695. And to give the reward to thy servants the prophets and to the saints.- That this signifies heaven to those who are in truths of doctrine and in a life according to them, is evident from the signification of giving reward, as denoting salvation, consequently heaven; from the signification of his servants the prophets, as denoting those who are in truths of doctrine, for those are called servants of the Lord who are in truths, because truths serve to produce, confirm, and preserve good, and whatever serves good, serves the Lord, for all good is from the Lord, and they are called prophets who teach doctrine, therefore in an abstract sense, they signify doctrine (that those are called servants of God who are in truths, may be seen above, n. 6, 409; and prophets, those who teach doctrine, and in an abstract sense doctrines, n. 624); and from the signification of saints, as denoting those who are in the truths of doctrine from the Word, and in a life according them (concerning which see above n. 204). It is therefore evident, that to give the reward to his servants the prophets, and to the saints, signifies heaven to those who are in truths of doctrine and in a life according to them.

[2] That reward signifies salvation, and thus heaven, is evident without enlargement and explanation. But because few know what is properly meant by reward, it shall be stated. Reward properly means that delight, blessedness, and happiness which is contained in the love or affection for good and truth; this love or affection has in itself all that joy of heart which is called heavenly joy, and also heaven. The reason is, that the Lord is in this love or affection, and with the Lord also heaven. It is this joy, therefore, or this delight, blessedness, and happiness, that is properly meant by the reward which those will receive who do good and speak truth from love and affection for good and truth, thus from the Lord, and not in any way from themselves; and as they do this from the Lord, and not from themselves, therefore the reward is not of merit but of grace. From these things it is evident, that he who knows what heavenly joy is, may know also what reward is. What heavenly joy is in its essence may be seen in Heaven and Hell 395-414). This therefore is the signification of the reward which is given to those who are in truths from good; but the reward that those have who are in falsities from evil is joy or delight, and good fortune and happiness, in the world, but hell after their departure out of the world.

[3] From these few things the signification of reward in the following passages is clear.

In Isaiah:

"Behold the Lord Jehovih cometh in might; behold his reward is with him, and his recompense before him" (40:10).

In the same:

"Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold thy salvation cometh, and his recompense before him" (62:11).

And in the Apocalypse:

"Behold I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every one as his work shall be" (22:12).

Behold the Lord Jehovih cometh in might, and behold thy salvation cometh, and behold he cometh quickly, signify the first and second coming of the Lord. His reward is with him, signifies heaven, and all things pertaining to it, as above, for where the Lord is, there is heaven, heaven not being heaven from the angels there, but from the Lord with the angels. That they will receive heaven according to the love and affection for good and truth from the Lord, is meant by, his recompense before him, and by giving to every one as his work shall be. The work for which heaven shall be given as a reward, means nothing else than work from the love or affection for good and truth, for every work in man must spring out of that from which heaven exists. For a work derives its all from love or affection, just as an effect derives its all from the efficient cause, therefore as is the love or affection, so is the work. It is consequently evident what is meant by the work according to which it shall be given to every one, and what by recompense.

[4] Similarly in Isaiah:

"I Jehovah, who love judgment, will give the reward of their work in truth, and will make with them a covenant of eternity" (61:8).

The judgment which Jehovah loves signifies truth in faith, affection, and act, for man has judgment from truth, both when he thinks and desires truth, and when he speaks truth and acts according to it. And because this is signified by judgment, therefore it is said, "I will give the reward of their work in truth," that is, heaven according to faith in and affection for truth in act. And as from this there is conjunction with the Lord, from whom reward comes, therefore it is also said, "I will make with them a covenant of eternity"; for covenant, in the Word, signifies conjunction by love, and a covenant of eternity signifies conjunction by the love of good and truth, for this love being of the Lord Himself because it proceeds from Him, is conjunctive.

[5] That to love good and truth for the sake of good and truth is reward, because the Lord and heaven are in that love, is also evident from the following passages.

In Matthew:

"Do not ye your alms before men, to be seen of them, for otherwise ye have no reward of your Father, who is in the heavens. When thou doest alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men; verily I say to you, they have their reward. But thou, when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth, that thine alms may be in secret; then thy Father who seeth in secret, will reward thee openly. And if thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues, and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men; verily I say to you, they have their reward; but thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father, who is in secret; then thy Father who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly" (6:1-6).

By alms, in the most general sense, is signified all the good which a man desires and does, and by praying, in the same sense, is signified all the truth which a man thinks and speaks. Those who do these two things in order to be seen, that is, to make a display, do good and speak truth for the sake of themselves and ofthe world, that is, for the sake of glory, which is the delight of self love, and this they receive from the world. Because delight in glory is the reward of such persons, it is said that they have their reward; but this delight in glory, which in the world seems to them like heaven, is changed into hell after their departure out of the world. But those who do good and speak truth, not for the sake of themselves and of the world, but for the sake of good itself and truth itself, are meant by those who do alms in secret, and who pray in secret, for these act, and pray from love or affection, thus from the Lord. This therefore is to love good and truth for the sake of good and truth; of these therefore it is said, that their Father in the heavens will reward them openly. Thus reward is to be in goods and truths from love or affection, which is the same thing as to be in them from the Lord, since in these is heaven together with all the happiness and blessedness of heaven.

[6] In Luke:

"When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not the rich, lest haply they should call thee in return, and a recompense be made thee, but call the poor, then shalt thou be blessed, for they have not wherewith to recompense thee; for it shall be recompensed thee in the resurrection" of the dead (14:12-14).

To make a dinner and a supper, and to call them, signifies the same as giving to eat and drink, or giving bread and wine, namely, to do good to the neighbour, and to teach truth, and thus to be associated in love. Those therefore who do this with a view to be recompensed, do it not for the sake of good and truth, thus not from the Lord, but for the sake of themselves and the world, and thus from hell; while those who do this, not for the purpose of being recompensed, do it for its own sake, namely, for the sake of good and truth; and those who act for the sake of these act from them, thus from the Lord, who is the source of these with man. The heavenly blessedness which is in and thus from those deeds is reward, and is meant by, it shall be recompensed thee in the resurrection of the dead.

[7] In the same:

"Rather love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; then shall your reward be much, and ye shall be sons of the Most High" (6:35).

The signification of these words is similar to that above, namely, that good is not to be done for the sake of recompense, that is, for the sake of self and the world, thus not for the sake of reputation, glory, honour, and gain, but for the sake of the Lord, that is for the sake of good itself and truth itself which they have from the Lord, and in which therefore the Lord is. To love enemies and do good to them, means here in the nearest sense, to love the Gentiles and do good to them, and this by teaching them truth and leading them to good by means of it; for the Jewish nation called their own people brethren and friends, but they called the Gentiles foes and enemies. To lend signifies to communicate the goods and truths of doctrine from the Word; hoping for nothing again, signifies, not for the sake of any thing of self and of the world, but for the sake of good and truth. Then shall your reward be much, signifies that then heaven with its happiness and delights shall be theirs; and ye shall be sons of the Most High, signifies because they do these things not from themselves but from the Lord. For he who does good and teaches truth from the Lord is His son, but not he who does good from self; and this is what every one does who looks to honour and gain as the end of his actions.

[8] In Matthew:

"He that receiveth a prophet, in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet's reward; he that receiveth a just man, in the name of a just man, shall receive a just man's reward. Whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a drink of cold [water] only, in the name of a disciple, he shall not lose his reward" (10:41, 42).

How these words of the Lord are to be understood, no one can see except from their internal or spiritual sense; for who can know what is meant by receiving a prophet's reward, and a just man's reward, and by receiving a prophet and a just man in the name of a prophet and of a just man? also what is meant by the reward which he shall receive who shall give to drink unto one of the little ones a drink of cold [water] only, in the name of a disciple? Without the internal spiritual sense, who can see that these words mean that every one will receive heaven and the joy thereof according to his affection for truth and good, and according to obedience?

[9] That this is the meaning becomes evident, when it is seen that prophet means the truth of doctrine, just man, the good of love, and disciple, the truth and good of the Word and of the church, and that in their name means for the sake of these, and according to their quality in those who do and teach them; also that reward means heaven, as said above, namely, that heaven is with every one in the measure of his affection for truth and good, and according to its quantity and quality. For all things of heaven are inscribed on these affections, since no one can possess these affections except from the Lord, for it is the Divine proceeding from the Lord, in which and from which heaven is.

[10] To give to drink a drink of cold [water] only unto one of the little ones, in the name of a disciple, means to do good and teach truth from obedience, for water signifies truth in affection, and cold water, truth in obedience, for obedience alone is a natural and not a spiritual affection, and is therefore comparatively cold; and a disciple in whose name or for whose sake it is given to drink, signifies the truth and good of the Word and of the church. That a prophet signifies the truth of doctrine, may be seen above (n. 624); that a just man signifies the good of love (n. 204); that a disciple signifies the truth and good of the Word and of the church (n. 100, 122); and that name signifies the quality of a thing and state (n. 102, 135, 148, 676).

[11] In Mark:

"Whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye are Christ's, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward" (9:41).

These words also mean that those shall receive the delight of heaven who from affection hear, receive, and teach the truth, because truth and the affection for it are from the Lord, thus for the Lord's sake and consequently also for the truth's sake, since because ye are Christ's signifies for the sake of Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord. That Christ is the Lord as to Divine Truth, and thus Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord, may be seen above (n. 684, 685).

[12] In Zechariah:

"The foundation of the house of Jehovah Zebaoth was laid, that the temple might be built; for before these days there was no reward of man, or reward of beast, and to him that went out and to him that came in no peace from the enemy. Now the seed of peace; the vine shall give fruit, and the earth shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew" (8:9, 10, 12).

These things are spoken of a new church to be established by the Lord at the devastation of the old. The new church which shall be established is signified by the house of Jehovah Zebaoth whose foundation was laid, and by the temple which shall be built; the house of Jehovah signifies the church as to good, and the temple, the church as to truth, as may be seen above (n. 220). Before these days there was no reward of man, or reward of beast, signifies that before this no one had any spiritual affection for truth and good, or any natural affection for truth and good, man signifying spiritual affection for truth, beast, natural affection for good, and reward heaven, which those possess who are in affections for truth and good. That man signifies spiritual affection for truth, and consequent intelligence, may be seen above (n. 280, 546, 547); and that beast signifies natural affection (n. 650).

[13] To him that went out and to him that came in, no peace from the enemy, signifies that heretofore they had been infested by hell in every state of life, going out and coming in signifying the state of life from beginning to end, no peace, infestation by evils and falsities therefrom, while enemy signifies hell, the source of evils and falsities. The seed of peace signifies the truth of heaven and of the church, which is from the Lord; this is called the seed of peace, because it defends against the hells, and gives security. The vine shall give its fruit, and the earth its produce, signifies that spiritual affection for truth shall bring forth the good of charity, and natural affection for good and truth shall, bring forth the works of charity, the vine signifying the church as to the spiritual affection for truth, the earth, the church as to the natural affection for truth, fruit, the good of charity, and produce, the works of that good. The heavens shall give dew signifies that these things are from influx through heaven from the Lord.

[14] In John:

"Lift up your eyes, and behold the fields that they are white already for harvest, and he that reapeth receiveth reward and gathereth fruit unto life eternal, that he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together" (4:35, 36).

These things also are said of a new church from the Lord. That it is at hand is signified by the fields being white already for harvest; those of that church who are in the spiritual affection for truth, and thus in heaven, are meant by, he that reapeth receiveth reward, and gathereth fruit unto eternal life; and the Lord Himself, from whom the affection for truth, and heaven are derived, is meant by he that soweth may rejoice together [with him that reapeth.]

[15] In Jeremiah:

"Rachel mourning for her sons, refused to be comforted for her sons, because they were not. But refrain thy voice from weeping and thine eyes from tears, for there is reward for thy labour; for they shall return from the land of the enemy, and there is hope for thy latter end, for thy sons shall return to their own border" (31:15-17; Matthew 2:18).

That these words refer to the infant boys that were put to death in Bethlehem by command of Herod is evident from the passage cited in Matthew, but what this signified has not yet been known; the signification is this, that when the Lord came into the world, there was no spiritual truth remaining. For Rachel represented the internal spiritual church, and Leah, the external natural church, Bethlehem the Spiritual, and the boys who were put to death, truth from that source. That there was no spiritual truth any longer remaining is signified by Rachel mourning for her sons, and refusing to be comforted for her sons, because, they were not.

[16] That henceforth there will be no grief on that account, because the Lord has been born, from whom there will be a new church, which will be in truths from spiritual affection, is signified by, refrain thy voice from weeping and thine eyes from tears, for there is reward for thy labour, His reward signifying heaven with those who will be of that church from a spiritual affection for truth, and labour signifying the Lord's combat against the hells, and the subjugation of them, in order that a new church might be established. That a new church will be established in the place of the one that perished, is signified by they shall return from the land of the enemy, and there is hope for thy latter end, also by, thy sons shall return to their own border; to return from the land of the enemy signifies to be brought out of hell, hope for thy latter end, signifies the end of the former church and the beginning of the new, while the sons returning to the border signifies that spiritual truths will exist with those who will be of that new church.

[17] Again in Isaiah:

"I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength in emptiness and vanity; yet surely my judgment is with Jehovah and the reward of my work with my God" (49:4).

This also is said of a new church to be established by the Lord. That it could not be established with the Jewish nation, because truths could not be received by that nation from any spiritual affection, is meant by, I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength in emptiness and vanity. That still a spiritual church is being provided by the Lord, namely, among the nations, is signified by, my judgment is with Jehovah, and the reward of my work is with my God; reward here signifies the church which is in the spiritual affection for truth; labour and work signify the combat of the Lord against the hells, and their subjugation by means of which He restored the equilibrium between heaven and hell, in which man is able to receive truth, and become spiritual. Concerning this equilibrium see Heaven and Hell 589-603), and the Last Judgment 33, 34, 73, 74).

[18] In David:

"Lo, sons are a heritage of Jehovah, a reward the fruit of the womb; as darts in the hand of the mighty, so are sons of youth; happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, when they shall speak with enemies in the gate" (Psalm 127:3-5).

What sons, the fruit of the womb, darts, the quiver, and enemies in the gate signify, may be seen above (n. 357:10), where it is also shown that reward signifies the happiness which those enjoy who are in heaven.

[19] In the Evangelists:

"Blessed are ye when men shall reproach you, and persecute you, and say every evil word against you falsely," for Christ's sake; "rejoice and be exceeding glad, for your reward is great in the heavens; for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:11, 12; Luke 6:22, 23).

This is said of those who fight and conquer in temptations induced by evils, thus by hell; temptations are signified by reproaching, persecuting, and saying an evil word falsely for Christ's sake, for temptations are assaults upon and infestations of truth and good by falsities and evils. "Christ" means Divine Truth from the Lord, which is assaulted, and on account of which they are infested. Rejoice and be exceeding glad, because great is your reward in the heavens, signifies heaven and its joy with those who are in the spiritual affection for truth, for such alone fight and conquer, because the Lord is in that affection, and resists and conquers for man in the combats of temptations. For so persecuted they the prophets who were before you, signifies that formerly they similarly assaulted the truths of doctrine with those who were in the spiritual affection for truth, for prophets, in an impersonal sense, signify truths from the Word, or from the Lord.

From what has been now cited from the Word, it is evident that reward signifies heaven in respect to its happiness, blessedness, and delight, which those have who are in the spiritual affection for truth and good, and that the reward is that affection itself; for whether you say that affection, or heaven, it amounts to the same thing, since heaven is in and from that affection.

[20] But those who speak truth and do good, not from a spiritual but only from a natural affection, and who continually think of heaven as a reward, were represented in the Israelitish church by hirelings, concerning whom there were many statutes in that church. As that the hirelings should not eat of the passover (Exodus 12:43, 45); that they should not eat of the holy things (Leviticus 22:10), that the wages of a hireling should not abide with any one all night until the morning (Leviticus 19:13); they should not oppress a "hireling that is poor and needy, of thy brethren, or of the stranger who is in thy land, and in thy gates; in his day thou shalt give him his hire, so that the sun may not go down upon it, lest he cry against thee unto Jehovah and it be in thee a sin" (24:14, 15).

In Malachi:

I will "be against the oppressors of the hireling in his wages, of the widow and of the fatherless, and against them that turn aside the stranger and fear not me" (3:5); and elsewhere.

Hirelings were not to eat of the passover, or of things sanctified, because they represented those who are natural and not spiritual, and the spiritual are of the church, but not the natural. For to look to heaven as a reward for the goods which they do, is natural, since the Natural considers good to be from itself, and thus heaven to be the reward thereof, and this makes good meritorious. But it is otherwise with the Spiritual, which acknowledges that good is not from itself, but from the Lord, and thus that heaven is from mercy, and not from any merit. But because [those signified by hirelings] nevertheless do good, although not from a spiritual but a natural affection, which is obedience, and at the same time think of heaven as a reward, therefore they are mentioned among the needy, the poor, the strangers, the fatherless, and the widows, because they are in a state of spiritual poverty. For genuine truths are to them obscure, because light from heaven does not flow in through the spiritual man into their natural; this is why they are classed among those mentioned above, and why it was commanded that their reward should be given them before the going down of the sun. Such persons are also in the lowest parts of the heavens, where they are in a state of servitude, and are there rewarded according to their works. But more may be seen upon these things in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 150-158).

[21] But hirelings who do not think of reward in heaven, but of reward in the world, that is who do good for the sake of gain, whether it be honours or wealth, consequently from the love of honours or wealth, that is for the sake of self and of the world, are infernal-natural. These hirelings are meant in John:

"I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd layeth down his soul for the sheep, but the hireling seeth the wolf and forsaketh the sheep, and fleeth, because he is a hireling" (10:11-13),

and in Jeremiah:

"Egypt is a very beautiful heifer; destruction cometh from the north, her hirelings are like fatted calves, for they also have turned themselves back, they flee together, they stood not, because the day of their destruction is come upon them" (46:20, 21);

and also elsewhere, as in Isaiah (16:14; 21:16).

[22] As reward, in the Word, signifies heaven, which those have who are in the spiritual love of truth and good, so reward, in the opposite sense, signifies hell, which those have who are in the love of falsity and evil; this is the signification of reward in David:

"He shall put on cursing as his garment, and it hath entered into the midst of him as waters, and as oil between his bones; this is the reward of mine adversaries from Jehovah, and of them that speak evil against my soul" (Psalm 109:18, 20).

These words, in the spiritual sense, are to be understood of the Lord; for where David speaks of himself in the Psalms, in that sense the Lord is meant, David as a king representing the Lord, and thus signifying Him as to the spiritual Divine, which is the royalty of the Lord. The reward of the Lord's adversaries and of them that speak evil against His soul, is described as hell from the love of falsity and evil, as follows, "he shall put on cursing as his garment, and it hath entered into the midst of him as waters, and as oil between his bones." Hell which is received in externals and in internals is described by those two expressions, cursing put on as a garment describing the hell that is received in externals, and cursing entering into the midst of him as waters, and as oil between his bones describing the hell that is received in internals. It is said as waters and as oil, because waters signify falsities from faith, and oil, evils from love, therefore the two expressions mean the love or affection for falsity and evil, which is hell, as is evident also from this fact, that love imbibes everything which agrees with it, just as a sponge imbibes water and oil; for the love of evil is nourished upon falsities, and the love of falsity is nourished upon evils; and love being such, it is therefore said that cursing enters into the midst of him as waters, and as oil between his bones.

[23] Because reward, in the opposite sense, signifies hell as to the affection for falsity from evil, therefore the falsification of truth is everywhere in the Word called the reward of whoredom.

As in Hosea:

"Rejoice not, O Israel, to exultation as the nations, because thou hast committed whoredom under God; thou hast loved the reward of whoredom upon every corn-floor; the floor and the press shall not feed them [and the new wine (mustum) shall deceive her]" (9:1, 2).

To commit whoredom under God signifies to falsify the truths of the Word, and to apply the holy things of the church to idolatries. To love the reward of whoredom, signifies delight in falsifying and in falsity, and also in idolatry, from infernal love. Upon every corn-floor, signifies all things of the Word and of doctrine from the Word, for corn, from which bread is made, signifies every thing that spiritually nourishes, while the floor signifies where it is collected together, consequently the Word. The floor and the press shall not feed them, signifies not to draw from the Word the good things of charity and of love, that is, those things which nourish the soul, for the floor there denotes the Word as to the goods of charity, and the press, as to the goods of love, the press here meaning oil, for which there were presses as well as for wine. And the new wine shall deceive her, signifies that neither shall there be any truth of good, for new wine (mustum), just as wine (vinum), signifies truth from the good of charity and love.

[24] In Micah:

"All the graven images" of Samaria "shall be beaten to pieces, and all the rewards of her whoredom shall be burned in the fire, and I will lay waste all their idols, for she hath gathered them from the reward of whoredom, therefore to the reward of whoredom shall they return; therefore I will lament and howl, I will go stripped and naked" (1:7, 8).

Samaria means the spiritual church as to the truths of doctrine, here, as to falsities of doctrine; for by their graven images are signified things falsified, which are from [their] own intelligence; the rewards of her whoredom which shall be burned in the fire signify falsifications of truth from the love of falsity from evil, and thence from infernal delight; and as that love is from hell, it is said, that they shall be burned in the fire, fire signifying love in both senses. And I will lay waste all their idols, signifies that falsities must be destroyed; for from the reward of whoredom she gathered them signifies from the love of falsity which is from evil, and from consequent infernal delight; therefore to the reward of whoredom shall they return, signifies that all things of that church will be truths falsified, because such is their source. Therefore I will lament and howl signifies the grief of the angels of heaven and of the men of the church in whom the church is, and thus with whom the Lord is. I will go stripped and naked signifies mourning on account of the vastation of all truth and good. That graven images and idols signify doctrinals from one's own intelligence favouring the loves of self and of the world, and the principles derived therefrom, consequently the falsities of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, may be seen above (n. 587, 654).

[25] In Ezekiel:

"Thou hast built thy height at the head of every way, and thy lofty place in every street; neither hast thou been as a harlot to glory in reward; the adulterous woman received strangers instead of her husband; they give reward to all harlots, but thou hast given thy rewards to all thy lovers, and hast bribed them, that they might come unto thee from all sides in thy whoredoms. Thus it was contrary in thee from women in thy whoredoms, that they went not after thee to commit whoredom in giving a reward, and no reward was given thee, therefore thou hast been contrary" (Ezekiel 16:31-44).

This chapter treats of the abominations of Jerusalem, that is, of those things of the Jewish church that are to be abhorred, because they not only perverted and adulterated the goods of the Word, but also adopted falsities of religion and of worship from idolatrous nations, and by that means adulterated the truths and goods of the Word, and confirmed these adulterations. The signification of building a height at the head of every way, and making a lofty place in every street, may be seen above (n. 652:17). That adulteries and whoredoms, in the Word signify adulterations and falsifications of the truth and good of the church, may be seen above (n. 141, 511). Not to have been as a harlot to glory in reward signifies not to have so falsified the truths of the Word from a delight of affection; the adulterous woman received strangers instead of her husband signifies the perversion of the truths and goods of the Word by the falsities of other nations. They give reward to all harlots, but thou hast given thy rewards to all thy lovers, and hast bribed them, signifies that they loved the falsities of religion and of worship of other nations, a reward or gift of whoredom denotes the love of falsifying by means of the falsities of others; that they might come to thee from all sides in thy whoredoms signifies that falsities were searched for in every direction, by means of which they falsified truth. Thus it was contrary in thee from women in their whoredoms, that they went not after thee to commit whoredom in giving a reward, and no reward was given thee, therefore thou hast been contrary, signifies the delight of the love and affection for falsifying the truths of their church by means of the falsities of other religions, and of confirming those falsifications; the delight of love and affection towards the falsities of other religions is here meant by reward or a gift of whoredom.

[26] From what has now been adduced, it is evident what is spiritually meant by reward in both senses; for that which affects with delight and joy is spiritual reward. For example there are riches, possessions, honours, and gifts, with which a man is rewarded for well-doing; these things are not reward spiritually understood, but the delights and joys which proceed from them. Much more is this the case with the heavenly reward, that the man of the church who lives well will receive, which is the spiritual affection for truth, and intelligence and wisdom therefrom, which is the source of blessedness and happiness. Moreover, in heaven there are opulence and magnificence which proceed from heavenly love, as its correspondent; yet in heaven opulence and magnificence are not regarded as reward, but the Spiritual from which they are. This also is meant by the price of a work, and by the reward, which is in the Lord and from the Lord (Isaiah 40:10; 61:8; 62:11; Luke 6:35; 14:12-14; and elsewhere).

652. And their bodies [are] upon the street of the great city.- That this signifies their extinction by evils and falsities of doctrine, is evident from the signification of bodies, as denoting that the good of love and the truth of doctrine, signified by the two witnesses, were extinguished; for to be killed signifies to be extinguished, in this case spiritually, because with those who have altogether destroyed those things in themselves. Similarly it is said concerning the Lord that He is slain and dead, which signifies that the Divine proceeding from Him, which is the Divine Good and Divine Truth, is rejected; thus the Lord, with those by whom it is rejected, is slain and dead, as may be seen above (n. 83); and from the signification of the street of the great city, as denoting the truth and good of doctrine, and, in the opposite sense, the falsity and evil of doctrine. For by street is signified, in a good sense, truth leading and, in the opposite sense, falsity leading, of which we shall speak presently, and by city is signified doctrine, concerning which see above (n. 223). It is said "the great city," because great is said of good, and, in the opposite sense, of evil; and many is said of truth, and, in the opposite sense, of falsity, as may be seen above (n. 223, [336], 337). From these things it is now evident that by the bodies of the two witnesses upon the street of the great city is signified the extinction of the good of love and of charity, and of the truth of doctrine and of faith, by falsities and evils of doctrine. Because evils and falsities of doctrine are signified, these words follow, "which great city is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt," and by Sodom are signified evils of the love, and by Egypt falsities thence, each of these pertaining to doctrine, which destroy the church at its end, concerning which we shall speak further in the articles that follow.

[2] The reason why street signifies the truth of doctrine, and, in the opposite sense, its falsity, is, that way in the spiritual sense signifies truth leading to good, and, in the opposite sense, falsity leading to evil, as may be seen above (n. 97); and streets are ways in a city. And because city signifies doctrine, therefore by street is signified the truth and falsity of doctrine. In the spiritual world also there are cities, and streets in them as in the cities of the world; and the quality of every one as to the affection for truth and thence intelligence is known merely from the places where they dwell, and also from the streets in which they walk. Those who are in a clear perception of truth dwell in the southern quarter of the city, and also walk there; those who are in a clear affection for the good of love dwell in the eastern quarter, and also walk there; those who are in an obscure affection for the good of love dwell in the western quarter, and also walk there; and those who are in an obscure perception of truth dwell in the northern quarter, and also walk there; but it is the contrary in the cities where those have their abode who are in the persuasion of falsity from evil. From these things it is evident whence it is that street signifies truth or falsity leading.

[3] That such things are signified by streets is evident from the following passages.

In Jeremiah:

"Run ye through the streets of Jerusalem, and see, I pray, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man that doeth judgment, seeking truth; then will I pardon her" (5:1).

Since the streets in Jerusalem, and the broad places thereof, signify truths of doctrine, according to the states of the affection and perception of those who are of the church, and as by Jerusalem is signified the church as to doctrine, therefore it is said, "Run ye through the streets of Jerusalem, and see and know, and seek in the broad places thereof." And since judgment is said of truths, because all judgment is effected from laws and precepts, which are truths, and because by truth is signified the truth of doctrine and of faith, therefore it is said, "If ye can find a man that doeth judgment and that seeketh truth." The broad places specifically signify the corners of the city, thus the quarters where they dwell; and because every one dwells in the cities in the spiritual world according to clear and obscure affection for good and perception of truth, therefore by broad places are signified truths and goods according to every one's affection and perception.

[4] In Isaiah:

"Judgment hath been driven back, and justice stood afar off; for truth hath stumbled in the street, and rectitude cannot enter" (59:14).

By judgment and justice, in the Word, are signified truth and good; that these are no longer is signified by judgment being driven back and justice standing afar off, that they wandered from the truths of doctrine, and that thence there was no truth in the life, which is good of life, is signified by, truth hath stumbled in the street, and rectitude cannot enter. For all of the good of life is procured by means of truths of doctrine, as man learns from these how he ought to live. Because street signifies where truth leads, therefore it is said, truth hath stumbled in the street.

[5] In Nahum:

The chariots raged in the streets, they ran in the broad places (2:4).

Because chariots signify doctrinals of truth, and streets and broad places, according to every one's affection and perception, as above, therefore it is said, "The chariots raged in the streets, they ran in the broad places"; to rage signifies, to call falsities truths, and to run signifies to wander.

[6] In the book of Judges:

"In the days of Jael the ways ceased, they that go in paths went crooked ways, they ceased, the broad places in Israel ceased" (5:6, 7).

These words are in the song of Deborah and Barak, in which the desolation of truth in the church is treated of, and afterwards its restitution; the desolation is described by the words, "The ways ceased, they that go in paths went crooked ways, the broad places in Israel ceased." Ways and paths have a similar signification to streets and broad places, namely, truths of doctrine leading; and to go crooked ways signifies wandering from truths.

[7] In Isaiah:

"The city of emptiness shall be broken down, every house shall be shut that no one may enter; there shall be a cry over wine in the streets, all joy shall be mingled together; the gladness of the earth shall be banished" (24:10, 11).

By the city of emptiness is signified doctrine in which there is no truth but falsity; by house is signified good of the will and thence of the life. It is therefore evident what is signified by the city of emptiness shall be broken down, every house shall be shut that no one may enter. By a cry over wine in the streets is signified lamentation on account of the defect of truth and of the intermingling of it with falsity, wine signifying the truth of the church from the Word; therefore it is said, "in the streets," because a street also signifies truth, and where truth is sought. Joy and gladness are named, because joy is said of delight from the affection for good, and gladness of the delight from the affection for truth; that those delights will cease is signified by, all joy shall be mingled together, the gladness of the earth shall be banished, earth denoting the church.

[8] Again in Jeremiah:

"How is the city of glory [not] forsaken, the city of my joy wherefore the young men shall fall in the streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off" (49:25, 26; 50:30.).

The city of glory signifies the doctrine of Divine Truth, and the city of joy signifies delight from affection for good and truth therein; by the young men are signified those that have become intelligent through truths and that the understanding of truth would perish is signified by, the young men shall fall in the streets. By the men of war are signified truths combating against falsities; and that there would be no defence of truth against falsities is signified by, all the men of war shall be cut off.

[9] Again in Ezekiel:

"Ye have multiplied your slain in this city, so that you have filled the streets thereof with the slain" (11:6).

The slain, in the Word, mean those who perish by falsities, for the sword with which they are slain signifies falsity destroying truth; the city signifies here, as above, the doctrine of truth; the signification of the slain in the city is therefore evident. By filling the streets with the slain is signified the devastation of truth by falsities.

[10] In Lamentations:

"They that did eat delicacies are devastated in the streets; and they that were brought up in crimson (purpura) have embraced dunghills. The form" of the Nazarites "is darker than blackness, they are not known in the streets. They have wandered as blind men in the streets, they are polluted with blood. They have hunted our steps so that we cannot go in the streets" (4:5, 8, 14, 18).

Streets here also signify truths of doctrine leading to the good of life, or truths according to which the life is to be formed. This treats of the church where the Word is, and its devastation as to truths; therefore they that did eat delicacies are devastated in the streets signifies that those who have imbibed genuine truths from the Word have no longer any truths, delicacies denoting genuine truths from the Word. By they that were brought up in crimson have embraced dunghills is signified that those who received genuine goods from the Word have nothing but falsities of evil, crimson denoting the genuine good of the Word, specifically the celestial love for truth, and dunghills signifying falsities of evil. By the form of the Nazarites is darker than blackness, they are not known in the streets, is signified that Divine Truth is in such obscurity that it does not appear to any one; for the Nazarites represented the Lord as to Divine Truth, therefore they signify Divine Truth from the Lord. By they wandered as blind men in the streets, they are polluted with blood, is signified that the truths of the Word are no more seen, because they are falsified, the blind signifying those who do not see truths. By they have hunted our steps, so that we cannot go in the streets, is signified to lead astray, so that it is not known how to live, to hunt the steps denoting to lead astray by means of falsities, and to go denoting to live, therefore to go in the streets signifies to live according to truths.

[11] In Zephaniah:

"I will cut off the nations; their corners shall be devastated; I will lay waste their streets, that none shall pass through; their cities shall be devastated, that there shall be no man (vir), and no inhabitant" (3:6).

The nations which shall be cut off signify the goods of the church; the corners which shall be devastated signify its truths and goods in their whole compass; that these are signified by corners, may be seen above (n. 417). The streets which shall be desolate, that no one shall pass through, signify truths of doctrine; for the cities which shall be devastated, that there shall be no man and no inhabitant, signify doctrinals, while man and inhabitants, in the spiritual sense of the Word, mean all who are in truths and in goods, thus, in an abstract sense, truths and goods.

[12] In Zechariah:

"I will return to Zion, and I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, whence Jerusalem shall be called the city of truth; old men and women shall yet dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and the streets shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof" (8:3-5).

These things are said concerning the coming of the Lord, and concerning a new church to be established by Him. Zion means the church as to the good of love, and Jerusalem the church as to the truths of doctrine, therefore Jerusalem is called the city of truth. By the old men and women who shall dwell in the streets of Jerusalem are meant those that are intelligent and wise by means of truths of doctrine; by the boys and girls playing in the streets, with whom the streets of the city shall be filled, are signified affections for truth and good and their delights, in which those shall abound who live in truths of doctrine.

[13] In Jeremiah:

"According to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to shame, altars to burn incense to Baal" (11:13).

According to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah, signifies that there were as many falsities as doctrinals, cities denoting doctrinals, and gods the falsities of religion. According to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to shame, signifies as many kinds of worship as falsities of doctrine, streets here signifying falsities of doctrine, and altars worship. Worship from falsities is here understood, because by altars are meant altars of incense, for it is said, altars to burn incense to Baal, for incense signifies spiritual good, which, in its essence, is truth from good, and in the opposite sense, falsity from evil. That incense and altar signify these things may be seen above (n. 324, 491, 492, 567).

[14] In the same:

"Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? the sons gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, the women knead the mass to make cakes to the queen of the heavens, at the same time to pour out drink-offerings to other gods; I will cause to cease in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem the voice of joy and the voice of gladness" (7:17, 18, 34).

The signification of these words in the spiritual sense may be seen fully explained above (n. 555:17); and that the cities of Judah signify the doctrinals of the church, and the streets of Jerusalem the truths of its doctrine.

[15] Again:

"Have ye forgotten the evils which they did in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?" (44:9).

The land of Judah signifies the church as to good, here as to evil; and the streets of Jerusalem signify the truths of doctrine, here the falsities of its doctrine.

[16] In Ezekiel:

"With the hoofs of his horses shall" Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babel, "tread down all thy streets; he shall slay thy people with the sword, and he shall bring down the statues of strength to the earth; they shall plunder thy wealth" (26:11, 12).

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babel, signifies the profanation of truth and its consequent destruction. With the hoofs of his horses he shall tread down all thy streets signifies that he will destroy all the truths of the church by the fallacies of the sensual man; he will slay the people with the sword signifies that he will destroy truths by falsities; that so also he will destroy all worship from truths, is signified by, he shall bring down the statues of strength to the earth, for statues signify holy worship from truths, and because all power belongs to truth from good, they are called statues of strength; that knowledges of truth also would be destroyed is signified by, they shall plunder thy wealth. That wealth and riches denote knowledges of truth may be seen (n. 236).

[17] In the same:

"Thou hast built thee a lofty place, and thou hast made thee a high place in every street; upon every head of the way thou hast made thee thy lofty place, and thou hast made thy beauty abominable" (16:24, 25, 31).

High and lofty places, with the ancients, signified heaven, whence came the rite of sacrificing upon high mountains, and instead of these upon lofty structures, therefore worship from evils and falsities of doctrine is signified by making a lofty and high place in every street, and upon every head of the way. And because that worship became idolatrous, it is said that they made their beauty abominable; by beauty is meant truth and intelligence thence, for every one in the spiritual world is beautiful according to truths from good, and intelligence thence.

[18] In Amos:

"In all the streets shall be wailing and in all the broad places they shall say, Alas, alas! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning" (5:16).

In all the streets mourning, and in all the broad places they shall say, Alas, alas! signifies grief on account of truth and good everywhere devastated; and they shall call the husbandman to mourning signifies the grief of the men of the church on account thereof, husbandman signifies the man of the church, because a field signifies the church as to the implantation of truth.

[19] Again in David:

"Our garners are full, yielding from food to food, our flocks are thousands and ten thousands in our streets; our oxen are laden, no breach or fleeing away, or outcry in our broad places" (Psalm 144:13, 14).

The garners full of food signify doctrinals from the Word, thus the Word where are all the truths of doctrine from which are instruction and spiritual nourishment. By the flocks being thousands and ten thousands in the streets are signified spiritual goods and truths; by thousands of flocks goods, and by ten thousands truths; by oxen laden are signified natural goods and their affections; by no breach is signified their coherence. By none fleeing away is signified no loss of any; by no outcry in the broad places is signified no lamentation anywhere over the want of them.

[20] In Job:

God "who giveth rain upon the faces of the earth, and who sendeth waters upon the faces of the streets" (5:10).

To give rain upon the faces of the earth signifies the influx of Divine Truth into all things with those who are of the church; and to send waters upon the faces of the streets signifies the Divine influx into truths of doctrine in order to render man spiritual by means of them.

[21] In Isaiah:

"In her streets they have girded themselves with sackcloth, upon her roofs and in her streets he shall howl, going down into weeping" (15:3).

The things are said of the city of Ar in the land of Moab, by which is signified the doctrine of those who are in truths from the natural man; grief over the falsities of their doctrine, from primaries to ultimates, is signified by girding on sackcloth, and by howling upon the roofs and in the streets, roofs denoting interior things, and streets exterior things with them.

[22] In Jeremiah:

"Upon all the roofs of Moab, and in the streets thereof, a general lamentation" (48:38).

Similar things are here signified as by those above.

In Daniel:

"Know and perceive from the going forth of the word even to restoring and building of Jerusalem, unto Messiah the Prince, [seven weeks]; after sixty and two weeks the street and ditch shall be restored and built, but in straitness of times" (9:25).

He who is not acquainted with the spiritual sense of the Word may suppose that by Jerusalem is here signified Jerusalem, and that this is to be restored and built; also that by the street and ditch, of which it is likewise said that it shall be restored and built, is understood the street and ditch of that city. But by Jerusalem is meant the church which will be established by the Lord, and by the street and ditch is meant the truth of doctrine; by street truth, and by ditch doctrine. This is not the place to explain the signification of the number of weeks.

[23] From these considerations it is now evident that the signification of the street of the New Jerusalem in the following passages in the Apocalypse is similar:

"The twelve gates were twelve pearls, and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass" (21:21);

and afterwards:

"He shewed me a pure river of water of life, bright as crystal, going forth out of the throne of God and of the Lamb; in the midst of the street thereof and of the river, on either side, was the tree of life, bearing twelve fruits" (22:1, 2):

but these passages will be explained hereafter.

[24] In Isaiah:

"Thy sons have fainted, they have lain at the head of all the streets, as an antelope in a net" (51:20).

These things also are said of Jerusalem, that is, of the church vastated as to doctrine. Sons mean those who are in truths of doctrine; to faint and to lie at the head of all the streets signifies to be deprived of all truth, the head or beginning of the streets denoting the entrance to truth, consequently all truth.

[25] In Lamentations:

"The infant and suckling faint in the streets of the city; lift up thy hands to" the Lord "over the souls of thine infants, who have fainted through hunger at the head of all the streets" (2:11, 19).

The infant and the suckling signify innocence, and also the goods and truths which are first born and vivified by knowledges from the Word with men who are being regenerated, and which, being the first, are also guiltless and harmless; the complete defect of them is signified by, they have fainted in the streets of the city, and at the head of all the streets. It is said through hunger because hunger signifies deprivation, defect, ignorance, and at the same time the desire for knowledges (see above, n. 386).

[26] In Nahum:

"Her infants were dashed in pieces at the head of all the streets, and over her honourable ones they cast lots, and all her great men were bound in chains" (3:10).

Infants, here also mean truths which are first born and vivified; and by being dashed in pieces at the head of all the streets is signified to be dispersed and to perish. By the honourable ones are signified the goods of love; by casting lots over them is signified to be dissipated; by great men are signified the truths of good; and by being bound in chains is signified to be bound by falsities, so that truths cannot come forth. These things are said concerning the city of bloods, which signifies doctrine in which the truths of the Word are falsified.

[27] In Jeremiah:

"Death is come up through our windows, it is come into our palaces, to cut off the infant from the street, the young men from the broad places" (9:21).

Death here means spiritual death, which takes place when falsity is believed to be truth, and the truth to be falsity; and the life is according to such belief. Windows signify thoughts from the understanding; palaces the interior and thence more sublime things of the human mind (mens); the signification of death ascending through the windows and coming into the palaces is therefore evident. Infant signifies here, as above, the truths which are first born through knowledges from the Word; the young men signify truths acquired, from which comes intelligence; while streets and broad places signify truths of doctrine and truths of life, which lead to intelligence and wisdom. The signification therefore of cutting off the infant from the street, the young men from the broad places, is evident.

[28] In the same:

"I am full of the anger of Jehovah, I am weary with holding in; pour out upon the infant in the street, and upon the assembly of young men; for even the man (vir) with the woman shall be taken, the old man with him that is full of days" (6:11).

Here by the infant in the street and by the young men similar things to those above are signified. Man and woman signify truth conjoined to good and thence intelligence, and by the old man and him that is full of days is signified wisdom.

[29] Since street signifies the truth of doctrine leading, and, in the opposite sense, falsity, therefore in the following passages mire of the streets, dirt and dung, signify falsity of the love of evil.

In Isaiah:

"Their carcase has become dung of the streets" (5:25).

In the same:

"He shall make him a treading down like the mire of the streets" (10:6).

In Micah:

"She shall be for a treading down like the mire of the streets" (7:10).

In David:

"I will beat them small as the dust before the faces of the wind, like the dirt of the streets I will spread them out" (Psalm 18:42).

These things are also from appearances in the spiritual world; in the cities there in which falsities from evil reign, the streets appear full of dung, dirt, and mire. It is evident from these things what is signified by "The Lord commanding the seventy, whom he sent to preach the Gospel, into whatever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go out into the streets thereof, and say, Even the dust of your city, that cleaveth unto us, do we shake off against you" (Luke 10:10, 11).

[30] Because the streets of a city signify truths of doctrine, according to which man should live, therefore it was customary to teach and to pray in the streets.

Thus in the Second Book of Samuel:

"Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon, lest peradventure the daughters of the Philistines rejoice" (1:20).

In Matthew:

"When thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues and in the broad places, that they may have glory of men. And if thou pray thou shalt not be as the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues, and in the corners of the streets, where they may be seen of men" (6:2, 5).

And in Luke:

"Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets; but he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are" (13:26, 27).

[31] From the signification of street, as denoting the truth of doctrine, it is also clear why the Lord said in the parable that the householder commanded his servants, that they should go quickly into the streets and broad places of the city, and bring in the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind (Luke 14:21).

The poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind, do not mean such in a natural sense, but such in a spiritual sense, namely, those who, not having the Word, were in ignorance of truth, and therefore in want of good, but who still desired truths by means of which they might attain to good; such were the nations of whom the church of the Lord was afterwards established.

[32] Since the street of a city signified truth as well as falsity teaching and leading, therefore the angels who came to Sodom, said that they would tarry all night in the street (Genesis 19:2). And therefore, also, it was commanded that if the sons of Israel observed that those in any city served other gods, they should smite the inhabitants of the city with the sword, utterly destroying the city, and that they should bring all the spoil of it into the midst of the street, and burn the city and all the spoil with fire (Deuteronomy 13:14, 16, 17). By other gods are signified the falsities of worship; by the sword, the destruction of falsity by truths; by the spoil, the falsification of truth; and by fire, the punishment of the love of evil and its destruction.

[33] From these passages cited from the Word it is evident what is signified by the bodies of the two witnesses being cast upon the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, and afterwards by their not being permitted to be laid in the tombs. For it was a custom with the Jewish and Israelitish nation to cast out their enemies that were slain into the ways and streets, and not to bury them, as a sign of their hatred; but this represented that they were infernal evils and falsities which could not be raised again to life, that is, those who were in evils and falsities.

[34] This is also evident in Jeremiah:

The prophets prophesy, saying, "Sword and famine shall not be in this land; by the sword and famine shall these prophets be consumed, and the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out into the streets of Jerusalem, and there shall be none to bury them" (14:15, 16).

A prophet means the doctrine of truth, but here the doctrine of falsity, because they prophesied falsities and because streets signified where falsities are, therefore it is said that they shall be cast out into the streets of Jerusalem.