6693. Saying, Every son that is born, ye shall cast him forth into the river. That this signifies that they should immerse in falsities all truths which appear, is evident from the signification of “son,” as being truth (see n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 3373); and from the signification of “river,” as being things that belong to intelligence (n. 108, 109, 2702, 3051), here in the opposite sense, things contrary, thus falsities. That “to cast forth” denotes to immerse is manifest.

[2] That the “river of Egypt” denotes what is contrary to intelligence, thus falsity, is evident also in Isaiah:

The rivers shall recede; the rivers of Egypt shall diminish and be dried up; the papyri beside the river, beside the mouth of the river, and all the seed of the river, shall become dry, shall be driven forward; and therefore the fishers shall mourn, and all they that cast a hook into the river shall be sad, and they that spread a net upon the faces of the waters shall languish (Isaiah 19:6-8).

That here by the “river of Egypt” no river is meant, nor by “fishers” fishers, but that other things are meant, which do not appear unless it is known what is meant by “Egypt,” by the “river” there, and by “fishers,” is also evident; if these things are known, the sense is manifest. That by the “river of Egypt” is signified falsity, is plain from the particulars here.

[3] In Jeremiah:

Who is this that riseth up like the river, whose waters are tossed like the rivers? Egypt riseth up like the river, and his waters are tossed as the rivers; for he hath said, I will go up, I will cover the earth, I will destroy the city, and them that dwell therein (Jeremiah 46:7-8);

here also the “river of Egypt” denotes falsities; to “go up and cover the earth” denotes to do so to the church; to “destroy the city,” denotes to destroy the doctrine of the church; “and them that dwell therein,” denotes the goods thence derived. (That the “earth” is the church may be seen above, n. 6649; and the “city,” the doctrine of the church, n. 402, 2449, 3216, 4492, 4493; and “inhabitants,” the goods therein, n. 2268, 2451, 2712)

[4] In Ezekiel:

Behold I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great whale that liest in the midst of his rivers; who hath said, The river is mine, and I have made myself. Therefore I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will make the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and I will make thee go up out of the midst of thy rivers, and every fish of thy rivers shall stick in thy scales. I will leave thee in the wilderness, and every fish of thy rivers (Ezekiel 29:3-5, 9-10);

what these things signify no one can know without the internal sense (that Egypt is not meant, is evident), thus unless it is known what is meant by “Pharaoh,” and what by a “river,” a “whale,” a “fish,” and “scales.” (That “Pharaoh” is the natural where memory-knowledge is, may be seen above, n. 5160, 5799, 6015; and that “whales” are the generals of memory-knowledges in the natural, n. 42; and “fishes” memory-knowledges under the general, n. 40, 991.) “Scales” denote those things which are manifestly external, thus sensuous, to which memory-knowledges which are falsities adhere. When these things are known, it is evident what is meant in the above passage by the “river of Egypt” namely, falsity.

[5] Again:

In that day when Pharaoh shall go down into hell I will make a mourning; I will cover the abyss over him, and I will curb his rivers, and the great waters shall be dammed up (Ezekiel 31:15).

Shall not the earth be shaken for this, and everyone mourn that dwelleth therein, so that it shall go up all of it like a brook, and be driven out, and overwhelmed as by the river of Egypt? In that day I will make the sun to set at noon, and I will darken the earth in the day of light (Amos 8:8-9; 9:5).

The “earth” which shall be “shaken” denotes the church (n. 6649); “to be overwhelmed as by the river of Egypt” denotes to perish by falsities; and because falsities are signified, it is said that “the sun shall set at noon,” and that “the earth shall be darkened in the day of light.” By “the sun setting at noon” is signified that the good of celestial love would recede, and by “the earth being darkened in the day of light,” that falsities would take possession of the church. (That the “sun” is the good of celestial love, may be seen above, n. 1529, 1530, 2441, 2495, 3636, 3643, 4060, 4696; also that “darkness” is falsity, n. 1839, 1860, 4418, 4531; and that the “earth” is the church, n. 82, 662, 1066, 1067, 1262, 1411, 1413, 1607, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 2928, 2355, 4447, 4535, 5577.) Everyone can see that other things are signified here than what appear in the letter, as that “the earth shall be shaken,” and that “everyone that dwelleth therein shall mourn,” that “the sun shall set at noon,” and “the earth be darkened in the day of light.” Unless the church is understood by the “earth,” falsity by the “river,” and celestial love by the “sun,” no sense which can be unfolded is found there.

[6] As the “river of Egypt” signifies falsity, therefore Moses was commanded to smite with his staff upon the waters of that river, and they were consequently turned into blood, and every fish died in the river, and the river stank (Exodus 7:17-21); and Aaron also was commanded to stretch out his hand with the rod over the rivers, over the streams, and over the pools, whereupon frogs came up over the land of Egypt (Exodus 8:1-2). That “waters” in the opposite sense signify falsities (see n. 790 d as the waters are those of the river, the “river” relatively denotes falsity in general.

5799. For thou art even as Pharaoh. That this signifies that it has dominion over the natural, is evident from the representation of Pharaoh, as being the natural in general (see n. 5160); and from the representation of Joseph, as being the internal (of which above). That the internal has dominion over the natural is represented by Joseph’s being set over all the land of Egypt, and also over all Pharaoh’s house (Genesis 41:40-41).

1850. Will I judge. That this signifies visitation and judgment, may be seen without explication. By “judging,” or “judgment,” there is not signified any last judgment, as people in general suppose, that is, that the heaven and the earth are to perish, and that so a new heaven and a new earth will be created, as spoken of in the Prophets and in Revelation; and thus that all things are to perish, which opinion has spread itself so widely that it has even taken possession of the minds of those who are best instructed; and this to such a degree that they do not believe that the dead are to rise except at that time. And therefore because this time was foretold, and still, after so many centuries have since passed by, they see that it has not come and is not at hand, feeling safe they confirm themselves in their assurance that there is no such thing, and therefore that they will not rise again. But it is to be known that by the last judgment, or by the destruction of heaven and earth, no such thing is meant. According to the sense of the letter it is so; but not at all according to the internal sense: in this sense the last judgment means the last time of the church; the heaven and earth that will perish, mean the church as to internal and external worship, which becomes no church when there is no charity.

[2] There was a last judgment of the Most Ancient Church when all charity and faith had failed, and when there was no perception, as was the case just before the flood. The flood itself, treated of above, was the last judgment of that church; heaven and earth, that is, the church, then perished; and a new heaven and a new earth, that is, a new church, were created, which was called the Ancient Church, and which also has been treated of. This church likewise had its last time, namely, when all charity grew cold and all faith was darkened, which was about the time of Eber. This time was the last judgment of that church; which was the heaven and earth that had perished.

[3] The Hebrew Church was a new heaven and a new earth, and this too had its last time, or last judgment, when it became idolatrous; and then a new church was raised up among the descendants of Jacob, which was called the Jewish Church, and which was a church that was merely representative of charity and faith. In this church, that is, among the descendants of Jacob, there was neither charity nor faith, and therefore no church, but only the representative of a church, for the reason that it had become impossible for there to be immediate communication of the Lord’s kingdom in the heavens with any true church on earth, and therefore a mediate communication was effected by means of representatives. The last time of this so-called church, or its last judgment, was when the Lord came into the world; for the representatives then ceased, that is, the sacrifices and similar rites; and in order that these might cease, the Jews were cast out of the land of Canaan.

[4] After this a new heaven and a new earth were created, that is, a new church, which is to be called the Primitive Church, which was commenced by the Lord, and afterwards gradually became stronger, and which at first was in charity and faith. The destruction of this church is foretold by the Lord in the Gospels, and by John in Revelation; and this destruction is what is called the Last Judgment. Not that heaven and earth are now to perish, but that in some quarter of the globe a new church will be raised up, the present one remaining in its external worship, as the Jews do in theirs, in whose worship it is well known that there is nothing of charity and faith, that is, nothing of the church. So far as regards the last judgment in general.

[5] In particular, there is a last judgment for everyone immediately after he dies; for he then passes into the other life, in which, when he comes into the life that he had had in the body, he is adjudged either to death or to life. There is also a last judgment in the singular, for with a man who is adjudged to death, every single thing condemns him, for there is nothing in his thought and will, not even the least thing, that does not resemble his last judgment, and that does not drag him to death. In like manner with the man who is adjudged to life: in him every single thing of his thought and of his will presents an image of his last judgment, and all carry him on to life. For such as is man in general, such is he in the singulars of his thought and of his affection. These are the things that are signified by the last judgment.