673. Full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever. This symbolizes the evils and falsities that will be exposed to view by the pure and genuine truths and goods in the Word.

The bowls are said to have been full of the wrath of God because they were full of plagues, which symbolize evils and falsities in the church (no. 657). Nevertheless they were not full of these, but were full of the pure and genuine truths and goods from the Word by which the evils and falsities in the church were exposed. Neither were there any actual bowls containing truths and goods, but they are symbols of an influx from heaven into the church. Their being said to be full of the wrath of the living God accords with the style of the Word in its literal sense, as may be seen from passages presented above in which we find anger and wrath attributed to God, even though no anger or wrath exists in Jehovah, but is found in man directed at Him. The reason that the literal sense speaks so may be seen in nos. 525, 635, 658 above.

It is apparent from this that the bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever symbolize the grievous evils and falsities that will be exposed to view by the pure and genuine goods and truths in the Word. Evils and falsities are exposed to view only by truths and goods, as truths and goods exist in the light of heaven, while falsities and evils exist in the darkness of hell, and nothing is exposed in a state of darkness, because only evil and falsity are seen in it. But light from heaven exposes everything to view, because everything is seen in it; for the light of heaven is the Divine truth of the Lord's Divine wisdom.

27. The Word’s Literal Sense Is the Foundation, Containing Vessel and Buttress of Its Spiritual and Celestial Meanings

Every Divine work has in it a first, intermediate, and final element, and the first one progresses through the intermediate one to the final one, and so takes form and endures. Thus the final element is the foundation. Moreover, the first element is present in the intermediate one, and present through the intermediate one in the final one. Thus the final element is the containing vessel. And because the final element is the containing vessel and foundation, it is also the buttress.