Spiritual background for GENESIS 33
previous - next - text - Genesis - BM Home - Full PageBut of that day and hour knoweth no one, not the angels of the heavens, but My Father only. And as were the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of man. For as they were in the days before the flood, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field one shall be taken, and one shall be left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; one shall be taken, and one shall be left (Matthew 24:36-42).
[2] second, when the spiritual church, which was after the flood, and is called the Ancient, being spread over much of the Asiatic world, ceased of itself;
[3] third, when the representative of a church among the posterity of Jacob was destroyed, which took place when the ten tribes were carried away into perpetual captivity and dispersed among the nations; and finally when Jerusalem was destroyed, and the Jews also were dispersed. Because there was then a consummation of the age after the Lord‘s coming, therefore also many things said by the Lord in the Evangelists concerning the consummation of that age are also applicable to the Jewish nation, and are likewise applied to them by many at this day. Nevertheless the subject treated of in the above words is specifically and especially the consummation of the age now at hand, namely, the end of the Christian Church, which is also treated of by John in the Apocalypse. This will be the fourth Last Judgment on this globe. What the words involve that are contained in (Matt. 24:36-42) adduced above, will appear from their internal sense, which is as follows.
. But of that day and hour knoweth no one; signifies the state of the church at that time as to goods and truths, that it would not appear to anyone, neither on earth nor in heaven. For by "day and hour" here is not meant day and hour, or time; but state as to good and truth. That times in the Word signify states, (n. 2625, 2788, 2837, 3254, 3356); as also do "days," (n. 23, 487, 488, 493, 893, 2788, 3462, 3785); and thence also hours, but specifically state. That it is here state as to good and truth, is because the subject treated of is the church, for good and truth make the church.[2] Not the angels of the heavens, but My Father only; signifies that heaven does not know the state of the church as to good and truth specifically, but the Lord alone, and also when that state of the church will come. That the Lord Himself is meant by the "Father," (n. 15, 1729, 2004, 2005, 3690); and that the Divine Good in the Lord is what is called the "Father," and the Divine Truth from the Divine Good "the Son," (n. 2803, 3703, 3704, 3736); and therefore they who believe that the Father is one and the Son another, and who separate them from each other, do not understand the Scriptures.
[3] For as they were in the days before the flood; signifies the state of vastation of those who are of the church, which is compared to the state of vastation of the first or Most Ancient Church; the consummation of the age or Last Judgment of which is described in the Word by the "flood." That by the "flood" is signified an inundation of evils and falsities and the consequent consummation of that age, (n. 310, 660, 662, 705, 739, 790, 805, 1120). That "days" signify states, see above.
[4] Eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage; signifies their state as to the appropriation of evil and falsity, and the consequent conjunction with these. That "to eat" denotes the appropriation of good, and "to drink" the appropriation of truth, (n. 3168, 3513, 3596); thus in the opposite sense the appropriation of evil and falsity. That "to marry" denotes conjunction with evil, and "to give in marriage," conjunction with falsity, may be seen from what has been said and shown respecting marriage and conjugial love (n. 686, 2173, 2618, 2728, 2729, 2737, 2739, 2803, 3132, 3155), namely, that in the internal sense this is the conjunction of good and truth, but here in the opposite sense the conjunction of evil and falsity. Whatever the Lord spoke, being Divine, is not the same in the internal sense as in the letter. Thus eating and drinking in the Holy Supper do not signify in the spiritual sense eating and drinking, but the appropriation of the good of the Lord’s Divine love (n. 2165, 2177, 2187, 2343, 2359, 3464, 3478, 3735, 4211, 4217). And as when predicated of the church and the Lord‘s kingdom the conjugial is the conjunction of the good of love with the truth of faith, therefore from this conjunction the Lord’s kingdom is called in the Word the heavenly marriage.
[5] Until the day that Noah entered into the ark; signifies the end of the former church, and the beginning of the new. For by "Noah" is signified the Ancient Church in general which succeeded the Most Ancient after the flood (n. 773); and by the "ark," the church itself (n. 639). "Day," which is mentioned several times in these verses, signifies state, as shown just above.
[6] And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away signifies that the men of the church will not then know that they are inundated by evils and falsities, because on account of the evils and falsities in which they are they will not know what the good of love to the Lord is, and the good of charity toward the neighbor, and also what the truth of faith, and that this is from that love and charity, and is not possible except with those who live in this love and in this charity. They will also be ignorant that the internal is what saves and condemns, but not the external separate from the internal.
[7] So shall the coming of the Son of man be signifies the Divine Truth, and that they will not receive it. It has been said before (n. 3897-3901), that the "coming of the Son of man" is the Divine Truth which will then be revealed (n. 2803, 2813, 3004-3009, 3704).
[8] Then shall two be in the field one shall be taken, and one shall be left; signifies those within the church who are in good, and those within the church who are in evil that they who are in good will be saved, and that they who are in evil will be condemned. That a "field" denotes the church as to good, see (n. 2971, 3196, 3310, 3317, 3766).
[9] Two women shall be grinding at the mill; one shall be taken, and one shall be left signifies those within the church who are in truth, that is, in the affection of it from good, that they will be saved; and those within the church who are in truth, that is, in the affection of it from evil, that they will be condemned. That in the Word "to grind," and a "mill" have this signification, will be evident from what now follows. From all this it is now evident that by these words is described what the state as to good and truth will be within the church when it is being rejected, and a new church is being adopted.
. That in the Word by "those who grind" are meant those within the church who are in truth from the affection of good, and in the opposite sense those within the church who are in truth from the affection of evil, may be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:Come down, and sit upon the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit in the earth, there is not a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans take a millstone and grind meal, uncover thy hair, make bare the foot, uncover the thigh, pass through the rivers (Isa. 47:1, 2);
the "daughter of Babylon" denotes those whose externals appear holy and good, but their interiors are profane and evil (n. 1182, 1326); the "daughter of the Chaldeans," those whose externals appear holy and true, but their interiors are profane and false (n. 1368, 1816); "to take a millstone and grind meal" denotes to hatch doctrinal things from the truths which they pervert; for as meal is from wheat or barley, it signifies truths from good, but in the opposite sense truths which they pervert in order to mislead. In Jeremiah:
I will destroy from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of the millstones and the light of the lamp; and this whole land shall be for a waste and a desolation (Jer. 25:10, 11).
[2] And in John:
Every craftsman of every craft shall not be found in Babylon any more, every voice of the millstone shall not be heard therein any more and the light of a lamp shall not shine therein any more and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall not be heard therein any more (Rev. 18:21-23);
"the voice of a millstone being heard no more in Babylon" denotes that there will be no truth; and "the light of a lamp shining no more," that there will be no intelligence of truth. In Lamentations:
They ravished the women in Zion, the virgins in the cities of Judah princes were hanged up by their hand, the faces of the old men were not honored the young men were carried away to grind, and the children fall in the wood (Lamentations 5:11-14);
"the young men being carried away to grind" denotes to hatch falsities by applying truths, and thus persuading.
[3] In uses.‘
Every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon’ his throne, to the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mills (Exod. 11:5);
the "firstborn of Egypt" denotes the truths of faith separated from the good of charity, which truths becomes falsities (n. 3325); the "firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mills" denotes the affection of such truth, whence come falsities. These things were represented by these historicals.
[4] In the same:
He shall not take in pledge the mills or the millstone, for they are the soul of him that pledgeth (Deut. 24:6).
This law was enacted because by "mills" were signified doctrinal things, and by a "millstone," the truths thereof, which are what are called the "soul of him that pledgeth." It is manifest that this law would not have been given, nor would it have been said that it was his " soul," unless mills and a millstone had a spiritual signification.
[5] That grinding derives its signification from representatives that come forth in the world of spirits, has been shown me; for I have seen there those who were as if grinding without any end of use, and merely for their own pleasure. And as in such a case truths are devoid of their own affection from good, they do indeed appear as truths in the outward form; but as there is no internal in them, they are phantasms and if there is an evil internal, they are then employed to confirm the evil; and thus by application to evil they become falsities.
CONTINUATION CONCERNING THE GRAND MAN AND CONCERNING CORRESPONDENCE, HERE CONCERNING CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE EYE AND WITH LIGHT
[2] But they who are in evil and thence in falsities, appear in a light like that of a charcoal fire. This light becomes quite dusky in the light of heaven; but the very lights from which they see are varied in accordance with the falsity and evil in which they are. This showed very plainly why those who lead a life of evil can never have faith in Divine truths from a sincere heart; for they are in that smoky light which, when heavenly light falls upon it, becomes dark to them, so that they see neither with their eyes nor with their mind; and besides they then fall into agonies, and some into a kind of swoon. Hence it is that the evil cannot possibly receive truth, but only the good.
[3] The man who leads a life of evil cannot believe that he is in such a light, because he cannot see the light in which his spirit is, but only that in which is the sight of his eyes and from this his natural mind. But if he could see the light of his spirit, and could make proof of what it would become if the light of truth and good from heaven were to flow into it, he would then very well know how far he is from receiving the things which are of this light, that is, those which are of faith, and how much further he is from becoming imbued with those which are of charity, thus how far distant he is from heaven.
. I was once conversing with spirits concerning life that no one has any life from himself, but from the Lord, although he may seem to live from himself (n. 4320). First of all we spoke of what life is, namely, that it is to understand and to will; and as all understanding bears relation to truth, and all willing to good (n. 4409), that the intelligence of truth and the will of good are life. But some reasoning spirits made reply (for there are spirits who are to be called reasoners, because they reason about everything as to whether it is so, and such are for the most part in obscurity in regard to all truth), and said that those who are in no intelligence of truth and will of good nevertheless live, and in fact they preeminently believe that they live. But it was given to answer them that the life of the evil does indeed appear to them like life, but nevertheless it is the life which is called spiritual death, as they might know from the consideration that as to understand truth and to will good are life from the Divine, it follows that to understand falsity and to will evil cannot be life, because evils and falsities are contrary to life itself.[2] To convince them they were shown the quality of their life, which when seen appeared like the light from a coal fire mingled with smoke. When they are in this light, they cannot but suppose that the life of their thought and of their will is the only life there is, and this the more from the fact that the light of the intelligence of truth, which is that of life itself, cannot appear to them at all, for the moment they come into this light their own light becomes dark, so that they can see nothing at all, thus neither can they perceive anything. They were further shown what was then the state of their life, by the withdrawal of the delight they had from what is false, which in the other life is effected by separating the associate spirits. On this being done they appeared with ghastly faces, like those of the dead, so that they might have been called images of death. But as regards the life of animals, of the Lord‘s Divine mercy this subject shall receive particular treatment.
. They who are in the hells are said to be in darkness, but this is because they are in falsities; for as light corresponds to truth, so darkness corresponds to falsities. As already said, they are in a light like that from a charcoal fire and of a sulphurous yellow, and this light is what is meant by "darkness;" for according to their light, and consequently according to their sight from it, is their understanding, because the two things correspond to each other. It is called darkness also because these lights become darkness in the presence of heavenly light. . There was a spirit present with me whose extensive knowledge during his earthly life had occasioned him to believe that he was wiser than anyone else, which had resulted in his contracting the evil that wherever he was he wanted to direct everything. He was sent to me by a certain society to serve them as a subject, that is, for communication (n. 4403); and also that they might get rid of him, because he was troublesome through his wanting to direct them from his own intelligence. While he was with me it was given me to speak to him about intelligence from self, which I said so greatly prevails in the Christian world that it is believed that all intelligence is from this source, and therefore none is from God; although when people are speaking from their doctrinal beliefs they say that everything true and good is from heaven, thus from the Divine, consequently all intelligence, for this is of truth and good. But as the spirit would not attend to these things I said that he would do well to withdraw, because the sphere of his intelligence infested me; but being in the persuasion that he was pre-eminently intelligent, he would not do so[2] He was then shown by angels what is the nature of intelligence from self, and what the nature of intelligence from the Divine, and this by means of lights, for in the other life such things are presented to view in a wonderful manner by means of variations of light. Intelligence from self was shown by a light which appeared as a fatuous light, surrounded by a dark border, and extending but a little distance from its focus; and it was further shown that this light is at once extinguished when it is looked at by an angelic society, exactly as is a fatuous light in the light or daytime of the sun. He was then shown what is the quality of intelligence from the Divine, and this also by means of a light which was brighter and more full of light than the noonday light of the sun, and which also extended itself to every distance and terminated as does the light of the sun in the universe; and it was said that intelligence and wisdom enter from all sides into the sphere of this light, and cause truth and good to be perceived by an almost unlimited mental view; but this in accordance with the quality of the truth from good.
. From all this it is evident that the things in man which are of the light of the world correspond to those which are of the light of heaven; consequently that the sight of the external man, which is of the eye, corresponds to the sight of the internal man, which is of the understanding; and also that in the other life the quality of the intelligence shows itself by means of lights. . A continuation concerning correspondence with the eye and with light will be found at the end of the following chapter. previous - next - text - Genesis - BM Home - Full Page