406. Hitherto it has been shown what mountain signifies; it now remains to be shown what island signifies, for it is said,

"Every mountain and island were moved out of their places."

And elsewhere:

"Every island fled away, and the mountains were not found" (Apoc. 16:20).

By islands in the Word are not meant islands, nor those who dwell upon islands, but the natural man is meant as to the truths which are in him, and hence, in the abstract, the truths of the natural man are signified. The truths of the natural man are truths scientific (vera scientifica), which are under the view of the rational man, and the knowledges (cognitions) of truth are what are under the view of the spiritual man; knowledges of truth are what the natural man knows from the Word, and truths scientific are what the natural man sees from the Rational, by which also he is accustomed to confirm the truths of the church.

There are in man two minds, the one higher or interior, called the spiritual mind, and the other lower or exterior, called the natural mind. The natural mind is first opened and cultivated in men because this is nearest the world; the spiritual mind, however, is opened and cultivated afterwards, but only in proportion as man by life receives the knowledges of truth from the Word, or from doctrine from the Word; therefore it is not opened with those who do not apply them to the life. And when the spiritual mind is opened, then the light of heaven flows in through that mind into the natural [mind], and enlightens it, and thus this mind becomes spiritual-natural; for the spiritual mind then sees in the Natural, nearly as a man sees his face in a mirror, and acknowledges those things which agree with itself; but when the spiritual mind is not opened, as is the case with those who do not apply to their life the knowledges of truth and good in the Word, then a mind is still formed with such a man inwardly in the Natural, but this mind consists of actual evils and falsities. The reason is, that the spiritual mind is not opened, by which the light of heaven can be let into the Natural by a direct way, but only through chinks round about, whence a man has the faculty to think, to reason, and speak, and also the power to understand truths; but still not that of loving them, or of doing them from affection. For the faculty of loving truths because they are truths, is only possible by the influx of the light of heaven through the spiritual mind; for the light of heaven [flowing in] through the spiritual mind is conjoined with the heat of heaven, which is love, such as the light of the world is comparatively in the time of spring; but the light of heaven flowing only through chinks into the Natural, is a light separated from the heat of heaven, which is love, such as the light of the world is comparatively in the time of winter.

Hence it may be evident, that the man with whom the spiritual mind is opened, is like a garden and a paradise; and that the man with whom the spiritual mind is not opened, is like a desert, and land covered with snow; because the mind makes the man, for the mind of man consists of understanding and will; hence it is the same whether you say the mind or the man, or whether you say the spiritual and natural mind, or you say the spiritual and natural man. The natural mind, or natural man, as to its truths and falsities, is signified by islands in the Word; as to truths, with those with whom the spiritual mind is opened, and as to falsities, with those with whom the spiritual mind is shut.

[2] That these are signified by islands, is evident from the following passages in the Word.

In Ezekiel:

"Thus said the Lord Jehovih to Tyre; Shall not the islands shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the slaughter is accomplished in the midst of thee? And all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones. The isles shall tremble in the day of thy fall, and the isles that are in the sea shall be troubled at thy departure. All the inhabitants of the isles were astonished at thee, and their kings were sore afraid, their faces were troubled" (26:15, 16, 18; 27:35).

In these two chapters the subject treated of is Tyre, by which is signified the church as to the knowledges (cognitions) of truth and good, and thence are signified in the abstract the knowledges of good and truth. The intelligence and wisdom of the men of the church, by the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, are here first treated of, and afterwards the church vastated as to these. The church vastated as to these, or where the knowledges of truth and good have perished, is described by what is said by the prophet in those verses; the vastation of the knowledges of truth and good by, "when the wounded cry, and when the slaughter is accomplished in the midst of thee," for by the wounded are meant those with whom truths are extinguished, and by the slaughter is meant the very extinction of truth and good. That then all the knowledges (cognitions) which man from his infancy has imbibed from the Word, and all the truths scientific by which he has confirmed them, are disturbed, moved out of their place, and recede, is signified by, "the islands shall shake, and all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones"; also by, "The isles shall tremble in the day of thy fall, and the isles that are in the sea shall be troubled"; the isles denoting such knowledges and scientifics as are in the natural man; the princes of the sea denoting primary things therein; the sea signifying the natural man and all things therein in general. That all the goods of truth of the natural man, from the knowledges of truth having been vastated, shall be changed as to their state, is signified by, "All the inhabitants of the isles were astonished at thee, and their kings were afraid, their faces were troubled." The inhabitants of the isles denote the goods of truth of the natural man; for by, to inhabit, in the Word, is signified to live, and by inhabitants, the goods of life; kings denote all truths from good; faces signify the interiors and the affections; to be astonished, afraid, and disturbed, signify to be altogether changed as to state. From these things it is evident what those things involve in the internal sense, namely, that all the knowledges of truth and good, and the confirming scientifics which a man from infancy has learnt from the Word, and from teachers, shall change their places and their state in the natural man, and are unseen, when falsities enter.

[3] In Isaiah:

"The king of Assyria shall lead the captivity of Egypt, and the crowd of Ethiopia [which is] to be carried away; then they shall be afraid and ashamed for Ethiopia their expectation, and for Egypt their glory; and the inhabitant of this isle shall say in that day, Behold, such is our expectation, whither we flee for help, that we may be delivered from before the king of Assyria; and how shall we be liberated?" (20:4-6).

From these words no one can perceive anything respecting the church, but only a something obscurely historical, the occurrence of which is not known, as that the king of Assyria shall lead away Egypt and Ethiopia into captivity, and that the dwellers of some isle would grieve in heart over it; but yet, here as elsewhere, the concerns of the church are treated of, which concerns are evident when it is known that the king of Assyria signifies the Rational perverted, and thence reasoning from false scientifics which favour the delight of the natural loves, over which the natural man grieves, because it is perverted thereby. For by, "the king of Assyria shall lead the captivity of Egypt, and the crowd of Ethiopia [which is] to be carried away," is signified, that the perverted Rational will claim to itself the scientifics of the natural man, and will confirm itself thereby, and also by its delights, which [such scientifics] favour. The king of Assyria denotes the perverted Rational; to lead captive, and carry away the crowd, denotes to apply them and to confirm them. Egypt denotes the scientific of the natural man, and Ethiopia denotes the delight which it favours. That the goods of truth of the natural man grieve on that account, or that the natural man, in which are the goods of truth, grieves, is signified by all those things that follow, namely, that "they shall be afraid and ashamed for Ethiopia their expectation, and for Egypt their glory; and the inhabitant of the isle shall say in that day"; with what follows. The inhabitant of the isle denotes the good of truth of the natural man, or the natural man in whom is the good of truth; the inhabitant signifying good, and an island truth, both in the natural man (as above). That there is such a sense in these words can hardly be believed, when yet it is therein.

[4] In the same:

"They shall lift up their voice, they shall shout; for the majesty of Jehovah they shall cry from the sea. Wherefore honour Jehovah in the fire (urim), the name of the God of Israel in the isles of the sea" (24:14, 15).

The vastation of the church is treated of in this chapter, and in these verses the establishment of a new church among the Gentiles; the joy of these is what is described by, "They shall lift up their voice, they shall shout; for the majesty of Jehovah they shall cry from the sea," or from the west. For by the sea, when the west is meant thereby, is signified the Natural. The reason is that those who dwell in the western quarter in the spiritual world are in natural good, but in the eastern quarter those who are in celestial good; and because the Gentiles, from whom the church [was formed], were in natural good, it is therefore said, honour ye Jehovah in the fire (urim), the name of the God of Israel in the isles of the sea. By this is signified that they would worship the Lord from the goods and truths of the natural man, for the term urim signifies fire, or a hearth, by which is denoted the good of love of the natural man. The isles of the sea signify the knowledges of truth and good, which are the truths of the natural man; and to honour signifies to worship and adore. By Jehovah and the God of Israel is meant the Lord, who is called Jehovah where the subject treated of is good, and the God of Israel where the subject is truth; it is therefore said, "honour ye Jehovah in the fire" (urim), that is, from good, and "the name of the God of Israel in the isles of the sea," that is, from truths. Hence also it is evident, that by the isles of the sea are signified the truths of the natural man.

[5] In the same:

"He shall not extinguish, neither break in pieces, till he have set judgment in the earth; and the isles shall hope in his law. Sing unto Jehovah a new song, his praise the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, its fulness; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit; let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory unto Jehovah, and declare his praise in the islands" (42:4, 10-12).

The Lord and the new church to be established by Him, are also here treated of, and by the isles are meant those who are only in truths from the natural man, and, consequently, who are as yet remote from true worship; hence by, "till he have set judgment in the earth, and the isles shall hope in his law," is signified, until He has given intelligence to those who belong to the church, and knowledges of truth to those who are more remote from the church. To set judgment denotes to give intelligence; to hope in the law denotes to give the knowledges of truth, for the earth signifies those who are of the church, and, in the abstract, the church itself as to intelligence from spiritual truths; and the isles, those who are remote from the church, and, in the abstract, the church as to the knowledges of truth and good, or the church as to the truths of the natural man corresponding to spiritual truths. By, "Sing unto Jehovah a new song, his praise the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and the fulness thereof," is signified the worship of the Lord by those who are remote from the church, and, in an abstract sense, the worship of the natural man from truths and goods. To sing a song, and to praise, signify worship from a glad mind; the end of the earth signifies those who are in the ultimates of the church, and, in an abstract sense, the ultimates of it. The sea and the fulness thereof, signify the natural man and all things therein. The isles and the inhabitants signify the truths and goods of the natural man; the isles the truths thereof, and the inhabitants the goods thereof, as said above. What is signified by, "Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, and the villages that Kedar doth inhabit; let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains," see above (n. 405), where they are explained. By, "Let them give glory unto Jehovah, and declare his praise in the islands," is signified worship from internals and externals. To give glory denotes worship from internals, and to declare praise denotes to worship from externals, for externals declare; and islands denote the truths of the natural man, from which worship [proceeds].

[6] In the same:

"Attend unto me, my people, and give ear unto me, O my nation; for a law shall proceed from me, and I will stir up my judgment for a light of the people. My justice is near, my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the peoples; the isles shall hope in me, and on mine arm shall they trust" (51:4, 5).

These things are said concerning the Lord; "Attend unto me, my people, and give ear unto me, O my nation," signifies all of the church who are in truths and goods; people denoting those who are in truths, and nation those who are in goods. It is said, attend and give ear, in the plural, because all are meant. "A law shall proceed from me, and I will stir up my judgment for a light of the people," signifies that from Him [are] Divine good and Divine truth, whence is enlightenment; law signifying the Divine good of the Word, and judgment the Divine truth of the Word. For a light of the people signifies enlightenment. "My justice is near, my salvation is gone forth," signifies judgment, when those are saved who are in the good of love and in the truths thence. Justice is said of the salvation of those who are in good at the day of judgment, and salvation of the salvation of those who are in truths. "Mine arms shall judge the people," signifies judgment upon those of the church who are in falsities, people here being taken in an opposite sense. "The isles shall hope in me, and on mine arm shall they trust," signifies the approach of those to the church who are remote from the truths of the church, and their trust in the Lord; isles signifying, those who are remote from the truths of the church, because they are in natural light, and not yet in spiritual light from the Word; and to trust on His arm, signifies confidence in the Lord who has all power; arm, when said of the Lord, denoting omnipotence.

[7] In the same:

"Listen, O isles, and hearken, ye people from afar" (49:1).

Isles [stand] for those who are in truths, and people from afar for those who are in goods, and, in the abstract, truths and goods, both in the natural man. From afar is said of the goods in the natural man, whereas near [is said] of the goods in the spiritual man. People here signify goods, because in the original tongue they are called by a different expression from the people by whom are signified truths; for by this expression they are also denominated nations, by whom are signified goods, as is evident from the same expression in Genesis (25:26).

[8] In Jeremiah:

"Hear the Word of Jehovah, ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off" (31:10).

Nations mean those who are in goods, and, in the abstract, goods; and islands mean those who are in truths, and, in the abstract, truths in the natural man. Afar off signifies remote from the truths of the church, which are spiritual (that afar off signifies this, may be seen, n. 8918); but those words, in the purely spiritual sense, signify that the internal man shall teach the external, or the spiritual the whole natural [man] the truths of the Word, for this it is that the nations declare in the islands afar off; but this pure sense, which the angels possess, can scarcely be perceived by men, because they are scarcely able to think apart from persons and places; because the thought of men is natural, and natural thought differs from spiritual thought in this, that it is tied down to places and persons, and is, consequently, more finite than the spiritual. This also is the reason why many things that have been explained, perhaps hardly fall into the ideas of the thought of those who keep the sight of the mind upon the meaning of the expressions.

[9] In David:

"The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring a present; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer a gift" (Psalms 72:10).

These words relate to the Lord, and by to bring and offer a present is meant to worship. And by the kings of Tarshish and of the isles are meant the interior and exterior truths of the natural man; by the kings of Tarshish, the interior truths, and by the islands, the exterior truths thereof. By the kings of Sheba and Seba are meant the interior and exterior goods of the natural man; by Sheba, the interior goods thereof; and by Seba, the exterior goods thereof. By the truths of the natural man are meant the knowledges of truths, and by the goods of the natural man are meant the knowledges of goods. That these are meant by Sheba and Seba, may be seen, n. 1171, 3240; and that the former are meant by Tarshish, will be seen just below; and because those are meant, those also are meant who are in the knowledges of truth and good.

[10] In Isaiah:

"Who are these that fly as clouds, and as doves to their windows? Because the isles confide in me, and the ships of Tarshish in the beginning, to bring thy sons from far" (60:8, 9).

These things also are said concerning the Lord; and by them is signified that those who are in simple truth and good, who are such as perceive the truths of the Word in a natural manner, that is, according to the sense of the letter, and do them, would receive and acknowledge Him. The islands signify those who perceive the Word in a natural manner, that is, according to the sense of the letter; and "the ships of Tarshish in the beginning" denote the goods which they bear and do; for Tarshish signifies the natural man as to knowledges, and "Tarshish in the beginning" the natural man as to the knowledges of good, because there were gold and silver in Tarshish, and the ships carried these things thence (1 Kings 10:22), and gold in the beginning, by which is signified good; and because truths are from good, it is therefore said also, "to bring thy sons from far." And because by islands and the ships of Tarshish are signified the knowledges of truth and good pertaining to the natural man, it is therefore said, "Who are these that fly as clouds, and as doves to their windows?" clouds signifying the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word; doves, the goods therein; and windows, truths from good in light. (That ships signify the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, may be seen, n. 1977, 6385; and that windows signify truths in light, and thence the intellectual part, n. 655, 658, 3391.)

[11] In the same:

"Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for Tyre is laid waste, so that there is no house, nor doth any one enter; from the land of Chittim he shall plainly come to them. The inhabitants of the island are silent, the merchant of Zidon who passeth over the sea, they have replenished thee. Blush, O Zidon, for the sea saith, I have not travailed, neither brought forth the fortification of the sea. I have not brought up young men, I have not brought virgins to adult age. At the report from Egypt they shall be seized with grief, as at the report of Tyre. Pass over into Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle" (23:1, 2, 4-6).

The desolation of truth in the church is thus described; for by the ships of Tarshish are signified the knowledges of good from the Word, and by Tyre the knowledges of truth thence. That there is no longer good because there are no truths, is signified by, "Howl, ye ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, so that there is no house, nor doth any one enter in." That falsities then enter until there are no longer any goods of truth and truths of good in the natural man, is signified by, "from the land of Chittim he shall plainly come to them." The inhabitants of the island are silent, the merchant of Zidon, who passeth over the sea, they have replenished thee. The land of Chittim signifies falsities; the inhabitants of the island signify the goods of truth in the natural man, as explained above; the merchant of Zidon signifies knowledges from the Word; who passeth over the sea, signifies, which are in the natural man; who have replenished thee, namely, the ships of Tarshish, signifies, who have enriched thee by them. The vastation of truth and good in the natural man is further described by, "Blush, O Zidon; for the sea saith, I have not travailed, neither brought forth the fortification of the sea. I have not brought up young men, I have not brought virgins to adult age." By Zidon, as well as by Tyre, are signified the knowledges of truth and good in the church. By, the sea, even the fortification of the sea, is signified the whole natural man; by, I have not travailed, neither brought forth, is signified that there is not anything of the church conceived or generated; by young men are signified the affections of truth, and by virgins the affections of good. That this was the case in consequence of knowledges from the Word and confirming scientifics being applied to falsities and evils, is signified by, "at the report from Egypt they shall be seized with grief, as at the report of Tyre." Egypt signifies scientifics; Tyre, knowledges (cognitions) from the Word; here those vastated by falsities and evils to which they are applied; and inasmuch as there is lamentation on this account, it is therefore said, they shall be seized with grief. That all good would thus perish in the natural man, and [all] truth therein, is signified by, pass over into Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle. Tarshish signifies the interior goods and truths in the natural [man]; the inhabitants of the isle signify the exterior goods and truths therein, as also above; to howl signifies grief on account of vastation.

[12] In Jeremiah:

"I took the cup out of Jehovah's hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom Jehovah sent me. All the kings of Tyre, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the isle which is in the passage of the sea" (Jeremiah 25:17-22).

Many nations are enumerated there that are not here adduced; by all these are signified the goods and truths of the church in general and in particular, which are vastated. And by the kings of Tyre and Zidon are signified the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, in the natural man; for all knowledges of truth and good, so far as they are knowledges, are in the natural man. Such become truths and goods when there is a life according to them, because they are received in the spiritual man by life. By, "the kings of the isle which is in the passage of the sea," are signified the knowledges of truth in the ultimate of the natural man, which is called the Natural Sensual, because through this there is a passage into the interiors of the natural man, the sea signifying the natural man in general (as may be seen above, n. 275, 342). The vastation of these things is meant by the cup of Jehovah which he made the nations to drink.

[13] In the same:

"Because of the day that cometh to lay waste all the Philistines, and to cut off from Tyrus and Zidon every helper that remaineth; for Jehovah layeth waste the Philistines, the remnant of the island of Caphtor" (47:4).

By the Philistines are meant those who are in faith alone, or in faith separate from charity, therefore they are also called the uncircumcised, by which is signified that they have no charity (see n. 2049, 3412, 8093, 8313). By cutting off from Tyre and Zidon every helper that remaineth, is signified that they have no longer any knowledge of truth and good; the helper that remaineth signifies that they are no longer concordant; the same is also signified by the remnant of the island of Caphtor.

[14] In the same:

"Pass over into the isles of the Chittimites, and see; send into Arabia, and consider well, and see whether there be such a thing, whether a nation hath changed their gods" (2:10, 12).

That they would pass over and send into the isles of the Chittimites and into Arabia, does not signify that they would send thither, but to all who live naturally in truths and goods according to their religion. The isles of the Chittimites denote where those are who live naturally in truths, and Arabia where they are who live naturally in goods, namely, according to their religion. The Chittimites and Arabia signify such persons and such things; for all those who have not the Word, or any revelation from heaven, and live according to their religion, live naturally; for to live spiritually is to live only according to truths and goods from the Word, and from revelation out of heaven.

[15] In Zephaniah:

"Jehovah will be formidable upon them: for he will make lean all the gods of the nations, that they may worship him, every one from his place; all the isles of the nations, ye Ethiopians also, shall be slain by my sword" (2:11, 12).

By these words in the internal sense, is signified that the falsities of evil will be dissipated, and that truths and goods will be given to those who indeed are in falsities, but not in the falsities of evil. By the gods of the nations, which Jehovah will make lean, are signified the falsities of evil; by gods, falsities; by the nations, evils; and by making lean is signified the removal of evils from falsities. By the isles of the nations, and by the Ethiopians, are signified those who indeed are in falsities, but not in the falsities of evil, and abstractedly, falsities, but not the falsities of evil. And because falsities not of evil are in the natural man, therefore, by the isles of the nations is signified the natural man as to those, or as to those falsities in the natural man; these falsities are signified by, slain by my sword. (Concerning the falsities of evil, and the falsities not of evil, see the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 21.)

[16] In David:

"He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. The islands shall bow themselves before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust" (Psalms 72:8, 9).

These things are said concerning the Lord; and by having dominion from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth, is meant His dominion over all things of heaven and the church; for in the spiritual world the boundaries are seas, and the intermediates are earths, where there are habitations for angels and spirits. Hence by, "from sea to sea," are signified all things of heaven, and because all things of heaven all things of the church are also signified; for the goods of love, and the truths thence, constitute heaven and also the church, therefore by, "from sea to sea," are signified also all things of the church. All things of heaven and of the church are signified by, "from the river unto the ends of the earth"; but by these words are signified all things of heaven and of the church as to truths, and by, from sea to sea, all things of heaven and of the church as to goods. For seas in the spiritual world are the boundaries of the earth east and west; and in the earths from the east towards the west dwell those who are in the good of love; but the river signifies the first boundary, and the ends of the earth [signify] the last [boundaries] from south to north, where those dwell who are in truths from good, which boundaries also the rivers Jordan and Euphrates respectively represented to the land of Canaan. The places that are about the ultimate boundaries, are meant by islands, by which, therefore, are signified truths in ultimates; these, although they are not truths are still accepted as truths. For genuine truths are diminished from the centre towards the boundaries, because those who are around the boundaries are in natural light, and thus not in spiritual light. By enemies are signified evils, concerning whom it is said that they shall lick the dust, that is, that they are accursed.

[17] In the same:

"Jehovah reigneth; the earth shall rejoice; many isles shall be glad" (Psalms 97:1).

By these words is signified that the church where the Word is and the church where the Word is not, consequently, those who are in spiritual truths and those who are not in spiritual truths, shall rejoice on account of the Lord's kingdom. By the earth is signified the church where the Word is, and by the islands [the church] where the Word is not, consequently, those who are remote from spiritual truths; for the truths of the Word are alone spiritual, whereas with those who are outside the church, because they have not the truths of the Word, there are only natural truths; hence it is that they are called islands.

[18] By islands in the Word are not meant some islands of the sea, but places in the spiritual world inhabited by those who are in a natural knowledge of cognitions (scientia cognitionum) in some degree harmonising with the knowledges of truth and good in the Word; these places sometimes appear there as islands in the sea; whence, in an abstract sense, by islands are signified the truths of the natural man. This denomination is from the sea, in which there are islands, for the sea signifies the generals of truth, or the truths of the natural man in general. These things are signified by islands in Genesis:

"The sons of Javan were Elishah and Tarshish, Kittim and Dodanim. From these were the isles of the nations dispersed in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations" (10:4, 5).

And in Isaiah:

"He shall come to gather all nations and tongues, that they may come and see my glory. And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the nations" (66:18, 19; likewise Isaiah 11:10-12).

[19] Because most things in the Word have also an opposite sense, so also have islands; in which sense islands signify the falsities opposed to the truths which are in the natural man. In this sense islands are mentioned in the following passages.

In Isaiah

"I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools" (42:15).

This may be seen explained in the preceding article.

In Ezekiel:

"I will send a fire on Magog, and among the careless inhabitants of the isles" (39:6).

In Isaiah:

"Anger to his adversaries, retribution to his enemies; to the islands he will retaliate retribution" (59:18).

In the same:

"Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as one of the least of things" (40:15).

The nations here mean evils, and the isles falsities.

In the same:

"Keep silence, O islands; let the people renew their strength; let them come near, then let them speak; let us come near together to judgment. The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth trembled" (41:1, 5).

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.