Spiritual Meaning of REVELATION 18:14
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AR 782. Verse 14. And the fruits of the desire of thy soul have departed from thee, and all fat and splendid things have departed from thee, and thou shalt not find them anymore, signifies that all the beatitudes and felicities of heaven, even the external such as are desired by them, will altogether flee away, and will no longer appear, because they have no celestial and spiritual affections of good and truth. By "the fruits of the desire of the soul" nothing else is signified but the beatitudes and felicities of heaven, because these are the fruits of all the things of doctrine and worship, which are treated of, and because they are the desires of men when they die, and also their desires when they first come into the spiritual world. By things "fat and splendid" are signified celestial and spiritual affections of good and truth; by "fat things" the affections of good, as will be seen presently; and by "splendid things" the affections of truth, which are called "splendid," because they exist from the light of heaven and its splendor in minds; whence are the intelligence of good and truth and wisdom. By "departing and not finding them any more" is signified that they will flee away and will not appear any more, because they are not in any celestial and spiritual good and truth. This is said even of the external things, such as are desired by them; because no other beatitudes and felicities and affections are desired by them, but corporeal and worldly; and hence they cannot know what and of what quality those are which are called celestial and spiritual. But these things will be illustrated by a manifestation of their lot after death. All of that religious persuasion who have been in the love of dominion from the love of self, and thence in the love of the world, when they come into the spiritual world, which takes place immediately after death, aspire after nothing but dominion and the pleasures of the mind from it, and the pleasures of the body from opulence; for the ruling love, with its affections or lusts and desires, remains with everyone after death. But because the love of dominating from the love of self over the holy things of the church and of heaven, all of which are Divine things of the Lord, is diabolical, therefore, after a certain time, they are separated from their companions, and cast down into the hells. But still, because they have from their religious persuasion been in external Divine worship, they are first instructed as to what and of what quality heaven is, and what and of what quality the felicity of eternal life is, that they are mere beatitudes flowing in from the Lord with everyone in heaven according to the quality of the heavenly affection of good and truth with them. But because they have not approached the Lord, and hence are not conjoined with Him, and likewise have not been in any such affection of good and truth, they are averse to them, and turn themselves away, and then desire the pleasures of the love of self and the world, which are merely natural and corporeal. But because it is inherent in those pleasures to do evil, especially to those who worship the Lord, and thus to the angels of heaven, they are therefore deprived of these pleasures also, and are then rejected among companions who are in contempt and misery in infernal workhouses. But these things are done to them according to the degree of their love of dominion over the Divine things of the Lord, according to which degree is their rejection of the Lord. It may now be evident from these things, that by "the fruits of the desire of thy soul have departed, and all fat and splendid things have departed from thee, and thou shalt not find them any more," is signified that all the beatitudes and felicities of heaven, even the external, such as are desired by them, will altogether flee away, and not appear any more, because there are no affections of good and truth with them. That "fat things" signify celestial goods and their affections and the enjoyments of their affections, may be evident from the following passages:--

Attend unto Me, eat ye that which is good, that your soul may be delighted with fatness (Isa. 55:2).

I will fill the soul of the priests with fatness, and My people shall be satisfied with good (Jer. 31:14),

My soul shall be satisfied with fatness and fat, and my mouth shall praise Thee with lips of singing (Ps. 63:5).

They shall be filled with the fatness of Thy house, and Thou shalt make them drink of the river of Thy delights (Ps. 36:8).

And in this mountain will Jehovah make to all peoples a feast of fat things, of fat things of marrow (Isa. 25:6).

They shall still have produce in old age, they shall be fat and green to show that Jehovah is upright (Ps. 92:14, 15),

In the feast which Jehovah will make, they shall eat fatness to satiety, and shall drink blood to drunkenness (Ezek. 39:19).

Jehovah will make fat thy burnt-offering (Ps. 20:3).

As fatness signifies celestial good, it was therefore a statute that:--

All the fat of the sacrifices should be burned upon the altar (Exod. 29:13, 22; Lev. 1:8; 3:3-16; 4:8-35; 7:3, 4, 30, 31; 17:6; Num. 18:17, 18).

By "fatness" in the opposite sense they are signified who are nauseated at good, and because it is very abundant, despise and reject it (Deut. 32:15; Jer. 5:28; 50:11; Ps. 17:10; 20:3; 78:31; 119:70).

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Author:  E. Swedenborg (1688-1772). Design:  I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002. www.BibleMeanings.info