8426. 'At evening you will know that Jehovah has brought you out of the land of Egypt' means that at the end of a former state comes the revelation that they have been delivered. This is clear from the meaning of 'at evening' as the end of a former state, dealt with below; from the meaning of 'knowing' as being revealed, for what Jehovah causes a person to know is called revelation; and from the meaning of 'bringing out' as delivering, as often before, at this point from the molestations that are meant by 'the land of Egypt', 7278.

[2] The reason why 'at evening' means the end of a former state is that changes of state in the next life resemble the times of day in the world, that is to say, morning, midday, evening, and night or twilight, then morning again. It should be recognized that in the spiritual world changes of state are forever taking place, which all who are there pass through, the purpose of it all being that they may continue unceasingly to be made more perfect. For without changes of states, that is, without variations constantly following one another in sequence, those who are there cannot be made more perfect. The changes of states which follow one another in sequence, resembling the times of day and seasons of the year, are never exactly the same when they come round again, but are varied. The beginning of each state corresponds to morning on earth, and also in the Word is meant several times by 'morning'. The end of each state however corresponds to evening, and is also called 'evening' several times in the Word. When it is morning they are in a state of love; when it is midday they are in a state of light or truth; but when it is evening they are in a state that is dim so far as truths are concerned and rather cool so far as good is concerned, since it is a state in which the delight belonging to natural love rules them. This delight is what is meant by 'the selav' which the people received in the evening, and good is what is meant by 'the manna' which they received every morning.

[3] All this goes to show what 'the evening' means - the end of the state of whatever the subject may be; consequently it may mean the end of a state of the Church. But see what has been shown already about the meaning of 'the evening':

In the next life there are changes of state, just as in the world there are changes of times and seasons, 5672, 5962, 6110.

'Evening' is the end of a former Church, and 'morning' the beginning of a new one, 2323, 7844; therefore 'evening, and 'morning' mean the Coming or arrival of the Lord, 7844.

In heaven there is evening and twilight before morning, but no night; night occurs in hell, 6110.

7844. 'between the evenings' means a last and first state. This is clear from the meaning of 'evening' as a state of falsity and also a state of ignorance of truth; for the shade of evening is falsity and also ignorance of truth. All the times of day, like all the seasons of the year, mean in the spiritual sense alternating states involving truth and good, 5672, 5962, 6110. The end of them and the beginning of them is the evening; consequently when it says 'between the evenings' it implies all those states. At this point therefore 'between the evenings' means the state of deliverance of those governed by truth springing from good, and the state of damnation of those governed by falsity arising from evil, states which are meant by the departure of the children of Israel from Egypt when the firstborn there were killed. The fact that all this is called 'the evening' is clear from the following in Moses,

You shall sacrifice ¹ the Passover in the evening when the sun goes down, at the fixed time of your departure from Egypt. Deuteronomy 16:4, 6.

[2] From this it is evident that the end of the state of molestations and the beginning of the state of the deliverance of those represented by the children of Israel is meant by 'between the evenings'. From that beginning the state moves on for them towards morning, which is a raising to heaven. It is evident too that the end of the state of molestations and the beginning of the state of the damnation of those represented by the Egyptians is meant by 'between the evenings'. But these people's state moves on towards night, which is a casting into hell. The casting of the latter into hell is represented by being drowned in the Sea Suph, while the raising of the former to heaven is represented by being led into the land of Canaan.

[3] In the Word the expression 'the evening' is used in various places, and by it is meant a last phase of a Church and also a first phase of it - a last one with those among whom the Church is coming to an end, and a first with those among whom it is just beginning. This explains why 'the evening' primarily means the Lord's Coming, for that was the time of the end of the former Church and of the beginning of the new. The first state of the new Church is also called 'the evening' since a member of the Church starts with light that is dim and advances to that which is clear, and this for him is the morning.

[4] The fact that the Lord's Coming into the world is meant by 'the evening' and 'the morning' is clear in Daniel,

I heard a holy one speaking, For how long is this vision, the continual [burnt offering], and the transgression, and the treading down of the sanctuary and the host? And he said to me, Up to the evening [when it is becoming] morning two thousand three hundred times, for then the sanctuary will be made correct. Daniel 8:13-14.

Here it is self-evident that 'the evening' is used to mean the last phase when the Church had been completely laid waste and the Lord came into the world, and 'morning' to mean light and the rise of a new Church from Him.

[5] A similar prophecy appears in Zechariah,

There will be one day, which will be known to Jehovah, not day nor night, because around evening time there will be light. Zechariah 14:7.

In Zephaniah,

Let there at length be a territory for the remnant of the house of Judah; they will pasture on them. In the houses of Ashkelon they will find rest in the evening, when Jehovah their God will visit them, and return their captives. ² Zephaniah 1:7.

'The evening' stands for the first state of an arising Church. Since 'the evening' meant the last state of an old Church and the first of a new, Aaron and his sons were commanded to cause a lamp to burn ³ from evening until morning before Jehovah, Exodus 27:20-21.

[6] The fact that 'the evening' is the last state of the Church, when dense falsity reigns because there is no faith, and dense evil because there is no charity, is evident in Jeremiah,

Woe to us, ⁴ for the day goes away, for the shadows of evening are set at an angle! Jeremiah 6:4.

In Ezekiel,

I spoke to the people in the morning, and my wife died at evening. Ezekiel 24:18.

'Wife' stands for the Church. In David,

At dawn it will flourish and shoot up, ⁵ at evening one will cut it down, it will wither. Psalms 90:6.

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