9372. And He said unto Moses. That this signifies that which concerns the Word in general, is evident from the representation of Moses, as being the Word (of which below); and from the signification of “He said,” as involving those things which follow in this chapter, thus those which concern the Word (see n. 9370). (That Moses represents the Word, can be seen from what has been often shown before about Moses, as from the preface to Genesis 18; and n. 4859, 5922, 6723, 6752, 6771, 6827, 7010, 7014, 7089, 7382, 8601, 8760, 8787, 8805.) Here Moses represents the Word in general, because it is said of him in what follows, that he alone should come near unto Jehovah (verse 2); and also that, being called unto out of the midst of the cloud, he entered into it, and went up the mount (verses 16-18).

[2] In the Word there are many who represent the Lord in respect to truth Divine, or in respect to the Word; but chief among them are Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and John the Baptist. That Moses does so, can be seen in the explications just cited above; that so do Elijah and Elisha, can be seen in the preface to Genesis 18; and n. 2762, 5247; and that John the Baptist does so is evident from the fact that he was “Elias who was to come.” He who does not know that John the Baptist represented the Lord as to the Word, cannot know what all those things infold and signify which are said about him in the New Testament; and therefore in order that this secret may stand open, and that at the same time it may appear that Elias, and also Moses, who were seen when the Lord was transfigured, signified the Word, some things may here be quoted which are spoken about John the Baptist; as in Matthew:

After the messengers of John had departed, Jesus began to speak concerning John, saying, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? a reed shaken by the wind? But what went ye out to see? a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft things are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, even more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, Behold I send Mine angel before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee. Verily I say unto you, Among those who are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist; nevertheless he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he. All the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye are willing to believe, he is Elias who was to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear (Matthew 11:7-15; and also Luke 7:24-28).

No one can know how these things are to be understood, unless he knows that this John represented the Lord as to the Word, and unless he also knows from the internal sense what is signified by “the wilderness” in which he was, also what by “a reed shaken by the wind,” and likewise by “soft raiment in kings’ houses;” and further what is signified by his being “more than a prophet,” and by “none among those who are born of women being greater than he, and nevertheless he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he,” and lastly by his being “Elias.” For without a deeper sense, all these words are uttered merely from some comparison, and not from anything of weight.

[3] But it is very different when by John is understood the Lord as to the Word, or the Word representatively. Then by “the wilderness of Judea in which John was” is signified the state in which the Word was at the time when the Lord came into the world, namely, that it was “in the wilderness,” that is, it was in obscurity so great that the Lord was not at all acknowledged, neither was anything known about His heavenly kingdom; when yet all the prophets prophesied about Him, and about His kingdom, that it was to endure forever. (That “a wilderness” denotes such obscurity, see n. 2708, 4736, 7313.) For this reason the Word is compared to “a reed shaken by the wind” when it is explained at pleasure; for in the internal sense “a reed” denotes truth in the ultimate, such as is the Word in the letter.

[4] That the Word in the ultimate, or in the letter, is crude and obscure in the sight of men; but that in the internal sense it is soft and shining, is signified by their “not seeing a man clothed in soft raiment, for behold those who wear soft things are in kings’ houses.” That such things are signified by these words, is plain from the signification of “raiment,” or “garments,” as being truths (n. 2132, 2576, 4545, 4763, 5248, 6914, 6918, 9093); and for this reason the angels appear clothed in garments soft and shining according to the truths from good with them (n. 5248, 5319, 5954, 9212, 9216). The same is evident from the signification of “kings’ houses,” as being the abodes of the angels, and in the universal sense, the heavens; for “houses” are so called from good (n. 2233, 2234, 3128, 3652, 3720, 4622, 4982, 7836, 7891, 7996, 7997); and “kings,” from truth (n. 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 6148). Therefore by virtue of their reception of truth from the Lord, the angels are called “sons of the kingdom,” “sons of the king,” and also “kings.”

[5] That the Word is more than any doctrine in the world, and more than any truth in the world, is signified by “what went ye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet;” and by, “there hath not arisen among those who are born of women a greater than John the Baptist;” for in the internal sense “a prophet” denotes doctrine (n. 2534, 7269); and “those who are born,” or are the sons, “of women” denote truths (n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 2803, 2813, 3704, 4257).

[6] That in the internal sense, or such as it is in heaven, the Word is in a degree above the Word in the external sense, or such as it is in the world, and such as John the Baptist taught, is signified by, “he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he;” for as perceived in heaven the Word is of wisdom so great that it transcends all human apprehension. That the prophecies about the Lord and His coming, and that the representatives of the Lord and of His kingdom, ceased when the Lord came into the world, is signified by, “all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.” That the Word was represented by John, as by Elijah, is signified by his being “Elias who is to come.”

[7] The same is signified by these words in Matthew:

The disciples asked Jesus, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? He answered and said, Elias must needs first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, that Elias hath come already, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they wished. Even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them. And they understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist (Matthew 17:10-13).

That “Elias hath come, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they wished” signifies that the Word has indeed taught them that the Lord is to come, but that still they did not wish to comprehend, interpreting it in favor of the rule of self, and thus extinguishing what is Divine in it. That they would do the same with the truth Divine itself, is signified by “even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them.” (That “the Son of man” denotes the Lord as to truth Divine, see n. 2803, 2813, 3704)

[8] From all this it is now evident what is meant by the prophecy about John in Malachi:

Behold I send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh (Malachi 4:5).

Moreover, the Word in the ultimate, or such as it is in the external form in which it appears before man in the world, is described by the “clothing” and “food” of John the Baptist, in Matthew:

John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, had His clothing of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:1, 4).

In like manner it is described by Elijah in the second book of Kings:

He was a hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins (2 Kings 1:8).

By “clothing,” or a “garment,” when said of the Word, is signified truth Divine there in the ultimate form; by “camel’s hair” are signified memory-truths such as appear there before a man in the world; by the “leathern girdle” is signified the external bond connecting and keeping in order all the interior things; by “food” is signified spiritual nourishment from the knowledges of truth and of good out of the Word; by “locusts” are signified ultimate or most general truths; and by “wild honey” their pleasantness.

[9] That such things are signified by “clothing” and “food” has its origin in the representatives of the other life, where all appear clothed according to truths from good, and where food also is represented according to the desires of acquiring knowledge and growing wise. From this it is that “clothing,” or a “garment,” denotes truth (as may be seen from the citations above; and that “food” or “meat” denotes spiritual nourishment, n. 3114, 4459, 4792, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5576, 5579, 5915, 8562, 9003; that “a girdle” denotes a bond which gathers up and holds together interior things, n. 9341; that “leather” denotes what is external, n. 3540; and thus “a leathern girdle” denotes an external bond; that “hairs” denote ultimate or most general truths, n. 3301, 5569-5573; that “a camel” denotes memory-knowledge in general, n. 3048, 3071, 3143, 3145, 4156; that “a locust” denotes nourishing truth in the extremes, n. 7643; and that “honey” denotes the pleasantness thereof, n. 5620, 6857, 8056). It is called “wild honey,” or “honey of the field,” because by “a field” is signified the church (n. 2971, 3317, 3766, 7502, 7571, 9139, 9295). He who does not know that such things are signified, cannot possibly know why Elijah and John were so clothed. And yet that these things signified something peculiar to these prophets, can be thought by everyone who thinks well about the Word.

[10] Because John the Baptist represented the Lord as to the Word, therefore also when he spoke of the Lord, who was the Word itself, he said of himself that he was “not Elias, nor the prophet,” and that he was “not worthy to loose the latchet of the Lord’s shoe,” as in John:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. The Jews from Jerusalem, priests and Levites, asked John who he was. And he confessed, and denied not, I am not the Christ. Therefore they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? But he said, I am not. Art thou the prophet? He answered, No. They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet. They said therefore, Why then baptizest thou, if thou art not the Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet? He answered, I baptize with water; in the midst of you standeth one whom ye know not; He it is who is to come after me, who was before me, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to unloose. When he saw Jesus, he said, Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, After me cometh a man who was before me; for he was before me (John 1:1, 14, 19-30).

From these words it is plain that when John spoke about the Lord Himself, who was Truth Divine itself, or the Word, he said that he himself was not anything, because the shadow disappears when the light itself appears, that is, the representative disappears when the original itself makes its appearance. (That the representatives had in view holy things, and the Lord Himself, and not at all the person that represented, see n. 665, 1097, 1361, 3147, 3881, 4208, 4281, 4288, 4292, 4307, 4444, 4500, 6304, 7048, 7439, 8588, 8788, 8806.) One who does not know that representatives vanish like shadows at the presence of light, cannot know why John denied that he was Elias and the prophet.

[11] From all this it can now be seen what is signified by Moses and Elias, who were seen in glory, and who spoke with the Lord when transfigured, of His departure which He should accomplish at Jerusalem (Luke 9:29-31); namely, that they signified the Word (“Moses” the historic Word, and “Elias” the prophetic Word), which in the internal sense throughout treats of the Lord, of His coming into the world, and of His departure out of the world; and therefore it is said that “Moses and Elias were seen in glory,” for “glory” denotes the internal sense of the Word, and the “cloud” its external sense (see the preface to Genesis 18, and n. 5922, 8427).

5620. A little resin and a little honey. That this signifies the truths of good of the exterior natural and its delight, is evident from the signification of “resin,” as being the truth of good or truth from good (see n. 4748). The reason why “resin” has this signification is that it ranks among unguents, and also among aromatics. “Aromatics” signify such things as are of truth from good, especially if they are of an unctuous nature, and so partake of oil; for “oil” signifies good (n. 886, 3728, 4582). That this resin was aromatic, may be seen in Genesis 37:25; and for this reason also the same word in the original means balsam. That it was like an ointment or thick oil, is evident. This then is the reason why by “resin” is signified the truth of good which is in the natural, here in the exterior, because “resin” is put first and joined with “honey,” which is the delight therein. That “honey” denotes delight is because it is sweet, and everything sweet in the natural world corresponds to what is delightful and pleasant in the spiritual world. The reason why it is called its delight, that is, the delight of truth from good in the exterior natural, is that every truth and especially every truth of good has its own delight; but a delight from the affection of these, and from the derivative use.

[2] That “honey” is delight is evident also from other passages in the Word, as in Isaiah:

A virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel [God with us]. Butter and honey shall He eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good (Isaiah 7:14-15);

speaking of the Lord; “butter” denotes the celestial; “honey,” that which is from the celestial.

[3] In the same:

It shall come to pass for the multitude of milk that they shall yield, he shall eat butter; and butter and honey shall everyone eat that is left in the midst of the land (Isaiah 7:22);

speaking of the Lord’s kingdom; “milk” denotes spiritual good; “butter,” celestial good; and “honey,” that which is from them, thus what is happy, pleasant, and delightful.

[4] In Ezekiel:

Thus wast thou adorned with gold and silver; and thy garments were of fine linen and silk and broidered work. Thou didst eat fine flour and honey and oil; so thou becamest beautiful very exceedingly, and thou didst prosper even unto a kingdom. With fine flour and oil and honey I fed thee; but thou didst set it before them for an odor of rest (Ezekiel 16:13, 19);

speaking of Jerusalem, by which is meant the spiritual church, the quality of which is described as it was with the ancients, and as it afterward became. Her being “adorned with gold and silver” denotes with celestial and spiritual good and truth; her “garments of fine linen, silk, and broidered work” denotes truths in the rational and in each natural; “fine flour” denotes the spiritual; “honey,” its pleasantness; and “oil,” its good. That such things as belong to heaven are signified by these particulars can be seen by anyone.

[5] In the same:

Judah and the land of Israel were thy traders, in wheat of Minnith, and pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm (Ezekiel 27:17);

speaking of Tyre, by which is signified the spiritual church such as it was in the beginning and such as it afterward became, but in respect to the knowledges of good and truth (n. 1201). “Honey” here also denotes the pleasantness and delight from the affections of knowing and learning celestial and spiritual goods and truths.

[6] In Moses:

Thou makest him ride on the high places of the earth, and he eats the produce of the fields. He maketh him suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flint of the rock (Deuteronomy 32:13);

here also treating of the Ancient spiritual Church; “to suck honey out of the rock” denotes delight from truths of memory-knowledge.

[7] In David:

I feed them with the fat of wheat, and with honey out of the rock I sate them (Psalms 81:16);

“to sate with honey out of the rock” denotes to fill with delight from the truths of faith.

[8] In Deuteronomy:

Jehovah bringeth me unto a good land, a land of rivers of water, of fountains and of deeps that go out from the valley, and from the mountain; a land of wheat and barley, and of vine and of fig and of pomegranate; a land of oil olive and of honey (Deuteronomy 8:7-8);

speaking of the land of Canaan; in the internal sense, of the Lord’s kingdom in the heavens. A “land of oil olive and of honey” denotes spiritual good and its pleasantness.

[9] Hence also the land of Canaan was called:

A land flowing with milk and honey (Numbers 13:27; 14:8; Deuteronomy 26:9, 15; 27:3; Jeremiah 11:5; 32:22; Ezekiel 20:6).

In the internal sense of these passages by the “land of Canaan” is meant, as before said, the Lord’s kingdom; “flowing with milk” denotes an abundance of celestial spiritual things; and “with honey,” an abundance of derivative happiness and delights.

[10] In David:

The judgments of Jehovah are truth, righteous are they together; more to be desired are they than gold and much fine gold, sweeter also than honey and the dropping of the honeycombs (Psalms 19:9-10).

The “judgments of Jehovah” denote truth Divine; “sweeter than honey and the dropping of the honeycombs” denotes delights from good and pleasantnesses from truth. Again:

Sweet are Thy words to my palate, sweeter than honey to my mouth (Psalms 119:103); where the meaning is similar.

[11] The manna that Jacob’s posterity had for bread in the wilderness is thus described in Moses:

The manna was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like a cake kneaded with honey (Exodus 16:31);

as the manna signified the truth Divine that descends through heaven from the Lord, it consequently signified the Lord Himself as to the Divine Human, as He Himself teaches in John 6:51, 58; for it is the Lord’s Divine Human from which all truth Divine comes, yea, of which all truth Divine treats; and this being so, the manna is described in respect to delight and pleasantness by the taste, that it was “like a cake kneaded with honey.” (That the taste denotes the delight of good and the pleasantness of truth may be seen above, n. 3502)

[12] As John the Baptist represented the Lord as to the Word, which is the Divine truth on earth, in like manner as Elijah (n. 2762, 5247), he was therefore the “Elijah who was to come” before the Lord (Malachi 4:5; Matthew 17:10-12; Mark 9:11-13; Luke 1:17); wherefore his clothing and food were significative, of which we read in Matthew:

John had his clothing of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loin; and his meat was locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:4; Mark 1:6).

The “clothing of camel’s hair” signified that the Word, such as is its literal sense as to truth (which sense is a clothing for the internal sense), is natural; for what is natural is signified by “hair,” and also by “camels;” and the “meat being of locusts and wild honey” signified the Word such as is its literal sense as to good; the delight of this is signified by “wild honey.”

[13] The delight of truth Divine in respect to the external sense is also described by “honey” in Ezekiel:

He said unto me, Son of man, feed thy belly and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. And when I ate it, it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness (Ezekiel 3:3).

And in John:

The angel said unto me, Take the little book and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. So I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey; but when I had eaten it my belly was made bitter. Then he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again over many peoples and nations and tongues and kings (Revelation 10:9-11).

The “roll” in Ezekiel, and the “little book” in John, denote truth Divine. That in the external form this appears delightful, is signified by the flavor being “sweet as honey;” for truth Divine, like the Word, is delightful in the external form or in the literal sense because this admits of being unfolded by interpretations in everyone’s favor. But not so the internal sense, which is therefore signified by the “bitter” taste; for this sense discloses man’s interiors. The reason why the external sense is delightful, is as before said that the things in it can be unfolded favorably; for they are only general truths, and general truths are susceptible of this before they are qualified by particulars, and these by singulars. It is delightful also because it is natural, and what is spiritual conceals itself within. Moreover, it must be delightful in order that man may receive it, that is, be introduced into it, and not be deterred at the very threshold.

[14] The “honeycomb and broiled fish” that the Lord ate with the disciples after His resurrection, also signified the external sense of the Word (the “fish” as to its truth and the “honeycomb” as to its pleasantness), in regard to which we read in Luke:

Jesus said, Have ye here anything to eat? They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish, and of a honeycomb, and He took them and did eat before them (Luke 24:41-43).

And because these things are signified, the Lord therefore said to them:

These are the words which I spoke unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which are written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning Me (Luke 24:44).

It appears as if such things were not signified, because their having a piece of broiled fish and a honeycomb seems as if fortuitous; nevertheless it was of providence, and not only this, but also all other, even the least, of the things that occur in the Word. As such things were signified, therefore the Lord said of the Word that in it were written the things concerning Himself. Yet the things written of the Lord in the literal sense of the Old Testament are few; but those in its internal sense are all so written, for from this is the holiness of the Word. This is what is meant by His saying that “all things must be fulfilled which are written in the Law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning Him.”

[15] From all this it may now be seen that by “honey” is signified the delight that is from good and truth, or from the affection of them, and that there is specifically signified external delight, thus the delight of the exterior natural. As this delight is of such a nature as to be from the world through the things of the senses, and thereby contains within it many things from the love of the world, the use of honey in the meat-offerings was therefore forbidden, as in Leviticus:

No meat-offering which ye shall bring unto Jehovah shall be made with leaven; for there shall be no leaven, nor any honey, from what ye burn with fire to Jehovah (Leviticus 2:11); where “honey” denotes such external delight, which, because it contains in it what partakes of the love of the world, was also like leaven, and was on this account forbidden. (What “leaven” or “leavened” means may be seen above, n. 2342)

960. Go pour out the vials of the anger of God into the earth, signifies the state of the devastated church. This is evident from the signification of "the vials of the anger of God," as being the evils and falsities that have devastated the church; for "the vials of the anger of God" have the like signification as "the plagues" in the preceding chapter (Revelation 15:6), where it is said that "seven angels went out from the temple having seven plagues," "plagues" there signifying the evils and falsities therefrom and the falsities and evils therefrom that have devastated the church (See above, n. 949). "The anger of God" has a similar signification, for "the anger of God" is predicated of the evils and falsities that devastate the goods and truths of the church. It is evident also from the signification of "the earth," as being the church (See above, n. 29, 304, 417, 697, 741, 752, 876). "To pour out these vials into the earth" signifies the state of the church so produced, because the vastations of the church are attributed in the Word to God, consequently they are represented as flowing forth from heaven; and yet nothing of them comes from God, but they are solely from man. Nevertheless, it is so said in the sense of the letter of the Word because it so appears to men, and that sense being the ultimate sense consists of appearances.

[2] These are called "vials" because vials are vessels, and vessels have a similar signification as their contents, as goblets, beakers, cups, with wine or other liquor in them; and as the incense vessels and censers for the incense, and many other vessels. The reason of this is that the sense of the letter of the Word is the ultimate sense of the Divine truth, and therefore consists of the ultimate things that are in nature; for upon ultimates interior or higher things are built and founded. That vials, goblets, cups, beakers, and platters are mentioned in place of their contents, and therefore have a similar signification, is evident from the Word, where they signify falsities from hell, and drunkenness or insanity therefrom. They also signify temptations; also truths from the Lord and wisdom therefrom. That they signify falsities from hell and insanity therefrom is evident from the following passages. In Jeremiah:

Jehovah said, Take this cup of the wine of the anger of Jehovah out of My hand, and make all nations to whom I send thee to drink of it, that they may drink and stagger, and be mad because of the sword. When they refuse to take the cup out of thine hand to drink, thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith Jehovah of Hosts, Drinking ye shall drink (Jeremiah 25:15, 16, 28).

"Cup of wine" here signifies the falsity that is from hell; "to drink" signifies to appropriate to oneself; "to be mad" signifies to be spiritually insane, which takes place when falsity is called truth and truth falsity. The "nations" that shall drink signify the evil, and in an abstract sense evils; for many nations that were to drink are there enumerated, and yet nations are not meant, but the evils signified by them, and evils are what drink, that is, appropriate to themselves, falsities. That "cup of wine" signifies falsity is evident also from the words, "that they may be mad because of the sword," for "sword" signifies falsity destroying truth.

[3] In the same:

Babylon is a cup of gold in the hand of Jehovah, making the whole earth drunken; the nations have drunk of her wine, therefore the nations are mad (Jeremiah 51:7).

"Cup of gold" signifies falsity destroying good; "Babylon" signifies dominion over heaven and over the souls of men by means of the holy things of the church, from which dominion profane falsities flow forth; "to make the earth drunk" signifies to so infatuate the church that truth is not seen any more. "Wine" signifies that falsity.

[4] In Ezekiel:

Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister, therefore will I give her cup into thine hand. Thus saith the Lord Jehovih, Thou shalt drink of thy sister's cup, which is deep and broad; thou shalt be for a laughing and derision; ample to contain, thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sadness, with the cup of devastation and desolation, with the cup of thy sister Samaria, which thou shalt drink and press out; and thou shalt break in pieces the shards thereof (Ezekiel 23:31-34).

This is said of Jerusalem, which signifies the celestial church as to doctrine; and Samaria, which is the "sister," signifies here the spiritual church, also as to doctrine. For the Jewish nation represented the Lord's celestial kingdom, and the Israelitish nation His spiritual kingdom. But here "Jerusalem and Samaria" signify the church devastated as to all good and truth. The full devastation of the church with the Jewish nation is described by "the sister's cup, which is deep and broad," and "they shall be filled with drunkenness and sadness," and "they shall drink the cup and press it out, and break in pieces the shards thereof. "It is called "a cup of devastation and desolation," because "devastation" is predicated of good, and "desolation" of truth.

[5] In Zechariah:

Behold I make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the peoples round about (Zechariah 12:2).

In Habakkuk:

Thou shalt be satiated with shame more than with glory; drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered. The cup of Jehovah shall go about unto thee, and shameful vomiting shall be upon thy glory (Habakkuk 2:16).

"Cup" stands for falsified truth, which in itself is falsity, and of this "shameful vomiting" is predicated; therefore it is said "upon thy glory," "glory" signifying the Divine truth in the Word. In Lamentations:

Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom; the cup shall pass through unto thee also; thou shalt be made drunken and shalt be uncovered (Lamentations 4:21).

Here "cup" has the same signification.

[6] In David:

Jehovah shall rain upon the wicked snares, fire, and brimstone, and a wind of tempests shall be the portion of their cup (Psalms 11:6).

In the same:

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

"Snares, fire, and brimstone," signify falsities and evils leading astray, and "a wind of tempests" signifies vigorous assault upon truth. These are called "the portion of a cup," because a "cup," as a containant signifies these. "To mix" and "to fill with mixture" signify to falsify truth and to profane it.

[7] In all these passages the devastation of truth and good by falsities and evils is attributed to Jehovah, for it is said that "they were to take the cup of the anger of Jehovah out of His hand," that "Jehovah hath mixed it with wine and filled it with mixture," also it is called "a cup in the hand of Jehovah;" and yet it must be understood that nothing of devastation is from Jehovah, but everything of it is from man. It is so said because the natural man sees no otherwise than that God is angry with, punishes, condemns, and casts into hell, those who despise and blaspheme Him, in a word, who do not give glory to Him; and because to so think is natural, it is so said in the sense of the letter of the Word, which is natural.

[8] So in other passages in Revelation:

He that adored the beast shall drink of the wine of the anger of God, mixed with unmixed wine in the cup of His wrath (Revelation 14:9, 10).

Great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fury of His wrath (Revelation 16:19).

A woman having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and of the uncleanness of her whoredom (Revelation 17:4).

Double unto her double according to her works; in the cup that she mingled mingle to her double (Revelation 18:6).

This makes clear the signification of the seven "vials" of the angels, which they poured out into the earth, the sea, the rivers, the fountains of waters, upon the sun, the throne of the beast, the river Euphrates, and into the air, namely, that they mean states of devastation, which are described by these.

[9] That a "goblet" or "cup" signifies temptations can be seen from the following passages. In the Gospels:

Jesus said to the sons of Zebedee, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They said, We are able. Then He said unto them, My cup indeed shall ye drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with (Matthew 20:22, 23; Mark 10:38, 39).

But these passages may be seen explained above n. 893. In the same:

Jesus said to Peter, The cup which the Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it? (John 18:11).

Jesus said in Gethsemane, If it be possible let this cup pass away from Me (Matthew 26:39, 42, 44; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42).

In these passages a "cup" or "goblet" plainly signifies temptations. So in Isaiah (Isaiah 51:17, 22), where it is also called "the cup of the anger of God" and "the cup of trembling."

[10] As "cup" has a similar signification as "wine," and "wine" in the good sense signifies the Divine truth, therefore also this is what "cup" signifies in the following passages. In the Gospels:

Jesus taking the cup and giving thanks, gave to the disciples, saying, All drink from it; for this is My blood, that of the new Testament (Matt. 26:27, 28; Mark 14:23, 24; Luke 22:17, 18).

As the Lord's "blood," and likewise "wine," signify the Divine truth that proceeds from Him, consequently the "cup" also, it is said therefore "this is My blood;" and as it is by means of the Divine truth that the Lord is conjoined with the church, it is called "that of the new Testament or the new Covenant." (That the Lord's "blood" signifies the Divine truth may be seen in 328, 329, 476, 748; and that "covenant" signifies conjunction, n. 701)

[11] In David:

Jehovah is the portion of your ¹ part and of my cup; Thou sustainest my lot (Psalms 16:5).

In the same:

Thou wilt set a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; Thou wilt make fat my head with oil; my cup shall run over (Psalms 23:5). ²

In these passages "cup" stands for the Divine truth; and as this is the signification of "cup" it is also called:

The cup of salvation (Psalms 116:13);

And the cup of consolations (Jeremiah 16:7).

[12] In Mark:

Whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in My name, because ye are Christ's, he shall not lose his reward (Mark 9:41).

"To give a cup of water to drink in My name, because ye are Christ's," signifies to teach truth from the love of truth, thus from the Lord, likewise to do it. The love of truth for the sake of truth is meant by "giving a cup of water in the name of the Lord;" and "Christ" means the Lord as to the Divine truth.

[13] In the Gospels:

Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; for ye cleanse the outside of the cup and the platter, but within they are full from rapine and intemperance. Cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, that the outside may become clean also (Matthew 23:25, 26; Luke 11:39).

The Lord used the terms "cup" and "platter," because the containant has the same signification as the contents; thus the "cup" the same as "wine," and the "platter" the same as "food." "Wine" signifies the truth of the Word and of doctrine, and "food" the good of the Word and of doctrine. The natural man or the natural mind is inwardly purified when falsities and evils are removed, but it is not purified when they are not removed. For such as the interior is such does the exterior become, but the interior does not become such as the exterior is. For the interior flows into the exterior and disposes it to agreement with itself, but not the reverse.

(Continuation respecting the Second Commandment)

[14] Since "the name of God" means that which is from God and which is God, and this is called the Divine truth, and with us the Word, this must not be profaned, because it is in itself Divine and most holy; and it is profaned when its holiness is denied, which is done when it is despised, rejected, and treated contemptuously. When this is done heaven is closed and man is left to hell. For the Word is the only medium of conjunction of heaven with the church; therefore when the Word is cast out of the heart that conjunction is dissolved; and because man is then left to hell he no longer acknowledges any truth of the church.

[15] There are two things by which heaven is closed to the men of the church. One is the denial of the Lord's Divine, and the other is the denial of the holiness of the Word; and for this reason that the Lord's Divine is the all of heaven, and the Divine truth, which is the Word in the spiritual sense, is what makes heaven; which makes clear that he who denies the one or the other denies that which is the all of heaven, and from which heaven is and exists, and thus deprives himself of communication and thence of conjunction with heaven. To profane the Word is the same as "blaspheming the Holy Spirit," which is not forgiven to anyone, consequently it is said in this commandment that he who profanes the name of God shall not be left unpunished.

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