79. There are many passages in the prophets about our understanding of the Word, passages about the church, where it tells us that the church exists only where the Word is properly understood, and that the quality of a church depends on the quality of the understanding of the Word among its members. There are also many passages in the prophets that describe the church among the Israelite and Jewish people, a church that was utterly destroyed and annihilated by the distortion of the Word’s meaning or message, for this is exactly what destroys a church.

[2] The name Ephraim in the prophets, especially in Hosea, symbolizes both true and false understandings of the Word, because Ephraim in the Word means the understanding of the Word in the church. It is because the understanding of the Word makes a church that Ephraim is called “a precious child, and one born of delights” (Jeremiah 31:20), “the firstborn” (Jeremiah 31:9), “the strength of Jehovah’s head” (Psalms 60:7; 108:8), “powerful” (Zechariah 10:7), and “filled with a bow” (Zechariah 9:13); and the children of Ephraim are called “armed” and “bow-shooters” (Psalms 78:9). The bow means a body of teaching from the Word fighting against what is false.

So too, Ephraim was transferred to the right of Israel and blessed, and accepted in place of Reuben (Genesis 48:5, 11, and following; [1 Chronicles 5:1]). And therefore Ephraim, together with his brother Manasseh, was exalted over all by Moses in his blessing of the children of Israel in the name of their father Joseph (Deuteronomy 33:13-17).

[3] The prophets, especially Hosea, also use “Ephraim” to describe what the church is like when its understanding of the Word has been lost, as we can see from the following:

Israel and Ephraim will stumble. Ephraim will be desolate. Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment. I will be like a lion to Ephraim: I will tear them and leave; I will carry them off and no one will rescue them. (Hosea 5:5, 9, 11, 14)

What shall I do to you, Ephraim? Your holiness goes away like a cloud at dawn and like the morning dew that falls. (Hosea 6:4)

[4] They will not dwell in the land of Jehovah: Ephraim will go back to Egypt and will eat what is unclean in Assyria. (Hosea 9:3)

The land of Jehovah is the church, Egypt is the preoccupation of the earthly self with mere facts, and Assyria is rationalizing based on those facts; all of which lead to distortion of the Word in regard to the way it is understood. That is why it says that Ephraim will go back to Egypt and will eat what is unclean in Assyria.

[5] Ephraim feeds on the wind and chases the east wind. Every day he increases lies and devastation. He makes a covenant with Assyria, and oil is carried down into Egypt. (Hosea 12:1)

To feed on the wind, chase the east wind, and increase lies and devastation is to distort what is true and in this way destroy the church.

[6] Much the same is also meant by Ephraim’s whoredom, since whoredom means distortion of the way the Word is understood - that is, distortion of its genuine truth. See the following passages:

I know Ephraim; he has committed whoredom in every way and Israel has been defiled. (Hosea 5:3)

I have seen something foul in the house of Israel: Ephraim has committed whoredom there, and Israel has been defiled. (Hosea 6:10)

Israel is the church itself and Ephraim is the understanding of the Word that is the source of the church and that determines its quality, so it says that Ephraim has committed whoredom and Israel has been defiled.

[7] Since the church among Jews had been completely destroyed because of its distortions, it says of Ephraim,

Am I to give you up, Ephraim? Am I to hand you over, Israel? Like Admah? Shall I make you like Zeboiim? (Hosea 11:8)

Since the book of the prophet Hosea, from the first chapter to the last, is about the distortion of the Word and the consequent destruction of the church, and since whoredom means the distortion of truth in the church, the prophet was commanded to represent that state of the church by taking a whore as his wife and fathering children by her (chapter 1); and also by forming a relationship with a woman who was committing adultery (chapter 3).

[8] These instances have been presented so that readers may know and be assured from the Word that the quality of a church depends on the quality of the understanding of the Word in it - outstanding and priceless if its understanding comes from genuine truths from the Word, but in ruins, actually filthy, if it comes from distortions.

For further evidence that Ephraim means the understanding of the Word, and in its opposite sense a distorted understanding leading to the destruction of the church, you may check some other passages that deal with Ephraim: Hosea 4:17-18; 7:1, 11; 8:9, 11; 9:11-13, 16; 10:11; 11:3; 12:1, 8, 14; 13:1, 8, 14; Isaiah 17:3; 28:1; Jeremiah 4:15; 31:6, 18; 50:19; Ezekiel 37:16; 48:5; Obadiah verse 19; Zechariah 9:10.

740. 17:12 "The ten horns which you saw are ten kings that have not yet received a kingdom." This symbolizes the Word as to the power it has from Divine truths among Roman Catholics who live in France and are not so much under the yoke of papal dominion, who nevertheless have not yet formed among them therefore a church separate from the Roman Catholic religion.

That this is said in reference to Roman Catholics in France can be seen from the series of things in the spiritual sense. For the subject now is the reception of the Word by people in the Christian world. Reception of the Word and the consequent state of the church among Roman Catholics is the subject of verses 9-11. Reception of the Word and the consequent state of the Church among people committed to that religion only in respect to its outward forms, who are found primarily in France, is the subject of verses 12-14. All other people who profess that religion indeed, yet dissent from it in various ways, are the subject of verse 15. And Protestants or the Reformed, who have completely turned away from that religion, are the subject of verses 16 and 17.

[2] One cannot possibly know, however, that these are the subjects of these verses unless he knows that the scarlet beast means the Word, and that the church is a church in accordance with its reception of the Word. That the scarlet beast means the Word may be seen in no. 723 above. And that the church is a church because of the Word and in accordance with its understanding of it, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding the Sacred Scripture, nos. 76-79.

Horns, here the horns of the beast, symbolize the power of the Word, and ten horns much power, in this case Divine power, because the power is the Lord's by means of the Word.

That horns symbolize power, and ten horns much power, may be seen in nos. 270, 539, 724 above. That kings symbolize people governed by Divine truths from the Word, and in an abstract sense the Divine truths themselves there, may be seen in nos. 20, 664, 704, and that ten means, not ten, but many people or things, in no. 101. A kingdom symbolizes a church founded on the Word, because kings symbolize people who are governed by Divine truths from the Word, and abstractly, the Divine truths themselves there. Consequently the ten kings' not yet having received a kingdom symbolizes people who have not yet formed among them a church separate therefore from the Roman Catholic religion.

[3] It can be seen from this that "the ten horns are ten kings that have not yet received a kingdom" symbolizes the Word as to the power it has from Divine truths among Roman Catholics who live in France and in some other places, including those called Jansenists, ¹ and who are not so much under the yoke of papal dominion, who nevertheless have not yet formed among them a church separate therefore from the Roman Catholic religion.

We say that the church among Roman Catholics in France is not yet separate from the Roman Catholic religion because it adheres to that religion in outward aspects, but not so much in internal realities.

Outward aspects are formal ones, and internal realities the essential ones. Roman Catholics in France still adhere to the Roman Catholic religion because of the many monasteries in France, and because priestly offices there are under the jurisdiction of the Pope. Moreover, in every outward form their priests conduct themselves in accordance with papal edicts and regulations, and many of the people are as a consequence still caught up in the essential tenets of that religion. Because of that the church there has not yet separated itself.

That is what is symbolically meant by the ten kings' not yet having received a kingdom.

Footnotes:

79. "'And you have explored those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars.'" This symbolically means that they have examined what in the church are called goods and truths, which nevertheless are evils and falsities.

That this is the symbolic meaning can be seen only by recourse to the spiritual sense, and only if one knows from that sense what apostles and liars mean. Apostles do not mean apostles, but all who teach the church's goods and truths, and in an abstract sense, its doctrinal goods and truths themselves.

That apostles do not mean apostles is clearly apparent from this declaration to them:

...when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you... will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Matthew 19:28; cf. Luke 22:30)

Who does not see that the apostles would not judge anyone, and cannot judge anyone, much less the twelve tribes of Israel, but that the Lord alone would do so in accordance with the goods and truths of the church's doctrine that it has from the Word?

The same is clearly apparent also from the following:

The wall of the city (of the New Jerusalem) had twelve foundations, and on them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. (Revelation 21:14)

The same is clearly apparent from this since the New Jerusalem symbolizes the New Church (nos. 880, 881), and its foundations all the goods and truths of its doctrine (nos. 902ff.)

[2] The same is apparent as well from this:

Rejoice..., O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets... (Revelation 18:20)

What is the rejoicing of apostles and prophets, unless apostles and prophets mean all those people who possess doctrinal goods and truths in the church?

The Lord's disciples mean people who are instructed by the Lord in doctrinal goods and truths, while apostles mean those who, after having been instructed, teach them. For we are told,

(Jesus) sent (His twelve disciples) to preach the kingdom of God..., and when the apostles had returned, they told Him whatever they had done. (Luke 9:1-2, 10; cf. Mark 6:7, 30)

Liars mean people who are caught up in falsities, and abstractly the falsities themselves, as can be seen from many passages in the Word where liars and lies are mentioned - so many that if we were to cite them they would fill pages. In the spiritual sense lies are nothing else than falsities.

It can be seen from this now that the statement, "You have explored those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars," means, symbolically, that they have examined what in the church are called goods and truths, which nevertheless are evils and falsities.