811.That captivity, in the Word, signifies spiritual captivity, which is to be shut out from Divine truths, that is, from the understanding of them in the Word; also destruction by falsities of evil and by evils arising from falsity, is evident from the passages in the Word where captivity is mentioned; as in the following places:

In Luke:

"They shall fall by the edge of the sword, and they shall be made captive amongst all nations; at length Jerusalem shall be trodden under foot" (21:24).

The subject of that chapter is the Consummation of the Age, by which is signified the last time of the church, when there is no longer any truth remaining. By their falling by the edge of the sword is signified the destruction of truth by falsities - sword signifying the combat of falsity against the truth, and also the destruction of truth by falsities. By being made captive amongst all nations, are signified persuasions, and obsessions therefrom, by evils of every kind. For when truths are destroyed, falsities take their place, and not only falsities but evils. All nations signify evils of every kind. By Jerusalem being trodden under foot is signified the full destruction and perversion of the doctrine of the church - Jerusalem denoting the church as to doctrine - and to be trodden under foot denoting to be altogether destroyed; this is done chiefly by falsifications and adulterations of the Word.

[2] In Ezekiel:

"They shall be made captive amongst the nations, and the altars shall be devastated, and the idols shall be broken, and the slain shall fall in the midst of you" (6:1-10).

By the altars being devastated, is signified that all worship from the good of love shall perish. By the idols being broken, is signified that all worship from the truths of that good shall also perish. And by the slain falling in the midst of them, is signified that they shall perish by falsities. To be slain by the sword has this signification.

[3] In Lamentations:

"Hear all ye people, and see ye my grief; my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity" (1:18).

This is a lamentation over the devastation of all truth in the church. The lamentation is described by, hear all ye people, and see ye my grief. That all affection of truth is destroyed, is signified by, my virgins are gone into captivity, a virgin denoting the affection of truth. And that all understanding of truth is destroyed, is signified by, my young men are gone into captivity, young men denoting the understanding of truth and intelligence.

[4] In Amos:

"If they have gone into captivity before their enemies, thence do I command the sword that it may slay them" (9:4).

If they have gone into captivity before their enemies, signifies, if they have suffered evils to take possession of them, enemies denoting evils, and to go into captivity denoting to be possessed by them. Thence do I command the sword that it may slay them, signifies that falsities will shut them out from understanding truths, and destroy them.

[5] In David:

God "forsook the habitation of Shiloh, the tent which he placed amongst men; and he delivered his strength into captivity, his gracefulness into the hand of the enemy" (Psalm 78:60, 61).

By the habitation of Shiloh is signified the church which is in the good of love, and by the tent is signified the church which is in truths of doctrine. Hence it is evident that by God forsaking the habitation of Shiloh, the tent which He placed amongst men, is signified, that the goods of love and the truths of doctrine were destroyed. By the strength which He delivered into captivity, is signified spiritual truth from celestial good; and by captivity, is signified a shutting out thereof from the understanding, and so destruction by falsities. And by the gracefulness which He delivered into the hand of the enemy, is signified natural truth from spiritual; this being signified by gracefulness, and the destruction thereof by evils being signified by delivering it into the hand of the enemy.

[6] In Ezekiel:

The prophet was commanded to depart out of the place, and to bring out the vessels of removal through the wall before their eyes, to bring them out under the darkness, and to cover his face that he might not see the earth: and say, "I am your prodigy; even as I have done, so shall it be done to them; into exile, into captivity, they shall go" (12:1-12).

The prophet by these things represented the state of the church at that time, which was, that there were no longer any truths remaining that were not destroyed by falsities. For all the prophets represented the church as to doctrine from the Word. His departing out of the place, and bringing out the vessels of removal through the wall under darkness, and covering his face that he might not see the earth, represented the rejection of all the truths of doctrine from the Word. By departing out of the place is signified rejection. By the vessels of removal are signified the truths of doctrine. By the wall, through which he brought them out, is signified the ultimate that encompasses and defends truths; and the ultimate of doctrine is the sense of the letter of the Word, which is called a wall by reason of its containing and including the spiritual sense. By the darkness under which he was to bring them out, are signified falsities. By covering his face that he might not see the earth, is signified the truths of good being no longer seen in the church. Because the prophet represented these things, therefore it is said, "As I have done, so shall it be done to them; into exile and captivity shall they go." It is therefore evident that to go into exile signifies the dispersion of truth, and that to go into captivity signifies to be taken possession of by falsities.

[7] In Habakkuk:

"I will raise up the Chaldeans, a nation going to the breadths of the earth; they shall gather the captivity as the sand; they shall mock at kings, and rulers shall be laughter to them" (1:6, 9, 10).

By the Chaldeans are signified those who destroy the truths of the church. By the breadths of the earth are signified the truths thereof. That they will destroy all truths by falsities, is signified by gathering the captivity as the sand. That they will deride and blaspheme the truths and goods of the Word, is signified by mocking at kings, and rulers being laughter to them. Kings signify the truths of the Word, and rulers the goods thereof.

[8] In Jeremiah:

Nebuchadnezzar "shall come and shall smite the land of Egypt; those who are for death to death; those who are for captivity to captivity; those who are for the sword to the sword: and I will kindle a fire in the houses of Egypt, that it may burn them, and he shall carry them away captive; at length he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd putteth on his garment" (43:11, 12).

By Nebuchadnezzar, or by the king of Babel, in the Word, are meant those who destroy everything of the church by evils; and by the Chaldeans are meant those who destroy everything of the church by falsities. In the abstract sense, by the king of Babel are signified the evils which destroy, and by the Chaldeans their falsities. Nebuchadnezzar's coming and smiting the land of Egypt, signifies the destruction of the natural man as to all goods and truths thence from the Word.

Those who are for death to death, signifies destruction by evils. Those who are for captivity to captivity, signifies destruction by the shutting out from and deprivation of truth. Those who are for the sword to the sword, signifies destruction by falsities therefrom. By kindling a fire in the houses of Egypt to burn them, and by taking them captive, is signified that the loves of self and of the world will destroy all things of the natural man by evils, and falsities. Fire signifies those loves; the houses of Egypt signify all things of the natural man; to burn them signifies to destroy by evil loves; and to take them captive signifies to destroy by falsities thence. At length he shall array himself with the land of Egypt as a shepherd putteth on his garment, signifies that the falsities of evil and the evils of falsity will occupy the whole natural man. This is compared to the garment of a shepherd, because a garment signifies truth investing good; but in this case falsity investing evil. For the natural man is as a garment to the spiritual man, for it encompasses and encloses it.

[9] In Jeremiah:

"Those who are for death to death; those who are for famine to famine; and those who are for captivity to captivity" (15:2).

By these words is described the total vastation of good and truth in the church; for in the verse preceding it is said, "If Moses and Samuel stood before me, my soul could not be towards this people; cast them out before my face, that they may go forth." Therefore those who are for death to death, signifies that those who reject goods perish by evils. Those who are for famine to famine, signifies that those who reject truths perish by falsities. Those who are for captivity to captivity, signifies that those who love evils and falsities are taken possession of by them.

[10] In Isaiah:

"As my servant Isaiah went naked and barefoot three years, so shall the king of Assyria lead the captivity of Egypt, and the multitude of Cush, to be carried away, boys and old men, naked and barefoot, even the buttocks uncovered, the nakedness of Egypt" (20:3, 4).

By the king of Assyria is signified reasoning from the scientifics of the natural man; and by Egypt is signified the natural man. Hence by the king of Assyria leading the captivity of Egypt, is signified that reasoning from falsities will destroy all truths in the natural man, such as are the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word. The rest may be seen explained above (n. 532).

[11] In Daniel:

"He shall also carry away captive into Egypt their gods with their princes, with their vessels of desire, and the silver and the gold; and he shall stop more years than the king of the north. The intelligent of the people shall instruct many, although they shall fall together by sword and flame, and captivity and depredation, [many] days" (11:8, 33).

The subject here is the war between the king of the north and the king of the south. By the king of the north is signified falsity ruling in the church; by the king of the south the truth defending the church against falsity. That still falsities will predominate in the church in the end of the days is there predicted and described. By their gods and their princes, the vessels of desire; and the gold and silver, which shall be led captive into Egypt is signified that truth protecting shall take away all the truths and goods of the church from those who are in falsities. Its spiritual truths are signified by their gods and princes, natural truths by their vessels of desire, and all truth and good in general by silver and gold. And their taking away and protection is signified by leading into captivity to Egypt. By falling by the sword and flame, is signified to perish by falsities and evils therefrom. And by captivity and depredation is signified the deprivation of all things of truth and good.

[12] In Jeremiah:

After that the prophet was delivered up to prison, he prophesied that all Judah should be transported into captivity to Babel, and should there die and be buried (20:1-6; 27:1 to end).

By that prophet, as by prophet in general, is signified the doctrine of the church from the Word. By his being delivered up to prison was represented that the like should come to pass with the church and its doctrine, which is signified by all Judah being carried away into captivity to Babel. The captivity of the tribe of Judah in Babel seventy years represented the full destruction of truth and the devastation of the church.

[13] In the same:

"The wind shall feed all thy shepherds, and thy lovers shall go into captivity; then shalt thou be ashamed and disgraced for all thy wickedness" (22:22).

By shepherds, in the abstract sense, are signified the goods of the church, and by lovers the truths thereof. The wind which shall feed the shepherds, signifies the hollowness and emptiness of doctrine. The captivity into which the lovers shall go, signifies a shutting out from all truths and from the understanding thereof. To be ashamed and disgraced signifies to be destitute of all good and truth; for thus, when they come amongst the angels, are they affected with shame and disgrace.

[14] In Moses:

"I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh, with the blood of the slain and captivity, with the gall of the revenges of the enemy" (Deuteronomy 32:42).

To make the arrows drunk with blood, signifies delirium of the mind from the Word falsified. The sword shall devour flesh, signifies that falsities shall destroy everything of good. With the blood of the slain and of captivity, signifies the extinction and shutting out of all truth, the slain denoting the extinction of truth by falsities, and captivity the shutting out of truth by falsities. With the gall of the revenges of the enemy, signifies with the malice and cruelty of hell, the gall of revenges denoting malice and cruelty, and the enemy denoting hell.

[15] In Isaiah:

"Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols are wild beasts and beasts, they stoop, they bow down together, and their soul shall go into captivity" (46:1, 2).

Their idols are wild beasts and beasts, signifies that their falsities are infernal falsities, and evils therefrom. They stoop, they bow down together, signifies that they fall away. Their soul shall go into captivity, signifies that they shall go into hell, where they will be shut out from all truth.

[16] In Obadiah:

"In that day aliens led his strength captive, and strangers entered his gates and cast lots upon Jerusalem" (1:11).

Spoken of Edom, by whom is signified the truth of the natural man, but in this case falsity. By the aliens who led captive his strength, are signified the falsities of the church destroying its truths, strength signifying truth, because all spiritual strength consists in truths. By the strangers who entered the gates, are signified falsities of doctrine destroying the truths by which entrance into interior truths is possible. By Jerusalem upon which they cast lots, is signified the doctrine of the church from the Word thus dissipated, to cast lots denoting to dissipate.

[17] In Jeremiah:

"Woe to thee, Moab, the people of Chemosh perisheth, for thy sons are taken into captivity, and thy daughters into captivity; yet I will bring back the captivity of Moab" (48:46, 47).

By Moab are meant those who are in natural delight, and who therefore adulterate the goods of the Word. By the people of Chemosh are meant those who are in natural truth. By sons and daughters being taken into captivity, is signified that the truths and goods of their church are shut out by falsities and evils, sons denoting truths, and daughters goods. I will bring back the captivity of Moab in the end of the days, signifies that truths shall be opened to those who are meant by Moab; and that they shall be instructed therein, the end of the days signifying the Coming of the Lord. Mention is frequently made in the Word of captives who are to be brought back, and by these are meant the Gentiles, who are called captives by reason of their being shut out from truths, which, however, shall be opened to them by the Lord.

[18] In Isaiah:

"Jehovah hath anointed me to preach glad tidings to the poor; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted; to preach liberty to the captives, and to them that are bound, to him whose eyes are holden" (61:1).

These things are said of the Lord. By the poor to whom Jehovah anointed Him to preach good tidings, are signified those who are in few truths, and yet desire them, that their soul may be thereby sustained. By the broken-hearted are signified those who are consequently in grief. By the captives to whom He should preach liberty are signified those who are shut out from truths and therefore from goods; to whom truths shall be opened, by means of which they shall be imbued with goods. By them that are bound and him whose eyes are holden, are signified those to whom it was denied to see truths; thus the Gentiles are meant, who afterwards received truths from the Lord.

[19] In the same:

"I have raised him up in justice, and all his ways will I make straight: he shall build my city, and shall let go my captivity, not for price, neither for reward" (45:13).

This also is said of the Lord. And by the justice in which Jehovah hath raised Him up, is signified the good of love; and by His ways, which He will make straight, are signified truths proceeding from good. By the city which He shall build, is signified the doctrine of the church; and by the captivity which He shall let go, is signified the opening and revelation of Divine truths among those who had been hitherto shut out from them. That the Lord will do these things freely is signified by, not for price, neither for reward.

[20] In Jeremiah:

"The children of Israel and the children of Judah are oppressed together, and all that take them captive, hold them fast, and refuse to let them go; their Redeemer is strong, striving he will strive in their dispute, and will give rest to the land" (50:33, 34).

This is also said of the Lord who is the Redeemer that is strong. By striving in their dispute, is signified visitation and judgment upon those who oppress them by falsities, and liberation thereby from them. By giving rest to the land, is signified protection from falsities. By the children of Israel and the children of Judah, who are said to be oppressed, are not meant the sons of Israel and of Judah, but the nations that are in truths and goods from the Lord; who, being detained by those who deceive them and shut out truths from them, it is said that those who take them captive hold them fast, and refuse to let them go.

[21] In David:

"Thou hast ascended upon high; thou hast led captivity captive" (Psalm 68:18).

Here also the Lord is treated of. And by leading captivity captive, is signified to liberate from falsities those who were thereby held captive.

In Isaiah:

"Shall the capture be taken from the mighty, or the captivity of the just be snatched away? For thus saith Jehovah, Even the captivity of the mighty shall be taken, and the capture of the violent shall be snatched away" (49:24, 25).

This is also spoken of the Lord, and of the bringing back the sons of Zion from captivity. But by the sons of Zion are meant those who are in love to the Lord, and thence in truths. That they were shut out from truths by those who strenuously confirmed falsities, and that nevertheless they were liberated by the Lord, is signified by, shall the capture be taken from the mighty, and shall the captivity of the just be snatched away?

[22] In David:

"Who will give out of Zion the salvation of Israel? When Jehovah bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall exult, Israel shall be glad" (Psalm 14:7; 53:6).

By Zion are here also meant those who are in the good of love from the Lord. Liberation from evils by the Lord, and salvation, are meant by, who will give out of Zion the salvation of Israel? By bringing back the captivity of His people, is meant deliverance from falsities and evils. By Jacob shall exult, Israel shall be glad, is meant joy on account of deliverance with those who are in the external and internal church. Those who belong to the external church are meant by Jacob, and those who are of the internal church by Israel; and the Gentiles are meant by both.

[23] In Jeremiah:

"Fear not, my servant Jacob, and be not dismayed, O Israel; behold I keep thee from afar off, and thy seed from the land of thy captivity, so that Jacob may return, and rest, and be at ease, and none shall make him afraid" (46:27; 30:10).

By Jacob and Israel here also are meant the Gentiles. By Jacob those who belong to the external church, and by Israel those who belong to the internal church. To keep them from afar off, signifies to save them, although they are far from salvation. From the land of captivity, signifies to liberate them from falsities, whereby they were shut out from the truths and goods of heaven and the church. By returning, and by resting at ease, and none shall make him afraid, is signified to be protected from falsities which are from hell.

[24] In the same:

"All that devour thee shall be devoured, and all thine adversaries, they shall also go into captivity; and they that preyed upon thee shall be for a prey; and all that plundered thee will I give for plunder. I will bring back the captivity of the tents of Jacob; and I will have mercy on his dwelling-places; the city may be built upon its own heap; and the palace inhabited after its own manner" (30:16, 18).

All that devour thee shall be devoured; all thine adversaries shall go into captivity; they that preyed upon thee shall be for a prey; and all that plundered thee will I give for plunder, signifies things similar to the words in the Apocalypse now explained, that is, if any one leads into captivity, he shall go into captivity; and if any one kills with the sword, he must be killed by the sword. What the rest signifies was explained above (n. 799).

[25] In the same:

"I shall be found of you, and I will bring back your captivity, and I will gather you out of all nations, and I will bring you back to the place whence I caused you to depart" (29:14).

By these words also is described the liberation of the Gentiles from spiritual captivity, which is a shutting out from the truths and goods of heaven and the church, whereby salvation is effected.

In Zephaniah:

"At that time I will bring you, even in time to gather you unto me; for I will give you for a name and a praise to all the people of the earth, when I bring back your captivity before your eyes" (3:20).

By these words also is meant the bringing back of the Gentiles from spiritual captivity.

In Amos:

"I will bring back the captivity of my people Israel, and they shall build their devastated cities, and shall sit and plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof, and they shall make gardens, and eat the fruit of them" (9:14).

This passage may be seen explained above (n. 376, 405).

[26] In Isaiah:

"Put on thy strength, O Zion; put on the garments of thy gracefulness, O Jerusalem, the city of holiness: for there shall not add to come any more into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean; shake thyself from the dust; sit, O Jerusalem; to open the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion" (52:1, 2).

By Zion is meant the church that is in the good of love to the Lord; the truth from that good being signified by the strength which Zion shall put on; and the truths of the doctrine of that church by the garments of gracefulness which Jerusalem shall put on. By the uncircumcised and the unclean who shall not add to come in any more, are signified the evils of earthly loves, and their falsities. By shaking herself from the dust, arising and sitting, when said of Jerusalem, is signified liberation from infernal falsities, and elevation to the truths of heaven. By to open the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion, is signified deliverance from a state of detention from truths through falsities, which hinder the reception of influx out of heaven. The daughter of Zion denotes those who are in the affection of truth from the good of love from the Lord. In the following verses of that chapter it is said of the children of Israel, that they went down to sojourn in Egypt, and that Assyria oppressed them; by which is signified that they were shut out from truths by reasonings from scientifics of the natural man.

[27] In the same:

"The people shall take them, and shall lead them to their place; and the house of Israel shall possess them for a heritage upon the land of Jehovah, for man servants and maid servants; so that they shall take them captive whose captives they were, and they shall rule over their exactors" (14:2).

These words also treat of the bringing back of the sons of Israel, by whom are meant the nations. That those who have shut out [others] from truths, and deceived by means of falsities, are also shut out from truths and deceived by means of falsities, is signified by, they shall take them captive whose captives they were, and they shall rule over their exactors.

[28] In Hosea:

"In the house of Israel I have seen a foul thing; there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is polluted; and, O Judah, he hath set a harvest for thee, when I shall bring back the captivity of my people" (6:10, 11).

These things are said of the state of the church among the Jews about the time of the Lord's Advent. The whoredom of Ephraim, which is the foul thing in the house of Israel, signifies the falsification of the Word, whoredom denoting falsification, and Ephraim the understanding of the Word. Israel is polluted, and, O Judah, he hath set a harvest for thee, signifies that the church was in absolute falsities, and that they applied the Word to confirm them. By Judah is signified the Word, and by harvest, the abundance of such things there which they applied. That this would be the state of the Jewish Church when truths should be opened before the Gentiles, who should thereby be delivered from falsities, is signified by, when I shall bring back the captivity of my people.

[29] Similar things are signified in the historical parts of the Word by the captivities of the sons of Israel by various enemies, and by their deliverances; as,

That they were forced to serve Kushan, king of Syria, and were liberated by Othniel (Judges 3).

That they served Eglon, king of Moab, and were liberated by Ehud (Judges 3).

That they were delivered to Jabin, king of Canaan, and liberated by Deborah (Judges 4).

That they were delivered up to the Midianites, and liberated by Gideon (Judges 6).

That they were delivered up to the Philistines and Ammonites, and liberated by Jephthah (Judges 10; 11).

[30] Similar things were signified,

By the captivity of the Jews, seventy years, in Babel (2 Kings 25).

For the historical parts of the Word are all representative of such things as pertain to the church, and the expressions by which the historical circumstances are described are all significative.

Similar things are also signified in the Word by them that are bound, as in the following passages:

"They shall be gathered together, they who are bound in a pit, and they shall be shut up in a prison; but after a multitude of days they shall be visited" (Isaiah 24:22).

"By the blood of thy covenant I will send forth the bound out of the pit in which there is no water" (Zech. 9:11).

"The sighing of the bound shall come before thee" (Psalm 79:11).

"He made the world a wilderness and destroyed their cities, he opened not the house for his bound ones" (Isaiah 14:17).

"To open the blind eyes, to bring the bound out of prison, them that sit in darkness out of the prison house" (Isaiah 42:7).

The King said, "I was in prison, and ye came not unto me" (Matthew 25:36).

Jesus said, "Ought not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, to be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?" (Luke 13:16).

304. (5:3) And no one in heaven, neither upon the earth, nor under the earth, was able to open the book, or to look thereon. That this signifies manifestation, that no one knows and perceives, of himself, anything concerning the state of the life of all in general and of each in particular, is evident from the signification of, "And no one was able to open the book, neither to look thereon," as denoting that no one knows and perceives of himself the states of the life of all in general and of each in particular (concerning which see just above, n. 303): and from the signification of, in heaven, neither upon the earth, nor under the earth, as denoting not only that there is no one anywhere, but also that there is not anything [of such knowledge and perception]; for by, in heaven, upon the earth, and under the earth, are meant the three heavens; and by all therein heaven in the aggregate is meant; and because heaven is heaven from the Divine truth, that flows in from the Lord, and is received by the angels, and not at all from any intelligence proper to the angels, for this is not intelligence, therefore the same words signify that no one has any [knowledge or perception] whatever from himself. (That the angels in heaven, just as men in the world, have a proprium, which viewed in itself is nothing but evil, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 592.) And because evil does not receive anything of intelligence and wisdom, it follows, that angels just as men understand nothing at all of truth from themselves, but solely from the Lord. The reason why the angels are of such a quality, is, that all angels are from the human race, and that every man retains his proprium after death; and they are withheld from the evils of their proprium, and are kept in goods by the Lord. (That all the angels are from the human race, and none created such from the beginning, may be seen in the small work concerning the Last Judgment 14-22; and that all are withheld from evil, and kept in good by the Lord, in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 166.)

[2] The reason why in heaven, upon the earth, and under the earth, signifies the three heavens, is because the angels, who are in the third or highest heaven, dwell upon mountains; and those who are in the second or middle, upon hills; and those who are in the first or ultimate heaven, in plains and valleys under them. For in the spiritual world, where spirits and angels dwell, there are earths, hills, and mountains, just as in the natural world where men are. As to appearance there is such a similitude that they do not at all differ. Therefore men after death scarcely know but that they are yet living upon earth, and when they are permitted to look into our earth, they see nothing dissimilar. Besides the angels who are in the ultimate heaven, call that heaven, where the angels of the third heaven dwell, because it is high above them, but where they themselves dwell, they call earth. The third or highest heaven also, which is upon mountains, appears to those who are below, or upon the earth, only as the highest region of the atmosphere does before us, covered with a light and shining cloud, thus as heaven appears before us. Hence it may be seen what is specifically meant in this place, by, in heaven, upon the earth, and under the earth. (But more may be seen concerning these things in the work concerning Heaven and Hell, where appearances in heaven are treated of, n. 170-176: and concerning the habitations and mansions of the angels, n. 183-189.)

[3] Because men have not known that there are similar appearances of earth in both worlds, the natural and the spiritual, therefore, when they have read the Word, they have simply perceived that by the heaven and the earth there, are meant the heaven visible before our eyes, and the earth inhabited by men; hence has arisen an opinion concerning the destruction of heaven and earth, and concerning the creation of a new heaven and a new earth, at the day of the Last Judgment; when, yet, by the heaven and the earth are there meant the heaven and the earth where spirits and angels are, and, in the spiritual sense, the church with angels and with men; for the church is equally with angels as with men, as may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 221-227). It is said, in the spiritual sense, because an angel is not an angel, nor is a man a man, from the human which both have, but from heaven and the church with them. Hence it is that by the heaven and by the earth, where angels and men dwell, the church is signified; by heaven the internal church, and also the church with the angels and by earth the external church, and also the church with men. But it can hardly be believed, that by the earth in the Word is meant the church, because it is not yet known that in the particulars of the Word there is a spiritual sense. As a result of this a material idea adheres to, and keeps the thought fixed on the most obvious meaning of a word, I therefore wish by some passages thence to illustrate and confirm it.

[4] In Isaiah:

"Behold, Jehovah maketh the earth empty, and maketh it void, and he shall overturn the faces thereof; in emptying, the earth shall be emptied, and in spoiling it shall be spoiled: the habitable earth shall mourn and be confounded, the world shall be confounded; the earth shall be profaned under its inhabitants, wherefore a curse shall devour the earth, and the inhabitants of the earth shall be burnt up, and few men left. A shout over the wine in the streets, the gladness of the earth shall be banished; there shall be in the midst of the earth as the shaking of the olive, as the gleanings when the vintage is done. From the end of the earth we have heard songs, Glory to the just. The floodgates from on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth are moved; in breaking the earth is broken, in rending the earth is rent asunder, in moving the earth is moved; in tottering the earth shall totter as a drunkard; and it shall be moved to and fro as a veil; but it shall be in that day, Jehovah shall visit upon the host of the height in the height, and upon the kings of the earth who are upon the earth" (24:1, 2 [3], 4-6, 11, 13, 16, [18], 19-21, 23).

Here it is quite evident, that by the earth is not meant the earth but the church. The particulars shall be gone through and considered. He who is in a spiritual idea does not think of the earth itself when the earth is named, but of the people there, and of their quality; much more so those in heaven: who, because they are spiritual, have a perception of the church. The subject treated of in this passage is the church destroyed. Its destruction as to the good of love and the truth of faith, which constitute it, is described by Jehovah emptying the earth and making it void, by the earth in emptying being emptied, in spoiling being spoiled, by mourning and being confounded, by being profaned and a curse devouring it, by the flood-gates from on high being opened and the foundations thereof being moved, by being broken, rent asunder, and put in motion, by staggering as a drunkard. These things can be said neither of the earth, nor of any nation, but of the church.

[5] In the same:

"Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners out of it. I will put the heaven in commotion, for the stars of the heavens and the constellations thereof shall not shine with their light, the sun shall be darkened in its rising, and the moon shall not make her light to shine. I will make a man more rare than pure gold; wherefore I will move the heavens, and the earth shall be shaken out of its place" (13:9, 10, 12, 13).

That the earth here denotes the church is evident from each particular understood in the spiritual sense. The subject here treated of is its end, when truth and good, or faith and charity, are no more. For by the stars and constellations which shall not give their light, are signified the knowledges of truth and good; by the sun being darkened in its rising, is signified love; by the moon not causing her light to shine, is signified faith; by a man being made more rare than pure gold, is signified intelligence and wisdom: hence it is plain what is signified by, "Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh to lay the land desolate. I will move the heavens, and the earth shall be shaken out of its place." The day of Jehovah denotes the final end of the church, when judgment takes place. The earth denotes the church. It is evident that the earth itself is not shaken out of its place, but that the church is removed where love and faith are not. To be shaken out of its place, signifies to be removed from a former state.

[6] In the same:

"Behold, the Lord, as an inundation of hail, a storm of slaughter, as an inundation of mighty waters, shall cast down to the earth with the hand; I have heard a consummation and decision from the Lord Jehovih Zebaoth upon the whole earth" (28:2, 22).

These words were spoken of the day of judgment upon those who were from the church. The day of judgment, when there is an end of the church, is meant by, "I have heard a consummation and decision from the Lord Jehovih Zebaoth upon the whole earth": wherefore it is said, that, "as an inundation of hail, a storm of slaughter, as an inundation of mighty waters he shall cast down to the earth with the hand." By hail and an inundation of it falsities are signified which destroy the truths of the church: by slaughter, and a storm of it, evils are signified, which destroy the goods of the church; by the mighty waters the falsities of evil are signified. That an inundation or flood signifies immersion into evils and falsities, and hence the destruction of the church, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 660, 705, 739, 756, 790, 5725, 6853; the same, by casting down to the earth or a violent pouring down of rain.

[7] In the same:

"The earth shall be [turned] into burning pitch; from generation to generation it shall be waste" (34:9, 10).

By burning pitch is signified every evil springing from the love of self, by which the church entirely perishes and is vastated; therefore it is said, the earth shall be [turned] into burning pitch; from generation to generation it shall be waste. Who cannot see that such things are not said of the earth itself?

[8] In the same:

"The earth mourneth and languisheth; Lebanon hath blushed and faded away" (33:9).

Here also the earth denotes the church, which is said to mourn and to languish when falsities begin to be seized upon and acknowledged as truths; therefore it is said, Lebanon hath blushed and faded away. Lebanon signifies the same as the cedar, that is, the truth of the church.

[9] In Jeremiah:

"The lion is come out of his thicket, and the destroyer of the nations is gone forth from his place to lay waste thy land; thy cities shall be destroyed. I beheld the earth, when, lo, it is empty and void; and towards the heavens, when, lo, they have no light. I beheld the mountains, when, lo, they are moved, and all the hills are overturned. Jehovah said, The whole land shall be a waste. For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black" (4:7, 23, 24, 27, 28).

Here also the vastation of the church is treated of; this takes place when truth and good are no longer, but in their place falsity and evil. This vastation is described by the lion coming out of his thicket, and the destroyer of the nations going forth from his place; the lion and the destroyer of the nations signifying falsity and evil vastating. The mountains that are moved, and the hills that are overturned, signify love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour. The reason that these are signified by mountains and hills is, that those who are in love to the Lord dwell upon mountains in heaven, and those who are in charity towards the neighbour, upon hills, as may be seen in what has been stated above, and also in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 188, and the notes there, letter c. By the heavens where no light was, which were black, are signified the interiors of the men of the church, which, when they, are closed by evils and falsities, do not admit the light from heaven, but instead thereof darkness from hell. From these considerations it is evident what is signified by the lion and the destroyer of the nations reducing the earth to desolation: also by, "I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was empty and void"; as also by "the whole land shall be a waste; for this shall the earth mourn," namely, that the earth is not understood, but the church.

[10] In the same:

"How long shall the earth mourn, and the herb of every field [wither], for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? the beasts are consumed, and the birds. The whole earth is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart. The spoilers are come upon all the hills in the desert; for the sword of Jehovah is devouring from the end of the earth even to the end of the earth. They have sown wheat, and have reaped thorns" (12:4, 11-13).

That the earth here signifies the church is evident, from its being said that the earth shall mourn, and the herb of every field [shall wither], and that the beasts and the birds are consumed for the wickedness of them that dwell therein, and because no man layeth it to heart. By the herb of every field is signified every truth and good of the church, and by the beasts and birds are signified the affections of good and truth; and because the church is signified by the earth, and it is here treated of as vastated, it is therefore said, "the spoilers are come upon all the hills in the desert; for the sword of Jehovah is devouring from the end of the earth to the end of the earth; they have sown wheat, and have reaped thorns." By the hills in the wilderness upon which the spoilers came, are signified the things of charity; the desert denotes where there is no good, because there is no truth; by the sword of Jehovah is signified falsity destroying truth; from the end of the earth to the end of the earth, signifies all things of the church; by sowing wheat and reaping thorns, is signified to take from the Word the truths of good, and to turn them into falsities of evil; wheat denoting the truths of good, and thorns denoting the falsities of evil.

[11] In Isaiah:

"Upon the land of my people shall come up the thorn and briar: the palace shall be deserted; the multitude of the city shall be forsaken" (32:13, 14).

The thorn and the briar which shall come upon the earth, signify falsity and evil; the palace that shall be deserted, signifies where good dwells; and the multitude of the city which shall be forsaken, signifies where there are truths; for a city signifies the doctrine of truth.

[12] In the same:

"All the earth shall become a place of briars and thorns: on the other hand, all the mountains which shall be weeded with the hoe, there shall not come thither the fear of briars and thorns; but there shall be the sending forth of the ox, and the treading of the sheep" (7:24, 25).

Briars and thorns signify falsity and evil; hence it is evident what is signified by all the earth shall become a place of briars and thorns. By the mountains which shall be weeded with the hoe, are signified those who do goods from the love of good; that falsity and evil shall not be with them, but both spiritual and natural good, is signified by the fear of briars and thorns not coming thither, but there shall be the sending forth of the ox, and the treading of the sheep; or thither shall the oxen be sent, and there the sheep shall tread; the ox signifying natural good, and the sheep spiritual good.

[13] In Ezekiel:

"Thy mother is a lioness; she lay down among lions; one of her whelps rose up, he has devastated the cities; the earth is desolated and the fulness thereof, by the voice of his roaring" (19:2, 3, 7).

By mother is signified the church; by a lioness and lions, the power of evil and of falsity against good and truth; by the roaring of the lion is signified the lust of destroying and desolating; by the cities which he laid waste, is signified doctrine with its truths; hence it is evident what is signified by, the earth was desolated, and the fulness thereof, namely, the whole church.

[14] In the same:

"They shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their waters with astonishment, that the earth may be devastated from its fulness, for the violence of all them that dwell therein; and the inhabited cities shall be laid waste, and the earth shall be a desolation" (12:19, 20).

Things similar to those above are here signified by the earth and by the cities that shall be laid waste and shall become a desolation; that is, by the earth is signified the church, and by cities doctrine with its truths; therefore it is said, for the violence of all them that dwell therein. Because those things are signified it is premised that they shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their waters with astonishment. Bread and water in the Word signify every good of love and truth of faith (see Arcana Coelestia 9329). And by eating and drinking are signified instruction and appropriation (n. 3168, 3513, 3832, 9412).

[15] In David:

"I called upon Jehovah, and cried unto my God. Wherefore the earth shook and trembled, and the foundations of the mountains quaked and shook when he was wroth" (Psalms 18:6, 7).

Here the earth is for the church, which is said to shake and tremble when it is perverted by the falsification of truths; and in this case the foundations of the mountains are said to quake and to be moved, for the goods of love, which are founded upon the truths of faith, vanish. For mountains denote the goods of love (as above), and their foundations denote the truths of faith; hence also, it is evident that the earth denotes the church.

[16] In the same:

"The earth is Jehovah's and the fulness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein; and he hath founded it upon the seas, he hath established it upon the rivers" (Psalms 24:1, 2).

The earth and the world stand for the church, and fulness stands for all things thereof; the seas upon which He hath founded it, denote the knowledges of truth in general; the rivers denote doctrinals. Because upon the former and the latter the church is founded, it is therefore said, that He would found it upon the seas, and establish it upon the rivers. That this cannot be predicated of the earth and the world, is evident to any one.

[17] In the same:

"Shall we not fear, when the earth shall be moved, and when the mountains shall be shaken in the heart of the seas; when the waters thereof shall roar and be troubled? Let the nations rage, let the kingdoms be moved; when he uttereth his voice, the earth melteth away" (Psalms 46:2, 3, 6).

It is evident that by the earth is meant the church, because it is said to be removed and to melt, also that the mountains shall be shaken in the heart of the seas; the waters thereof also shall be troubled, and let the nations rage, and the kingdoms be moved. By mountains are signified (as above) the goods of love, which are said to be shaken in the heart of the seas, when the essential knowledges of truth are perverted; by waters are signified the truths of the church, which are said to be troubled when they are falsified; by nations are signified the goods of the church, and, in an opposite sense, the evils thereof; and by kingdoms, the truths of the church, and, in an opposite sense, its falsities; also those who are in the former and the latter.

[18] In the same

"O God, thou hast forsaken us, thou hast been angry; restore rest to us. Thou hast made the earth to tremble, thou hast broken it in pieces; heal the breaches thereof, for it shaketh" (Psalms 60:1, 2).

That these things are said of the church and not of the earth is evident; for it is said, "Thou hast made the earth to tremble, thou hast broken it in pieces: heal the breaches thereof, for it shaketh"; and because the earth signifies the church, here the church vastated, therefore it is said, "O God, thou hast forsaken us, thou hast been angry; restore rest to us."

[19] In the same:

"When I take the appointed time, I will judge uprightly. The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved; I will bear up the pillars of it" (Psalms 75:2, 3).

Here, also, the earth is for the church, which is said to be dissolved when truths fail, through which there is good. Because truths support the church, they are called its pillars, which God will bear up: that the pillars of the earth are not borne up is evident. Because the restoration of the church is here described, it is therefore said, "When I take the appointed time, I will judge uprightly." The truths of the church, which are here called the pillars of the earth, are also called the bases of the earth (1 Sam. 2:8); and the foundations of the earth, in Isaiah:

"Do ye not understand the foundations of the earth? It is he that dwelleth upon the circle of the earth, that bringeth the princes to nothing; and maketh the judges of the earth as vanity" (40:21-23).

By the princes who are brought to nothing, and by the judges of the earth whom He maketh as vanity, are signified the things that are from one's own intelligence, and from one's own judgment.

[20] In Jeremiah:

"A tumult cometh even to the end of the earth. Thus said Jehovah, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great wind shall be stirred up from the sides of the earth. And the slain of Jehovah shall be in that day from the end of the earth even unto the end thereof" (25:31-33).

By the end of the earth, and by the sides of the earth, are signified where the ultimates of the church are, and where evils and falsities begin; and from the end of the earth to the end thereof, signifies all things of the church. Hence it may be known what is signified by a tumult shall come to the end of the earth, and a great wind shall be stirred up from the sides of the earth, and by the slain of Jehovah shall be in that day from the end of the earth unto the end thereof. By the slain are signified those with whom the truths and goods of the church are extinguished; as may be seen, n. 4503.

[21] In Isaiah:

"The isles saw, they feared; the ends of the earth trembled, they drew near, and came. I will make the desert a pool of waters, and the dry land a spring of waters" (41:5, 18).

The establishment of the church amongst the Gentiles is so described, they being signified by the isles and the ends of the earth; for islands and the ends of the earth in the Word signify those who are farther apart from the truths and goods of the church, because they have not the Word, and consequently they are in ignorance. That the church shall be established among them, is signified by, "I will make the desert a pool of waters, and the dry land a spring of waters." It is called a desert where there is not yet good, because there is not truth, from which it is also called the dry land. A pool of waters, and a spring of waters, signify good, because they signify truth; for all spiritual good, which is the good of the church, is procured by truths.

[22] In the same:

"Woe to the land shadowed with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Cush. Go, ye ambassadors, to a nation trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled" (18:1, 2).

What the land shadowed with wings, and the land which the rivers have spoiled, signify, no one can know, unless he knows that the earth denotes the church, and that rivers denote falsities; the land shadowed with wings is the church that is in thick darkness as to Divine truths (that these are signified by wings may be seen above, n. 283). Beyond the rivers of Cush signifies, as to knowledges themselves from the sense of the letter of the Word, which are falsified; the nation trodden down, to which the ambassadors should go, whose land the rivers have spoiled, signifies those out of the church who are in falsities from ignorance; rivers denoting truths of doctrine, and, in an opposite sense, falsities; that the ambassadors should go to them, signifies that they should be invited, in order that the church may be with them.

[23] In the same:

"In the wrath of Jehovah Zebaoth the earth is darkened" (9:19).

The earth darkened signifies the things of the church in thick darkness or in falsities; for the falsities of evil are said to be in thick darkness, but truths in the light.

[24] In the same:

"Jehovah shall remove man, and deserts shall be multiplied in the midst of the earth" (6:12).

Man whom Jehovah shall remove, signifies a wise man, and abstractedly wisdom (as may be seen above, n. 280). Deserts shall be multiplied in the midst of the earth, signifies, that there is nothing altogether good, because there is nothing true; the midst of the earth denoting where truth is in the greatest light; therefore when the light is not there, thick darkness pervades the whole; then, there is nowhere any truth.

[25] In the same:

Jehovah "shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the impious" (11:4).

The rod of the mouth of Jehovah which shall smite the earth, signifies truth in ultimates, which is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word; and the breath of the lips with which He shall slay the impious, signifies the truth in the spiritual sense of the Word. These are said to smite the earth, and to slay the impious, when they are condemned thereby; for every one is judged by truths, and is condemned by them.

[26] In the same:

"The earth is at rest, and is quiet. Hell hath stirred up on thy account the Rephaim, all the powerful of the earth. They that see thee shall say, Is this the man that moveth the earth, that maketh the kingdoms to tremble; he hath made the world into a desert, and destroyed the cities thereof? Thou hast destroyed thy land; thou hast slain thy people. Prepare slaughter for his sons, that they may not rise again and possess the earth, and the faces of the earth be filled with cities. I shall break Asshur in my land, and upon my mountains shall I tread him under foot" (14:7, 9, 16, 17, 20, 21, 25)

These things are said concerning the king of Babel, by whom is signified the destruction of truth through the love of ruling over heaven and earth, to which the truths of the Word, or the things of the church, serve as means. In this place it is treated concerning their damnation. The dead (Rephaim) whom hell has stirred up, are those who are in the direful persuasion of falsity, and who are thence called the powerful of the earth: to move the earth, to make the kingdoms tremble, to make the world into a desert, and to destroy the cities thereof, signifies to pervert all things of the church. The earth and the world denote the church; the kingdoms denote the truths which constitute it; and the cities denote all things of doctrine. Hence it is evident what is signified by, thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people. By Asshur who shall be broken in the earth, and be trodden under foot upon the mountains, is signified reasoning from falsities against truths; to be broken is to be dissipated; and to be trodden under foot is to be altogether destroyed. The mountains upon which [this is said to be done], signify where the good of love and charity reigns, for there, or with those [who are there], all reasoning from falsities is dissipated or destroyed.

[27] In the same:

"Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; from the land of Kittim it shall come plainly to them. Pass through thy land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish; the girdle is no more. Behold the land of the Chaldeans; Asshur hath founded it into heaps. Jehovah will visit Tyre, that she may return to the hire of whoredom, and commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the earth upon the faces of the world" (23:1, 10, 13, 17).

That neither the ships of Tarshish, Tyre, the land of Kittim, the land of the Chaldeans, nor Asshur, are here meant, is evident from the particulars in this chapter; but by the ships of Tarshish are meant the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good, also by Tyre; by the land of Kittim, what is idolatrous; by the land of the Chaldeans, the profanation and destruction of truth; and by Asshur, reasoning from falsities. Hence it is evident that, howl, ye ships of Tarshish, because Tyre is devastated, signifies that there are no longer any knowledges of truth; it shall come plainly to them from the land of Kittim, signifies what is idolatrous thence; the girdle is no more, signifies that there is no longer a coherence of truth with good. Behold the land of the Chaldeans, signifies that thus there is profanation and destruction of truth; Asshur hath founded it into heaps, signifies that reasoning from falsities has destroyed it; to return to the hire of whoredom, and to commit fornication with all the kingdoms upon the faces of the world, signifies falsification of all the truths of the whole church.

[28] In the same:

The king of Asshur "shall go through Judah; he shall overflow and pass over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the shakings of his wings shall be the fulness of the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel" (8:8).

Here, also, the king of Asshur signifies reasoning from falsities against truths. "He shall go through Judah, he shall overflow and pass over," signifies that it shall destroy the good of the church. To overflow is said of falsities, because they are signified by waters. "He shall reach even to the neck," signifies that thus there shall be no longer a communication of good and truth; and "the shakings of his wings shall be the fulness of the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel," signifies that falsities shall be against all the truths of the Lord's church. That the breadth of the earth signifies the truths of the church, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 197, and that hence, in an opposite sense, it signifies falsities; therefore the shakings of his wings signify reasonings from falsities against truths. Fulness signifies all; thus, the fulness of the breadth of the earth all the truths of the church.

[29] In the same:

"In that day shall the shoot of Jehovah be for gracefulness and glory, and the fruit of the earth for magnificence and an ornament to the remains of Israel" (4:2).

The shoot of Jehovah which shall be for gracefulness and glory, signifies the truth of the church; and the fruit of the earth which shall be for magnificence and for an ornament, signifies the good of the church; Israel signifies the spiritual church; that the shoot and the fruit of the earth shall not be for gracefulness, glory, magnificence, and ornament, is evident; but the truth and good of the church shall be. When it is said the truth and good of the church, the truth of faith and the good of love are meant; for all truth is of faith, and all good is of love.

[30] In the same:

"Thou hast added to the nation, O Jehovah; thou art glorified, thou hast removed all the ends of the earth" (26:15).

The nation to which Jehovah has added, signifies those who are in the good of love, whom He has adjudged to Himself; the ends of the earth which He has removed, signify the falsities and evils that infest the church, and from which He has purified them.

[31] In the same:

"Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty, they shall behold the land of remotenesses" (33:17).

To see the king in his beauty, denotes genuine truth, which is from the Lord alone; to behold the land of remotenesses, signifies the extension of intelligence and wisdom.

[32] In the same:

"I have given thee for a covenant of the people, to restore the earth. Sing, O heavens, and exult, O earth; and resound, ye mountains, with a song" (49:8, 13).

The Lord and His Advent are here treated of; the establishment of the church by Him is described by, "I have given thee for a covenant of the people, to restore the earth," to restore the earth denoting to re-establish the church; that the Lord did not restore the earth to the Jewish people is known, but that He established the church among the Gentiles. The joy in consequence is described by, "Sing, O heavens, exult, O earth, and resound, ye mountains, with a song." By the heavens are meant the heavens where are angels who are in the interior truths of the church; by the earth is meant the church among men; and by the mountains, those who are in the good of love to the Lord.

[33] In Jeremiah:

"The land is full of adulterers; because of the curse the earth mourneth, the pastures of the desert are dried up" (23:10).

Adulterers signify those who adulterate the goods of the church: therefore it is said, "The land is full of adulterers, and because of the curse the earth mourneth"; the pastures of the desert which are dried up signify no spiritual nourishment in such a church; desert being predicated where there is no good, because no truth.

[34] In the same:

"A drought is upon her waters, that they may be dried up; for it is a land of graven things" (50:38).

A drought upon the waters, that they may be dried up, signifies that truths no longer [exist], waters denoting truths, "for it is a land of graven things," signifies the church destroyed by falsities which are from man's own intelligence, which they call truths; graven things signify those falsities.

[35] In Ezekiel:

"The end cometh upon the four quarters of the earth; the earth is full of the judgment of bloods, and the city is full of violence" (7:2, 23).

"The end cometh upon the four quarters of the earth," signifies the last time and the last state of the church, when its end is; the four quarters denote all the truths and goods thereof, and, in an opposite sense, all the falsities and evils thereof, thus all things of the church. "The earth is full of the judgment of bloods," signifies that it is filled with evils of every kind; bloods denote the evils which offer violence to the goods of love and charity, and entirely destroy them. "The city full of violence," signifies the doctrine of that church acting in a similar way.

[36] In the same:

"All the luminaries of light in heaven will I make dark over thee, and will set darkness upon thy earth" (33:8).

By the luminaries of light in the heavens are meant the sun, moon, and stars; and by the sun is signified love, by the moon faith thence, and by the stars the knowledges of good and truth: hence it is evident what is signified by, "I will make them dark over thee"; namely, that they should no longer exist; hence, also, it is evident what is signified by, "I will set darkness upon thy earth"; namely, that there are falsities in the church, darkness denoting falsities, and earth denoting the church.

[37] In the same

"Prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains and hills and rivers and valleys, Behold, I am with you, and I will look back unto you, that ye may be tilled and sown" (36:6, 9).

By the land of Israel is meant the church; the mountains, hills, rivers, and valleys, signify all things of the church, from the first to the last things thereof; mountains denote the goods of love to the Lord; hills denote the goods of charity towards the neighbour; these are the first things of the church. The rivers and valleys denote the truths and goods which are the last things of the church. That these things are signified is evident from what has been stated in this article; namely, that those dwell upon mountains in heaven who are in the good of love to the Lord, those upon hills who are in charity towards the neighbour, and those in plains and valleys who are in goods and truths, in the ultimate heaven; rivers denote the truths of doctrine there; to inseminate them, is signified by, "I will look back unto you, that ye may be tilled and sown."

[38] In Hosea:

"In that day, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth; and the earth shall hear the corn and the new wine and the oil, and they shall hear Jezreel; and I will sow him unto me in the earth" (2:21-23).

That these things are to be spiritually understood, and not naturally according to the sense of the letter, is evident; for it is said, that these shall hear Jezreel; and I will sow him unto me in the earth; wherefore by the heavens are meant the heavens where the Lord is; and by the earth, the church where, also the Lord is; by the corn, new wine, and oil, are signified all things of spiritual nourishment, which are the goods of love and charity, and the truths of faith.

[39] In Malachi:

"He shall not destroy for you the fruit of the earth, neither shall the vine in the field be barren for you; all nations shall proclaim you blessed, and ye shall be a land of well-pleasing" (3:11, 12).

These things are said of those with whom and in whom the church exists; and because by the fruit of the earth and the vine in the field, are signified the goods and truths of the church - by the fruit the goods, and by the vine the truths thereof - therefore they are called a land of well-pleasing.

[40] In David:

"Let thy good Spirit lead me into the land of uprightness. Make me to live, O Jehovah, for thy name's sake" (Psalms 143:10, 11).

The land of uprightness stands for the church in which is what is right and true; and because the spirit of Jehovah signifies the Divine truth, and every one thereby receives spiritual life, it is therefore said, "Let thy good Spirit lead me," and, "O Jehovah; make me to live."

[41] Because the earth signifies the church, and where the church is there is heaven, it is therefore called the land of the living and the land of life. The land of the living in Isaiah:

"I said, I shall not see Jah in the land of the living" (38:11).

And in Ezekiel:

"Who caused terror in the land of the living" (32:23-27).

The land of life in David:

"Unless I had believed to see good in the land of life" (Psalms 27:13).

[42] In Moses:

"It shall be an entire and just stone, the ephah shall be entire and just, that thy days may be prolonged upon the earth" (Deuteronomy 25:15).

The prolongation of days upon the earth does not signify the long duration of life in the world, but the state of life in the church, thus in heaven; for to prolong is said of good and its increase, and day signifies the state of the life; and because a stone entire and just, which was a weight, and an ephah entire and just, which was a measure, signify truth and good and their quality, and both together signify justice - the stone truth, and the measure good - and because not to deceive by weight and measure is to be just, therefore the life of the church shall be theirs, and afterwards life in heaven, which is meant by their days upon the earth being lengthened.

[43] The same is signified by this precept of the Decalogue:

"Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be prolonged upon the earth" (Exodus 20:12).

The reason why they have heaven and the happiness there, who honour father and mother, is, because in heaven no other father is known but the Lord, for by Him all there have been regenerated. And in heaven by mother is meant the church, and in general, the kingdom of the Lord. That those who worship the Lord and seek His kingdom, will have life in heaven, is evident; also that many of those who honour father and mother in the world, do not live there long.

[44] In Matthew:

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (5:5).

The inheritance of the earth does not signify the possession of the earth, but the possession of heaven and blessedness there; the meek signify those who are in the good of charity.

[45] In Isaiah:

"Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call his name God-with-us; butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil and to choose the good; for before the child shall know to refuse the evil and to choose the good, the land shall be deserted which thou scornest before her two kings. It shall come to pass in that day, by reason of the abundance of giving milk, he shall eat butter; for butter and honey shall every one eat that is left in the midst of the land" (7:14-16, [21], 22).

That these things are spoken of the Lord and His Advent is known; the butter and honey which He shall eat, signify the goods of love; butter, the good of celestial and spiritual love; honey, the good of natural love; by these it is meant that He would appropriate to Himself the Divine even as to the Human, to eat signifying to appropriate. That the earth shall be deserted before He knows to refuse the evil and to choose the good, signifies, that there would not be anything of the church remaining in the whole world when He would be born; and because those, where the church was, rejected every Divine truth, and perverted all things of the Word, and explained it in favour of self, it is therefore said concerning the earth, that is, the church, "which thou scornest before her two kings." Kings signify the truths of heaven and of the church; two kings, the truth of the Word in the internal or spiritual sense, and the truth of the Word in the external or natural sense. Milk signifies the truth through which good comes; and because butter signifies the good thence, therefore by reason of the abundance of giving milk, butter shall every one eat that is left in the midst of the land, signifies that every truth shall be of good.

[46] In Matthew:

"In the consummation of the age, all the tribes of the earth shall mourn" (24:30).

The consummation of the age which is treated of in that chapter, is the last time of the church, when the judgment takes place; all the tribes of the earth signify all the truths and goods of the church, which are said to mourn when they are no more.

[47] In Luke:

"And then shall there be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, the sea and the waves roaring; men expiring for fear, and for expectation of those things that are coming upon the whole earth; for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken." That day "as a snare shall come upon all who sit upon the face of the whole earth" (21:25, 26, 35).

It is also treated there concerning the last time of the church, when the judgment takes place, and by the earth and the world there are meant the church. The distress of nations upon the earth, the fear and expectation of those things coming upon the earth, also upon all who sit upon the face of the whole earth, does not signify upon those who are in the earths in the natural world, but upon those who are in the spiritual world. That there are earths also there, may be seen in what was premised to this article; and that the Last Judgment was accomplished there, may be seen in the small work concerning the Last Judgment. What is signified by the sun, moon, and stars, in which the signs are, was mentioned above, namely, that the sun signifies love, the moon faith thence, and the stars the knowledges of good and truth; the sea and waves roaring, signifies the reasonings and fightings of truth from the sense of the letter of the Word, wrongly and perversely applied. The powers of the heavens, which shall be shaken, signify the Word in the sense of the letter, because this sense is the foundation of the spiritual truths which are in the heavens. (As may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell, in the article which treats of the Conjunction of Heaven with Man by means of the Word, n. 303-310.)

[48] In Isaiah:

"Sing, ye heavens; shout, ye lower parts of the earth; resound with singing, ye mountains, O forest and every tree therein; for Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob. I am Jehovah that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself" (44:23, 24).

"Sing, ye heavens: shout, ye lower parts of the earth; resound with singing, ye mountains, O forest and every tree therein," signify all things of heaven and of the church, as well the internal as the external, which all have reference to good and truth. Things internal are signified by the heavens, things external by the lower parts of the earth; mountains denote the goods of love, the forest denotes natural truth, and the trees therein denote the knowledges of truth. Because such things are signified it is said, "For Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob"; by Jacob in the Word is signified the external church, and by Israel the internal church. To stretch forth the heavens and to spread abroad the earth, signifies the church on all sides, which is stretched forth and spread abroad by the multiplication of truth and the fructification of good, with those who belong to the church.

[49] In Zechariah:

"Jehovah, who spreadeth abroad the heavens, and foundeth the earth, and formeth the spirit of man in the midst of him" (12:1).

Here also by the heavens and by the earth is signified the church on all sides, thus as to its interiors and exteriors; therefore also it is said, "formeth the spirit of man in the midst of him."

[50] In Jeremiah:

"The gods that have not made the heaven and the earth, let them perish from the earth and from under the heavens." Jehovah "that maketh the earth by his power, that prepareth the world by his wisdom, and that spreadeth abroad the heavens by his intelligence. At the voice which he giveth forth a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the end of the earth" (10:11-13:51:15, 16).

Because the heavens and the earth signify the church (as above), therefore it is said, "Jehovah that maketh the earth by his power, that prepareth the world by his wisdom, and spreadeth abroad the heavens by his intelligence"; and therefore it is also said, "At the voice which he giveth forth a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the end of the earth." By the voice which Jehovah gives forth, is signified Divine truth proceeding from Him; by the multitude of waters in the heavens are signified truths in abundance, for waters signify truths; and by the vapours which He causeth to ascend from the end of the earth, are signified the last truths of the church; vapours denote those truths, and the end of the earth is the last of the church. And because gods signify the falsities of doctrine and of worship, which destroy the church, it is therefore said, The gods that have not made the heaven and the earth, let them perish from the earth and from under the heavens."

[51] In David:

"Jehovah who by intelligence, maketh the heavens. Stretcheth forth the earth above the waters" (Psalms 136:5, 6).

Because heaven and earth signify the church, and the church is formed by truths, and the truths of the church constitute intelligence, it is therefore said, "Jehovah maketh the heavens by intelligence, and stretcheth forth the earth above the waters," waters denoting the truths of the church.

[52] In Isaiah:

"Thus saith Jehovah God, that createth the heavens, and stretcheth them out, that spreadeth forth the earth and the products thereof, that giveth life to the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein" (42:5).

By creating the heavens and spreading forth the earth and the products thereof, is signified to form the church and to reform those who are in it, the products denoting all things of the church; therefore it is said, that giveth life to the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein. That to create denotes to reform, may be seen above, n. 294.

[53] In the same:

"Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds flow down with justice; let the earth open itself, and fructify salvation. I have made the earth, and created man upon it. Thus said Jehovah who createth the heavens; God himself who formeth the earth and maketh it and prepareth it; not in secret have I spoken, in a place of darkness of the earth" (45:8, 12, 18, 19).

That by the heavens and the earth are here meant all things of the church, the internals as well as the externals thereof, is evident; for it is said, "Drop down, ye heavens, and let the clouds flow down with justice; let the earth open itself, and fructify salvation." The reason why the heavens signify the interior things of the church, is, that the interior things of the mind of the spiritual man, are the heavens with him. (That heaven is with the man, with whom the church is, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 30-57.) By creating the heavens, and forming the earth, and making and preparing it, is signified fully to establish the church.

[54] In the same:

"Behold, I that create new heavens and a new earth, neither shall the former be remembered" (65:17).

By creating new heavens and a new earth, is signified to establish a new church as to its interiors and exteriors, both in the heavens and on the earths (as was said above).

[55] In the same:

"Who hath heard such a thing? shall the earth bring forth in one day? shall a nation be born at once? For as the new heavens and the new earth which I shall make, shall stand before me, so shall your seed and your name stand" (66:8, 22).

Because the earth signifies the church, therefore, it is said, shall the earth bring forth in one day? shall a nation be born at once? By bringing forth and birth, and by generating and generation in the Word, are signified spiritual birth and generation, which are of faith and love, thus reformation and regeneration; what the new heavens and new earth signify has been mentioned above.

[56] In Jeremiah:

"I have made the earth, man and the beast that are upon the faces of the earth, and I give it to him who is right in my eyes" (27:5).

By man and the beast which are upon the faces of the earth, are signified the affections of truth and good in the spiritual and the natural man (see n. 280: and in the Arcana Coelestia, n. 7424, 7523, 7872); and because those affections with men constitute the church in them, it is therefore said "I have made the earth, man and the beast that are upon the faces of the earth, and I give it to him who is right in my eyes." That God does not give the earth solely to those who are right in His eyes, but also to those who are not right, is known; not the church, however, except to those who are right; right signifies truth and the affection thereof.

[57] In Isaiah:

"The heavens shall vanish like smoke, and the earth shall wax old as a garment, and the dwellers therein shall die in like manner" (51:6).

The heavens which shall vanish away, and the earth which shall wax old like a garment, signify the church; this successively falls away and at length is desolated, but not so the visible heaven and the habitable earth; wherefore it is said, "and the dwellers therein shall die in like manner," to die signifying to die spiritually. The same is signified by

"The heavens and earth shall pass away" (Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 16:17).

[58] In the Apocalypse:

"Four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the winds should not blow on the earth" (7:1).

By the four corners of the earth, and the four winds of the earth, are signified all the truths and goods of the church in the aggregate; for the same things are signified by them as the four quarters of heaven. (That these signify those things may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell, "On the Four Quarters in Heaven," n. 141-153.) To hold them [the four winds], signifies that they [that is, truths and goods], may not flow-in because they are not received; wherefore it is said, that the wind shall not blow upon the earth. The earth also signifies the church in other parts of the Apocalypse (as 10:2, 5, 6, 8; 12:16; 13:13; 16:2, 14; 20:8, 9, 11; 21:1), besides many other places in the Word, too numerous to be adduced.

[59] As the earth signified the church, and especially the land of Canaan, because the church was there, and because the church which was there was a representative church, therefore all things that were there were representative, and all that was said to them by the Lord signified the spiritual or interior things of the church, and this even in regard to the land itself and its products; as in these words in Moses:

If thou keep the precepts, "Jehovah will lead thee into a good land, into a land of rivers of water, of fountains, of depths springing out of valley and mountain; a land of wheat, of barley, of the vine, of the fig, of the pomegranate; a land of the olive, of oil, of honey; a land where thou shalt eat bread without scarceness; it shall lack nothing; a land where the stones are iron, and from the mountains shall be digged copper, and thou shalt eat, and shalt be satisfied in this good land" (Deuteronomy 8:1, 7-10).

By these are described all things of the church, both interior and exterior; but to expound what each particular signifies, would be tedious, and does not belong to this place.

[60] On account of the land signifying the church, it was therefore among the blessings, that if they lived according to the precepts, the earth should give its produce, the evil beasts should cease out of the earth, nor should the sword pass through the land (Leviticus 26:3, 4, 6). That the earth should give its produce, signifies that in the church there should be good and truth; that the evil beasts should cease, signifies that the evil affections and lusts, which destroy it, should no longer exist; that the sword should not pass through the land, signifies that falsity should not cast out truth.

[61] Because the earth signified the church, it was also appointed that

The seventh year should be kept as the Sabbath of the earth,

and that there should be no labour upon it (Leviticus 25:1-8). And therefore it is also said that

The land was polluted on account of the evils, and that on account of the abominations it would spew them forth (Leviticus 18:1-28).

And because the land signified the church, the Lord therefore spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and anointed the eyes of the blind man, and said,

"Go wash thee in the pool of Siloam" (John 9:6, 7, 11, 15).

And therefore the Lord, when the Scribes and Pharisees asked Him concerning the woman taken in adultery, stooped down, and wrote twice on the ground (John 8:6, 8), signifying that the church was full of adulteries, that is, full of the adulteration of good and the falsification of truth; therefore also the Lord said to them,

"He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her; but they went out one by one, beginning from the elders, even unto the last" (vers. 7, 9).

[62] Because most things in the Word have also an opposite sense, so also has the earth, which, in that sense, signifies the church vastated, which takes place when the good of love and the truth of faith no longer exist, but instead thereof evil and falsity; and because these condemn man, by the earth in that sense is also signified damnation, as in the following places (Isaiah 14:12; 21:9; 25:12; 26:19, 21; 29:4; 47:1; 63:6; Lamentations 2:2, 10; Ezekiel 26:20; 32:24; Num. 16:29-33; 26:10), and elsewhere.