Explanation of Isaiah 24
Ni Rev. John H. Smithson
THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 24
(Note: Rev. Smithson's translation of the Isaiah text is appended below the explanation)
1. BEHOLD, Jehovah empties the earth, and makes it waste; He overturns the face thereof, and scatters the inhabitants thereof.
VERSE 1. By the "earth", when mentioned in the Word, is not meant the universal globe, but the church, and specifically that region where the church is, as formerly the land of Canaan, when the Jewish church was there, and in Europe, where the Christian church now is. Arcana Coelestia 566, 662.
The reason why by the "earth" is signified the church, is, because very frequently by the "earth" is meant the land of Canaan, and in that land was the church. The heavenly Canaan is nothing else. And also when the "earth" is named, the angels who are spiritual do not think of the earth, but of the human race upon the earth, and of its spiritual state; and its spiritual state is the state of the church. In the opposite sense, when the "earth" is spoken of as being perverted and destroyed, it signifies condemnation. Apocalypse Revealed 285.
Verses 1, 2. Behold, Jehovah empties the earth; - and it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest, etc. - Here the "earth" stands for the church, which is "emptied and made void, and its face overturned, or perverted, and its inhabitants scattered", etc., when there is no longer any interior truths and goods, which are signified by the "priest" and the "people"; nor exterior goods and truths, which are the "servant" and the "handmaid"; which happens when external things rule over internal. Arcana Coelestia 2567.
Verses 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 18, 19, 20. Behold, Jehovah empties the earth, and makes it waste; He overturns the faces thereof, etc. - what by the "earth", or land, is not understood the earth, but the church, must be evident to every one. The reason why the church is thus described, is, because the earths or lands in the spiritual world, upon which angels and spirits dwell, undergo such changes according to the changes of the state of the church with the inhabitants thereof, even so as "to be moved." The reason why it is said that "Jehovah empties the earth, and makes it waste", likewise that " in emptying it shall be emptied, and in spoiling it shall be spoiled", is, because the earths or lands there, when the church is devastated with those who dwell upon them, altogether change their appearance. The paradises with their flowerets, verdures, and the like, with which they before flourished, disappear, and instead thereof appearances most unpleasant take place, as sands and rocky places, also heaths full of thickets and briers, with other things of a like nature, corresponding to the falsities and evils which devastated the church. The devastation thereof as to the Good of love and charity, is signified by "emptying the earth", and the desolation thereof as to the Truth of doctrine and of faith is signified by "making it waste" and by "spoiling it"; and the change itself by "overturning the faces thereof." "The earth mourns, it withers: the world languishes, it withers: the earth also is polluted under her inhabitants; therefore has a curse devoured the earth", signifies that there shall not anything grow there or flourish, but that it shall be barren, and filled with things useless; by reason whereof the earth is said to "mourn", to "languish", and to be "devoured with a curse." Whereas these things take place when they that dwell there have no longer any concern for the holy things of the church, therefore it is said, "For they have transgressed the laws, they have surmounted the statute, they have broken the everlasting covenant." Inasmuch as the earths or lands in the spiritual world are sometimes inundated, sometimes violently shaken, and also here and there cleave asunder and open towards hell; which is beneath and lifts itself up, and as this takes place according to the quantity and quality of the falsities and evils which are loved, and the consequent falsification and denial of the Goods and the Truths of the church, therefore it is said that "The floodgates from on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth are shaken; the earth is utterly shattered to pieces; and the earth reels as a drunkard." These things also actually take place in the spiritual world, when the state of the church is there changed into the contrary. From these considerations it may appear whence it is that, by the "earth", here and elsewhere in the Word, is understood the church. Apocalypse Explained 697. See also Arcana Coelestia 1066.
2. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master: as with the handmaid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer; so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the usurer, so with the giver of usury:
Verse 2. [These words, which express the relationships in civil life, involve the insubordination and confusion which result when "the face of the earth is overthrown", or when the church, as in the Bible version, is "turned upside down", and all its principles are in disorder and confusion. In which case what is external rules over what is internal, and all the relationship between higher and lower principles is destroyed. This is the case at the end of a church, and especially at the period of its judgment. The same also depicts the states of the unregenerate mind, when no distinction is made between internal and external principles, and when the due subordination of the latter to the former is not considered and established; in which state nothing of heaven can be received into the mind.]
The "buyer" signifies those who procure the knowledges of Truth and Goodness. (Arcana Coelestia 2967)
The "seller", those who communicate these knowledges, (Arcana Coelestia 5886)
The "lender" denotes those who instruct others; and the "borrower", those instructed. (Arcana Coelestia 9209 9174)
A "usurer" signifies those who do good for the sake of gain: and a "non-usurer", those who do good from charity. Arcana Coelestia 9210.
3. The earth shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled; for Jehovah has spoken this word.
Verses 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 16, 19, 20, 21, 23. The earth shall be emptied, etc.
From all these verses in which the "earth" is mentioned, it is very evident that by the "earth" is not understood the earth but the church. Let all the particulars in these verses be well considered, and this will be evident. He who is in a spiritual idea when the "earth" is named, does not think of the earth itself, but of the nations there and of their quality. Those who are in heaven think still more of the earth as being the church, and this because they are spiritual.
In this chapter, the church, as being destroyed, is treated of. Its destruction as to the Good of love and the Truth of faith, which make the church, is signified by "Jehovah emptying the earth, and laying it waste", by its being "violently moved", by its "languishing", by its being "devoured by a curse", by being "polluted or profaned", by "the floodgates from on high being opened", by its being "broken down", by its "foundations moved", by its "reeling like a drunkard", etc. All these things cannot be said of the earth, nor of any nation, but of the church. Apocalypse Explained 304.
Verses 3, 4, 10, 11, 12. The earth shall be utterly emptied; the earth is also polluted under her inhabitants, etc. - Here also the devastation of the church is treated of. "The earth, which shall be emptied, confounded, and polluted", is the church; "city" is the Truth of doctrine; "house" the Good thereof; "the wine, over which there is an outcry in the streets", is the Truth of doctrine falsified, over which there is contest and indignation. Apocalypse Explained 223.
4. The earth mourns, it withers; the world languishes, it withers : the lofty people of the land do languish.
5. The earth is also polluted under her inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, they have surmounted the statute, they have broken the everlasting covenant.
Verses 4, 5. The earth mourns; the lofty people of the land do languish. The earth is also polluted under her inhabitants, etc. - The desolation of the church as to its Truths and Goods, on account of the pride of self-derived intelligence, and the profanation of its Truths which are from Good, are thus described. The desolation is described by "mourning" and "languishing."
The church, as to truths and goods, by the "earth" and the "world."
The pride of self-derived intelligence, by "the lofty people of the land"; and the profanation of its truths which are from Good, by "the earth being polluted or profaned under her inhabitants." Apocalypse Explained 741.
Verse 5. They have broken the everlasting covenant.
The Word is the real and very covenant which the Lord makes with man, and man with the Lord; for the Lord came down as the Word, that is, as the Divine Truth; and, specifically; the precepts of the Decalogue are the covenant of conjunction between the Lord and man, and consequently the principal medium of his salvation. True Christian Religion 730.
6. Therefore has a curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are punished: therefore are the inhabitants of the earth burnt up, and few are the men that are left.
Verses. 6, 7, 9, 10. Therefore has a curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are punished; - the new wine mourns, etc.
- The perversion of the church is described in these words; which perversion. takes place when the false rules in the place of Truth, in consequence of which there is no longer any Good, since good is acquired by means of truths. By "the land which the curse has devoured" is signified the church; the "curse" denoting the perversion thereof. By "the new wine which shall mourn", and "the vine which shall languish", is signified all the Truth of the church; to "mourn" and to "languish" denoting its deprivation. That there shall no longer be any celestial delight and blessing, is signified by "All the glad in heart do sigh; with a song they shall no more drink wine." That they shall be averse from all things which agree with Truths, is signified by "The strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it; "strong drink" here signifying what is derived from truths, and in agreement therewith. But that the doctrine of what is false shall be destroyed, is signified by "The city of emptiness is broken down;", the "city" signifying doctrine, and "emptiness" the false. And that good and wisdom shall be no longer with man, is signified by "Every house is shut up; so that no one can enter"; which takes place when there is no Truth, but only what is false. Apocalypse Explained 376.
Verse 6. Therefore are the inhabitants of the earth burnt up, and few are the men that are left.
- By "the inhabitants of the earth" are signified the goods of the church, which are said to be "burnt up", when the loves of self and of the world begin to reign; that in such case the spiritual affection of truth and wisdom thence derived would cease is signified by "few men being left." Apocalypse Explained 280. See also Arcana Coelestia 477, 4287.
7. The new wine mourns; the vine languishes; all that were glad of heart do sigh.
8. The joy of the tabrets ceases; the noise of them that exult is no more; the joy of the harp ceases:
9. With a song they shall no more drink wine; the strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.
Verses.7-9. The new wine mourns; the wine languishes, etc.
- Treating of the devastation of the spiritual church, or of the Good and Truth of that church. Spiritual Good, which should cease, is signified by "the new wine mourning", and "the joy of the tabrets ceasing" and that its Truth was to cease, is signified by "the vine languishing", and "the joy of the harp ceasing"; for by "new wine" is signified spiritual Good, and the joy thereof by the "tabret"; and by the "vine" is signified spiritual Truth, and the joy thereof by the "harp."
Inasmuch as it is the affection of those things which should cease, it is therefore said - "All the glad in heart do sigh; the noise of them that exult is no more"; "gladnesses" and "mirths", in the Word, signifying spiritual gladnesses and mirth, all which are from the affections of Truth and Good.
It is added, "With a song they shall no more drink wine"; because by "singing" is signified testification of gladness from the affection of Truth, and by "wine" is signified Truth itself. Apocalypse Explained 323.
Verses 7, 9. All that were glad of heart do sigh. With a song they shall no more drink wine: the strong drink [sicera] shall be bitter to them that drink it.
- By "the glad of heart sighing", and by "not drinking wine with a song", is signified that all internal beatitude of mind and all felicity of heart will perish, on account of the destruction of the Truth of spiritual Good. By "strong drink being bitter to those "who drink it", is signified that the Truth of Good is become unpleasant from its falsification and its adulteration. Apocalypse Explained 618
10. The city of emptiness is broken down: every house is shut up, so that no one can enter.
Verses 10, 11. By "the city of emptiness" is signified the doctrine in which is not Truth but falsity. By a "house [shut up]" is signified the good of the will, and hence of the life [destroyed]. By "an outcry in the streets over wine" is signified lamentation over the defect of Truth, and its being mixed with falsity; "wine" signifies the Truth of the church from the Word; hence it is said "in the streets", because a "street" also signifies Truth, and where the lamentation is made. ", Joy" and "gladness" are mentioned, because "joy" is predicated of delight from the affection of Good, and "gladness" of delight from the affection of Truth. That those delights will cease, is signified by "all joy being commixed [or desolate, see note], and by "the gladness of the earth being banished"; the "earth" signifies the church. Apocalypse Explained 652.
11. There is an outcry in the streets over wine; all joy is desolate; the gladness of the earth is banished.
12. The remnant in the city is desolation; the gate is battered down by devastation.
Verses 10-12. "The city of emptiness being broken" means also the human mind deprived of Truth; "every house shut up" signifies without good; that a "house" signifies what is good, see Arcana Coelestia 2233.
By "the outcry over wine in the streets" is signified a state of the false; that "outcry" is predicated of falsities, see Arcana Coelestia 2240; that "wine" is Truth, over which there is an outcry, because it does not exist, see Arcana Coelestia 1071; that "streets" are what lead to truths, see Arcana Coelestia 2336.
"The gladness which is desolate" is predicated of Truth, and "the joy of the earth banished" of Good.
Hence it is evident what is signified by "the remnant of the city being desolation", and by "the gate being battered down by devastation"; the "gate" is said to be devastated when nothing but evils and falsities prevail. Arcana Coelestia 285l.
Verses 11, 12, 13. There is an outcry in the streets over wine, etc. By these words is described mourning over the devastation of the church as to celestial Good, and as to spiritual Good, which, in its essence, is Truth derived from celestial Good. This devastation is compared to "the shaking of the olive-tree", and to "the gleanings when the vintage is finished." Apocalypse Explained 919.
13. For thus shall it be in the inmost of the land, in the midst of the peoples; as the shaking of the olive, as the gleanings when the vintage is finished.
Verse 13. These things are said concerning the church devastated as to Good and as to Truth, and in which there is nothing but the evil and the false. "In the inmost of the land", denotes evil being through the whole of the church; and "in the midst of the peoples", denotes the false being through the whole thereof. Therefore the church is compared with "the shaking of the olive-tree," and with "the gleanings that are left when the vintage is finished"; the "olive-tree" signifying the Good of the church, the "vintage" the Truth thereof; and the "shakings" and "gleanings" thereof signify devastation. Apocalypse Explained 313
14. These shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of Jehovah, they shall shout aloud from the sea.
15. Wherefore in the fires, glorify you Jehovah; in the islands of the sea, the name of Jehovah the God of Israel.
Verses 14, 15. In this chapter the devastation of the church is treated of, and in these verses the institution of a New Church among the Gentiles is signified, whose joy is described by "lifting up the voice", and by "singing for the majesty of Jehovah", and by "shouting aloud from the sea, or from the west"; for by the "sea", when thereby the west is understood, is signified the natural principle, because those who, in the spiritual world, dwell in the western quarter, are in natural good, but in the eastern quarter are those who are in celestial good; and since the Gentiles, amongst whom the church would be, were in natural good, therefore it is said, "In the fires [urim], glorify you Jehovah; in the islands of the sea, the name of Jehovah the God of Israel"; by which is signified that they would worship the Lord from goods and truths in the natural man, for the term "Urim" signifies fire, and a focus by which is signified the good of love belonging to the natural man; and "the islands of the sea" signify the knowledges of Truth and Good which are of the natural man; and to " glorify", or to " honour", signifies to adore. By "Jehovah "and" the God of Israel" is understood the Lord, who is called "Jehovah" where Good is treated of, and "the God of Israel" where Truth is treated of; wherefore it is said, "In the fires [urim] , glorify you Jehovah", that is, from Good; and "in the islands of the sea, the name of the God of Israel," that is, from Truths. Hence it is evident that by "the islands of the sea" are signified the truths of the natural man. Apocalypse Explained 406.
16. From the uttermost part of the earth we have heard songs, Glory to the just! But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very, treacherously.
17. The terror, the pit, and the snare, are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth!
Verse 16. My leanness. - See the Exposition of Isaiah Chapter 17:4.
Verse 17. The terror, the pit, and the snare, are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth!
-"Terror" denotes disturbance and commotion of mind, whence it sticks or hesitates between evils and goods, and thence between falsities and truths. The "pit" signifies the false, induced by reasonings grounded in the fallacies of the senses, to favour the delights of the love of self and of the world, The "snare" signifies the enticement and the deception of evil thence derived; that a "snare", in the spiritual sense, is enticement and deception by the delights of the loves of self and of the world, thus the enticement and deception of evils, and this by reasonings grounded in the fallacies of the senses which favour those delights, is evident to everyone, for ensnarings and entrappings are from no other source. Neither do the diabolical crew assault anything else with man except those his loves which they render delightful by every method, until he is taken, and when he is taken, the man reasons from falsities against truths, and from evils against goods; and in such case he is not content herewith, but also takes delight in ensnaring and enticing others to falsities and evils. The reason why he also takes this delight, is, because in such a case he becomes one of the diabolical crew. Inasmuch as a "snare" a "gin", a "net" signifies such things, they also signify the destruction of spiritual life, and thereby perdition, since in those loves, as was said above, all evils originate. For in the love of self, originate contempt of others in comparIson to self, and presently a scornful look and abusive speech, afterwards enmity if they do not favour, at length the delight of hatred, the delight of revenge, thus the delight of tyrannical behaviour, yea, of cruelty. This love, in the other life, rises to such an excess that unless the Lord favours it, and gives to those who are influenced by it dominion over others, they not only despise Him, but treat with scorn the Word which speaks of Him, and, at length, from hatred and revenge they act against Him. And, so far as they cannot effect their purposes against Him, they practise them with fierceness and cruelty against all who profess Him. Hence it is evident what is the origin of such qualities in the diabolical crew, that is, that it is from self-love; wherefore a "snare", as it signifies the delight of the love of self and of the world, signifies also the destruction of the spiritual life and perdition, for the all of faith and love to the Lord and the all of love towards the neighbour is destroyed by the delight of the love of self and the world where it has dominion; see what was cited, Arcana Coelestia 9335.
That these loves are the origin of all evils, and that hell is from them and in them, and that those loves are fires there, is at this day unknown in the world, when yet it might be known from this consideration that those loves are opposite to love towards the neighbour and to love to God, and that they are opposite to humiliation of heart, and that from them alone exists all contempt, all hatred, all revenge, and all fierceness and cruelty, as every considerate person may know. Arcana Coelestia 9348.
18. And it shall be, that whoso flees from the voice of the terror, shall fall into the pit; and whoso ascends from the midst of the pit, shall be taken in the snare: for the floodgates from on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth are shaken.
19. The earth is grievously shaken; the earth is utterly shattered to pieces; the earth is violently moved.
Verse 18. In this and in other passages of the Word, they who are in the false and evil are described as fleeing and in fear of being slain. Such fear is their ruling affection, because there is no one to defend them; everyone who is in the evil and the false bears hatred towards his neighbour, and hence each of them is desirous to slay another. That they who are principled in evil and the false are afraid of all others, may best appear from the case of evil spirits in another life. Such as have deprived themselves of all charity, wander about and flee hither and thither; whithersoever they go, if it be to any societies of other spirits, they are immediately discovered as to their evil nature and qualities, in consequence of the perception prevalent in another life, and are not only driven away, but likewise severely punished, even to the destruction of life, were it possible; for the evil spirits are particularly delighted in punishing and tormenting one another, and their highest satisfaction consists therein. And what has heretofore been an arcanum, all this is grounded in the very nature of evil and the false, inasmuch as whatsoever any person wishes for another returns upon himself; for evil and the false have within them the punishment of evil and the false, consequently the fear of punislunent. Arcana Coelestia 390, 391.
Verses 18, 19, 20. The floodgates from on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth are shaken, etc.
- That these things are not said of the earth, but of the church, must be evident to everyone; for who can understand that "the foundations of the earth are shaken", that "the earth is moved and reels as drunkard", and also that "it 'moveth this way and that, like a lodge"? But when, instead of the earth the church is thought of, these expressions are easily understood. That the change and perversion thereof is signified, is evident from its being said, "For her transgression is heavy upon her; and she shall fall, and not rise again." And by "the floodgates which are opened from on high", is understood an inundation of evil and the false. Apocalypse Explained 400. See also, as to "floodgates", Arcana Coelestia 767.
20. The earth reels like a drunkard; and moveth this way and that, like a lodge for the night: for her transgression is heavy upon her; and she shall fall, and not rise again.
21. And it shall be in that day, that Jehovah shall visit the host of the high [ones] that are on high; and on earth the kings of the earth.
Verse 20. See Chapter 19:14, and Chapter 28:1-8, the Exposition.
Verses 21, 23. Jehovah shall visit the host of the high [ones] that are on high, etc.
- To "visit" signifies to destroy, because visitation precedes judgment, (see above, Chapter 10:3, the Exposition), when they are destroyed who are in evils and thence in falsities.
By the host of the high [ones] that are on high", are signified all the evils which originate in the love of self; the "host" denoting all evils; by "the kings of the earth " are signified falsities of every kind; the "earth", or land, denoting the church.
Hence it may appear what is signified by "Jehovah shall visit the host of the high [ones] that are on high; and on earth the kings of the earth. The reason why it is said "The host of the high [ones] that are on high", is because they who are principled in the love of self, in the spiritual world, seek high places. (See Chapter 2:12-17, Expositlon.)
By "the moon then being confounded", and "the sun being ashamed, is signified there being no more reception of divine Truth and of divine Good; the "moon" and the "sun" signifying the Truth of faith and the Good of love, which are said to be "confounded and ashamed" when they are no more received, but instead thereof what is false and evil. Apocalypse Explained 401.
22. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners for the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison; and, after many days, they shall be visited.
Verse 22. They shall be gathered together, as prisoners. - [or as the bound] for the pit, etc.
- The "prisoners, or the "bound in the pit", are those who are in vastations, or those who are in temptations, All that locality [in the world of spirits] nearest under the sole of the foot and around, is called "the house of the prison, where all those are kept who are in vastation, that is, those who have been in false doctrines, and in evil of life from false principles, and yet in good as to their intentions. Such cannot be received into heaven before they have put off these false principles, and also the delight of life which they thence derived. They who are there are let into temptations, for false principles and the delights thence derived can only be cast out by temptations. The place where they are, or rather the state in which they are is signified in general by "the house of the prison", and the places themselves by "pits." They who are in vastations are called "bound", not that they are in any bond [or chains], but because they are not in liberty as to their former [prioresJ thoughts and affections. That such are signified in the Word by the "bound", and by "those who are in prison", is evident from other passages in the Word, as in Isaiah:
"I will give You for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house." (Isaiah 42:6, 7)
Where the Lord and His advent are treated of. "To open the blind eyes, and to bring out the prisoners from the prison", etc., signifies those who are in ignorance of what is Good and True, but who nevertheless desire to know and to be imbued therewith. Arcana Coelestia 5037.
As to vastations in the other life, see Arcana Coelestia 1106 to 1113.
After many days, they shall be visited. - [These words signify that, after having passed through all the states necessary for their purification, they will be delivered by the Lord and elevated to His kingdom.]
23. And the moon shall be confounded, and the sun shall be ashamed; for Jehovah of Hosts shall reign on Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His ancients [shall be] glory.
Verse 23. And the moon shall be confounded, and the sun shall be ashamed, etc. - By the "moon" and the "sun" are here also understood idolatrous worship, and also the false of faith and the evil of love [or a false faith and an evil love]. By "mountain " and by "Jerusalem "is understood heaven and the church; and by "ancients", or elders, are understood truths from Good, wherefore it is also said that "before them is glory", for by "glory" is signified Divine Truth in heaven. Apocalypse Explained 270.
The moon shall be confounded, etc. - [As the destruction of the earth or of the entire church is the subject of this chapter, so the heavens, or specifically the "moon" and the "sun", are also exhibited as being confounded and ashamed, because the "earth" signifies the church as to lts externals, and the "heavens" the church as to its internals. (See the Exposition of Isaiah Chapter 1:2.) The moon is said to be "confounded", or more literally to "blush", and the sun to be "ashamed", which are, expressions predicable of the human countenance, because the "face" also corresponds to the interiors; and as all things in heaven and in the church are regarded by the Lord as represented by a "man", or as having relation to the human form, (see Chapter 1:2, note.)
Therefore the moon is said to "blush" when divine Truth is not received by the men of the church; but instead thereof fallacies and falsities; and the sun of heaven is said to be "ashamed" when the divine Good is not received, but instead thereof evil.
In other passages describing the ruin of the church, the moon is said not to cause its light to shine", and the sun to be "darkened." See above, Chapter 13:10, the Exposition; see also Joel 2:10; Matthew 24:29; Revelation 6:12.
As to the peculiar terms employed in this passage of Isaiah to denote the "sun" and the "moon", see the note, P: 257.
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Isaiah Chapter 24
1. BEHOLD, Jehovah empties the earth, and makes it waste; He overturns the face thereof, and scatters the inhabitants thereof.
2. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master: as with the handmaid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer; so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the usurer, so with the giver of usury:
3. The earth shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled; for Jehovah has spoken this word.
4. The earth mourns, it withers; the world languishes, it withers : the lofty people of the land do languish.
5. The earth is also polluted under her inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, they have surmounted the statute, they have broken the everlasting covenant.
6. Therefore has a curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are punished: therefore are the inhabitants of the earth burnt up, and few are the men that are left.
7. The new wine mourns; the vine languishes; all that were glad of heart do sigh.
8. The joy of the tabrets ceases; the noise of them that exult is no more; the joy of the harp ceases:
9. With a song they shall no more drink wine; the strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.
10. The city of emptiness is broken down: every house is shut up, so that no one can enter.
11. There is an outcry in the streets over wine; all joy is desolate; the gladness of the earth is banished.
12. The remnant in the city is desolation; the gate is battered down by devastation.
13. For thus shall it be in the inmost of the land, in the midst of the peoples; as the shaking of the olive, as the gleanings when the vintage is finished.
14. These shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of Jehovah, they shall shout aloud from the sea.
15. Wherefore in the fires, glorify you Jehovah; in the islands of the sea, the name of Jehovah the God of Israel.
16. From the uttermost part of the earth we have heard songs, Glory to the just! But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very, treacherously.
17. The terror, the pit, and the snare, are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth!
18. And it shall be, that whoso flees from the voice of the terror, shall fall into the pit; and whoso ascends from the midst of the pit, shall be taken in the snare: for the floodgates from on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth are shaken.
19. The earth is grievously shaken; the earth is utterly shattered to pieces; the earth is violently moved.
20. The earth reels like a drunkard; and moveth this way and that, like a lodge for the night: for her transgression is heavy upon her; and she shall fall, and not rise again.
21. And it shall be in that day, that Jehovah shall visit the host of the high [ones] that are on high; and on earth the kings of the earth.
22. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners for the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison; and, after many days, they shall be visited.
23. And the moon shall be confounded, and the sun shall be ashamed; for Jehovah of Hosts shall reign on Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His ancients [shall be] glory.
The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Teachings # 1
1. The New Heaven and the New Earth, and What Is Meant by "the New Jerusalem"
It says in the Book of Revelation,
I saw a new heaven and a new earth, because the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. And I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. The city had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and on the gates were twelve angels, and names written that are the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
The city was laid out as a square; its length was as great as its breadth.
And [the angel who talked with me] measured the city with a reed: twelve thousand stadia. 1 Its length, breadth, and height were equal.
Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, 2 which is the measure of a human being, that is, of an angel. 3
Its wall was made of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 4 The foundations of the wall of the city were made of precious stones of every kind.
The twelve gates were twelve pearls. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
The glory of God illuminated it, and the Lamb was its light.
The nations of those who are saved will walk in its light, and the monarchs of the earth will bring their glory and honor into it. (Revelation 21:1, 2, 12-24)
When people read this, they understand it only in literal terms. 5 They think that the visible heavens are going to be destroyed along with the earth and that new heavens are going to come into being and come down onto the new earth in the form of a holy city, a Jerusalem with the dimensions given in the description.
[2] Angels understand it in a completely different way, though. They understand in a spiritual way the details that we understand in an earthly way, 6 and they understand what those details really mean. This is the inner or spiritual meaning of the Word. 7 In the deeper or spiritual meaning that angels are engaged in, a new heaven and a new earth mean a new church both in heaven and on earth (both will be discussed later [§§2-5]). The holy city coming down from God out of heaven means its heavenly teachings. Its length, breadth, and height, which were equal, mean everything in those teachings that is good and true, all gathered together. Its wall means the truths that protect it. The measure of the wall, being one hundred and forty-four cubits, which is the measure of a human being, that is, of an angel means all those protective truths gathered together, as well as the nature of those truths. The twelve gates, which were pearls, mean introductory truths, as do the twelve angels on the gates. The foundations of the wall, which were made of precious stones of every kind, mean the knowledge on which the teachings are based. The twelve tribes of Israel mean all elements of the church in general and in particular, as do the twelve apostles. The gold like clear glass that the city and streets were made of means good actions done out of love, 8 which cause the teachings and their truths to shine. The nations of those who are saved and the monarchs of the earth who will bring their glory and honor into it mean everyone in the church who is devoted to what is good and true. 9 God and the Lamb mean the Lord's 10 divine nature itself and his divine-human nature. 11
[3] This is what the spiritual meaning of the Word is like; the earthly or literal meaning serves as its foundation. All the same, these two meanings, the spiritual and the earthly, are bound together by their correspondence. 12 I will not take the time here to show that this kind of spiritual meaning is present throughout because that is not my current task, but the reader may see what is presented in the following passages of Secrets of Heaven. 13
On earth in the Word as meaning the church, especially where earth means the land of Canaan: Secrets of Heaven §§662, 1066, 1067, 1262, 1413, 1607, 2928, 3355, 4447, 4535, 5577, 8011, 9325, 9643. This is because earth, spiritually understood, means the people who live there and their worship: 1262. The people of the earth [or the land] mean those who are part of the spiritual church: 2928. The new heaven and the new earth mean whatever is new in the heavens and on earth in terms of what is good and true, which means in matters of the church in both realms: 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 3355, 4535, 10373. On the meaning of the first heaven and the first earth that had passed away, see the booklet The Last Judgment and Babylon Destroyed 14 from beginning to end, especially §§65-72.
[4] On Jerusalem meaning the church in regard to its teachings, see Secrets of Heaven 402, 3654, 9166. On cities meaning the teachings that are part of a church and a religion, see 402, 2451, 2712, 2943, 3216, 4492, 4493. On the wall of the city meaning the protective truth of the teachings, see 6419. On the gates of the city meaning truths that lead us to a body of teaching and through that teaching into the church, see 2943, 4477, 4492, 4493. On the twelve tribes of Israel as representing and therefore symbolizing 15 everything good and true in the church both in general and in particular, and therefore all aspects of faith and love, see 3858, 3926, 6335, 6640. The meaning of the twelve apostles of the Lord is much the same: 2129, 3272, 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397. When it says that the apostles will sit on twelve thrones and will judge the twelve tribes of Israel [Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30], it means that everyone will be judged according to the true and good principles of the church and therefore by the Lord who is their source: 2129, 6397. Twelve means everything taken together: 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3858, 3913.
[5] The same holds true for one hundred and forty-four because this is twelve times twelve: 7973. It holds true also for twelve thousand: 7973. All the numbers in the Word have definable meanings: 482, 487, 647, 648, 755, 813, 1963, 1988, 2075, 2252, 3252, 4264, 6175, 9488, 9659, 10217, 10253. Multiples mean much the same as the individual factors that are multiplied to produce them: 5291, 5335, 5708, 7973. The measure means what a given thing is like in regard to its truth and goodness: 3104, 9603, 10262. The foundations of the wall mean the knowledge of truth on which elements of the teachings are based: 9643. Square means complete: 9717, 9861. Length means goodness and its extent, and breadth means truth and its extent: 1613, 9861. Precious stones mean true perceptions that arise from what is good: 114, 9863, 9865. On the precious stones in the Urim and Thummim, 16 both in general and specifically, see 3862, 9864, 9866, 9891, 9905. On the jasper of which the wall was made, see 9872.
[6] The street of the city means the truth of the teachings that arises from what is good: 2336. Gold means good actions that come from love: 113, 1551, 1552, 5658, 6914, 6917, 9510, 9874, 9881. Glory means divine truth as it exists in heaven and the intelligence and wisdom that result from it: 4809, 5922, 8267, 8427, 9429, 10574. Nations mean the people in the church who are committed to what is good, and in an abstract sense the good actions that are taught by the church: 1159, 1258, 1260, 1285, 1416, 1849, 4574, 7830, 9255, 9256. Monarchs mean the people in the church who are committed to what is true, and in an abstract sense the truths that are taught by the church: 1672, 2015, 2069, 4575, 5044. The rituals involved in royal coronations have to do with matters of divine truth, but nowadays awareness of this symbolism has vanished: 4581, 4966 (which contain further discussion about divine truth).
Mga talababa:
1. A stadium ("stadia" is the plural) was an ancient Greek unit of distance. It was always equal to 600 feet in the local measuring units, but since that local value varied, the value of the stadium itself cannot be stated definitively. By one common estimate, it can be taken to equal about 607 (United States customary) feet, or 185 meters. A distance of twelve thousand stadia would then be approximately 1380 miles, or 2220 kilometers. See the Oxford Classical Dictionary, under "measures"; for examples of the variation in this unit in just one ancient Greek author, see the article cited there, Bauslaugh 1979, 5-6, with note 6 in New Jerusalem 2. [SS, JSR]
2. A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow, approximately seventeen to eighteen inches (43. 18 to 45. 72 centimeters). The extent in question is presumably the height of the wall surrounding the city (which is far less than the height of the entire city), though some interpreters hold that the measurement refers to the thickness of the walls. In any case, the measurement would equate with approximately 204 to 216 feet (62. 18 to 65. 8 meters). [GFD, RS, SS]
3. The statement in Revelation 21:17 that "one hundred and forty-four cubits" is "the measure of a human being, that is, of an angel" is somewhat obscure. Given the reference to a measuring rod used by the angel in the preceding verses (Revelation 21:15-16), the natural inclination is to interpret this passage about the measurement of the wall as indicating that a cubit is the human standard of measurement that the particular angel in question was using, as many modern translations do; see, for example, the New Revised Standard Version, the New International Version, and the International Standard Version. However, Swedenborg interprets the wording nonidiomatically as indicating that both a human and an angel have the same measure; and since according to Swedenborg the inner meaning of "measure" is the quality of a thing (in the case of a person, the quality of her or his goodness and truth), the statement, he says, indicates that humans and angels have the same spiritual quality. See, for example, Secrets of Heaven 8988[4], 9603:2, 10217:9; Heaven and Hell 73; Revelation Unveiled 910; Revelation Explained (= Swedenborg 1994-1997a) §430:4. In the last cited section especially, Swedenborg states that the words in this verse mean specifically that one hundred and forty-four cubits (which has its own inner meaning), and not just a single cubit, is the measurement of a human being and also of an angel. In several of the passages cited he also says that this verse is unintelligible if the New Jerusalem is understood as a literal city. See also the similar line of argument in New Jerusalem 6. [LSW]
4. The literal meaning of the phrase "pure gold, like clear glass" in the biblical text here (Revelation 21:18), like the meaning of "pure gold, like transparent glass" in a later verse (Revelation 21:21), is not certain, but it probably is meant to suggest an idealized gold so free of opaque impurities as to take on the transparent qualities of crystalline glass. Compare 1 Kings 6:20-22, 28, 30, 32, in which the interior of Solomon's temple is said to be covered with pure gold. [SS]
5. Literal interpretations of the Book of Revelation are more common than allegorical or esoteric interpretations of the text. One of the earliest attestations of a literal interpretation can be found in the writings of the church father Justin Martyr (around 100-around 165 C. E.): "A man among us, named John, one of Christ's apostles, received a revelation and foretold that the followers of Christ would dwell in Jerusalem for a thousand years, and that afterward the universal and, in short, everlasting resurrection and judgment would take place" (Justin Martyr Dialogue with Trypho, §81 [= Justin Martyr 2003, 127]). Whether literal or otherwise, interpretations of Revelation have been broadly grouped into three categories: the eschatological, which see the text as dealing explicitly with the end times; the historical, which see it as reflecting current events at the time of the work's composition in the late first century of the Christian era; and the mythological, which view it as a compendium of earlier legendary material (McGinn 1979, 13). Swedenborg's interpretation does not fall into any of these categories. For more discussion, see the introduction, pages 70-72. [RS]
6. The Latin word here translated "in an earthly way" is naturaliter, traditionally translated "naturally. " In Swedenborg's terminology, the concept of "the natural" denotes a range of things from what is purely physical and material to what is earthly in the minds or preoccupations of angels and spirits, who are themselves nonmaterial beings. (On angels and spirits in Swedenborg's works, see note 2 in New Jerusalem 25.) [JSR]
7. By "the Word" Swedenborg generally means the Bible-a terminology that was prominent in the world of his Lutheran upbringing. However, though he does at times use the term in that general sense, especially in his later theological works, his predominant use of it refers to a biblical canon that is a subset of the Protestant canon. His canon is defined and listed in three parallel passages in his earlier theological works: Secrets of Heaven 10325, New Jerusalem266, and White Horse 16. In these passages Swedenborg defines "the Word" as those books of the Bible "that have an inner meaning" (more on this below), and provides a list of the books that qualify. In New Jerusalem 266 the relevant passage reads: "In the Old Testament, the books of the Word are the following: the five books of Moses, the Book of Joshua, the Book of Judges, the two books of Samuel, the two books of Kings, the Psalms of David, and the prophets-Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. In the New Testament: the four Gospels-Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John-and the Book of Revelation. " The books in the Protestant and Catholic canons of the Bible that are not on this list-namely, Ruth, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs (Song of Solomon) in the Old Testament; all the books now included in the Apocrypha; and Acts and the Epistles in the New Testament-are not part of "the Word" as Swedenborg most commonly uses the term. However, in his last theological works and manuscripts, which seem to be addressed more specifically to a traditional Christian audience, he often uses the term "the Word" to refer to the more familiar Protestant canon of Scripture, including Acts and the Epistles; see, for example, True Christianity 158, 176, 601, 675:2, 730:1; Draft for "Coda to True Christianity" (= Swedenborg 1996a) §§2:3, 23:2; Draft Invitation to the New Church (= Swedenborg 1996c) §Draft Invitation to the New Church 47. In one of these passages, for example, he cites a phrase that is "frequently mentioned in the Word of the New Testament, both in the Gospels and in the Acts of the Apostles and their Epistles" ( True Christianity 158). In two other passages, he apparently refers to Acts and the Epistles as "the Apostolic Word" (Draft for "Coda True Christianity" 1, 59:5; compare True Christianity 730:1). By contrast, he never overtly quotes or cites Acts or the Epistles in his earlier works, such as Secrets of Heaven and the works of 1758, although there are allusions to them. The first explicit reference to Acts or the Epistles in his published theological writings occurs in his 1764 work Divine Providence 115, in which he quotes Romans 3:28 and Romans 3:31. However, in his earlier works there are scattered explicit references to several books in the Protestant canon of the Old Testament that are not included in Swedenborg's canon: 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Job, and Song of Solomon. References to the Book of Job, in particular, are occasionally included in lists of references to passages from "the Word" (see, for example, Secrets of Heaven 46, 737, 3901, 9125, 9818), indicating that even in his earlier works Swedenborg sometimes uses that term in its more generally accepted meaning. Still, he is careful to point out that although Job and the Song of Solomon, in particular, are ancient books containing deeper meanings, they do not have the same kind of inner meaning that is contained in the books he defines more specifically as "the Word" (see, for example, Secrets of Heaven 1756:2, 3540:4, 9942:5; Sacred Scripture 20). The inner meaning of the books he includes in his canon of Scripture, he says, is characterized by a "vertical" series of layers of meaning that extend inward and upward all the way to the Lord, and whose subject is the Lord, his kingdom, and the church, which is the Lord's kingdom on earth (see Secrets of Heaven 1-4, 2343:2, 4442:2, 5275:2, 7417). He also describes that inner meaning as being "horizontally" continuous in the sense of extending seamlessly from one word, verse, and chapter to the next, without break or interruption (see Secrets of Heaven 1659:1-2, 2102:2, 4987, 7933:3, 9022). Without this type of "vertical" and "horizontal" series and continuity of deeper meaning, Swedenborg says, a book is not a book of "the Word" in the fullest and most proper sense of the term-which is the sense in which he most commonly uses that term in his theological writings. [JSR, LSW]
8. The Latin words here translated "good actions done out of love" are bonum amoris, literally, "the good of love," or "the good that arises from love. " The Latin word bonum (literally, "good thing"), as used by Swedenborg, very often has the sense of "goodness, or a good, that arises specifically out of an action performed," or "a good action," or "a good thing done. " See Chadwick and Rose 2008, under bonum, definition 4, and under bonus, definition 6. This use of the word is much in keeping with Swedenborg's focus on the importance of "doing" truth, goodness, and love rather than merely knowing or acknowledging the importance of those things. See, for example, Secrets of Heaven 4538:4-5, 5595:1, 9282; New Jerusalem 23:1 and note 1 in New Jerusalem 23 there. [SS]
9. "What is good" (Latin bonum) and "what is true" (Latin verum) and their respective equivalents "goodness," "good," or "the good," and "truth" are the most frequently occurring terms in Swedenborg's theological works. Echoing ancient philosophical and ethical traditions, in Swedenborg's theology these concepts stand in a complementary relationship to all things: that is, absolutely everything, whether physical, psychological, or spiritual, relates to goodness or truth or to a "marriage" of both (or to their opposites, evil and falsity). Their complementarity is so all-encompassing that in the relevant chapter in this work (New Jerusalem 11-19, with further references to Secrets of Heaven in §§20-27), Swedenborg defines them only in terms of each other. In Swedenborg's system, goodness encompasses affective qualities such as love, affection, desire, and caring, and corresponds to physical heat, while truth encompasses cognitive qualities such as wisdom, thought, perception, and faith, and corresponds to physical light (on "caring," see note 3 in New Jerusalem 2; on "correspondences," see note 12 in New Jerusalem 1). Swedenborg uses these terms almost algebraically to stand in for things ranging from the sublimely abstract to the utterly concrete. [JSR]
10. In Swedenborg's works, "the Lord" (Latin Dominus) generally refers to Jesus Christ as God, though sometimes to God previous to the Incarnation. A core concept in Swedenborg's theology is that there are not three persons in the Trinity; there is one person, whose soul is the unknowable Divine, whose human manifestation is Jesus Christ, and whose operative influence is the Holy Spirit. Of the many names and terms from philosophical and biblical backgrounds that Swedenborg uses to denote God (the Divine Being, the Divine, the Divine-Human One, the One, the Infinite, the First, the Creator, the Redeemer, the Savior, Jehovah, God Shaddai, and many more), "the Lord" is the most frequently met with. It is a title rather than a name, meaning "the one in charge," and referring to Jesus Christ as the manifestation of the one and only God. For Swedenborg's brief explanation of his reasons for using "the Lord," see Secrets of Heaven 14. See also chapter 2 of True Christianity. [JSR]
11. The Latin here translated "divine-human nature" is Divinum Humanum, in which two adjectives are put together to form a noun, meaning "that which is both divine and human. " The Latin is a term of neuter grammatical gender. Swedenborg also uses a parallel phrase made up of two nouns, Deus Homo, "God-Human. " In Swedenborg's theology, the divine-human nature generally refers to God existing and appearing in human form, and more specifically to the Lord (Jesus Christ) when fully "glorified" (see note 113) or made divine. For more on the divine-human nature as compared to the divine nature itself, see New Jerusalem 282-297; Secrets of Heaven 3061, 6280, 6880, 10579; True Christianity 82-84, 92-94, 101-102. See also the extensive references to Secrets of Heaven in New Jerusalem 298-306. [GFD, LSW]
12. The concept of correspondence is briefly defined in Divine Love and Wisdom 71as "the mutual relationship between spiritual and earthly things. " In its full formulation, it holds that there are two separate "universes" or worlds, one spiritual and one material, that are related to each other through similarity but not through any shared matter or direct continuity. The material world is caused by God through the spiritual world and therefore reflects that constantly changing world; physical phenomena and events offer images of-that is, are "responsive to" or "correspond to"-spiritual phenomena and events. Swedenborg sees his canon of "the Word" (see note 7 in New Jerusalem 1) as "written in pure correspondences" (Heaven and Hell 114), and so understands the earthly circumstances, characters, and events it describes as reflections or images of spiritual ones. [JSR, SS, GFD]
13. Secrets of Heaven was published by Swedenborg in London in eight volumes between 1749 and 1756. [Editors]
14. In this edition, the work Swedenborg mentions here is referred to by the short title Last Judgment. It was published by Swedenborg in London in 1758. [Editors]
15. The Latin word here translated "representing" is a form of the verb repraesentare; the Latin word translated "symbolizing" is a form of the verb significare. These terms are heavily used in Swedenborg's theology, and they have related but distinguishable meanings. Both indicate the presence of an inner meaning in an object, person, name, or action, but symbolism directs our attention to the meaning itself (especially as communicated by words), whereas representation generally directs our attention to the living enactment of that meaning (especially by persons). A typical example occurs in Secrets of Heaven 3131, which expounds a phrase in Genesis 24:29, "And Laban ran to the man outside at the spring. " Swedenborg describes this as symbolizing the predisposition that goodness has toward truth; running symbolizes predisposition, and a man symbolizes truth, as does a spring, but Laban represents a desire for what is good. These distinctions apply only where Swedenborg is using the word symbolize in a technical sense. Often he uses it much more broadly. For more on these distinctions in inner meaning in relation to various modes of biblical writing, see Secrets of Heaven 66. On representations in general, see Secrets of Heaven 4044. [LHC, GHO]
16. "Urim" and "Thummim" are transliterations of two plural Hebrew words, אוּרִים ('ûrîm) and תּוּמִּים (tummîm), meaning "the lights" and "the perfections," respectively. (Swedenborg adds that Thummim means "radiance" in the language of angels; see True Christianity 218.) The Urim and Thummim were associated with the breastplate of the high priest of the Israelites (Exodus 28:30; Leviticus 8:8). Their exact nature and function are unknown. Swedenborg equates them with the breastplate itself (as seems to be the case here), and also with the stones in it (see Secrets of Heaven 3858:9, 3862, 6335:2, 9905; True Christianity 218; Revelation Explained [= Swedenborg 1994-1997a] §431:3, 15). The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (37 or 38-after 93 C. E.) states: "God declared beforehand, by those twelve stones which the high priest bare on his breast, and which were inserted into his breastplate, when [the Israelites] should be victorious in battle; for so great a splendor shone forth from [the stones] before the army began to march, that all the people were sensible of God's being present for their assistance" (Flavius Josephus Antiquities of the Jews 3. 8. 9 = Josephus 1997, 105). Hence the common view that the Urim and Thummim were themselves the twelve stones and grew bright or dimmed in response to questions. This view is reflected in Swedenborg's discussions of them, as seen in the references above, and in Secrets of Heaven 6640:2. A comprehensive recent study (Van Dam 1997) does conclude that "Urim and Thummim" should be translated as "perfect light" and that they were believed to authenticate inspired prophecy. According to Van Dam's reconstruction of Jewish belief about their usage, military or political questions with existential significance for the kingdom of Israel would be ritually posed to the high priest; the high priest would then respond in the form of an ecstatic or prophetic utterance, and the Urim and Thummim on his breastplate would shine with "perfect light" if his words had been sent by Jehovah. Nevertheless, 1 Samuel 14:41-42, the most specific description of their use, suggests that they were a kind of lot. Other references in the Hebrew Bible give little indication of what they were or how they were used: Numbers 27:21; Deuteronomy 33:8; 1 Samuel 28:6; Ezra 2:63; Nehemiah 7:65. [LHC, RS, JSR, DNG, LSW]
