911. Send Thy sickle and reap, for the hour for Thee to reap is come, for the harvest of the earth is dried up, signifies that it is the time for collecting the good and separating them from the evil, because this is the end of the church. This is evident from the signification of "sending the sickle," as being to collect the good and separate them from the evil (of which presently); also from the signification of "the hour to reap is come," as being the time for doing this; also from the signification of "for the harvest of the earth is dried up," as being the last state or the end of the church, for "harvest" signifies the last state or the end, and "the earth" signifies the church. From this it is clear that "Send Thy sickle and reap, for the hour to reap is come, for the harvest of the earth is dried up," signifies that it is the time for collecting the good and separating them from the evil, because this is the end of the church. "To send the sickle and reap" means to collect the good and to separate them from the evil, because "the harvest of the earth" signifies the last state of the church, when the Last Judgment takes place and the evil are cast into hell and the good raised up into heaven, and thus they are separated.
[2] That the collecting, separation, and Last Judgment do not take place before can be seen in the work on The Last Judgment, and will be more fully explained in the appendix to this book. This is briefly set forth in the Lord's words in Matthew:
Jesus spake this parable: The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a man that sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept his enemy came and sowed tares, and went away. But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. The servants of the father of the family came and said unto him, Lord, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it tares? And he said unto them, An enemy hath done this. But the servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that going we collect them? But he said, Nay, lest haply while ye collect the tares ye root up at the same time the wheat with them. Rather let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Collect first the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn. And His disciples came unto Him, saying, Explain unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He answering said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; and the seed are the sons of the kingdom; but the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy that soweth them is the devil; while the harvest is the consummation of the age; and the reapers are angels. As then the tares are collected and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the consummation of the age. The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall collect out of His kingdom all things that cause stumbling and them that do iniquity, and shall send them into a furnace of fire; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the just shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of the Father (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43).
The Lord by this parable illustrates all that is said in this chapter of Revelation (in verses 14 to 19) respecting the Son of man having a sickle in His hand and reaping, and that the earth was reaped by Him and the angels. For this parable teaches that the "sower" means the Lord, who is here called "the Son of man;" that the "reapers," or "those that reap," mean the angels; also that "the tares shall be cast into a furnace of fire and the good seed gathered into the barn;" and that this could not be done until "the consummation of the age" (which signifies the last state of the church), "lest the wheat should be rooted up at the same time with the tares."
[3] As this parable of the Lord contains arcana respecting the separation of the evil from the good, and the Last Judgment, it is important that its particulars should be explained. "The kingdom of the heavens" signifies the Lord's church in the heavens and on earth; for the church is in both. "The man who sowed good seed in his field" means the Lord as to the Divine truth, which is the Word, in the church; "the man," who is called in the following verses "the Son of man," is the Lord as to the Word; "good seed" is Divine truth; and "field" the church where the Word is. "While men slept his enemy came and sowed tares, and went away," signifies that while men are living a natural life, or the life of the world, evils from hell secretly, or while they are unconscious of it, introduce and implant falsities, "to sleep" signifying to live a natural life or the life of the world, since such a life is sleep as compared with spiritual life, which is wakefulness. The "enemy" signifies evils from hell, which influence that life when it is separated from spiritual life; "to sow tares" signifies to insinuate and implant falsities; "and went away" signifies that it was done secretly and when they were unconscious of it. "But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also," signifies that when truth increased and brought forth good, falsities from evil were mingled with it; "the blade springing up" signifying truth such as it is when it is first received, "fruit" signifying good, and "tares" falsities from evil, here these mingled with truths.
[4] "The servants of the father of the family came and said unto him, Lord, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it tares?" signifies those who are in truths from good perceiving that falsities from evil have been mingled with them, and complaining, "the Lord's servants" signifying those who are in truths from good, "the father of the family" signifying the Lord as to truths from good ("father" the Lord as to good, and "family" the Lord as to truths); the "good seed," the "field," and the "tares," having the same signification as above. "And he said unto them, An enemy hath done this," signifies that such falsities were from evil in the natural man. "But the servants said to him, Lord, wilt thou then that going we collect the tares?" signifies the separation and casting out of falsities from evil before truths from good are received and increase. "But he said, Nay, lest haply while ye collect the tares ye root up at the same time the wheat with them," signifies that thus truth from good and its increase would also perish; for truths are mingled with falsities with the men of the church, and these cannot be separated and the falsities cast out until they are reformed.
[5] "Rather let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Collect first the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn," signifies that the separation and casting out of falsities from evil cannot be effected until it is the last state of the church; since it is then that the falsities of evil are separated from the truths of good, and the falsities of evil are delivered up to hell, and the truths of good are conjoined with heaven, or what is the same, the men who are in them. This takes place in the spiritual world, where all who are of the church from its beginning to its end are in this way separated and judged. The "harvest" signifies the end or the last state of the church; "to bind into bundles" signifies to conjoin together particular kinds of falsities from evil; "to burn" signifies to deliver up to hell; and "to gather into the barn" signifies to conjoin with heaven.
[6] "He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man" signifies the Divine truth from the Lord. "The field is the world" signifies the church everywhere. "The seed are the sons of the kingdom" signifies that the Divine truth is with those who are of the church. "The tares are the sons of the evil one" signifies falsities with those who are in evil. "The enemy that soweth them is the devil" signifies that their falsities are from evil, which is from hell. "The harvest is the consummation of the age" signifies the last time and state of the church. "The reapers are angels" signifies that the Divine truth from the Lord is what separates. "The Son of man shall send forth angels, and they shall collect out of His kingdom all things that cause stumbling," signifies that the Divine truth from the Lord will remove those things that hinder the separation. "They that work iniquity" signifies those who live wickedly. "And shall send them into a furnace of fire" signifies into the hell where those are who are in love of self and in hatred and revenge. "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" signifies where there is what is direful from evils and falsities. "Then shall the just shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of the Father" signifies that those who have done the Lord's commandments shall live in heaven in heavenly loves and their joys; those are called "just" who acknowledge the Lord and do His commandments. Such was to be the state of the angels after the Last Judgment, because the superior power which had before been on the side of hell was then restored to heaven, which was a source of joy to the angels with unceasing increase.
[7] It remains to give some explanation of the Lord's words respecting the separation of the evil from the good, namely, "Rather let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Collect first the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn." This signifies the separation of the evil from the good when the Last Judgment is at hand. Why they were not separated before may be seen in the work on The Last Judgment 59, 70), to which I will here add, that it is according to Divine order for things that must in the end be separated to grow in connection; and that when the end is reached separation is easily and as it were spontaneously effected. This might be illustrated by a thousand lessons of experience in both worlds, and also from correspondences in the animal and vegetable kingdom; from which it can be seen as in a general mirror why the evil were not separated from the good until near the time of the Last Judgment; and this is the signification of the things in Revelation here explained, that the angel said to Him that sat upon the cloud, "Reap, for the hour for Thee to reap is come, for the harvest of the earth is dried up."
[8] Also in the following passages the "harvest" signifies the last state of the church, when the old church has been laid waste, that is, when there is no longer any truth or good left in it that has not been falsified or cast aside. In Joel:
At the valley of Jehoshaphat will I sit to judge all the nations round about. Send forth the sickle, for the harvest is ripe; come, get ye down, for the wine-press is full, the vats overflow, for their wickedness is great (Joel 3:12, 13).
This chapter treats of the falsification of the truth in the Word, and the devastation of the church by it; and this verse treats of the last state of the church, when judgment takes place; and this state is described, as in Revelation, by "sending forth the sickle, for the harvest is ripe," the "harvest" being that last state; also by "the wine-press is full and the vats overflow," as in this chapter of Revelation, Revelation 14:19-20. That judgment then takes place is plainly declared, "the valley of Jehoshaphat," where judgment is executed, signifying the falsification of the Word.
[9] In Jeremiah:
Cut off him that soweth in Babylon and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest (Jeremiah 50:16).
And in the same:
The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing-floor; it is time to thresh her; yet a little while and the time of her harvest shall come (Jeremiah 51:33).
Here, too, "the time of harvest" means the last state of the church, when there is no longer any good or any truth; its devastation is described by "cutting off him that soweth and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest;" also by "threshing as on a threshing-floor," "Babylon" meaning those who seek dominion by means of the holy things of the church.
[10] In Isaiah:
I will bewail for Jazar, the vine of Sibmah; I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh; for upon thy vintage and upon thy harvest the battle shout hath fallen (Isaiah 16:9).
Here again, "harvest" signifies the last state of the church, for "the battle shout" signifies the end, because it was a custom to exult and call out when the vintage was finished and the harvest was gathered in; but here it signifies to lament, because it is said to have fallen. "Jazar, the vine of Sibmah," and "Heshbon and Elealeh," signify men of the external church who explain the Word to favor worldly loves, for these places had been given for an inheritance to the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and these, because they dwelt beyond the Jordan, represented the external church. "The vine of Sibmah" signifies the church of such; and their destruction when the Lord should come and accomplish judgment is also described in that chapter.
[11] In Jeremiah:
The harvest is past, the autumn is ended, and we have not been saved; because of the bruising of my daughter I am bruised (Jeremiah 8:20, 21).
Here again the "harvest" signifies the last state of the church. "Because of the bruising I am bruised" signifies grief that there is no longer any good and truth, "daughter" signifying the affection of truth, and thus the church, for that affection is of the church and the church is from it.
[12] In Isaiah:
It shall come to pass when the harvest, the standing corn, is gathered, and his arm reapeth ears, and there shall be left in it gleanings, as in the shaking of an olive tree, three berries in the top of the bough, four or five in the branches of the fruit-bearing one. In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to blossom; the harvest shall be a heap in the day of possession, and desperate sorrow (Isaiah 17:5, 6, 11).
This chapter treats of the knowledges of truth and good belonging to the church, and of their destruction. These are here signified by "Damascus," of which this chapter treats, and by "Aroer." Their destruction is described by "there shall be left in it gleanings, as in the shaking of an olive tree, three berries in the top of the bough, four or five in the head 1
of the fruit bearing one," also by "the harvest shall be a heap in the day of possession," that is, that there shall be no more than a single heap; therefore it is added, "and desperate sorrow." This makes clear that "harvest" signifies here the last state of the church. That state is signified also by "morning," for when the last state of the church is at hand it is morning to those who are to be of the New Church, and evening and night to those who are of the old church. That this is what "morning" here means is evident from the last verse of this chapter, where it is said:
About the time of evening behold terror; before the morning it is not (Isaiah 17:14).
"Terror" signifies destruction.
[13] In Joel:
The husbandmen were ashamed, the vine-dressers howled for the wheat and for the barley, because the harvest of the field hath perished (Joel 1:11).
The devastation of the church as to good and truth is here meant by "the harvest of the field hath perished;" "husbandmen" mean those who are in the good of the church, and "vine-dressers" those who are in its truths; "wheat and barley" mean good itself and truth itself; grief on account of devastation is signified by "they were ashamed and howled."
[14] "Harvest" signifies the last state of the church, because "corn," which is the harvest, signifies the good of the church and truth from good, and "field" the church itself. That all things pertaining to natural nourishment, such as wheat, barley, oil, wine, and the like, signify such things as pertain to spiritual nourishment has been shown above in many places; and the things that pertain to spiritual nourishment have reference in general to good and truth and knowledges of them, thus to doctrine and to a life according to these knowledges. Therefore it is said in Jeremiah:
A nation from afar shall eat up thy harvest and thy bread, it shall eat up thy sons and thy daughters, it shall eat up thy flock and thy herd, it shall eat up thy vine and thy fig-tree; it shall impoverish thy fortified cities, in which thou dost trust, with the sword (Jeremiah 5:17).
"A nation from afar" means the falsity of evil destroying; "from afar" signifying what is far away from good and truth. "Harvest" and "bread" signify nourishing truths and goods of the church; "sons and daughters" goods and truths generating; "flock and herd" goods and truths spiritual and natural, "vine and fig-tree" the internal spiritual church, and the external natural church; the "fortified cities in which they trust" signify doctrinals from self-intelligence; "to be impoverished with the sword" signifies to be destroyed by falsities of evil.
[15] As "harvest" signifies all things that spiritually nourish man, and these have reference to the truths of doctrine and the goods of life, so "harvest" signifies the church in general and in particular; in general, in these words in the Gospels:
Jesus said to His disciples, The harvest is plenteous but the laborers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that He send laborers into His harvest (Matthew 9:37, 38; Luke 10:2).
The "harvest" here means all with whom the church was to be established by the Lord, thus also the church in general; and "laborers" mean all who will teach from the Lord.
[16] Likewise in John:
Jesus said to the disciples, Say ye not there are yet four months and then cometh the harvest? Behold I say unto you, Lift up your eyes and look on the fields that they are white already for harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth reward and gathereth fruit unto life eternal. For herein is the saying true, that there is one who soweth and another who reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye have not labored; others have labored, but ye have entered into their labor (John 4:35-38).
This was said by the Lord of a New Church to be established by Him. That the establishment of that church was then at hand is meant by "Lift up your eyes and look on the fields that they are white already for harvest." To teach those who were to be of that church, or as the Lord says elsewhere, "to collect and gather into the barn," is signified by "reaping." That it is the Lord who teaches, thus who collects and gathers, and not themselves (for it was the Lord, by means of the angels, that is, by means of Divine truths from the Word, who prepared for reception those whom the disciples converted to the church), is meant by "there is one who soweth and another who reapeth; I sent you to reap that whereon ye have not labored; others have labored, but ye have entered into their labor."
[17] The increase of the church with man in particular, and with men in general by the Lord, is also described by "harvest" in Mark:
Jesus said, So is the kingdom of God as if a man should cast seed upon the earth, and should then sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow up he knoweth not how. For the earth beareth fruit of herself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit hath come forth straightway he putteth forth the sickle, because the harvest is ready (Mark 4:26-29).
"The kingdom of God" means the church of the Lord in the heavens and on the earth; and the implantation of it with all who receive truths and goods from the Lord, not from self, is described by these words, every particular of which corresponds to spiritual things and signifies them; as that "a man casts seed upon the earth, that he then sleeps, and rises night and day, that the seed springs up and grows up he knows not how;" for "seed" signifies the Divine truth, "to cast seed into the earth" signifies the work of man, "to rise day and night" and finally "to put in the sickle" signifies in every state. The rest signifies the Lord's work; and the "harvest" the implantation of the church in particular and in general. For it is to be known, that, although the Lord works all things, and man nothing from self, yet He wills that man should work as if from self in all that comes to his perception. For without man's cooperation as if from self there can be no reception of truth and good, thus no implantation and regeneration. For to will is the Lord's gift to man; and because the appearance to man is that this is from self, He gives him to will as if from self.
[18] Such being the signification of "harvest" two feasts were instituted with the sons of Israel, one of which was called the feast of seven weeks, which was that of the harvest of firstfruits; and the other the feast of tabernacles, which was the feast of ingathering of the fruits of the earth. Of these the first signified the implantation of truth in good, and the other the bringing forth of good, thus regeneration. But the feast of unleavened bread, or the Passover, which preceded, signified deliverance from the falsities of evil, which is the first thing of regeneration.
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