by virtue of a heavenly and angelic Own that the church is called a “woman” and also a “wife” a “bride” a “virgin” and a “daughter.” She is called a “woman” in the Revelation:

A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. And the dragon persecuted the woman who brought forth the man child (Revelation 12:1, 4-5, 13). In this passage by a “woman” is meant the church; by the “sun” love; by the “moon” faith; by “stars” as before, the truths of faith, all of which evil spirits hate, and persecute to the utmost. The church is called a “woman” and also a “wife” in Isaiah:

Thy Maker is thy Husband, Jehovah of Armies is His name, and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel, the God of the whole earth is He called; for as a woman forsaken and afflicted in spirit hath Jehovah called thee, and as a wife of youth [adolescentiarum] (Isaiah 54:5-6), where the “Maker” is called also the “husband” because united to the Own; and a “woman afflicted” and a “wife of youth” signify specifically the Ancient and Most Ancient Churches. Likewise in Malachi:

Jehovah hath borne witness between thee and the wife of thy youth [adolescentiarum] (Malachi 2:14).

She is called a “wife” and a “bride” in the Revelation:

I saw the holy city New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband: come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife (Revelation 21:2, 9).

The church is called a “virgin” and a “daughter” throughout the Prophets.

737. It is said in verse 3 that the dragon was seen "in heaven;" and now that war was made with him "in heaven;" and afterwards no place for him and his angels was found "in heaven;" and yet he is called in verse 9 "that old serpent," also "the devil" and "Satan;" and some may wonder how the dragon, who is the devil, could be in heaven and could have a place there until he was cast down; and yet there is never any place for the devil in heaven, but in hell. But the matter is thus: "the dragon" does not mean those who have denied God and the Lord, and have rejected the Word, and made no account of the church and its doctrine, for those who are such and who do this are cast into hell immediately after death, and never appear in heaven, much less have any place there. "The dragon and his angels" mean those who acknowledge God and the Lord, and declare the Word to be holy, and also stand for the church and its doctrine, but only with the mouth and not with the heart. They do not do this in heart because they make no account of life, and those who make no account of life are interiorly devils, however much they may exteriorly appear like angels. Thence it can be seen that by the acknowledgment of God and the Lord, and by reading the Word and preaching it, they were exteriorly conjoined with heaven; but because their lives have not been at all in accord with anything of the Lord in the Word, interiorly they were conjoined with hell. Such are called "devil" and "Satan," because they have defiled the truths of the Word by a life of the love of self and the love of the world, and by evils that have gushed forth from those loves, like bubbling waters from their fountains, and because they have applied the literal sense of the Word to confirm such a life. Such persons, more than all others, are serpents, since they are more noxious than others; for they can draw over to their side the simple good, who are in the lowest heaven, especially by means of such things as they take from the sense of the letter of the Word and pervert. It is said that "they were seen in heaven," and there "fought with Michael and his angels," because the Word conjoined them with the heavens; for men are conjoined with the heavens by means of the Word; but when it was ascertained that they were in other than heavenly affections they were cast down out of heaven. Nevertheless, after the Last Judgment was accomplished it was provided and ordained by the Lord that henceforth no others but those who are in spiritual faith should have conjunction with heaven, and spiritual faith is acquired by a life according to the truths of the Word, which life is called charity. This, then, is what is signified by "the dragon with his angels was cast unto the earth," and "their place was not found anymore in heaven. "