704. And great hail, signifies infernal falsity destroying the truths and goods of the church. This is evident from the signification of "hail," as being infernal falsity destroying the truths of the church (of which above, n. 503; and as it is called a "great hail," and "great" is predicated of good, and "many" of truth (See above, n. 652, 696, so "great hail" signifies also infernal falsity destroying the goods of the church. Besides lightnings, thunders, and an earthquake, great hail also was seen, because in the spiritual world there appear all the things that are in the natural world, as mists, clouds, rains, snow, and hail, and these though appearances are nevertheless real, arising from correspondences; for the celestial and spiritual Divine things that belong to the affections and the thoughts therefrom, thus to the good of love and the truth of that good with angels, when they descend into the next lower sphere put on forms like those of natural things, and thus present themselves before the eyes to be seen; thus correspondences are formed. So is it with lightnings, thunders, and hail. For this hail is formed by the flowing down of Divine truth where the evil are, who by reasonings draw false conclusions, and by these oppose truths and destroy them. For when Divine truth flows down out of the heavens into the sphere that is about the evil and that appears like a mist formed from their evil affections and from the resulting falsities of their thoughts, then that influx is turned into various things, and into hail with those who think from evils and falsities in opposition to the goods and truths of heaven and the church, and who violently assault them. The reason of this is that their affections and the thoughts therefrom, which are of falsity against truths, are destitute of all heavenly heat; therefore the rain which also falls down out of the heavens into the lower parts congeals into snow or into hail, and that hail destroys all things with them that are green and growing, and also their dwelling places, just like it is said of the hail in Egypt. The hail destroys because the things that are "green and growing" signify the truths of the church, and "the dwelling places" its goods, which such destroy with themselves. This takes place, as has been said, according to correspondence. Moreover, the hail appears congealed into larger or smaller grains according to their stronger or milder attacks upon truths by falsities; the larger grains are called in the Word "hail-stones," because "stones" also signify falsities. From this it can now be seen why "great hail" signifies infernal falsity destroying the truths and goods of the church.