6000. And God said to Israel in the visions of the night. That this signifies obscure revelation, is evident from the signification of “God said in the visions” as being revelation. For revelations were made either by dreams, or by night visions, or by day visions, or by speech within the man, or by speech without him from angels that were seen, and also by speech without him from angels that were not seen. By all these are signified in the Word various kinds of revelations, and by a “vision of the night,” obscure revelation; for “night” signifies what is obscure (see n. 1712, 2514), and obscurity in the spiritual sense is that truth does not appear. Moreover in the Word “night” signifies falsity from evil, for they who from evil are in falsity are in the obscurity of night. Thus all who are in hell are said to be in night. They indeed are in a kind of light there, for they see one another; but this light is like the light from a hard-coal fire, and is turned into darkness and thick darkness when heavenly light flows in. Hence it is that they who are in hell are said to be in night, and that they are called angels of night and of darkness; and on the other hand they who are in heaven are called angels of day and of light.

[2] That “night” denotes what is obscure, and likewise what is false, may also be seen from the following passages in the Word.

In John:

Jesus said, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walk in the day, he stumbleth not. But if anyone walk in the night, he stumbleth, because the light is not in him (John 11:9-10);

“twelve hours” denote all states of truth; “walking in the day,” denotes to live in truth; and “walking in the night,” to live in falsity.

[3] Again:

I must work the works of Him that sent Me while it is day; the night cometh when no one can work (John 9:4);

“day” denotes truth from good; and “night,” falsity from evil. It is the first time of the church which is meant by “day,” for then truth is received, because men are in good; and it is the last time of the church which is meant by “night,” for then nothing of truth is received, because men are not in good. For when man is not in good, that is, when he is not in charity toward the neighbor, then even if the veriest truths are told him, he receives them not, for then it is not at all perceived what is true, because the light of truth falls into such things as are of the body and the world, which alone are attended to, and alone are loved and estimated as real; but not into such things as are of heaven, because with such men these are relatively of little or no account. Thus the light of truth is absorbed and smothered in what is densely dark, as is the light of the sun in what is black. This is signified by “the night cometh when no one can work.” It is also such a time at this day.

[4] In Matthew:

While the bridegroom tarried, all the virgins slumbered and slept. But at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh (Matthew 25:5-6);

“midnight” also denotes the last time of an old church, when there is nothing of faith because nothing of charity, and also the first time of a new church.

In Luke:

I say unto you, In that night there shall be two upon one bed; the one shall be accepted, and the other shall be left (Luke 17:34);

here in like manner “night” denotes the last time of an old church and the first of a new one.

[5] In Matthew:

Jesus said to the disciples, All ye shall be scandalized against Me in this night. And to Peter, In this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny Me thrice (Matthew 26:31, 34).

That it pleased the Lord to be taken at night, signified that with them at that time Divine truth was in the obscurity of night, and that falsity from evil was in its place. And that Peter denied the Lord thrice in that night, also represented the last time of the church, when the truth of faith is indeed taught, but is not believed. Such a time is “night,” because the Lord is then utterly denied in the hearts of men; for the twelve apostles, like the twelve tribes of Israel, represented all things of faith (n. 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3354, 3488, 3858, 3913, 3926, 3939, 4060), and Peter represented the faith of the church (see the preface to Genesis 18; also to Genesis 22; and also n. 3750, 4738). Therefore it was that the Lord said unto Peter that “in that night he should deny Him thrice;” and to the disciples, “all ye shall be scandalized against Me in this night.”

[6] In Isaiah:

One calleth unto me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night 21:11-12, speaking of the coming of the Lord, which is the “morning,” which coming was when there was no longer any spiritual truth in the earth, and which is “night.”

[7] In Zechariah:

It shall be one day which is known to Jehovah; not day nor night; for about the time of evening there shall be light. It shall come to pass in that day that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; and Jehovah shall be king over all the earth; in that day shall Jehovah be one, and His name one (Zech. 14:7-9); speaking here likewise of the Lord and also of a new church. “Jehovah who shall be king, and Jehovah being one and His name one,” is the Lord as to the Divine Human, which should be one with the Divine Itself which is called the “Father.”

Before the coming of the Lord the Divine Human was Jehovah in the heavens, for by passing through the heavens He presented Himself as a Divine Man before many on earth. But at that time the Divine Human was not so completely one with the Divine Itself which is called the “Father,” as when the Lord made it in Himself altogether one. That before this they were as it were distinct, is plain from the nineteenth chapter of Genesis, where it is said, “Jehovah caused it to rain upon Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from Jehovah out of heaven” (verse 24; see n. 2447).

The “day when it was not day nor night,” is when the Lord was born; for it was then “evening,” that is, the end of the representatives of the church; the “light about the time of evening” is the Divine truth which would then appear.

[8] In Isaiah:

Surely in the night Ar has been laid waste, Moab has been cut off; surely in the night Kir of Moab has been laid waste (Isaiah 15:1);

“Moab” denotes natural good, and in the opposite sense adulterated good (n. 2468); its vastation is here treated of. Vastations are said to be effected “in the night,” because truth is then obscured, and falsity enters.

In Jeremiah:

The great city weeping shall weep in the night, and her tear shall be on her cheek (Lam. 1:2); describing the desolation of truth; “night” denotes falsity.

[9] In David:

Thou shalt not be afraid of the dread of night, of the arrow that flieth by day, nor of the death that wasteth at noonday (Psalms 91:5-6); the “dread of night” denotes falsities of evil which are from hell; the “arrow that flieth by day,” falsity which is openly taught, whereby good is destroyed; the “death that wasteth at noonday,” evil which is lived in openly, whereby truth is destroyed.

In John:

The gates of the holy Jerusalem shall not be shut by day; for there is no night there (Revelation 21:25).

There shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light (Revelation 22:5).

“There shall be no night there” denotes that there shall be no falsity.

In Daniel:

Daniel said, I saw in my vision when it was night. After this I saw in the visions of the night (Daniel 7:2, 7); “visions of the night” here also denote obscure revelation, for in this passage the four beasts are treated of, and their horns, and many things which belong to obscure revelation.

It is similar with the horses of various colors which Zechariah saw “in the night” (Zech. 1:8, and following verses).

2129. There are likewise other kinds of tumults, or rather of conflicts, which also present the idea of a Last Judgment, and by which societies that have been evilly combined in respect to their interiors are dissolved, concerning which I may relate what follows. Such spirits are driven into a state in which they do not think in society or communion in the usual way, but each one for himself. From their thoughts thus at variance, and the confused sound of their jarring speech, an uproar is heard, as of many waters, and a conflict among them, such as cannot be described, that arises from the confusion of opinions concerning fixed and certain truths which are then the subjects of their thoughts and speech, and which uproar is of such a character that it may be called a spiritual chaos.

[2] The sound of the conflicting and confused roarings was threefold. One sound flowed in around the head, and was said to be that of the thoughts. Another sound flowed in toward the left temple, and was said to be the conflict of their reasonings about certain truths in which they were not willing to have faith. The third sound flowed in from above at the right, and was a gnashing one, but not so confused, and the gnashing was turned this way and that, and it was said that this was because the truths that were being turned in this manner this way and that by their reasonings, were in conflict. While these conflicts were going on there were other spirits besides who spoke to me and told me what each thing signified, and their speech penetrated distinctly through those sounds.

[3] The subjects of the reasonings were especially these: whether it is to be understood according to the letter that the twelve apostles are to sit upon twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel; also, whether any others are to be admitted into heaven than those who have suffered persecutions and miseries. Each one reasoned according to his phantasy, which he had caught in the life of the body. But some of them who had been brought back into communion and order, were afterwards instructed that the statement concerning the apostles is to be understood in an entirely different manner; namely, by the “apostles” are not meant apostles, nor by “thrones,” thrones, nor by “tribes,” tribes, nor in fact by “twelve,” twelve; but by all these terms—“apostles,” “thrones,” “tribes,” and also by “twelve,” are signified the primary things of faith (see n. 2089); and it is from these and according to them that judgment is effected upon everyone. It was further shown that the apostles cannot judge even one man, but that all judgment is of the Lord alone.

[4] And as regards the other subject of reasoning, neither is this to be understood as meaning that those only are to come into heaven who have suffered persecutions and miseries; but that the rich will enter heaven just as much as the poor, those posted in dignity just as much as those in low condition; and that the Lord has mercy on all, especially on those who have been in spiritual miseries and temptations, which are persecutions by the evil-thus on those who acknowledge that of themselves they are wretched, and who believe that it is solely of the Lord’s mercy that they are saved.