631. Because it is given to the nations.- That this signifies because it is perverted by evils of life and falsities of doctrine, is evident from the signification of nations as denoting those who are in evils as to life, and thence in falsities as to doctrine, and, in the abstract sense, evils of life and falsities of doctrine. That evils and falsities are signified by nations, may be seen above (n. 175:3, 331, 625). The reason why the external of the Word and thence of the church and worship is perverted by evils of life and falsities of doctrine, is, that the external of the Word, called the sense of its letter, is written according to appearances in the world, because it is for children and the simple minded. These have no perception of any thing that is contrary to appearances, therefore by means of the sense of the letter, in which are appearances of truth, they are introduced into interior truths, as they advance in age, and thus appearances are put off by degrees, and interior truths are implanted in their place. This may be illustrated by examples without number. As for instance, we pray that God may not lead us into temptations; this is said because it appears as though God thus leads, although He leads no one into temptations; also it is said that God is angry, punishes, casts into hell, brings evil upon the wicked, and many other things of a similar nature, when yet God is never angry, never punishes or casts into hell, neither does He at all do evil to any one; but a wicked man brings these things upon himself; for in evils themselves are contained the evils of punishment.

These things are thus said in many passages in the Word, because the appearance is such. Take as another example, that no one should call his father, Father; nor his master, Master (Matthew 23:8-10), although they must be so called. But it is so stated because by Father is meant the Lord, who creates and begets us anew, and because He alone teaches and instructs; therefore when a man is in a spiritual idea, he will then think of the Lord alone as the Father and Master; but the case is otherwise when a man is in a natural idea. Moreover, in the spiritual world or in heaven, no one knows any other father, teacher, or master, but the Lord, because spiritual life is from Him; the case is the same in other instances.

[2] From these considerations it is evident that the external of the Word, and thence the external of the church and of worship, consists of apparent truths, therefore those who are in evils of life apply it to favour their own loves, and the principles arising from them. It is therefore said, that the court, by which the external of the Word also is signified, "is given to the nations," and afterwards, that "they shall tread the holy city under foot." This comes to pass at the end of the church, when men are so far worldly, natural, and corporeal, that interior truths, called spiritual truths, cannot be at all seen, so it follows that they then entirely pervert the external of the Word which is the sense of its letter. Such a perversion of the sense of the letter of the Word took place also with the Jews at the end of the church with them; this is meant in the spiritual sense by the soldiers dividing the garments of the Lord, but not the coat (tunica, chiton [transliterated Greek]); this signifies that those who were of the church perverted all things of the Word as to the sense of its letter, but not the Word as to the spiritual sense, for they had no knowledge of this. A fuller explanation of this is given above (n. 64). The case is similar in the church at this day, because it is at its end; for at this day the Word is not explained according to spiritual truths, but according to the appearances of the sense of the letter, which are not only applied to confirm evils of life, but also falsities of doctrine; and because interior or spiritual truths are neither known nor received, it follows that the sense of the letter of the Word is perverted by evils of the will and thence falsities of the thought. This therefore is the signification of the court being given to the nations.

606. And the angel whom I saw standing upon the sea and upon the earth.- That this signifies the Lord, to whom all things of heaven and the church are subject, is evident from the signification of an angel coming down out of heaven, as denoting the Lord (see above, n. 593); and from the signification of standing upon the sea and upon the earth, as denoting to whom all things of heaven and the church are subject (see above, n. 600:1-2); hence by standing upon them is signified that they are subject to Him.

Thus in David:

"Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet" (Psalm 8:6).

This is said of the Lord, whose dominion over all things of heaven and the church, is meant by all things being put under His feet.

And in Isaiah:

"I will make the place of my feet honourable" (60:13).

The place of the feet of the Lord, in the general sense, means all things of heaven and the church, because the Lord as the Sun is above the heavens; but, in a particular sense, by the place of His feet is signified the church, for the Lord's church is with men in the natural world, and the Natural is the ultimate, in which the Divine closes, and upon which it rests, as it were. For this reason the church on earth is also called the footstool of the Lord; as in the same prophet:

"The earth is my footstool" (66:1; Matthew 5:35).

Also in Lamentations:

"He hath cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel, nor doth he remember his footstool" (2:1).

And in David:

"We will go into his tabernacles; we will bow down at his footstool" (Psalm 132:7).

This also is said of the Lord, and by His footstool is signified the church on earth.

[2] From these things it is evident that by standing upon the sea and upon the earth, when used in reference to the Lord, is signified that all things of heaven and the church are subject to Him. But specifically the sea and the earth, upon which He set His feet, signify the ultimate heaven, and the church on earth, as just stated. For the upper parts of the body of the angel, signify the higher heavens, because they correspond to them; for the inmost heaven corresponds to the head, the middle heaven, to the breast, as far as the loins, and the ultimate heaven to the feet, but the church on earth, to the soles of the feet, therefore this latter is meant by His footstool. It may be concluded from this correspondence that in general and particular by the angel standing upon the sea and upon the earth, by whom the Lord is meant, represented the whole heaven, for the Lord is heaven, and His Divine Human forms it according to the image of itself, for this reason the whole heaven in the sight of the Lord is as one man, and corresponds to all things of man, consequently heaven is also called the Grand Man (Maximus Homo). See what is said on this subject in Heaven and Hell 59-102).