765、启18:8.“因此，在一天之内，她的灾殃，就是死亡、悲哀、饥荒，就必来到”表示因此，在最后审判之时，对他们所行邪恶的惩罚会回到他们身上，这些惩罚就是死亡、悲哀和饥荒：死亡是地狱的生命和因统治被推翻的内在痛苦；悲哀是因贫穷和困苦取代富裕的内在痛苦；饥荒是对一切真理的理解的丧失。“因此”是指这一事实：“她心里说，我坐着作皇后，并不是寡妇，必不见悲哀”，如刚才所解释的(AR 764节)。“一天之内”表示最后审判之时，这个时间也被称为“审判之日”。“灾殃”表示对他们在世上所行邪恶的惩罚，那时，这些邪恶会回到他们身上。“死亡”表示地狱的生命和因统治被推翻的内在痛苦，这在前面被称为折磨(AR 763节)；稍后我们会说一说这种死亡。“悲哀”表示因贫穷和困苦取代富裕的内在痛苦，如前所述(AR 764节)。“饥荒”表示对一切真理的理解的丧失。那些属于这种宗教说服、出于自我之爱行使统治，没有对功用的爱，除非为了自我的人就进入这三种灾殃或惩罚。这些人心里也是无神论者，因为他们将一切都归于自己的谨慎和自然界。来自这个民族的其他所有具有这种性质，但没有在自己里面深入思考的人都是偶像崇拜者。从前面(参看AR 323节)可以看到，被称为“饥荒”的灾殃或惩罚，表示对一切真理的理解的丧失。
诚然，只要活在这个世界上，每个人都有理性，即理解真理的官能。这种官能仍留在死后的每个人身上。然而，那些在世上出于自我之爱和自我聪明的骄傲而充满宗教虚假的人，死后不愿意理解真理；不愿意可以说就是不能。出于不愿意的这种不能就在所有这些人中间，并由此增长，他们出于为了统治而对虚假的欲望的快乐，不断充满新确认的虚假，从而在理解力上变成纯粹的虚假，并永远保持。在耶利米书，关于巴别的这些话也有类似含义：
你们的母亲大大羞愧，生你们的已满面羞惭；看哪，结局必是旷野、旱地和沙漠；因耶和华的忿怒，必无人居住，要全然荒废；凡经过巴比伦的，都必受惊骇，又因她所遭的一切灾殃唏嘘。(耶利米书50:12, 13)
765. 18:8 "Therefore her plagues will come in one day - death and mourning and hunger." This symbolically means that consequently, at the time of the Last Judgment the punishments for the evils they have done will come back on themselves - death, which is life in hell and an inner anguish at being cast down from their domination - mourning, which is an internal anguish owing to their poverty and wretchedness instead of opulence - and hunger, which is the loss of any understanding of truth.
"Therefore" refers to the fact that she said in her heart, "I sit as queen and am not a widow, and will not see grief," as explained just above in no. 764. In one day means, symbolically, at the time of the Last Judgment, called also the Day of Judgment. Plagues symbolize punishments for the evils they did in the world, which will then come back on them. Death symbolizes life in hell, and internal anguish at being cast down from their dominion, which in no. 763 above is called torment. We will say something about this death below. Mourning symbolizes an inner anguish owing to their poverty and wretchedness instead of wealth, as explained also in no. 764 above. Hunger symbolizes the loss of any understanding of truth.
People of the Roman Catholic religion who have exercised dominion from a love of self and without a love of useful services for their own sake, suffer these three plagues or punishments. They are also atheists at heart, since they attribute everything to their own prudence or to nature. All the rest of that tribe who are of the same character, but who do not think deeply within themselves, are idolaters.
That the plague or punishment called hunger means the loss of any understanding of truth may be seen in no. 323 above.
Every person, indeed, while living in the world, possesses rationality, that is, a faculty for understanding truth. This faculty continues to exist in every person after death. Yet those who from a love of self or a conceit in their own intelligence have imbued themselves with religious falsities in the world, after death refuse to understand truth, and to refuse is be virtually unable. This inability owing to a lack of will is found in all people of the character described, and it increases as the delight in their lust for falsity to gain dominion draws them to imbue themselves with new falsities to support it, so that intellectually they become embodiments of nothing but falsity and remain so to eternity.
Similar statements are made regarding Babylon in Jeremiah:
Your mother was deeply ashamed; she who bore you was filled with shame. Behold, the last of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land and a desert. Because of the wrath of Jehovah she shall not be inhabited, but shall be a complete wasteland. Everyone who passes by Babylon shall be astounded, and shall hiss at all her plagues. (Jeremiah 50:12-13)
765. [verse 8] 'On account of this in one day her plagues will come, death and mourning and hunger' signifies that on account of this at the time of the last judgment the penalties for the evils that they have done are going to return upon them, these being a 'death' that is infernal life and the inward (intestinus) grief resulting from the casting down from dominion, a 'mourning' that is the internal grief resulting from destitution and misery in the place of opulence, and a 'hunger' that is the deprivation of the understanding of everything true. By 'on account of this' is understood because she has said in her heart 'I sit a queen and am not a widow, and shall not see mourning,' of which just above (764). By 'in one day' is signified at the time of the last judgment, which is indeed called 'the day of judgment.' By the 'plagues' are signified the penalties for the evils that they have done in the world, which are then going to return upon them. By 'death' is signified the infernal life and inward grief resulting from the casting down from dominion which was above (763) called torment, concerning which death something follows. By 'mourning' is signified the internal grief resulting from destitution and misery in place of opulence, as also above (764). By 'hunger' is signified the deprivation of the understanding of everything true. Into these three 'plagues' or penalties come those of that form of religion who have had a dominion resulting from the love of self and no love of uses except for the sake of self. These are also atheists at heart, since they attribute all things to the prudence of the proprium and to nature. The rest of that kind, who are such but do not think interiorly in themselves, are idolaters. That by the plague or penalty that is called 'hunger' is understood the deprivation of the understanding of everything true may be seen above (323). Every man indeed, so long as he is living in the world, has rationality, that is, the faculty of understanding what is true. This faculty remains with every man after death. Yet those who out of the love of self and the pride of self-intelligence have absorbed untruths of religion in the world are not willing after death to understand what is true; and to be unwilling is as it were not to be able. This inability resulting from unwillingness is with all such and is increased for this reason, that out of the delight of the lust for untruth for the sake of dominion they continually absorb new confirming untruths, and thus become nothing but untruths and remain so to eternity. Similar things are understood by these words concerning Babel in Jeremiah:
Your mother has been exceedingly ashamed, she who bare you has blushed with shame; behold the outcome is a wilderness, a dryness and a desert. From the wrath of Jehovah it shall not be inhabited, but shall be a total devastation. Every one passing by Babel shall be astonished, and shall hiss over all her plagues Jeremiah 1 12-13.
765. Verse 8. For this in one day shall her plagues come, death and mourning and famine, signifies that on this account at the time of the Last Judgment the punishments of the evils which they have done will return upon them, which are death, which is infernal life and inward grief from being cast down from dominion; mourning, which is internal grief from want and misery in place of opulence; and famine, which is the deprivation of the understanding of all truth. By "for this" is meant because she said in her heart, "I sit a queen, and am not a widow, and shall not see mourning," concerning which just above, (764). By "in one day" the time of the Last Judgment is signified, which is also called the Day of Judgment. By "plagues" are signified the punishments of the evils which they did in the world, which will then return upon them. By "death" is signified infernal life and inward grief from being cast down from dominion, which is called torment above, (763); concerning which death something will be said presently. By "mourning" is signified internal grief from want and misery in place of opulence, as also above, (764). By "famine" the deprivation of the understanding of all truth is signified. Into these three plagues or punishments those of that religious persuasion come, who have had dominion from the love of self, and with no love of uses except for the sake of self. These are also atheists in heart, since they attribute all things to their own prudence and to nature. The rest from that nation, who are such, but do not think interiorly in themselves, are idolaters. It may be seen above, (323), that the deprivation of the understanding of all truth is meant by the plague or punishment which is called "famine." Every man indeed, as long as he lives in the world, has rationality, that is, the faculty of understanding truth. This faculty remains with every man after death. Still they who have imbued falsities of religion in the world from the love of self and the pride of their own intelligence, after death are not willing to understand truth; and not to be willing is as it were not to be able. This inability from unwillingness is with all such, and is increased from this, that from the delight of the lust of falsity for the sake of dominion they continually imbue new confirming falsities, and thus become as to the understanding mere falsities, and remain so to eternity. Similar things are meant by these words concerning Babel in Jeremiah:
Your mother is greatly ashamed, she that bare you is suffused with shame; behold, the end shall be a wilderness, dryness, and a desert; from the anger of Jehovah it shall not be inhabited, but shall be a total devastation; everyone that passeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and shall hiss over all her plagues, (Jeremiah 50:12-13).
765. (Vers. 8.) "Propter hoc in una die venient plagas ejus, mors et luctus et fames," significat quod propterea tempore Ultimi Judicii poenae malorum, quae fecerunt, super illos rediturae sint, quae sunt mors quae est vita infernalis ac intestinus dolor ex dejectione a dominio, luctus qui est internus dolor ex egestate et miseria loco opulentiae, et fames quae est deprivatio intellectus omnis veri. -Per "propter hoc" intelligitur, quia in corde suo dixit, "Sedeo regina et vidua non sum, et luctum non videbo," de quibus mox supra (764); per "una die" significatur tempore Ultimi Judicii, quod etiam Dies Judicii vocatur; per "plagas" significantur poenae malorum quae fecerunt in mundo, quae tunc super illos rediturae sunt; per "mortem" significatur vita infernalis, ac intestinus dolor ex dejectione a dominio, qui supra (763) 1vocatur "cruciatus," de qua morte aliquid sequitur; per "luctum" significatur internus dolor ex egestate et miseria loco opulentiae, ut quoque supra (764) per "famem" significatur deprivatio intellectus omnis veri; in has tres plagas seu poenas, veniunt illi ex isto Religioso qui ex amore sui et nullo amore usuum nisi propter se, dominati sunt; hi quoque corde athei sunt, quoniam propriae prudentiae ac naturae omnia attribuunt; reliqui ex illa gente, qui tales sunt, sed non interius in se cogitant, idololatrae sunt; quod per plagam seu poenam quae vocatur "fames," intelligatur deprivatio intellectus omnis veri, videatur supra (323). Est quidem cuivis homini, quamdiu in mundo vivit, rationalitas, hoc est, facultas intelligendi verum. Haec facultas manet apud omnem hominem post mortem; usque illi qui ex amore sui et fastu propriae intelligentiae imbuerunt falsa religionis in mundo, post mortem non volunt intelligere verum, et non velle est sicut non posse; hoc non posse ex non velle est apud omnes tales, et augetur ex eo, quod ex jucundo concupiscentiae falsi propter dominium continue imbuant nova falsa confirmantia, et sic fiunt quoad intellectum mera falsa, ac ita manent in aeternum. Similia intelliguntur per haec de Babele apud Jeremiam:
"Pudefacta est Mater vestra valde, pudore suffusa est Genetrix vestra ecce postremitas desertum, siccitas et solitudo: ab ira Jehovae non habitabitur, sed erit devastatio tota; omnis transiens praeter Babelem obstupescet, et sibilabit super omnibus plagis ejus," (1:12, 13).
Footnotes:
1. 763 pro "764"