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Luke Chapter 21

1. BUT as he looked up he saw the rich cast in their gifts into the treasury.
2. But he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
3. And he said, truly I say to you, that this poor widow has cast in more than they all.
4. For all these from their abundance have cast into the gifts of God; but she of her penury has cast in all the living that she had.
5. And as some spoke of the temple, that it was adorned with goodly stones,, and consecrated gifts, He said,
6. [As for] these things which you behold, the days will come, in which there shall not be left stone upon stone which shall not be thrown down.
7. But they asked him, saying, teacher, when then shall these things be, and what is the sign when these things shall come to pass?
8. But he said, see that you be not deceived, for many shall come in my name, saying, that I am, and the time is near, go you not therefore after them.
9. But when you shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified; for these things must first come to pass, but the end is not immediately,
10. Then he said to them, nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
11. And there shall be great earthquakes in diverse places, and famines, and pestilences, and fearful and great signs shall be from heaven.
12. But before all these things they shall lay their hands on you, and shall persecute, delivering [you] up to the synagogues and prisons, being led before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
13. But it shall turn to you for a testimony.
14. Settle it therefore in your hearts not to premeditate what you shall answer.
15. For I will give you a mouth and a wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to deny nor resist.
16. But you shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends, and they shall cause [some] of you to be put to death.
17. And you shall be hated of all [men] for My name's sake.
18. And there shall not a hair of your head perish.
19. In your patience possess you your souls.
20. But when you shall see Jerusalem encompassed with armies, then know you that the desolation thereof is near.
21. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are in the midst of it depart out, and let not those who are in the countries enter into it.
22. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
23. But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! for there shall be great distress upon the earth and wrath upon this people.
24. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations; and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the nations, until the times of the nations be fulfilled.
25. And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars, and upon the earth straitness of nations in perplexity; the sea roaring and agitation.
26. Men expiring for fear and the expectation of those things that are coming on the earth; for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
27. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and much glory.
28. But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.
29. And He spoke a parable to them; behold the fig-tree and all the trees!
30. When they now shoot forth, seeing [it] you know of your ownselves that summer is now near.
31. So likewise you, when you see these things come to pass, know you that the kingdom of God is near.
32. Verily I say to you, that this generation shall not pass away, until all things be fulfilled,
33. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my Word shall not pass away.
34. But take heed to yourselves lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come upon you unawares.
35. For as a snare shall it come upon all that sit upon the face of the whole earth.
36. Watch you therefore, praying on every occasion, that, you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that are about to come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.
37. And in the day time he was teaching in the temple, but going forth at night he lodged in the mount called [the mount] of Olives.
38. And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple to hear Him.

Chapter XXI. Extracts from the Theological Writings

OF

VERSE 5 to the end. The learned of the present times, both clergy and laity, understand by the destruction of the Jewish temple its ruin by Vespasian; and that by the coming of the Lord is meant the end and dissolution of the world. But by the destruction of the temple we are not only to understand its destruction by the Romans, but also the overthrow of the present Church; and by the consummation of the age, and the coming of the Lord at that time, we are to understand that the end of this Church, and the establishment of a new one by the Lord is meant; that these things are to be understood, is evident from the beginning to the end of this whole Chapter, wherein only the successive declensions and corruptions of the Church to its final ruin, when there will be an end of it, are treated of. That by the temple, in a strict sense, we are to understand the temple of Jerusalem; in an extensive sense, the Church of the Lord; in a more extensive one, the angelic heaven; and in the most extensive of all, the Lord with respect to His humanity; may be seen in the Apocalypse Revealed, AR 529. That by the end of the world we are to understand the end of the Church, which is to take place when there does not remain any true doctrine taught from the Word, which is not falsified and of course made an end of, see AR 658, 676, 750, That by the coming of the Lord we are to understand His coming in His Word, and that then the New Church will be built in the place of the former which is ended, plainly appears from His words in this chapter, verses 27, 28; also from the two last chapters of the Revelation, where also are these words, "I Jesus am the root and offspring of David, the bright and morning star; and the spirit and the bride say, come; and let him that hears say, come; and let him that is athirst come. I also come quickly; even so, come, Lord Jesus," Rev 22:17, 20.

That there is an end of the Church when there no longer exist the truths of faith, and consequently neither the goods of charity, is self evident; that the false things of faith extinguish the truths of doctrine, and that the evil things of life burn up the good things of charity; and that where the false principles of faith are, there will also be the evil things of life, and that where the evil things of life are, there also are the false things of faith, will be severally demonstrated in. treating on these subjects. The reason why people have not hitherto known, that by the end of the world we are to understand the end of the Church, is, because where false opinions are taught, and the doctrine resulting from them is believed and honoured as orthodox, it cannot possibly be discerned; for false things are considered as true, and true as false, in which case what is false explodes what is true, and blackens it, as ink does water, or as soot does white paper; for the most learned persons of the present age believe and proclaim, that they are in the clearest light of the gospel; although to all appearance they are in darkness; to such a degree of blindness are they reduced by the web that has covered their sight.

We shall see in the work itself where these chapters will be explained, that in chap. xxiv. of Matthew, xiii. of Mark, and xxi. of Luke, the destruction of the city and temple of Jerusalem are not described, but that the successive changes of the state of the Christian Church are foretold in their regular order to the end of it; and at what time that will happen, will be seen in the work itself; and in the mean time from these words of the above Evangelists, "Then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man, and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn; and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory; and He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from one end of heaven to the other," Matt 24:30, 31. Mark 13:26, 27. Luke 21:27. It is well known that these things were neither seen nor heard at Jerusalem when it was destroyed, and that it is at this day believed they will happen at the end of the world. Similar things are also said in the Apocalypse, in which, from the beginning to the end, nothing is treated of but the last state of the Church, where are these words, "Behold, Jesus Christ comes in the clouds, and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him," Rev 1:5, 7, which words may be seen explained in the Apocalypse Revealed, AR 24 to 28; and what the kindreds and tribes of the earth and their wailing mean, AR 27, 348, 349. Brief Exposition, BE 70 to 74.

That the consummation of the age signifies the last time of the Church, was shown in the foregoing article, whence it is evident what is meant by the consummation of the age, concerning which the Lord spoke in the Evangelists, Matt. xxiv. Mark xiii. Luke xxi. on which occasion He predicted and described the consummation, such as would successively take place even to His coming, and that then He would come in the clouds of heaven with power and glory, and would gather together His elect, with many other circumstances, which never came to pass at the destruction of Jerusalem. These things the Lord described in prophetic language, every word of which has its weight; but what each word involves, has been explained in the arcana coelestia, AC 3353 to 3356, 3486 to 3489, 3650 to 3655, 3751 to 3757, 3898 to 3901, 4057 to 4060, 4229 to 4231, 4332 to 4335, 4422 to 4424.

That all those things which the Lord spoke with his disciples had relation to the last time of the Christian Church, is very manifest from the Apocalypse, where similar things are predicted, concerning the consummation of the age and his coming, all which things have been particularly explained in the apocalypse revealed, published in the year 1766. Now whereas those things, which the Lord said to his disciples concerning the consummation of the age and his coming, coincide with those, which he afterwards revealed in the Apocalypse by John on the same subjects, it is very evident that he meant no other consummation than that of the present Christian Church. Moreover the end of the Church was also prophetically announced in Daniel, wherefore the Lord says, "When you shall see the abomination of desolation, predicted by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, he that reads let him mark it well," Matt 24:15. Dan 9:27; in like manner also in the rest of the prophets. That such abomination of desolation at this day has place in the Christian Church, will still further appear from the appendix, in which it will be seen, that there is not a single genuine truth remaining in the Church, and likewise that unless a New church be raised up in place of the present one no flesh can be saved, according to the Lord's words in Matthew 24:32. That the Christian church, such as it is at this day, has been so far consummated and vastated, cannot be seen by those on earth, who have confirmed themselves in its falses; the reason is because the confirmation of what is false is the denial of what is true, wherefore it places a kind of veil under the understanding, and by this prevents the entrance of any thing Which may pluck away its ropes and posts, by which it has erected and formed as it were its systematic tent. Add to this, that the natural rational principle can confirm whatever it pleases, thus what is false alike with what is true, and when it is confirmed, each appears in similar light, and it is not known whether the light be a fanciful light such as is given in a dream, or whether it be a true light, such as is given in open day. But it is altogether otherwise with the spiritual rational principle, which has place with those who look to the Lord, and from Him are in the love of truth. TCR 757, 758.

By the coming of the Lord and the consummation of the age is signified the beginning of a New Church and the end of a former one; by the coining of the Lord the beginning of a new Church, and by the consummation of the age the end of the old Church, wherefore the Lord in Matt 24:3. Mark 13:4. Luke 21:7, instructs the disciples concerning the successive vastation of the former Church, and the establishment of a new Church at its end; but He instructs and teaches them by mere correspondences, which cannot be unfolded and known except by the spiritual sense, and inasmuch as they were correspondences, by which the Lord spoke, therefore they were all signs, thus testifications. AE 706. See also AC 1843.

Verse 6. There shall not be left stone upon stone which shall not be thrown down. By these words is signified the destruction and total vastation of the Church; stone also signifies the truth of the Church, and in consequence of this signification the subject treated of in those chapters in the Evangelists is concerning the successive variation of the Church. AE 220.

Verse 8. Many shall come in My Name, &c. To come in My name and to say that I am, is to preach falses, and to call them truths, and thus to seduce. The like is signified by saying that he is Christ, and yet is not. AE 102.

It may be expedient briefly to speak of truths which are from another source than from the Lord, which truths in general are those in which the Lord is not. The Lord is not in the truths belonging to man, when man denies Him and His Divinity, and likewise when he acknowledges Him, and still believes that goods and truths are hot from Him, but from himself, and who hence claims to himself justice. The truths also, in which the Lord is not, are those which are taken from the Word, especially from the sense of the letter of the Word and explained in favour of self-dominion and selfish lucre; these in themselves are truths, because from the Word, but they are hot truths in consequence of being wrongly explained and thus perverted; such are the truths which are meant by what the Lord says in Matthew, "If any one shall say, lo! here is Christ, or there, believe not, for false Christs and false Prophets shall arise, and shall give great signs and prodigies, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect." Matt 24:14, 15, 16; and in Luke, "See that you be not deceived, for many shall come in My name, saying that I am, and the time is near; go you not therefore after them," Luke 21:8. The truths which are from the Lord are true in the internal form even from the Lord; and the truths which are not from the Lord appear true only in the external form, but not in the internal form, for within they are either vain or false, or evil. To constitute a truth, it is necessary that life be in it, for truth without life is not the truth of faith belonging to man, and life is from no other source than from good, that is, by good from the Lord, if therefore the Lord is riot in truth, truth is without life, thus is hot true, but if a false principle be in it, or evil be in it, the truth itself belonging to man is false or evil; for what is within constitutes essence, and likewise in the other life is translucent through what is external. AC 8868.

Verses 9, 10, 11. But when you shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified, for these things must first come to pass, but the end is not immediately. Then He said to them, nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be great earthquakes in diverse places, and famines, and pestilences, and fearful and great signs shall be from heaven. These changes of their state were attended with various concussions of their habitations and of the earths around them, which were followed by earthquakes, more tremendous according to their aversion from what is good and true: Here and there also were made great clefts towards the hells which were beneath them, and thus communication was opened with the hells; there were then seen vapours ascending as of smoke mixed with sparks of fire. These likewise were preceding signs, which are also understood by the Lord's words in the Evangelists concerning the consummation of the age and the last judgement at the time, where He says, "Nation shall rise up against nation; there shall be great earthquakes in diverse places; great and terrible signs also shall be from heaven." Continuation of last judgement, CLJ 25.

These things were said by the Lord to the disciples concerning the consummation of the age, by which is signified the state of the church as to its last period, which is described in Matt. xxiv. Mark xiii. Luke xxi; wherefore also by those words is meant, the successive perversion and falsification of the truth and good of the Word, until there is nothing left but what is false and the evil thence derived; by those who shall come in his name, and shall say that they are Christ, and shall seduce many, is signified that some will come who will say that this is Divine truth, when yet it is truth falsified, which in itself is false, for by Christ is meant the Lord as to Divine truth, but there in the opposite sense as to truth falsified; that they shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, signifies, that there shall be disputes and litigations respecting truths, and that hence will come falsifications. By nation rising against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, is signified that evil shall fight with evil, and the false with the false, for evils in no case agree one with another, neither do falses, and this is the reason why churches are divided one amongst another, and so many heresies have had birth, nation signifying those who are in evils, and kingdom those who are in the false which prevail in the church; by famine, and pestilence, and earthquakes, is signified that there shall be no longer any knowledges of truth and of good, and that by reason of the falses which shall infect, the state of the church would be changed; famine is the privation of the knowledges of truth and of good, pestilence is infection from falses, and earthquakes denote changes of the church. AE 734. see also AE 380, 400.

Verse 12. But before all these things they shall lay their hands on you, and shall persecute, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, &c. He who is aware that by the Lord's disciples are meant all those who are principled in truths grounded in good from the Lord, and in the abstract sense the truths themselves grounded in good, and that by their being cast into custody by the devil is meant the attempt of those who are in falses grounded in evil to deprive them of truths, and in the sense abstracted from persons the withholding and captivity of truths by falses, may be able to understand what is signified in each sense in the following passage, "They shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons for My name's sake:" That for the sake of the Lord's name signifies for the sake of the goods of love and the truths of faith from Him, may be seen above, AE 102. AE 122.

Verse 15. For I will give you a mouth and a wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to deny nor resist. By the mouth and by the things of the mouth are signified those things which are of the understanding, and thence of the thought and speech, for these correspond to the mouth, since all the organs, which are said to be of the mouth, as the larynx, the epiglottis, the throat, the tongue, the lips, are organs serviceable to the understanding for utterance and elocution. Hence it is that by the mouth is signified thought and consequent reasoning. That the mouth by correspondence, thus in the spiritual sense, signifies thought, but in the natural sense utterance, may be manifested from the following passages, "The mouth of the just meditates wisdom" Psalm 37:30, where by mouth is signified thought grounded in affection, for man from that thought meditates wisdom, but not from the mouth and its speech. And in Luke, "Jesus said, I will give you a mouth and a wisdom," &c. where mouth denotes speech grounded in intellect, thus the thought from which a man speaks. AE 580.

Verses 16 to 20. But you shall be betrayed both by parents and brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends, and they shall cause some of you to be put to death. And you shall he hated of all men for My name's sake. And there shall not a hair of your head perish. In your patience possess you your souls. These words relate to the last time of the church, when the judgement comes; the temptations, which the faithful are then to undergo for the sake of truths, are described by their being delivered up by parents, brethren, kinsfolk, and friends, and by their being put to death, also by their being hated for the sake of the Lord's name; by parents, brethren, kinsfolk and friends, are meant those who are of the same church, but in evils and falses; that they are to undergo temptations, is meant by their being put to death and hated; hence then by possessing their souls in patience is signified to preserve the life of truth amongst falses, the life of truth being signified by soul. Ap. Ex. 813. See also AE 366.

Verse 18. And there shall not a hair of your head perish. For several years I have noted attentively whether fortune was any thing, and I have found that it was, and that prudence on such occasion is of no avail; all likewise, who have reflected for any time on the subject, know and confess this, but they do not know whence it comes; that it is from the spiritual world, is scarce known to any one, when yet its source is thence. On a time, when I was playing with dice, the spirits attendant upon me discoursed with me concerning fortune in games of play, and said that what is fortunate was represented to them by a bright cloud, and what is unfortunate by a dusky cloud; and when the dusky cloud appeared around me, that I could not possibly win; and they likewise predicted from that mark my chances in the game; hence it was given to know that what is attributed to fortune, even in games of play, is from the spiritual world; much more so that which befalls man as to the vicissitudes in the course of his life; and that what is called fortune is from an influx of Providence in the ultimates of order, where it so exists; thus that providence is in the most singular of all things, according to the Lord's words, that not even a hair falls from the head without the will of God. AC 6494.

Inasmuch as ultimates also signify all things or the whole, therefore the hair and the beard, which are ultimates and excrescences with man, are taken for all things, in like manner the feet, yea the toes and fingers. That this is the signification of hair and the beard, is manifest from Isaiah, "In that day the Lord shall shave with a razor by the king of Assyria the head, the hairs of the feet, and also the beard" Is 7:24, where the king of Assyria denotes ratiocination, such as prevails amongst those, who by it destroy Divine things. To shave the head, the hairs of the feet, and the beard, is to take away ultimate things, for when these are taken away, interior things are dispersed, and perish; hence also it is said, that the hairs of the head are all numbered. Matt 10:30, by which is signified that all and singular thing's in man are numbered; also that there shall not a hair of the head perish, Luke 21:18. AC 10044.

Verse 19. In your patience possess you your souls. To possess souls denotes those things which are of faith, and thence of spiritual life. AC 9051.

Verse 20. But when you shall see Jerusalem encompassed with armies, then know you that the desolation thereof is near, The Lord here speaks of the consummation of the age, or of the last time of the church, when there is no longer any faith; that by Jerusalem is signified the church, see AC 2117, which is encompassed with armies when it is besieged by falses. AC 3448. See also AC 3652.

By Jerusalem is here signified the church, and by armies the evils and falses which shall devastate it; for by armies in the Word are signified the goods and truths of heaven and the church, and in the opposite sense evils and falses. AR 447, 862. See also AE 573.

Verse 21. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. By Judea is not meant Judea but the Church, and by mountains are not meant mountains, but the good of love to the Lord; and whereas these things were said concerning the end of the church, it is evident what is signified by those who are in Judea fleeing to the mountains, and by those who are in the midst of it departing out, namely that when the judgement comes, all those of the church will be saved who are in the good of love to the Lord. AE 313.

Verse 23. But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days, for there shall be great distress upon the earth, and wrath upon this people. These things were said concerning the consummation of the age, which is the last time of the church; that good and truth cannot then be received, is signified by woe to them that are with child and to them that give suck; that good is rejected by reason of evil which then has rule in the church, and that truth also is rejected by reason of the false, is signified by there being great distress upon the earth, and wrath upon the people, distress here denoting the rule of evil, and wrath denoting the rule of what is false grounded in what is evii, for in the end of the church the wicked are tormented by good, and are made angry by truth. AE 693.

By those who are with child, and by those who give suck in those days, on whom woe is denounced, are meant those who at that time receive the goods of love, and the truths of that good, those who are with child denoting those who receive the good of love, and those who give suck denoting those who receive the truths of that good, for the milk which is sucked signifies truth derived from the good of love; the reason why a woe is denounced against them is, because they cannot guard the goods and truths which they receive, since at that time hell prevails, and takes away goods and truths, whence comes profanation. AE 710.

Verse 24. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations ; and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the nations, until the times of the nations be fulfilled. By falling by the edge of the sword is signified the destruction of truth by falses, the sword signifying the combat of the false against truth, and also the destruction of truth by falses; by being led into captivity among all nations, are signified persuasions and obsessions thence arising from evils of every kind, for when truths are destroyed, not only falses, but also evils, succeed in their place; all nations signify evils of every kind. By Jerusalem being trodden under foot, is signified the plenary destruction and perversion of the doctrine of the church, Jerusalem signifying the church as to doctrine, and to tread down signifying altogether to destroy, which is effected principally by falsifications and adulterations of the Word, AE 811. See also AC 9164, 1857. AR 52. AE 131.

Until the times of the nations be fulfilled, signifies until evil is consummated. AE 632.

As to what the Lord spoke concerning the last times, that then the sea and the waves shall roar, the sun shall be darkened, the moon shall not give her light, the stars shall fall from heaven, nation shall rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, with several other particulars, Matt 24:7-29. Luke 21:25, all and singular things signify the state of the church, what would be its quality at the time of its last judgement; and by the sea and the waves roaring, nothing else was signified, than that heresies and controversies, in general within the church, and in particular in every individual, will be thus noisy. By the sun nothing else was meant than love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour; by the moon, faith; and by the stars, the knowledges of faith, which in the last times will be thus obscured, will not give light, and will fall from heaven, that is, will vanish away; the like was predicted by the Lord in Isaiah 13:10; also by nation against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, nothing else was meant than evils against evils, and falses against falses; and so forth. The reason why the Lord so spoke was grounded in many secret causes; that seas, the sun, the moon, the stars, nations and kingdoms, have such a signification, I know of a certainty, and it has been shown in the first part of this work. AC 2120.

Verses 25, 26, 35. And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars, and upon the earth straitness of nations in perplexity; the sea roaring and in agitation. Men expiring for fear and the expectation of those things that are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. The subject here treated of is concerning the last time of the church, when there shall be judgement, and by the earth is there meant the church; straitness of nations upon the earth, the fear and expectation of those things that are coming upon the earth, and on all who sit on the face of the whole earth, does not signify that it will be upon those who are in the natural world, but upon those who are in the spiritual world; that there are earths also in that world, may be seen in what is premised to this article, and that the last judgement had place there, may be seen in the small work concerning the last judgement. What is meant by the sun, by the moon, and by the stars, in which were signs, was said above, namely that the sun signifies love, the moon faith thence derived, and the stars the knowledges of good and truth; the sea and waves roaring signify ratiocinations and assault made on the truth from the sense of the letter of the Word ignorantly and perversely applied; the powers of the heavens which shall be shaken signify the Word in the sense of the letter, inasmuch as this sense is the foundation of the spiritual truths which are in the heavens. AE 304.

The state of heaven on the occasion is described by the above words where it is said, that men expire for fear and the expectation of those things that are coming on the earth, by which words is described the fear of those who are in the heavens, lest every thing of the church should perish as to good, and consequently as to its truths, also the expectation of aid from the Lord. That the power of Divine truth was decayed is signified by the shaking of the powers of the heavens, the powers of the heavens denoting Divine truths as to ability; that then the Lord would manifest Divine truth, which has ability, and from which is intelligence, is signified by then they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and much glory. AE 741.

At the close of the preceding chapter the last judgement was treated of, and it was shown what was signified by it, namely that it does not mean the destruction of the world, but the last time of the church; when this approaches, the Lord says that He will come in the cloud of heaven, with power and glory, Matt 24:30. Mark 13:26. Luke 21:27. Hitherto it has been unknown to any one what is meant by the clouds of heaven, but it has been discovered to me that nothing else is meant than the literal sense of the Word, and that by power and glory is meant the internal sense of the Word, for in the internal sense of the Word is glory, inasmuch as it treats solely of the Lord and of His kingdom. The like is understood by the cloud, which encompassed Peter, James, and John, when the Lord appeared to them in glory, concerning which it is thus written in Luke, "A voice was made out of the cloud, saying, this is My beloved Son, hear you Him; but when the voice was made, Jesus was found alone," Luke 9:85, 36. By Moses and Elias, who discoursed with the Lord on this occasion, was represented the Word of the Old Testament, which is also called Moses and the Prophets, by Moses his books, also the historical books, by Elias the prophet all the prophets. But by Peter, James and John, were represented, as in other places, wherever named in the books of the Evangelists, faith, charity, and the good of charity; and by these alone being present at the time was signified that no others can see the glory of the Lord, which is in His Word, than those who are principled in faith, in its charity, and in its good; others indeed may see, but still they do not see, because they do not believe. This is the internal sense on those two subjects; with the Prophets also throughout, a cloud signifies the Word in the letter, and glory the Word in life. AC Preface to chap. xviii. Genesis.

He who does not know that by a cloud, in the spiritual sense of the Word, is meant the Word in the letter, cannot know the arcanum which is involved in these words, that in the consummation of the age they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and glory, for he who is ignorant that the clouds of heaven signify the truths of the Word in the sense of the letter, cannot conceive otherwise than that the Lord, in the consummation of the age, that is, in the end of the Church, is to come in the clouds of heaven, and to manifest Himself to the world; but it is a known thing, that since the Word has been given, the Lord manifests Himself by that alone, since the Word, which is Divine Truth, is the Lord Himself in heaven and the Church. From this consideration it may first be evident, that the manifestation there predicted signifies His manifestation in the Word; and His manifestation in the Word was made by His opening and revealing the internal or spiritual sense of the Word, for in this sense is the Divine Truth itself such as is in heaven; and the Divine Truth in heaven is the Lord Himself there; hence now it is evident, that by the coming of the Lord in the clouds of heaven with glory is signified the revelation of Himself in the sense of the letter of the Word from its spiritual sense, the clouds of heaven signifying those things which are of the sense of the letter, and glory those things which are of the spiritual sense, see the work on heaven and hell,HH 1. and the Revelation itself of the spiritual sense in the small work concerning the white horse ; the Son of Man also signifies the Lord as to Divine Truth. AE 594.

By coming in the clouds of heaven is meant the manifestation of the Lord in the Word, for after his coming they saw manifestly predictions concerning the Lord in the prophetic parts of the Word, which were not seen before;

and still more manifestly at this day, when the spiritual sense of the Word is opened, in which, in the supreme sense, the subject treated of is concerning the Lord, concerning the subjugation of the hells by Him, and concerning the glorification of His Human [principle]; this sense is what is meant by the glory, in which He is about to come. AE 906.

Verses 28, 29. But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near. And He spoke a parable to them, behold the fig-tree and all the trees, &c. The subject here treated of is concerning the consummation of the age, which is the last judgement, and the signs are enumerated which precede, and which are meant by when all these things begin to come to pass ; that a new Church will then commence, which in the beginning will be external, is signified by looking at the fig-tree and all the trees when they put forth; this parable or similitude was used, because a fig-tree signifies the external Church, and trees signify the knowledges of truth and good; the kingdom of God, which is then near, signifies the new Church of the Lord; for at the time of the last judgement the old Church perishes and a new one commences. AE 403.

Verses 34. 35. But take heed to yourselves lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come upon all who sit on the face of the whole earth. It appears as if by eating and drinking and feasting in this passage is meant luxury and intemperance, such as besets those who indulge only in bodily gratification, but this sense is the literal sense of those words, whereas their spiritual sense is the appropriation of what is evil and false, as may be manifest from this consideration, that the Word in the letter is natural, and interiorly spiritual, in the latter case for angels, and in the former for men. AE 617.

The last time of the church is treated of in the above passage when there is no faith, because there is no charity, inasmuch as the loves of self and of the world will then prevail, whence comes perdition, which is the snare. For a snare in the spiritual sense is enticement and deception by the delights of selfish and worldly love, thus it is the enticement and deception of evils, and this by reasonings from the fallacies of the senses, which favour those delights. AC 9348.

Verse 36. Watch you therefore praying on every occasion, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that are about to come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man. To watch in this passage denotes to receive spiritual life; to pray on every occasion denotes to prepare themselves. AE 187.

By watching is signified to procure to themselves spiritual life, see above, AE 187, wherefore also it is said praying, because prayer is an effect of that life, or its external, which so far avails as it proceeds from the life, for they are one like soul and body, and like what is internal and what is external. AE 325.

By standing, when it has reference to standing before the Lord, signifies to sustain and live, for, as was said above, the wicked from the influx and consequent presence of the Lord, that is, of the Divine Good and Divine Truth strongly and powerfully coming forth and proceeding from him, not only come into trembling and dread, but also into torture from interior conflict, wherefore they cannot live unless they fly away and cast themselves downwards. Moreover standing, like walking and sitting in the Word, signifies to be and to live. AE 414.

Verse 37. And in the day time He was teaching in the temple, but going forth at night He lodged in the mount called the mount of Olives. All this was done, because the mount of Olives signified the Divine love, and was significative, inasmuch as it was representative of heaven and of the church, which at that time conjoined the Lord with heaven and the world. AE 638.

By this was signified that the Lord did all things from Divine love, for the mount of Olives signified that love; for whatever the Lord did in the world, this was representative, and whatever He spoke was significative. The reason why He was in representatives and significatives, during his abode in the world, was that he might be in the ultimates of heaven and the church, and at the same time in their first principles, and thus might rule and arrange ultimates from first principles, and all intermediate principles from first principles by ultimates. AE 405.

Chapter XXI. Translator's Notes and Observations.

VERSE 27. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and much glory. In the common version of the New Testament, what is here rendered much glory, is called great glory, but the original Greek is omolles, which is a numerical adjective, and therefore applied to truth, consequently to glory, which is internal Truth, see what was remarked on this subject in the note above, at Chap. V, vs 6.

Verse 28. But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads, &c. The intelligent reader will not fail to note in these words the twofold duty which they enforce, first, of looking up, or of elevating the understanding into the light of the eternal truth, and secondly, of lifting up the head, or of elevating the will also to the love of the Supreme Good. He will also be further instructed that desolation and vastation, whether operative in the Church in general, or in any individual member, are peculiar calls from heaven to the discharge of those duties.

Verse 35. For as a snare shall it come upon all that sit upon the face of the whole earth. In the common version of the New Testament, what is here rendered that sit, is expressed by that dwell, but the original Greek is chathemenas, from the verb cathemai, which literally means to sit, or to sit down, and is here applied principally with a view to its spiritual sense, as implying permanent abode [see AC 9422], and a permanent abode too in the interior things of the vastated church, which are here called the face of the whole earth, an expression which can have no meaning, except according to this its spiritual interpretation. For according to any other view, what can be understood by sitting on the face of the whole earth?