4736. Cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness. That this signifies that they should conceal it meanwhile among their falsities, that is, that they should regard it as false, but still retain it because it was of importance to the church, is evident from the signification of a “pit,” as being falsities (see n. 4728); and from the signification of a “wilderness,” as being where there is no truth. For the word “wilderness” has a wide signification, it means where the land is uninhabited, and thus not cultivated; and when predicated of the church, it denotes where there is no good, and consequently no truth (n. 2708, 3900). Thus by a “pit in the wilderness” are here meant falsities in which there is no truth, because no good. It is said in which there is no truth because no good; for when anyone believes that faith saves without works, truth may indeed exist, but still it is not truth in him, because it does not look to good, nor is it from good. This truth is not alive, because it has in it a principle of falsity, consequently with anyone who has such truth, the truth is but falsity from the principle which rules in it. The principle is like the soul, from which the rest have their life. On the other hand there are falsities which are accepted as truths, when there is good in them, especially if it is the good of innocence, as with the Gentiles and also with many within the church.

9139. When a man shall desolate a field, or a vineyard. That this signifies the deprivation of the good and the truth of the church through cupidities, is evident from the signification of “to desolate,” as being to deprive through cupidities (see n. 9141); from the signification of “a field,” as being the church as to good (n. 2791, 3766, 4982, 7502), thus the good of the church; and from the signification of “a vineyard,” as being the church as to truth, thus the truth of the church. That “a field” denotes the church as to good, is because the things of a field, such as wheat and barley, signify internal and external goods of the church (n. 3941, 7602, 7605); and that “a vineyard” denotes the church as to truth, is because “wine,” which belongs to a vineyard, signifies the truth of good (n. 1071, 6377).

[2] That “field” and “vineyard” have this signification has its origin from the representatives in the spiritual world. For fields full of wheat and barley appear before spirits when the angels in a heaven above them are conversing about an assemblage of those who are in good; and there appear vineyards full of grapes, with winepresses, when the angels are conversing about an assemblage of those who are in the truth of good. These representatives are not from the fact that there are such things upon earth; but from the correspondences, in that wheat and barley, or the bread made therefrom, nourish the body, as the good of love and of charity nourishes the soul; and in that wine, as drink, acts in like manner. From this it is that in the Word the goods of love and the truths of faith are called “meats and drinks;” in this sense also they are heavenly meats and drinks (see n. 56-58, 680, 681, 1973, 1974, 4459, 4792, 5147, 5293, 5576, 5579, 5915, 8562).

[3] That a “vineyard” denotes the church as to the good and the truth of faith, which church is called the spiritual church, is evident from the passages in the Word where a “vineyard” is mentioned; as in Jeremiah:

Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard, they have trodden under foot My field, they have made My field of desire into a desert of solitude; he has made it [the vineyard] into a solitude (Jeremiah 12:10-11); where “vineyard” and “field” manifestly denote the church; and as the church is the church from the truth and good of faith and of charity, it is clear that the “vineyard” here denotes the church as to truth, and the “field,” the church as to good.

In Isaiah:

Jehovah cometh into judgment with the elders of His people, and the princes thereof; ye have set on fire the vineyard (Isaiah 3:14);

here also “the vineyard” plainly denotes the church in respect to the good and truth of faith; for “the elders with whom Jehovah will come into judgment,” denote the goods of the church (see n. 6524, 6525); and “the princes,” its truths (n. 5044).

[4] Again:

I will sing to my beloved a song of my friend touching His vineyard. My beloved had a vineyard in a horn of the son of oil; and he enclosed it, and planted it with a noble vine (Isaiah 5:1-2

this is said of the Lord, who is the “beloved” and the “friend;” the “vineyard” denotes His spiritual church; a “noble vine” denotes the good of faith of this church; and a “horn of the son of oil,” the good of the faith of that church from the good of love. He who knows nothing of the internal sense of the Word, cannot possibly know what is signified by “a vineyard in a horn of the son of oil.” Yet in these words there lies hidden a secret that cannot be expressed in words. By these words is fully described the conjunction of the Lord’s spiritual kingdom with His celestial kingdom; that is, the conjunction of the second heaven with the third; consequently the conjunction of the good of faith in the Lord, which is of the spiritual kingdom, with the good of love to the Lord, which is of the celestial kingdom. The “vineyard” denotes the spiritual kingdom; “in a horn” denotes in power, thus in this kingdom; and “the son of oil” denotes the external good of love of the celestial kingdom. The celestial kingdom, which is the inmost heaven of the Lord, is called an “olive-tree” or an “olive-yard,” because “oil” denotes the good of celestial love (n. 886, 4582, 4638). Be it known that the kingdom of the Lord on earth is the church. (That there are two kingdoms, the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom, and that the spiritual kingdom constitutes the second heaven, and the celestial kingdom the third heaven, see n. 3887, 4138, 4279, 4286; of the conjunction of these, see n. 6435

[5] Again:

In that day a vineyard of pure wine, answer ye to it; I Jehovah do keep it; I will water it every moment (Isaiah 27:2-3); where “a vineyard of pure wine” [merum] denotes the spiritual church.

In Amos:

In all vineyards shall be wailing; I will pass through thee. Woe unto you that desire the day of Jehovah! What to you is the day of Jehovah? It is of darkness and not of light (Amos 5:17-18);

this is said of the last time of the church, when there is no longer any good and truth of faith, which time is “the day of Jehovah, a day of darkness and not of light;” whence it is said, “in all vineyards shall be wailing.”

In John in Revelation:

The angel put forth His sickle into the earth, and vintaged the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great Winepress of the wrath of God (Revelation 14:19);

“to vintage the vine of the earth” denotes to consume the truth and good of the church; “the earth” here being the church. From all this it can be seen why the Lord so often likened the kingdom of the heavens to a “vineyard” (as in Matthew 20:1, and the following verses; 21:28-29, 33-41; Mark 12:1-12); and why the Lord called Himself “the vine,” in John:

As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the vine, ye are the branches. Without Me ye can do nothing (John 15:4-6);

“the vine” denotes faith in the Lord, consequently the Lord as to faith; for the Lord is faith, because faith is from Him; for no faith is faith save that which is from Him. Hence also “the vine” denotes the faith which is directed to Him.

3941. And Reuben went in the days of wheat-harvest. That this signifies faith as regards its state of love and charity, is evident from the representation of Reuben, as being the faith which is the first thing of regeneration (see n. 3861, 3866); from the signification of “days,” as being states (n. 23, 487, 488, 493, 893, 2788, 3462, 3785); and from the signification of “wheat,” as being love and charity-to be explained in what follows; hence “wheat-harvest” is an advancing state of love and charity. The means of the conjunction of the external man with the internal have been described under the representation of the four sons of Jacob by the handmaids; and the subject now treated of is the conjunction of good and truth by means of the rest of the sons; and therefore the “dudaim” are first spoken of, by which this conjunction or conjugial relation is signified. The reason why a “wheat-harvest” signifies an advancing state of love and charity, is that a “field” signifies the church, and thus the things of the church; and the “seeds” sown in the field signify the things of good and truth; and the plants born from them, such as wheat, barley, and other grains, signify the things of love and charity, and also of faith. The states of the church in regard to these things are therefore compared to “seedtime” and “harvest,” and are so called, as inGenesis 8:22 (n. 932).

[2] That “wheat” denotes the things of love and charity, may also be seen from the following passages.

In Moses:

Jehovah maketh him to ride on the high places of the earth, and feedeth him with the increase of the fields, and maketh him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock; butter of the herd and milk of the flock, with the fat of lambs and of rams, the sons of Bashan, and of he-goats, with the fat of the kidneys of wheat, and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape (Deut 32:13-14);

here in the internal sense the subject treated of is the Ancient Church and its state when it was set up; and all the things of love and charity and all the things of faith that were in it, are described by significatives. The “fat of the kidneys of wheat” is the celestial of love and charity; and as “fat” or “fatness” signifies the celestial (n. 353), and “wheat,” love, they are frequently joined together in the Word-as also in David:

O that My people were obedient to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways. He should feed them with the fat of wheat, and with honey out of the rock would I satisfy thee (Psalms 81:13, 16).

And again in the same:

Jehovah, He maketh thy border peace, and filleth thee with the fat of wheat (Psalms 147:14).

[3] That “wheat” is love and charity, may be seen in Jeremiah:

Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard, they have trodden down the portion of My field, they have made the portion of My field a wilderness of solitude. Wasters are come upon all the hills in the wilderness; for the sword of Jehovah devoureth from one end of the land even to the other end of the land; no flesh hath peace. They have sown wheat, and have reaped thorns (Jeremiah 12:10, 12-13);

“vineyard” and “field” denote the church; the “wilderness of solitude,” its vastation; the “sword that devoureth,” the vastation of truth; “no peace,” no good that affects; “sowing wheat,” the goods of love and charity; “reaping thorns,” the evils and falsities of the love of self and of the world. (That a “vineyard” is the spiritual church, may be seen above, n. 1069; and that a “field” is the church as to good, n. 2971; that a “wilderness” is vastation, n. 1927, 2708; that a “devouring sword” is the vastation of truth, n. 2799; and that “peace” is good that affects, n. 3780)

[4] In Joel:

The field is wasted, the ground mourneth, for the corn is wasted, the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth, the husbandmen were ashamed, the vine-dressers have howled, for the wheat and for the barley; for the harvest of the field is perished. Gird yourselves and lament, ye priests; howl, ye ministers of the altar (Joel 1:10-11, 13).

Everyone sees that the state of the vastated church is that which is here described; thus that “field” and “ground” are the church; the “corn” ¹ its good, and the “new wine” its truth (n. 3580); and that the “wheat” is celestial love, and the “barley” spiritual love; and as the state of the church is treated of, it is said, “gird yourselves and lament, ye priests; howl, ye ministers of the altar.”

[5] In Ezekiel, the Spirit of Jehovah said to the prophet:

Take unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and spelt, and put them into one vessel, and make thee bread thereof. With the ordure of man’s dung shalt thou make a cake before their eyes. Thus shall the sons of Israel eat their bread unclean (Ezekiel 4:9, 12-13); where the profanation of good and truth is treated of; the “wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt” denote the kinds of good and its derivative truth; the “bread” or “cake” “made thereof with the ordure of human dung,” denotes the profanation of all of them.

[6] In John:

I saw and behold a black horse; and he that sat thereon had a balance in his hand. And I heard a voice from the midst of the four living creatures, saying, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and hurt thou not the oil and the wine (Revelation 6:5-6); where the vastation of good and truth is treated of; a “measure of wheat for a penny” denoting the scarcity of love; and “three measures of barley for a penny,” the scarcity of charity.

[7] In Ezekiel:

Judah and the land of Israel were thy merchants; with wheat of Minnith, and pannag, and honey, and oil, and balsam, they made thy tradings (Ezekiel 27:17); where the subject is Tyre, by which are signified the knowledges of good and truth; the goods of love and charity and their happinesses are the “wheat of Minnith, and pannag, and honey, and oil, and balsam;” “Judah” is the celestial church, and the “land of Israel,” the spiritual church, from which those things are; “tradings” are acquisitions.

[8] In Moses:

A land of wheat and barley, a land of vine and fig-tree and pomegranate, a land of olive, of oil, and of honey (Deuteronomy 8:8);

describing the land of Canaan, which in the internal sense is the Lord’s kingdom (n. 1413, 1437, 1585, 1607, 3038, 3705). The goods of love and charity are signified by the “wheat and barley;” and the goods of faith by the “vine and the fig-tree.”

[9] In Matthew:

Whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His threshing floor and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire (Matthew 3:12).

John the Baptist thus speaks of the Lord; the “wheat” denotes the good of love and charity; the “chaff,” that in which there is nothing of good. In the same:

Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into My barn (Matthew 13:30).

The “tares” denote evils and falsities and the “wheat,” goods. They are comparisons, but the comparisons in the Word are all made by means of significatives.

Imibhalo yaphansi: