706. And a great sign was seen in heaven.- That this signifies Divine testification concerning the future church, and the reception of its doctrine, and as to those by whom it will be assaulted, is evident from the signification of a great sign in heaven, as denoting Divine manifestation and testification. That this refers to the church, and the reception of its doctrine, and also assault upon it, is evident from what follows, for the woman means the church, her male child, doctrine, while the dragon and his angels, and afterwards the beasts, mean those who will assault the church and its doctrine. This vision is called a great sign, because a sign means Divine manifestation concerning things to come, also testification, here concerning the future church and its doctrine, and also concerning assault upon it by those who are meant by the dragon and the beasts. This is called a sign, because it manifests and testifies. The terms sign and miracle are frequently used in the Word, sign meaning that which points out, witnesses, and persuades in regard to the subject of inquiry; but miracle means that which arouses, strikes dumb and fills with amazement. Thus a sign moves the understanding and faith, and a miracle the will and its affection; for the will with its affection is what is aroused, stricken dumb and filled with amazement, while it is understanding and its faith that are persuaded by signs and testifications.

[2] That there is a difference between a sign and a miracle is evident from this fact, that although the Jews saw so many miracles performed by the Lord still they asked signs of Him; and also from this fact, that the prodigies wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness are sometimes called signs, sometimes miracles, and sometimes also both. And it is further evident from this, that in every part of the Word there is a marriage of truth and good, thus also of the understanding and will, for truth pertains to the understanding and good to the will, consequently signs there have reference to things pertaining to truth, thus to those of faith and the understanding, and miracles to things pertaining to good, thus to those of affection and the will. What is the specific meaning of signs and miracles, when both are mentioned in the Word, is now plain, as in the following passages.

In Moses:

"I will harden the heart of Pharaoh, that I may multiply my signs and my miracles in the land of Egypt" (Exodus 7:3).

In the same:

"Jehovah gave signs and miracles great and evil upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his house" (Deuteronomy 6:22).

In the same:

Hath Jehovah "assayed to come and take to himself a nation out of the midst of a nation, by miracles, by signs, and by wonders" (Deuteronomy 4:34).

In David:

"They remembered not the day in which Jehovah set signs in Egypt, and prodigies in the field of Zoan" (Psalm 78:42, 43).

In the same:

"They set among them the words of his signs and miracles in the land of Ham" (Psalm 105:27).

In the same:

"He sent signs and miracles into the midst of thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh and all his servants" (Psalm 135:9).

In Jeremiah:

"Who hast set signs and miracles in the land of Egypt, and even to this day, both in Israel, and in men, and hast led thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt, by signs and by miracles" (32:20, 21).

From these passages it is clear that the prodigies wrought in Egypt, and afterwards among the sons of Israel, are called signs and miracles, signs because they testified and persuaded, and miracles because they aroused and filled [the people] with amazement; yet they agree, in this, that the things which arouse and fill [people] with amazement also testify and persuade, just as those things that arouse the will also persuade the understanding, or as those things that move the affection also by persuasion move the thought.

Similarly in the Evangelists:

In the consummation of the age "there shall arise false Christs and false prophets; they shall give great signs and miracles, and shall lead astray, if it be possible, even the elect" (Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22).

Here also great signs and miracles have a similar signification, namely, that they testify and persuade, and that they strike dumb and fill with amazement, from which strong persuasion will arise. Who those are that are meant by false Christs and false prophets, and by the elect, may be seen above (n. 624:5, 684:7).

[3] In Moses:

"If there shall arise in the midst of thee a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, who shall give thee a sign or a miracle, and the sign or miracle come to pass which he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go unto other gods, thou shalt not obey" (Deuteronomy 13:1-3).

Here a prophet, and a dreamer of dreams, also a sign and miracle are mentioned, because a sign refers to a prophet, and a miracle to a dreamer of dreams; for a prophet means one who teaches truths, and, in the abstract sense, the doctrine of truth, and a dreamer [of dreams] means one who stirs up (another) to do a thing, and, in the abstract sense, the act of stirring up, from which a thing is done; this also pertains to a miracle as the former does to a sign. For prophets were instructed by a living voice from the Lord, and dreamers by representatives arousing to action, which flowed into the affection of the dreamer, and from that into the sight of the thought; for when a man dreams, his natural understanding is laid asleep, and his spiritual sight which derives its all from the affection is opened. But in this passage, the sight which derives its all from an evil affection is meant, for it is spoken of the prophets who teach falsities and who dream vain things, for by other gods are meant the falsities and vain things that such heard and saw.

[4] That signs signify testifications, which point out and persuade to the belief that a thing is so, is evident from the following passages.

In Moses:

"If they will not believe thee, nor hear the voice of the first sign, yet they will believe the voice of the latter sign; and if they will not believe these two signs, nor hear thy voice, thou shalt take of the waters of the river, and they shall become blood" (Exodus 4:8, 9).

This is said of the miracles wrought by Moses, when the Lord appeared to him in the bush, which are called signs, because they were to testify and persuade them to believe that Moses was sent to lead them out of Egypt. It is therefore three times said "that they may believe," and also "that they may hear his voice."

[5] In the same:

"Jehovah said unto Moses, How long will this people not believe in me, for all the signs which I have done in the midst of them; none of the men who have seen my glory, and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, shall see the land" (Numbers 14:11, 22, 23).

Similarly here likewise miracles are called signs, because mention is made of believing; for, as has been said, miracles are called signs because they persuade and induce faith; and as signs did not induce faith, with those who, by reason of fear, were not willing to enter into the land of Canaan, therefore it is said concerning them that they should not see the land. Similar things are signified by signs in Exodus 14:17; and 10:1, 2.

[6] In the Evangelists:

The Scribes and Pharisees said, "Master, we desire to see from thee a sign; and he answering, said, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh a sign, but no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; as Jonah was in the belly of the whale (cetus) three days and three nights, so shall the Son of man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights" (Matthew 12:38-40; Luke 11:16, 29, 30).

That a sign here means testification that they would be persuaded and believe that the Lord was the Messiah and the Son of God who was to come, is plain; for the miracles which the Lord wrought in great numbers, and which they saw, were no signs to them, because miracles, as said above, are signs only to the good. Jonah was in the belly of the whale (cetus) three days and three nights, and this was taken for a sign, because it signified the burial and resurrection of the Lord, thus the complete glorification of His Human, three days and three nights signifying completeness.

[7] In Matthew:

The Pharisees and the Sadducees, tempting, asked Jesus "to show them a sign from the heavens. He answering, said, When it is evening, ye say, it will be fair weather, for the heaven is red; and in the morning, it will be tempestuous to-day, for the heaven is red and gloomy. Ye hypocrites, ye know how to discern the face of the heaven, but ye cannot the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous nation requireth a sign, but no sign shall be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah" (16:1-4).

The sign which they asked from heaven here also means testification, that they would be persuaded and believe that the Lord was the Son of God, although miracles were performed, which they did not call signs. The Lord at that time spoke of evening and morning, because "evening and morning" signifies the Lord's coming; here it means, when the church with the Jews was devastated, for then they had "fair weather," because they knew not the Lord, and lived securely in falsities from evil; this is the evening. But when they knew Him, and, because of falsities from evils in which they were, denied and assaulted Him, then this state is signified by the morning when it is tempestuous. This is why the Lord said, "Ye hypocrites, ye know how to discern the face of the heaven, but the signs of the times ye cannot," that is, the Lord's coming; because they were an evil and adulterous nation, that is, one that adulterated the Word, therefore He said that a sign should not be given them.

[8] So again in Mark:

"The Pharisees began to dispute with 'Jesus,' seeking of him a sign from heaven; and he, sighing in his spirit, said, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? Verily, I say unto you, A sign shall not be given unto this generation" (8:11, 12).

That here a sign signifies testification, from which they might plainly know, acknowledge, and believe that the Lord was the Messiah and the Son of God whom they expected through the predictions in the prophets, is evident from the fact that Jesus sighed in spirit, and said, "Why doth this generation seek after a sign? Verily, I say unto you, A sign shall not be given unto this generation." The reason of this was, that if it had been plainly revealed or told them from heaven, and if so persuaded they had acknowledged and believed, nevertheless they would have afterwards rejected it, and to reject after acknowledgment and faith is to profane, and the lot of profaners in hell is the worst of all.

[9] That for this reason plain testification was not given them from heaven, is clear from these words in John:

"He hath blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes and understand with their heart, and should turn themselves, and I should heal them" (12:40).

To turn themselves and be healed means here to profane, as is the case when truths and goods are acknowledged, especially when the Lord is acknowledged, and afterwards denied; this would have been the case if the Jews had turned themselves and been healed in consequence of a sign. To see with the eyes and understand with the heart signifies to receive in the understanding and will, or in faith and love. From this it is plain that a sign signifies unmistakeable testification. Concerning the lot of profaners, see the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 172).

[10] In John:

The disciples said unto Jesus, "What sign doest thou, that we may see and believe thee? what workest thou? Our fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, as it is written, He gave them bread out of heaven to eat. Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses did not give you bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven; for the bread of God is he who cometh down from heaven and giveth life to the world" (6:30-33).

Here also the disciples desired a sign; that this signifies testification that they might believe, is clear from their saying, "That we may see and believe, what workest thou?" They then spoke of manna, and the Lord answered concerning bread from heaven, because bread signifies all the good and truth that nourishes the soul, and, in the highest sense, the Lord Himself, from whom are everything of doctrine and everything of spiritual nourishment, by means of which He testified that they might see and believe. Nevertheless testification, which is a sign from heaven, was given to the three disciples, Peter, James, and John, as is evident from the transfiguration of the Lord, for then they saw His glory, and also heard a voice out of heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, hear ye him" (Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35; Matthew 17:5).

[11] In John:

When Jesus cast out of the temple them that sold therein, the Jews said, "What sign showest thou, that thou doest these things? Jesus answered, and said to them, destroy this temple, yet in three days I will raise it up" (2:16, 18, 19).

That here to show a sign signifies to testify by something wonderful, or by a voice from heaven, is plain. But because such testification would have condemned rather than saved them, as has been said just above, therefore He answered them concerning the temple - by which He meant His body - that this should be dissolved (solveretur), that is, should die, and rise again glorified on the third day. This also is what the Lord meant by the sign of Jonah in the belly of the whale (cetus) three days and three nights. That the temple in the highest sense signifies the Lord's body, may be seen in John (2:21).

[12] In Luke:

"The angel said to the shepherds, There is born to you this day, in the city of David, a Saviour who is Christ the Lord; and this is the sign unto you, ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger" (2:11, 12, 16).

Since a sign meant testification that they might believe that the Saviour of the world was born, it is therefore said that they should find Him lying in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes; but that this was a testification no one can know until it is known what is meant by a manger, and by swaddling clothes. A manger means doctrine of truth from the Word, because horses signify the understanding of the Word, as is evident from what has been shown above (n. 355, 364), and in the small work concerning the White Horse 2-4); thus a manger where horses are fed signifies doctrine of truth from the Word. It is said also, in the seventh verse of the same chapter, that this was done because there was no place in the inn, an inn signifying a place of instruction. This is also the signification of inn in Luke 10:34, 22:11; Mark 14:14; and elsewhere. And this was the case with the Jews, who were then in mere falsities, through adulteration of the Word. This therefore is what is signified by there being no place in the inn. For if it had pleased the Lord, He might have been born in the most splendid palace, and been laid in a bed adorned with precious stones, but this would have been among such as were in no doctrine of truth, and there would have been no heavenly representation. He is also said to have been wrapped in swaddling clothes, because swaddling clothes signify primary truths, which are truths of innocence, and also truths of Divine Love; for nakedness when said in reference to a babe, signifies the deprivation of truth. From this it is evident why it was said by the angels, "This is the sign unto you, ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."

[13] In the Evangelists: the disciples said to Jesus,

"What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the consummation of the age?" (Matthew 24:3; Mark 13:4; Luke 21:7.)

The coming of the Lord and the consummation of the age signify the beginning of a new church and the end of the former church; the coming of the Lord, the beginning of a new church; and the consummation of the age, the end of the old church. Therefore in those chapters the Lord instructs His disciples concerning the successive vastation of the former church, and the establishment of a new church at its end. But He instructs and teaches them by pure correspondences, which cannot be unfolded and made known except by means of the spiritual sense; and because the Lord spoke by correspondences, therefore these were all signs, and thus testifications. They are also called signs by the Lord, in Luke:

"There shall also be terrors and great signs from heaven; there shall be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and upon the earth distress of nations in hopelessness, the sea and the waves roaring" (21:11, 25).

In Matthew:

"And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and glory" (24:30).

The signification of these and the other particulars contained in the same chapter, in the spiritual sense, has been explained in the Arcana Coelestia; and the signification of the appearance of the sign of the Son of man in the clouds of heaven has been shown in Heaven and Hell 1); further explanation is therefore unnecessary.

[14] In Mark: Jesus said unto the disciples,

"These signs shall follow them that believe: in my name they shall cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall be restored. And they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them by signs following" (16:17, 18, 20).

Although these were miracles, yet they are called signs, because they testified of the Divine power of the Lord who performed them; therefore it is said, the Lord working with them by these signs. If these had been performed by the evil they would have been called miracles, for with them such things cause only amazement, and make an impression on the mind, and yet produce no conviction; but it is otherwise, with the good, for with them, these same things are testifications which induce belief, they are therefore also called signs, and it is said "these signs shall follow them that believe." But how these signs could produce conviction, shall also be briefly stated. Those miraculous signs - that they should cast out demons, speak with new tongues, take up serpents, that if they drank any deadly thing it should not hurt them, and that the sick should be restored by the laying on of hands - were spiritual in their essence and origin, from which these flowed forth and came forth as effects; for they were correspondences, which derive their all from the spiritual world by influx from the Lord. For example, that they should cast out demons in the name of the Lord, derived its effect from this circumstance, that the name of the Lord spiritually understood means everything of doctrine out of the Word from the Lord, and that demons are falsities of every kind; and these are thus cast out, that is, removed by means of doctrine out of the Word from the Lord. That they should speak with new tongues, derived its effect from this, that new tongues signify doctrinals for the new church; they should take up serpents because serpents signify the hells as to wickedness (malitia), and thus they would be safe from its infestation. They should not be hurt if they drank a deadly thing, denotes that the wickedness (malitia) of the hells should not infect them. That the sick should be restored by the laying on of hands means through communication and conjunction with heaven, thus with the Lord, to be restored to health from spiritual diseases, which are called iniquities and sins; the laying on of the disciples' hands, corresponding to communication and conjunction with the Lord, thus to the removal of iniquities by His Divine power.

[15] In Isaiah:

Jehovah said unto Ahaz, "Ask thee a sign of Jehovah; direct [it] into the deep, or lift [it] up above; the Lord giveth you a sign; behold, a virgin shall conceive and bring forth a son, and shall call his name God with us" (7:11, 14).

These things were said to Ahaz, king of Judah, because the king of Syria and the king of Israel made war against him, even unto Jerusalem, on whose side also was the tribe of Ephraim; but still they did not prevail, for the reason that the king of Syria here represented the External or Natural of the church, the king of Israel its Internal or Spiritual, and Ephraim the Intellectual; here, however, those three, namely, the Natural, the Spiritual, and the Intellectual perverted, and these wished to attack the doctrine of truth, signified by the king of Judah and by Jerusalem, therefore they did not succeed. But in order that Ahaz might be assured that their attempt would be vain, he was told to ask a sign, that is, a testification that he might be assured, and the choice was given him, whether it should be from heaven or from hell; this was signified by "direct [it] into the deep, or lift [it] up above"; for the king was evil. But because Jerusalem, which signifies the doctrine of truth from the Word, was not to be destroyed by such before the Lord's coming, therefore a miraculous sign was given to him testifying concerning that subject, namely, that "a virgin shall conceive and bring forth a son, whose name shall be God with us." That this church would subsequently be destroyed, is shown further on in that chapter.

[16] In the same:

"This shall be a sign to thee from with Jehovah, behold, I will bring back the shadow of the steps ¹ which is gone down on the steps of Ahaz before the sun, ten steps backward, that the sun may return ten steps on the steps which it has gone down" (38:7, 8).

This sign was given to king Hezekiah as a testification that the Lord would defend him and Jerusalem from the king of Assyria - as said in verse 6 of that chapter, - that king signifying the perverted Rational destroying all things of the church; therefore this sign similarly represented a new church, to be established by the Lord, but here, that the time would be extended beyond that which was told to Ahaz just above. Bringing back the shadow that had gone down on the steps of Ahaz before the sun, signifies holding back the time when it should take place, the steps of Ahaz signifying time, here until the Lord's coming, and the shadow signifying the progression of time from the rising to the setting. Its being brought back ten steps signifies the extension of the time as yet for several years, ten signifying several, and the sun which should go back signifying the Lord's coming. But this shall be further illustrated. The Lord's coming took place when the Jewish church was at an end, that is, when there was no good and truth left in it. This is meant by the words, when iniquity was consummated, and also by the fulness of times, in which the Lord was to come. The entire period of the duration of the Jewish church was represented by the steps of Ahaz, its beginning by the first step there, which is when the sun is in its rising, and its end by the last step in its setting. It is therefore plain that by the bringing back of the shadow from the setting towards the rising, means the extension of that time. This would take place on the steps of Ahaz, because Ahaz was a wicked king, and profaned the holy things of the church, therefore, if his successors had acted in a similar manner, the end of that church would have come quickly, but as Hezekiah was an upright king the time was extended; for on that account the iniquity of that nation was not so soon to arrive at its consummation, that is, its end.

[17] In the same:

Say ye unto the king Hezekiah, "This shall be a sign to thee, in this year ye shall eat that which springeth up of itself, and in the second year that which further groweth; but in the third year sow ye, reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof" (Isaiah 37:30).

This was said to king Hezekiah, when Sennacherib, king of Assyria, made war against him, and spoke proudly of himself, and insolently of God and of Israel; and in consequence one hundred and eighty-five thousand were smitten in his camp, and he himself was slain by his sons. This was done, because Assyria signifies the Rational, and the king of Assyria the same, while Judea signifies the Celestial of the church, and its king the Spiritual; but here the king of Assyria signifies the perverted Rational, which destroys by false reasonings all the celestial and spiritual things of the church, which are its goods and truths. And because by Judea and its king are signified the Celestial and Spiritual of the church which will be from the Lord when He comes into the world, therefore these things are said, which describe the regeneration of those who will be of that church. Consequently the sign, that they should eat in the first year that which springeth up of itself, signifies the celestial good which the Lord will implant in them; that which further groweth in the second year, signifies the truth of that good which shall come from it. To sow, to reap, to plant vineyards, and to eat the fruit of them, signify all the goods and truths which flow forth therefrom; to sow and reap, signifies the implantation of good and its reception; to plant vineyards, the implantation of truth and its reception. To eat the fruit of them, signifies the enjoyment which the regenerate man has of goods and of the things therefrom that give satisfaction. These things are called a sign, because they are testifications concerning the celestial church with those who are meant in the spiritual sense by Judah, whose regeneration is effected from the Lord by means of the implantation of celestial good, afterwards by means of the implantation of spiritual good, which in its essence is the truth of celestial good, and, lastly, by multiplication and fructification in the natural man.

[18] In the same:

"Thus said Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, and his Former; they asked of me signs concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands they command me; I have raised him up in justice, and I will make straight all his ways. He shall build my city and let go my captivity, not for price, or for reward" (Isaiah 45:11, 13).

This also treats of the Lord's coming, and of the establishment of a church by Him. The Lord is meant by Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, and His Former. He is called the Holy One of Israel from Divine Truth, and His Former from the establishment of a church by its means, and Israel denotes the church; therefore His sons, concerning whom they asked signs, mean those who are in truths from the Lord, while the work of His hands means their formation and the establishment of the church among them. I have raised Him up in justice, and all His ways will I make straight, signifies that Divine Good and Divine Truth are His; for justice, in the Word, is used in reference to good, and ways signify truths, leading, in this case, Divine truths, because they are spoken of the Lord. He shall build my city, and let go my captivity, signifies that He will restore the doctrine of truth, and liberate those who are in falsities from ignorance, a city signifying the doctrine of truth, and captivity the falsities of ignorance in which the nations were, and through which they were in spiritual captivity. Not for price, or for reward, signifies freely given from Divine Love.

[19] In the same:

"Let them relate to you the things which shall happen, declare ye those former things, that we may set our heart, and may know the latter end of them; or cause us to hear things to come, declare to us a sign for the future, that we may know that ye are gods" (Isaiah 41:22, 23).

That to tell things past and to come belongs to the Lord alone, and not to any man or spirit, is expressed by "declare a sign for the future, that we may know that ye are gods"; this concludes that which precedes, therefore to declare a sign is to testify by persuading to believe.

In Ezekiel:

"Take to thee a pan of iron, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city, and thou shalt set thy faces against it, that it may be for a siege, and thou shalt lay siege to it; this shall be a sign to the house of Israel" (4:3).

[20] These and the rest of the things in this chapter are representative of the state of the church with the Jewish nation, signifying that they had no truth that was not falsified and adulterated, which in itself is falsity. Such truth is signified by the pan of iron which he was to set for a wall between himself and the city; and because this is hard, like iron, excluding and not admitting any genuine truth, it is said, "that it may be for a siege, and thou shalt lay siege to it." That this sign should be a witness concerning the church as being such is signified by "this shall be a sign to the house of Israel," a sign denoting testification, and the house of Israel the church.

[21] In David:

"The enemy hath destroyed all things in the sanctuary; the enemies roared in the midst of thy feast; they have set their signs for signs. We see not our signs; there is no more a prophet" (Psalm 74:3, 4, 9).

The enemy hath destroyed all things in the sanctuary, signifies that evil has destroyed the holy things of the church; the enemies have roared in the midst of thy feast, signifies that falsities have destroyed all things of worship; they have set their signs for signs, signifies that they have testified and persuaded by every means. We see not our signs, signifies that no testifications of truth were accepted in the church; there is no more a prophet, signifies no doctrine of truth.

[22] In the same:

Jehovah, "make me a sign for good, that they that hate me may see and be ashamed, that thou, Jehovah, hast helped me, and consoled me" (Psalm 86:17).

To make a sign for good, signifies testification that Jehovah will help and console him, as is said afterwards, for this is the good for which Jehovah makes a sign; because a sign is testification of this, therefore it is said, "that they that hate me may see and be ashamed."

[23] In the same:

God, "who setteth fast the mountains by his strength, is girded with power; who maketh the tumult of the seas to cease, the tumult of the waves thereof and the noise of the peoples, that the inhabitants of the uttermost parts may fear because of thy signs" (Psalm 65:6-8).

Thus is described the Lord's Divine Power through testifications that induce belief. But testifications that are signs, are not His setting fast the mountains, making the tumult of the seas and of the waves thereof to cease, and the noise of the peoples, for these are not such signs as convince those who ascribe all things to nature, but the signs that testify to the Lord's Divine Power are those meant in the spiritual sense, in which sense heaven and the church are treated of. For in that sense the mountains which God setteth fast by His strength mean the higher heavens, because the angels of those heavens dwell upon mountains; and in the abstract sense, love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour are meant; these are what the Lord girds with power, setteth fast by His strength, that is He causes them to subsist for ever. That mountains have such a signification, may be seen above (n. 405). The tumult of the seas and the tumult of the waves, mean the disputations and reasonings of those who are beneath the heavens, and who are natural and sensual. That seas signify the things of the natural man, thus those who are natural, and that therefore their tumults and waves signify their disputations and reasonings, may also be seen above (n. 342). The noise of the peoples means contradictions from falsities, for peoples signify those who are in truths, and, in the opposite sense, those who are in falsities, as may be seen above (n. 175, 331, 625). That the inhabitants of the uttermost parts may fear because of Thy signs, signifies holy worship from faith concerning the Divine Power with those who are in the ultimates of heaven and of the church. That to fear denotes to worship the Lord from charity and faith, may be seen above (n. 696); and that the inhabitants of the uttermost parts denote those who are in the ultimates of heaven and of the church, and are in the faith of charity there, is evident from this, that the uttermost parts are the ultimates of heaven and of the church. From these things it is evident that signs here signify testifications concerning the Lord's Divine Power.

[24] In Jeremiah:

"This shall be a sign unto you, that I will visit upon you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall stand upon you for evil; behold, I give the king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his soul" (44:29, 30).

This treats of those of the church who have become natural, meant by those who sojourned in Egypt, and returned therefrom. That such would be destroyed by evils and falsities is meant by, He will give the king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his soul, enemies there denoting those who are in evils, and them that seek the soul, those who are in falsities, thus, in an abstract sense, evils and falsities. That Egypt means the natural man may be seen above (n. 654). This is called a sign, because it is a testification that this will come to pass. Therefore it is said, that ye may know that My words shall stand upon you for evil.

[25] That a sign means testification concerning the certainty of a thing, is evident also from the following passages.

In Isaiah:

"Hezekiah said, What is the sign that I shall go up into the house of Jehovah?" (38:22).

In the book of Judges:

Gideon said unto the angel of Jehovah, "Show me a sign that thou art he who speaketh to me;" and the sign was this, when he touched with the staff the flesh and unleavened cakes, which Gideon offered, a fire went up out of the rock, and consumed them (6:17, 21).

In the First Book of Samuel:

"This shall be a sign unto thee, which shall come upon thy two sons; in one day they shall both die" (2:34).

In the same book:

"If the Philistines say, Come up unto us, then will we go up, because Jehovah hath given them into our hand; this shall be the sign unto us" (14:10).

Almost similar things are signified by the "Signs of the covenant" (Genesis 9:13; 17:11; Ezekiel 20:12, 20; and elsewhere), namely, testifications concerning conjunction. Testifications are also signified by the signs performed by the evil which appeared like miracles, in the following passages.

[26] In Isaiah:

Jehovah "rendereth vain the signs of the liars, he rendereth the diviners insane, turning the wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish" (44:25).

In Jeremiah:

"Jehovah hath said, Learn not the way of the nations, and be not dismayed at the signs of the heavens; for the nations are dismayed at them; the statutes of the nations are vanity" (Jeremiah 10:2, 3).

In the Apocalypse:

The beast coming up out of the earth "made great signs, so that he even maketh fire to come down from heaven unto the earth before men, and seduceth them that worship upon the earth, on account of the signs which were given him to do" (13:13,14).

Again:

"They are the spirits of demons, making signs to go forth unto the kings of the earth, to gather them together to the war of that great day" (16:14).

And again:

"The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet, who made signs before them, by which he seduced them that had received the mark of the beast" (19:20).

But what is meant by signs upon the hand and in the forehead, may be seen above (n. 427). Moreover, the signs which were set upon the mountains to gather the people together to war, to battle, and so on, signified indications to perform the things commanded.

As in Isaiah:

"It shall be in that day the nations shall seek the root of Jesse, which standeth for a sign of the peoples, and his rest shall be glory. When he shall lift up a sign to the nations, and shall gather together the outcasts of Israel and the dispersed of Judah from the four winds of the earth" (11:10-12).

In Jeremiah:

"Set thee up signs, make thee pillars, set thy heart to the highway, the way thou goest" (31:21).

In the same:

"Announce among the nations, and cause it to be heard, and lift up a sign, Babel is taken" (50:2).

In the same:

"Against the walls of Babel lift up a sign, keep custody, appoint guards; lift up a sign in the land, sound the trumpet among the nations" (51:12, 27);

and elsewhere, especially in the historical parts of the Word. From all that has been quoted from the Word, it is evident that a great sign seen in heaven signifies Divine manifestation and testification, as also in the third verse of this chapter, and afterwards in chap. 15:1.

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627. And there was given to me a reed like a staff.- That this signifies the mode of visitation, that is, of exploring the quality of the church as to truth and as to good, is evident from the signification of a reed, which denotes the means by which quality is explored; for by measuring is signified to explore, and by measure, the quality of a thing. The reed, therefore, by means of which the temple and the altar were measured, as now follows, or the measuring reed, signifies the mode of exploring quality. The mode of exploring the quality of the church as to truth and as to good is denoted, because, according to what follows, the temple and the altar were measured and those adoring therein, which signifies the church as to truth and as to good, and therefore as to worship.

[2] The reed also signifies visitation, because visitation is the exploration of the quality of the men of the church, and because visitation precedes a Last Judgment, which is afterwards treated of. The nature of that visitation or exploration is evident from the visitation in Sodom. Angels were first sent there, and by means of them visitation or exploration was made in regard to the quality of their reception, that is, in regard to the quality of the reception of Divine Truth and Divine Good, for those angels represented the Lord as to the proceeding Divine; and after its exploration - because none in Sodom except Lot desired to receive them but wished to do them injury - their destruction came, which means their final judgment.

[3] The reason why the measurement was taken by means of a reed, is, that a reed or cane signifies Divine Truth in the ultimate of order, and a staff, which the reed resembled, signifies power, and by means of truth in the ultimate of order and its power, all visitation or exploration takes place. For all truths even from primaries (primis) are simultaneous, or co-exist in the ultimate; therefore all things effected from the Divine take place from primaries by means of ultimates, in this case visitation or exploration, and this truth is signified by a reed or cane.

[4] Similarly it is said in the Apocalypse that one of the seven angels had a golden reed, with which he measured the city Jerusalem, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof; and that he measured the city with a reed twelve thousand furlongs (Apoc. 21:15, 16). And in Ezekiel it is said that in the hand of the angel there was a line of flax and a measuring reed; the reed was of six cubits, and with it he measured the length, the breadth, and the height of the building, the gate, the porch, the court, the temple, and many other things (40:3, 5, 6, 8, 11, 13, 17, and following verses; 41:1-5, 13, 14, 22; 42:1 to end). That the measuring reed here also means the mode of exploring the church in regard to truth and good, is evident from this fact, that the angel measured the length, breadth, and height of the temple in detail. And by length is signified good, by breadth, truth, and by height, the degrees of good and truth from highest or inmost to lowest or ultimate things. Concerning this signification of length and breadth, see Heaven and Hell 197). That a reed signifies truth in ultimates, by means of which exploration takes place, is also evident from the fact that there was a line of flax in the hand of the angel, which also signifies truth; similarly from the length of the reed being six cubits, six signifying the same as three, that is, truths in their entire compass, as may be seen above (n. 384, 532). That to measure signifies to explore the quality of a thing, will be seen in the following article.

[5] Ultimate truth, or truth in the ultimate of order, means sensual truth, such as truth is in the sense of the letter of the Word to those who are merely sensual. Divine Truth in its descent proceeds according to degrees, from the highest or inmost to the lowest or ultimate. Divine Truth in the highest degree is such as the Divine is that goes forth immediately from the Lord, thus the Divine Truth above the heavens, and this, being infinite, cannot come to the perception of any angel. But the Divine Truth of the first degree is that which comes to the perception of the angels of the inmost or third heaven, and is called the celestial Divine Truth; from this comes the wisdom of those angels. The Divine Truth of the second degree is that which comes to the perception of the angels of the middle or second heaven, and is the cause of their wisdom and intelligence; it is called spiritual Divine Truth. The Divine Truth of the third degree is that which comes to the perception of the angels of the ultimate or first heaven, and is the source of their intelligence and knowledge (scientia); it is called celestial-natural and spiritual-natural Divine Truth. But the Divine Truth of the fourth degree is that which comes to the perception of the men of the church living in the world; it is the source of their intelligence and knowledge; this is called natural Divine Truth, and the ultimate of this is called sensual Divine Truth.

[6] These Divine truths, according to their degrees in order, are in the Word, and the Divine Truth in the ultimate degree, or in the ultimate of order, is such as the Divine Truth is in the sense of the letter of the Word, which is for children and the very simple, and these are sensual. It is this Divine Truth that is signified by a reed or cane and because explorations with every one take place by means of this ultimate Divine Truth, as stated above, therefore measurements and weights, in the representative churches, were taken by means of reeds or canes, which signify that Divine Truth. That measurements were taken by means of reeds, has been shown just above; that weights were calculated by means of the same, is evident in Isaiah, "They weigh silver with a reed" (46:6).

[7] Since a reed signifies truth in the ultimates, suitable for the simple and children, who are not spiritual but sensual-natural, therefore it is also said in Isaiah,

"A bruised reed will he not break, and smoking flax will he not quench, and he will bring forth truth into judgment" (42:3).

The subject here is the Lord. He will not break the bruised reed signifies that He will not hurt sensual Divine Truth with the simple and children. The smoking flax will he not quench signifies that He will not destroy the Divine Truth which with the simple and children begins to live from a little good of love; for flax denotes truth, and smoking denotes that it lives from some little degree of love. And because both the reed and the flax signify truth, therefore it is also said of the Lord, that He will bring forth truth into judgment, which means, that He will bring forth intelligence in them, judgment denoting intelligence.

[8] A reed also signifies sensual or ultimate truth, such as pertains to natural men, even the evil; as in the same prophet:

"The dry place shall become a pool, and there shall be grass instead of the reed and rush" (35:7).

This is said concerning the establishment of the church by the Lord. That those who before had no intelligence shall then come into the possession of it by means of spiritual Divine Truth, is signified by the dry place shall become a pool. That then there shall be knowledge (scientia) by means of natural Divine Truth for those who previously possessed only sensual truth is signified by grass, instead of the reed and rush, grass denoting knowledge from a spiritual origin, or that by means of which spiritual truth is confirmed, while reed and rush denote knowledge from a sensual origin, or that by means of which the fallacies of the senses are confirmed. This latter knowledge considered in itself is only the lowest natural knowledge (scientia), which must be designated material and corporeal, in which there is little or nothing of life.

[9] Again:

"The streams shall recede, the rivers of Egypt shall be diminished and dried up, the reed and the flag shall wither" (19:6).

These words, in the spiritual sense, mean that all understanding of Divine Truth will perish. The streams shall recede, signifies that everything connected with spiritual intelligence will depart. The rivers of Egypt shall be diminished and dried up, signifies that everything of natural intelligence shall perish. The reed and the flag shall wither, signifies that ultimate truth, called sensual and which is merely scientific, will vanish. Streams and rivers denote those things that pertain to intelligence, Egypt denotes the Natural, reed and flag, denote truth or the sensual-Scientific, and to recede, to be diminished, to be dried up, and to wither, denote to perish and disappear.

[10] Again:

"Thou hast trusted on the staff of this bruised reed, on Egypt, upon which, when a man leaneth, it entereth into his hand, and pierceth it; so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust on him" (Isaiah 36:6).

Egypt signifies the natural man separated from the spiritual, and the scientific thereof, and the latter, when separated from the intelligence of the spiritual man, becomes foolish, and is used to confirm evils of every kind; it is therefore a false scientific. This then is what is called the staff of a bruised reed; reed, as was said, denoting truth in the ultimate of order, which is sensual-scientific; its being bruised, signifies that it is broken and does not cohere with any interior truth so as to produce consistency; staff denotes the power therefrom of perceiving and reasoning about truths. This then is the meaning of "when a man leaneth upon it, it entereth into his hand, and pierceth it." To lean upon that staff, denotes to trust in one's own power of perceiving truths, and of reasoning about them from the proprium; while to enter into the hand and pierce it, signifies to destroy all intellectual power, and to see and lay hold of mere falsities instead of truths. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust on him, signifies that such is the natural man, separated from the spiritual, in regard to its scientifics, intelligence therefrom, and reasoning from that intelligence.

[11] So in Job:

"Let my shoulder blade fall from the shoulder, and mine arm be thence broken by a reed, because the dread of the destruction of God is upon me, and by reason of his majesty I have no power. Have I made gold my hope, and said to pure gold, My confidence?" (31:22-24).

Here also the subject is concerning the confidence of [man's] own intelligence, from which, as declared in these words in their spiritual sense, nothing of truth can be seen, but mere falsity which does not cohere with any truth. Non-coherence is signified by let my shoulder blade fall from the shoulder, and my arm be thence broken by a reed; the shoulder blade, the shoulder, and the arm, signify power, here, the power to understand and perceive truth. To fall from the shoulder, and to be broken by a reed, signifies to be cut off from the spiritual power of perceiving truth, and to be consequently deceived by the sensual-corporeal man, and to perish by means of falsity. Reed denotes truth in the ultimate of order, which is called sensual-scientific, and which becomes mere falsity when it is of the natural man alone separated from the spiritual. The dread of the destruction of God signifies the loss of the understanding of all truth; by reason of his majesty to have no power, signifies that nothing pertaining to the understanding and perception of truth is from man's proprium, but all from God. To make gold a hope, and to say to pure gold, My confidence, signifies that he did not trust in himself, so as to imagine that anything of good was from himself.

[12] In Ezekiel:

"In order that all the inhabitants of Egypt may know that I am Jehovah, because they have been a staff of a reed to the house of Israel; when they took hold of thee by the hand thou didst break, and didst rend through all their shoulder; and when they leaned upon thee, thou brakest, and madest all their loins to be at a stand" (29:6, 7).

Things similar to those above are here said concerning Egypt. Egypt in this place also signifies the natural man separated from the spiritual, and also its knowledge, which, when applied to evils, is mere falsity. These things are said concerning those in the church who trust in their own intelligence. The sons of Israel signify those who are of the church; their confidence is signified by the staff of a reed; that all power to perceive truth consequently perished with them, is signified by the words, when they took hold of thee by the hand, thou didst break and didst rend through all their shoulder, the shoulder denoting the power or faculty of understanding truth; the loss of this is signified by, "when they leaned upon thee, thou brakest." That consequently all the good of love and charity was destroyed and dissipated, is signified by, "thou madest all their loins to be at a stand," loins denoting the marriage of truth and good, in this case that truth was not united to good. Truth united to good makes the good of love and charity, for all the good of love and charity is formed by truths.

[13] So in David:

"Rebuke the wild beast of the reed" or cane, "the congregation of the strong, among the calves of the people; treading upon plates of silver, he hath scattered the peoples, he desireth wars; the fat ones shall come out of Egypt, Ethiopia shall stretch out quickly her hands to God" (Psalm 68:30, 31).

Here the subject is the kingdom of the Lord. To beware of false knowledge (scientificum), or knowledge out of the natural man separated from the spiritual falsely applied, is meant by, rebuke the wild beast of the reed, or cane. Because those knowledges, proceeding as they do from the fallacies of the senses, strongly persuade, they are called the congregation of the strong. The calves of the people denote the goods of the church in the natural man; the plates of silver denote the truths of the church; to tread upon and disperse denotes to destroy and dissipate, and this is done by those who are natural and sensual, and who think naturally and sensually, and not at the same time spiritually, thus who think from the natural and sensual man separated from the spiritual; this man is meant by the wild beast of the reed, or cane. To desire wars, signifies reasonings against truths; fat ones from Egypt and Ethiopia denote those who are in the knowledge (scientia) of spiritual things, and in the cognitions of truth and good, who will draw near to the kingdom of the Lord, because they are in light from the spiritual man.

[14] So in the First Book of Kings:

"Jehovah shall smite Israel as a reed noddeth in the waters, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land" (14:15).

The vastation of the church with the sons of Israel is compared to the nodding of a reed or cane in the waters, because the reed or cane signifies the truth of the sensual man, which is ultimate truth, and when this truth is separated from the light of the spiritual man it is falsity. For the sensual man derives every thing which it possesses from appearances in the world, and therefore reasonings from these concerning spiritual things are pure fallacies and from fallacies come falsities. What the fallacies of the senses are in spiritual things, and that falsities proceed therefrom, may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 53); also in the explanation above (n. 575); and that sensual scientifics are pure fallacies, when the sensual man reasons from them (n. 569, 581); also, what the Sensual is, and the quality of the sensual man, may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 50).

[15] It is said in the Evangelists, that they placed a reed in the right hand of the Lord, and that afterwards they took the reed, and smote Him with it on the head (Matthew 27:29, 30; Mark 15:19); and also, that they put a sponge upon the reed and gave Him vinegar to drink (Matthew 27:48; Mark 15:36).

Those who have no knowledge of the spiritual sense of the Word may suppose that these and many other things related concerning the passion of the Lord, refer merely to common modes of derision; for they placed a crown of thorns upon His head, they parted His garments among them but not the tunic, and bent the knee before Him in mockery; also, as stated here, they placed a reed in His right hand and afterwards smote His head with it; they also filled a sponge with vinegar, or myrrhed wine, and placed it upon a reed, and gave Him to drink.

[16] But it must be understood that every thing related concerning the passion of the Lord, signifies the mockery of Divine Truth, and therefore the falsification and adulteration of the Word, because the Lord, when in the world, was the Divine Truth itself, which is the Word in the church. For this reason He permitted the Jews to treat Him in the same way that they treated Divine Truth, or the Word, by its falsification and adulteration; for they applied every thing in the Word to their own loves, and ridiculed every truth that did not agree with their loves, just as they did the Messiah Himself, because He did not become king over the whole world, and exalt them, according to their interpretation and religion, in glory above all peoples and nations. That every thing related concerning the passion of the Lord signifies such things, may be seen above (n. 64, 83, 195). By their placing a reed in the hand of the Lord and afterwards smiting His head with it, is signified that they falsified the Divine Truth or the Word, and utterly derided Divine wisdom and the understanding of truth. By a reed is signified falsity in extremes, as above, and by smiting the head is signified to reject and deride Divine wisdom and the understanding of truth, for the head of the Lord signifies Divine wisdom; and because they gave the Lord vinegar to drink, which signifies what is falsified, therefore they also filled a sponge with it, and placed it upon a reed, by which is signified falsities in extremes, which is falsity sustaining.