9042. 'And inflict a blow on a pregnant woman' means injuring the good that is being formed out of truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'inflicting a blow' as injuring; and from the meaning of 'a pregnant woman' as forming good out of truth. The reason why this is meant by 'a pregnant woman' is that a person's regeneration, which is the generation of spiritual life with him, is meant in the internal sense by the generation of his natural life received from his parents. When a person is born anew he is first conceived, then carried in the womb so to speak, and finally born. And since regeneration or the generation of spiritual life consists in the joining together of truth and good, that is, of faith and charity, 'carrying in the womb' means developing truth into good. From this one may see what 'a pregnant woman' means, namely a state in which good is being formed out of truths.

The womb means the place in which truth and good have been conceived and are lying, see 4918, 6433.

'Being in the womb, and 'going out of the womb' mean being regenerated, 4904, 8043.

'Generations and 'births' are those of faith and charity, 613, 1145, 1255, 2020, 2584, 6239.

[2] A state in which good is being formed out of truths is again meant by 'a pregnant woman', in Jeremiah,

Behold, I am bringing them from the north land, and I will gather them from the furthest parts of the earth, among them the blind one and the lame, the pregnant one and her who is giving birth, together. Jeremiah 31:8.

This refers in the internal sense to a new Church established by the Lord. In that sense 'bringing them from the north land' means bringing them away from obscurity of faith, 3708; 'the furthest parts of the earth' from which they will be gathered are the places where the Church's truth and good begin, 'the earth' being the Church, 566, 662, 1066, 1067, 1262, 1413, 1607, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118 (end), 2928, 3355, 4535, 4447, 5577, 8011, 8732, and 'the furthest parts of it' being the places where its first and outermost boundaries are. 'The blind one' means those who have no knowledge of truth but accept the truth when taught it, 2383, 6990; 'the lame' means those who are governed by good, but not by genuine good because they have no knowledge of truth, 4302; 'the pregnant one' means those with whom good is being given form by means of truths; and 'her who is giving birth' means those leading a life of faith realized in action, 3905, 3915, 3919. It may be recognized that things of this nature are meant there from the further consideration that otherwise it would have been superfluous and pointless to mention 'the blind one and the lame, the pregnant one and her who is giving birth, together'.

3355. In the internal sense 'an earthquake' is an alteration of the state of the Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'the earth' as the Church, dealt with in 566, 662, 1066, 1068, 1262, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 2928, and from the meaning of 'a quake' as an alteration of state, here an alteration as regards the things that constitute the Church, namely good and truth. This is also evident from other places in the Word, as in Isaiah,

It will happen, that he who is fleeing from the sound of the terror will fall into the pit, and he who is climbing out of the middle of the pit will be caught in the snare, for the floodgates from on high have been opened and the foundations of the earth have been made to tremble, the earth has been utterly shattered. The earth has been made to quake thoroughly, the earth staggers like a drunken man, it sways to and fro like a hut, and heavy upon it is its transgression, and it will fall and not rise again. And it will be on that day, that Jehovah will visit the host of the height on high and the kings of the ground on the ground. Isaiah 24:18-21.

Here it is quite evident that 'the earth' is the Church, for the subject is a Church whose 'foundations' are said to 'have been made to tremble', while the Church itself, having been 'shattered' and 'made to quake', 'staggers' and 'sways to and fro' when good and truth are not known any longer. 'The kings of the ground' are truths, in this case falsities, upon which visitation will take place. As regards 'kings' meaning truths and in the contrary sense falsities, see 1672, 2015, and as regards 'the ground' being similar in meaning to 'the earth', namely the Church, though there is a difference, see 566, 1068.

[2] In the same prophet,

I will make a man (homo) more rare than pure gold, and a man (homo) than the gold of Ophir. Therefore I will make heaven quake and the earth will quake out of its place, at the wrath of Jehovah Zebaoth and in the day of His fierce anger. Isaiah 13:12-13.

Here also, the subject being Judgement Day, 'the earth' plainly stands for the Church which is said to 'quake out of its place' when it undergoes a change of state - 'place' meaning state, see 1273-1275, 1377, 2625, 2837. In the same prophet,

Is this the man who, making the earth quake, making the kingdoms quake, makes the world into a wilderness and destroys its cities? Isaiah 14:16-17.

This refers to Lucifer. 'The earth' stands for the Church, which is said 'to quake' when it lays claim to all things as its own. For 'kingdoms' means the truths accepted by the Church, see 1672, 2547.

[3] In Ezekiel,

It will be on that day, that Gog will come over the land of Israel. My wrath will come up in My anger and in My zeal. In the fire of My wrath I will say, Surely on that day there will be a great earthquake on Israel's ground. Ezekiel 38:18-20.

'Gog' stands for external worship that has been separated from internal and so made idolatrous, 1151. 'Israel's land' or 'ground' stands for the spiritual Church, 'an earthquake' for an alteration of its state. In Joel,

The earth quaked before Him, the heavens trembled. The sun and the moon were darkened, and the stars withdrew their shining. Joel 2:10.

This also refers to Judgement Day. 'The earth quaked' stands for an altered state of the Church, 'the sun and moon' for the good of love and the truth of faith, 1529, 1530, 2441, 2495, which are said to be 'darkened' when goods and truths are not acknowledged any longer. 'The stars' stands for cognitions of good and truth, 2495, 2849. In David,

The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook and trembled because He was angered. Psalms 18:6-7.

'The earth trembled and quaked' stands for the Church when its state has become perverted.

[4] In John,

When he opened the sixth seal I looked again, and behold, a great earthquake took place, and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the full moon became like blood, and the stars in the sky fell to the earth. Revelation 6:12-13.

Here 'an earthquake', 'the sun', 'the moon', and 'the stars' have a similar meaning to that which they have above in Joel. In the same book,

At that hour a great earthquake took place, and a tenth part of the city fell, and there were killed in the earthquake seven thousand people. ¹ Revelation 11:13.

From all these places it is evident that 'an earthquake' means nothing other than an alteration of the state of the Church, and that 'the earth' has no other meaning in the internal sense than the Church. And since 'the earth' is the Church it is clear that 'the new heaven and the new earth' which are to take the place of the previous heaven and earth, Isaiah 65:17; 66:22; Revelation 21:1, means nothing other than a new Church, internal and external, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118 (end).

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