Spiritual Meaning of GENESIS 19:25
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AC 2448. Verse 25. And He overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and the growth of the ground. "He overthrew those cities," signifies that all truths were separated from them, in order that they might have only falsities "and all the plain," signifies all things that pertained to truths; " and all the inhabitants of the cities," signifies that all goods were separated from them, in order that they might have nothing but evils; "and the growth of the ground," signifies all that is of the church.

AC 2449. He overthrew those cities. That this signifies that all truths were separated from them, in order that they might have only falsities, is evident from the signification of " cities," as being doctrinal things, thus truths, since these belong to doctrinal things (n. 402, 2268, 2428); and which are said to be " overthrown" when there are falsities instead of truths, in the present case when all truths have been separated from them, as well as all goods, which are likewise treated of in this verse because the subject is the last state of those within the church who are in falsities and evils; and this is the state into which they come, concerning the nature of which a few words shall be said.

[2] They who come into the other life are all brought again into a life similar to that which they had in the body; and then with the good evils and falsities are separated, in order that by means of goods and truths they may be elevated by the Lord into heaven; but with the evil, goods and truths are separated in order that by evils and falsities they may be borne into hell (n. 2119); precisely in accordance with the Lord‘s words in Matthew:--

And elsewhere in the same:--

The same things are also signified by these words in Matthew:--

The same are also signified by what is said of the net cast into the sea that gathered fishes of various kinds, the good being collected into vessels and the bad cast away; and of its being so at the consummation of the age (Matthew 13:47-50). What the "consummation" is, and that it involves like things as these in regard to the church, see (n. 1857, 2243). The reason why evils and falsities are separated from the good is that they may not hang between evils and goods, but may be elevated by means of goods into heaven; and the reason why goods and truths are separated from the evil is that they may not by means of any goods that pertain to them seduce the upright, and also that by means of their evils they may go away among the evil who are in hell. For such is the communication in the other life, of all ideas of thought, and of all affections, that goods are communicated among the good, and evils among the evil (n. 1388-1390); so that unless the good and the evil were separated, countless mischiefs would result, and moreover all association together would be impossible; when yet all things are most exquisitely consociated, in the heavens according to all the differences of love to the Lord and of mutual love, and of the derivative faith (n. 685, 1394); and in the hells according to all the differences of cupidities and of the derivative phantasies (n. 695, 1322). Be it known however that the separation is not entire removal, for from no one is that which he has had altogether taken away.

AC 2450. And all the plain. That this signifies all things that pertained to those truths, is evident from the signification of a "plain," as being everything of what is doctrinal, thus everything that pertains to truths (n. 2418).

AC 2451. And all the inhabitants of the cities. That this signifies that all goods were taken away from them, in order that they might have nothing but evils, is evident from the signification of "inhabitants," when predicated of a city, as being goods; which may be confirmed by many things in the Word. The same is also evident from the fact that when a "city" signifies truth, an "inhabitant" denotes good; for truth is that in which good dwells; and truth in which there is no good, is like a city empty, or without an inhabitant. Moreover as regards the fact that all goods are separated from the evil, so that they may have nothing but evils, see above (n. 2449).

AC 2452. And the growth of the ground. That this signifies all that is of the church, is evident from the signification of the "growth" (by which is meant both the crops and also even green thing, and that goods and truths are signified by these, is evident from the Word throughout) and also from the signification of the "ground," as being the church (n. 566, 1068). That goods and truths are everything of the church, is well known.

Author:  E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design:  I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.

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