----中文待译----
400. And lo, there was a great earthquake. That this signifies the state of the church entirely changed, is plain from the signification of an earthquake, as denoting a change in the state of the church, for the earth denotes the church, and its quaking denotes a change of state. (That the earth denotes the church, may be seen above, n. 304; and that its quaking denotes a change of state, in the Arcana Coelestia 1273-1275, 1377, 3356). That this prediction, which is signified by the sixth seal being opened, involves a total change in the state of the church, is evident from the things that precede and those that follow in this chapter. In what precede it was predicted that the understanding of the Word would perish as to good, and afterwards as to truth, and at length that there would be no understanding of the Word, from evils of life and falsities of doctrine thence. The destruction of the understanding of the Word as to good, was signified by the red horse that was seen to go out from the opened seal of the book (concerning which see above, n. 364); the destruction of the understanding of the Word as to truth, was signified by the black horse that was seen (concerning which see above, n. 372); and that thence there was no understanding of the Word in consequence of evils of life, and falsities of doctrine, was signified by the pale horse (concerning which see above, n. 381). Hence then it follows that the state of the church was entirely changed; these things [appear] from what precedes; also from what follows, forasmuch as it is said that the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood, and that the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, with other circumstances, signifying that there was no longer any good of love or truth of faith, nor any knowledges of good and truth; from which also it is evident that by a great earthquake is here signified that the state of the church was altogether changed.
[2] Moreover, that an earthquake signifies a change in the state of the church, is manifest from many passages in the Word, some of which shall be adduced in what follows. That an earthquake signifies this is from the appearances in the spiritual world; in that world, just as in the natural world, there are earths, valleys, hills, mountains, and upon them societies of spirits and angels dwell. Those places, before the new heaven was formed upon them, were seen to undergo remarkable changes; some appeared to subside, some to be agitated and shaken, and some to be rolled together as the volume or scroll of a book is wont to be rolled, and to be borne away; and some to shake and tremble as by a great earthquake. Such things were often seen by me before the new heaven was formed, and were always signs that the state of the church there was changed. When they shook and trembled as if by an earthquake, it was a sign that the state of the church there was being changed, and how much changed appeared from the extent and character of the earthquake; and when the state of the church was completely changed from good into evil and from truth into falsity, the earth then appeared to be rolled together as the scroll of a book and borne away. This is meant by the words in the 14th verse of this chapter, namely, "and the heaven departed as a scroll rolled together." Similar things were also seen by John, for when he saw them he was in the spirit, as he also says (1:10; 4:2); and he who sees in the spirit, sees the things that exist and appear in the spiritual world. From these things it is also now evident, that by an earthquake is signified a change in the state of the church, namely, from good into evil, and from truth into falsity.
[3] That nothing else is meant in the Word by the quakings and tremblings of the earth, is also evident from the following passages. In Joel:
"The earth was moved before him; the heavens trembled; the sun and the moon were darkened, and the stars withdrew their shining" (2:10).
By the earth and the heavens here, as often elsewhere, is signified the church; by the earth, the external church; and by the heavens, the internal church. By the external church is meant worship from good and truth in the natural man; and by the internal church, the good of love and faith, which is in the spiritual man, whence worship is derived. For there is an internal and an external, or a spiritual and a natural man; so also is it with the church, for the church is in man, and it is from the men in whom the church is. The change and perversion of the church is signified by the earth quaking, and the heavens trembling. By the sun and the moon being darkened, is signified that there is no good of love and truth of faith; and by the stars withdrawing their shining, is signified that there were no longer any knowledges of truth and good.
[4] In Isaiah:
"I will make a man (virum hominem) more rare than pure gold. Therefore I will shake the heaven, and the earth shall be moved out of its place, in the indignation of Jehovah of hosts, and in the day of the wrath of his anger" (13:12, 13).
By a man (virum hominem) is meant intelligence, and by making him more rare than pure gold, is meant that there is scarcely any intelligence remaining. By intelligence is meant intelligence from truths, for all intelligence is from truths. Besides, "I will shake the heaven, and the earth shall be moved out of its place," signifies that the good of love and the truth of faith is dissipated, and the worship in externals thence. By heaven and the earth are signified here, as above, the internal and the external of the church, the internal of the church being the good of love and the good of faith, and the external thereof being the worship thence; for according to the quality of the internal of the man of the church, such is his external, because the latter proceeds solely from the former. Without this external, worship is lifeless, and expression is without spirit; and the thought from which expression flows, and the will from which gesture comes, are without life, for there is no spiritual therein from which it may receive life. What is signified by the indignation of Jehovah, and the wrath of His anger, will be told in the explanation to the 17th verse below.
[5] In the same:
"The flood-gates from on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth are shaken, the earth is utterly broken, the earth is moved exceedingly, the earth staggereth as a drunkard, it moves to and fro like a hovel; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and shall not have occasion to rise again" (24:18-20).
That these things are not said of the earth but of the church, is clearly evident; for who can suppose that the foundations of the earth are shaken, that the earth shall stagger like a drunkard, shall move to and fro like a hovel? but every one can understand them when instead of the earth the church is thought of. That its change and perversion are signified by these words, is evident, for it is said, "the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it, and it shall fall and shall not rise again by the floodgates opened from on high, is also meant an inundation of evil and of falsity.
[6] In David:
"The earth shook and trembled; the foundations of the mountains trembled, because he was wroth" (Psalms 18:7).
It is not meant by these words that the earth and its foundations shook and trembled, but that the church and the truths upon which it is founded trembled; for the earth signifies the church, and the foundations of the mountains signify the truths on which it is founded, which are truths from good; "because he was wroth," signifies the same thing as the wrath of Jehovah, in the Word. That the earth is agitated and shaken, and that the foundations of the mountains tremble, is from appearances in the spiritual world; for it so happens there when the state of the church is changed with those who dwell there. Moreover, those who are in truths dwell at the foot of the mountains, for all the habitations of the angels are in such order that those who are in the good of love to the Lord dwell upon mountains, and below them dwell those who are in truths from that good. When the state of the latter is changed as to truths, then their habitations tremble, thus also the foundations of the mountains. That there are such things in the spiritual world, and that they exist from the changes of the state of the church there, no one knows but him to whom it is revealed.
[7] In Nahum:
"The mountains quake before" Jehovah, "and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world and all that dwell therein. His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are overturned before him" (1:5, 6).
Mountains signify the church where there is love to the Lord, and hills the church where there is love towards the neighbour; hence by mountains is signified love to the Lord, and by hills love towards the neighbour. The reason is, that the angels who are in love to the Lord, dwell upon mountains, and those who are in love towards the neighbour, upon hills. When instead of love to the Lord the love of self reigns, and instead of love towards the neighbour, the love of the world reigns, then the mountains are said to tremble, and the hills to melt; for thus it happens in the spiritual world; not with the angels who are in heaven, but with the spirits who made to themselves the likeness of heaven upon mountains and hills, before the Last Judgment. Because the love of self and of the world is meant, therefore it is said that they melt, and also that the earth is burned before them, also the world, and all that dwell therein, likewise that His wrath is poured out like fire; for fire signifies those loves, and to melt and to be burned signify to perish by them. By the rocks which are overturned, are signified the truths of faith, because those who are in faith, and do good from obedience, although not from charity, dwell upon rocks in the spiritual world.
[8] In Job:
Jehovah "who shaketh the earth out of her place, so that the pillars thereof tremble" (9:6).
And in Jeremiah:
"Jehovah is God in truth, he is the living God, and king of the age; from his wrath the earth trembleth, neither can the nations abide his indignation" (10:10).
Here also by the earth is signified the church, but the church where falsities are, which is said to tremble when falsities are believed and are called truths. By nations are signified evils of falsity, the casting down of which into hell, and their destruction, are signified by the nations being unable to abide His indignation. In consequence of the earth here signifying the church where falsities are, therefore Jehovah is called a God in truth, the living God, and the king of the age; for He is called God and king from Divine truth, the living God from Divine truth in the heavens, and king of the age from Divine truth in the earths; and because where truth is treated of in the Word, good is treated of, because of the heavenly marriage in every particular of the Word, and hence, on the other hand, where falsity is treated of, evil is also treated of, mention is therefore also made of the nations, by which are signified the evils of falsity. What the evils of falsity are, which flow from falsities of doctrine, shall be illustrated by this instance:- Where the doctrine prevails that faith alone saves, and not the good of life, also that nothing of evil is imputed to him who has faith, and that a man may be saved by faith alone, even in the last [hours] of his life, if he then only believe that the Lord has delivered all from the yoke of the law by His fulfilment thereof, and made propitiation by His blood, then the evils which man does in consequence of such a faith are evils of falsity.
[9] In Ezekiel:
"In the day in which Gog shall come upon the land of Israel, wrath shall rise up in my anger, and in my zeal, and in the fire of indignation will I speak: Surely there shall be in this day a great earthquake upon the land of Israel, so that they shall tremble together before me, the fishes of the sea, and the bird of the heavens, and the wild beast of the field, and every reptile creeping upon the earth, and every man who is upon the faces of the earth, and the mountains shall be overturned, and the steps shall fall, and every wall shall fall in ruins to the earth" (Ezekiel 38:18-26).
By Gog is signified external worship without internal; by the land of Israel is signified the church. Hence it is evident what, "In that day Gog shall come upon the land of Israel," signifies. That then there shall be a great earthquake, signifies the change of the church, and the inversion thereof; for external worship derives all its quality from internal worship, so that according to the quality of the latter, such is the former. Hence where there is no internal worship, external worship is not worship, but only gesture and speech, the thought which is then present being from the natural memory alone, and the affection from the body, such as springs from habit before men. By the fishes of the sea, the bird of the heavens, the wild beast of the field, and every reptile creeping upon the earth shall tremble, are signified all things of man. For by the fishes of the sea are signified natural things in general, and specifically the scientifics there; by the birds of the heavens are signified intellectual things in general, specifically thoughts from truths, but here from falsities; by the wild beast of the field is signified the affection and lust of falsity and evil; and by the reptile creeping upon the earth, is signified the Sensual, which is the ultimate of the Natural, together with its delights and scientifics. And because all things of man are signified thereby, it is therefore said, "and every man who is upon the faces of the earth," every man, in the spiritual sense, denoting everything of man as to intelligence and wisdom. That all the good and all the truth thereof shall perish, and that thus every evil and falsity will break in without resistance, is signified by the mountains being overturned, the steps falling, and every wall falling in ruins to the ground. By the mountains are signified the goods of love; by the steps, the truths thence; and by the wall, defence; and where there is no defence, thither every evil and falsity break in without resistance. Who does not see that the fishes of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the wild beast of the field, and the creeping thing of the earth, as trembling together before Jehovah, are not meant?
[10] In Jeremiah:
"At the noise of the fall" of Edom and of the inhabitants of Theman, "the earth trembled, a cry and the sound thereof was heard in the sea Suph" (49:21).
By Edom and the inhabitants of Theman, these are not meant, but the evils and falsities opposed to the goods and truths of the celestial kingdom. Hence by the earth trembling at the noise of the fall of Edom and the inhabitants of Theman, is signified the change of the church, and also its perishing by those evils and falsities; the cry, the sound whereof was heard in the sea Suph, signifies their damnation, the sea Suph denoting damnation, a cry being said of the damnation of evil, and a sound of the damnation of falsity. (That the sea Suph signifies damnation and hell, may be seen, n. 8099.)
[11] In David:
"O God, thou hast forsaken us, thou hast made a breach in us, thou hast been displeased; bring back rest to us. Thou hast made the earth to tremble; thou hast broken it; heal the breaches thereof; for it shaketh" (Psalms 60:1, 2).
The falling away of the church, and thence the perversion of truth and the breaking in of falsity, are signified by the breach; this, therefore, is signified by, "Thou hast made the earth to tremble; thou has broken it"; and by, the earth shaketh, the earth denoting the church.
[12] In Haggai:
"Yet once, a little while, and then I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry [land]; and I will shake all nations, that the choice of all nations may come: and I will fill this house with glory" (175, 331). By house is signified the church, and by glory, Divine truth. This new church is further described in that chapter thus:
"The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, for in this place will I give peace" (verse 9).
The judgment in the spiritual world, which shall precede, is described by, "I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry [land]." And by the heavens and the earth are meant all the interior things of the church, and by the sea and the dry [land], all its exterior things.
[13] In the Evangelists:
"Nation shall be roused against nation, kingdom against kingdom; for there shall be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places" (Arcana Coelestia 3353-3356, 3486-3489, 3650-3655, 3751-3757, 3897-3901, 4056-4060, 4229-4231, 4332-4335, 4422-4434.
[14] It is recorded also in the Word that there was an earthquake when the Lord suffered upon the cross, and also when the angel descended and rolled away the stone from the mouth of the sepulchre; by each earthquake was signified a change in the state of the church. Concerning the earthquake [which took place] when the Lord suffered, it is thus written:
"The veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did shake, and the rocks were rent. The centurion and they who were guarding Jesus with him, seeing the earthquake, and those things that were done, feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God" (Matthew 27:51, 54).
And concerning the earthquake which took place when the angel descended and rolled away the stone from the mouth of the sepulchre, it is thus stated:
When "Mary Magdalene came and the other Mary to see the sepulchre; and, behold, there was a great earthquake; for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled away the stone from the mouth, and sat upon it" (Matthew 28:1, 2).
Those earthquakes took place to indicate that the state of the church was then being changed; for the Lord, by His last temptation, which He sustained in Gethsemane and upon the cross, conquered the hells, and reduced to order all things there and in the heavens, and also glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine, therefore, there was an earthquake, and the rocks were rent. That the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom, signified that His Human was made Divine; for within the veil was the ark in which was the testimony, and by the testimony was signified the Lord as to His Divine Human (as may be seen shown above, n. 28:18). The angel rolling away the stone from the mouth and sitting upon it, signifies that the Lord removed all the falsity that cut off approach to Him, and that He opened Divine truth; for a stone signifies Divine truth, which the Jews had falsified by their tradition; for it is said that
the chief-priests and Pharisees sealed the stone with a watch (Matthew 27:66);
but that an angel from heaven removed it, and sat upon it. But [although] the things that are mentioned respecting the earthquakes, also respecting the veil of the temple, and the stone before the mouth of the sepulchre, are few, there are still more things signified thereby; for everything in general and particular written in the Gospels concerning the Lord's passion involves and signifies arcana. By the earthquakes also elsewhere in the Apocalypse, are signified changes of the state of the church (as chaps. 10:13; 16:18, 19).
400. And behold there was a great earthquake, signifies the state of the church entirely changed. This is evident from the signification of "earthquake," as being a change of state of the church, "earth" meaning the church, and its "quaking" a change of state. (That "the earth" means the church, see above, n. 304; and that its "quaking" means a change of state, see Arcana Coelestia 1273-1275, 1377, 3356.) That this prediction, which is signified by "the sixth seal was opened," involves a total change in the state of the church, is evident from what has been said before, and from what follows in this chapter. In what precedes it was predicted that the understanding of the Word in relation to good, and afterwards in relation to truth, would perish, and that at length there would be no understanding of the Word in consequence of the evils of life and the falsities of doctrine from them. The destruction of the understanding of the Word in relation to good was signified by "the red horse" that was seen to go forth from the opened seal of the book (of which above, n. 364; the destruction of the understanding of the Word in relation to truth was signified by "the black horse" that was seen (of which above, n. 372; and that in consequence of the evils of life and the falsities of doctrine there was no understanding of the Word was signified by "the pale horse" (of which above, n. 381; from this it follows that the state of the church was altogether changed. This is evident from what precedes; also from what follows, since it is said that "the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood, and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth," with many other things, which signify that there was no longer any good of love nor any truth of faith, nor any knowledges of good and truth; which makes clear that "a great earthquake" here signifies a total change in the state of the church.
[2] It is evident, moreover, from many passages in the Word, that "an earthquake" signifies a change in the state of the church; and some of these shall be cited in what follows. This signification of "earthquake" is from appearances in the spiritual world. In that world, as well as in the natural world, there are lands, valleys, hills, mountains, and on them societies of spirits and angels dwell. Before the new heaven was formed upon these places, they were seen to undergo remarkable changes; some appeared to sink down, some to be agitated and shaken, and some appeared to be rolled up, as the scroll of a book is rolled up, and to be borne away, and some appeared to shake and tremble as by a great earthquake. Such things were often seen by me before the new heaven was formed, and were always signs of a change there in the state of the church. When there was a quaking and trembling as from an earthquake it was a sign that the state of the church was changed in that place, and the amount of change was made evident from the extent and character of the earth's motion; and when the state of the church with them was completely changed from good into evil and from truth into falsity, the earth there appeared to be rolled up like the scroll of a book and to be taken away; this is what is meant by the words in verse 14 this chapter, namely, "and the heaven departed as a book rolled up." Like things also appeared to John, for when he saw these things he was in the spirit, as he himself says (Revelation 1:10; 4:2); and he who sees in the spirit sees the things that exist and appear in the spiritual world. This now makes clear that "an earthquake" signifies a change of state of the church, that is, from good into evil, and from truth into falsity.
[3] That "earthquakes" and "tremblings of the earth" have no other meaning in the Word can be seen from the following passages. In Joel:
The earth trembled before Him, the heavens quaked, the sun and the moon were blackened, and the stars withdrew their brightness (Joel 2:10).
"Earth and heavens" here, as often elsewhere, signify the church; "earth" the external church, and "heavens" the internal church. The external church means the worship from good and truth in the natural man; and the internal church, the good of love and the faith, which is in the spiritual man, from which is worship; for as there is an internal and an external man, or a spiritual and a natural man, so is it with the church, since the church is in man, and is made up of men in whom the church is. A change and perversion of the church is signified by "the earth trembled, and the heavens quaked;" "the sun and the moon were blackened" signifies that there is no good of love or truth of faith, and "the stars withdrew their brightness" signifies that there were no longer any knowledges of truth and good.
[4] In Isaiah:
I will make a man [virum hominem] more rare than fine gold; therefore I will make heaven to tremble, and the earth shall quake out of its place, in the fury of Jehovah of Hosts, and in the day of the fury of His anger (Isaiah 13:12-13).
"Man" [virum hominem] means intelligence, and "to make him more rare than fine gold" means that there is scarcely any intelligence left, intelligence meaning intelligence from truths, for all intelligence is from truths; "therefore I will make heaven to tremble, and the earth shall quake out of its place," signifies that the good of love and the truth of faith and worship therefrom in externals are dispersed, "heaven and earth" signifying here, as above, the internal and the external of the church; the internal of the church is the good of love and the good of faith, and its external is worship therefrom; for such as the internal of the man of the church is such is his external, since the external proceeds solely from the internal. Apart from the internal, external worship is inanimate, the voice is without spirit, and the thought from which is the voice, and the will from which is gesture, are without life, for there is nothing spiritual therein from which there is life. What is signified by "the fury of Jehovah, and the glowing of His anger," will be told in the explanation of verse 17, below.
[5] In the same:
The flood-gates from on high were opened, and the foundations of the earth quaked, in breaking the earth was broken, in shaking the earth was shaken, in staggering the earth staggers as a drunkard, it sways like a hut; and its transgression is heavy upon it; and it shall fall and shall not rise again (Isaiah 24:18-20).
This is most evidently said of the church, not of the earth; for who can think that the foundations of the earth have quaked, that the earth has been shaken, that it staggers like a drunkard, that it sways like a hut? But anyone can understand these words when, instead of the earth, the church is thought of. These words evidently signify a change and perversion of the church, for it is said "its transgression is heavy upon it, and it shall fall and shall not rise again;" "the flood-gates that were opened from on high," also mean an inundation of evil and of falsity.
[6] In David:
The earth tottered and quaked; the foundations of the mountains trembled, because He was wroth (Psalms 18:7).
This does not mean that it was the earth and its foundations that tottered and quaked, but the church and the truths upon which it was founded; for "earth" signifies the church, and the "foundations of the mountains" signify the truths on which the church is founded, which are truths from good; "because He was wroth" has the like signification as "the wrath of Jehovah," in the Word. Its being said that "the earth tottered and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled," is from appearances in the spiritual world, where such things occur when the state of the church is changed with those who dwell there. Moreover, those who are in truths there dwell at the foot of mountains, for all the dwelling places of the angels are so arranged that those who are in the good of love to the Lord dwell upon mountains, and those who are in truths from that good dwell lower down. When the state of these in respect to truths is changed, their habitations, and thus the foundations of the mountains, tremble. That there are such things in the spiritual world, and that they exist from changes of the state of the church there, no one except he to whom it is revealed can know.
[7] In Nahum:
The mountains quake before Jehovah, and the hills dissolve, and the earth is burned up before Him, and the world and all that dwelt therein. His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are torn down before Him (Nahum 1:5-6).
"Mountains" signify the church in which there is love to the Lord, and "hills" the church in which there is love towards the neighbor; so, too, "mountains" signify love to the Lord, and "hills" love towards the neighbor, for the reason that angels who are in love to the Lord dwell upon mountains, and those who are in love toward the neighbor dwell upon hills. When in place of love to the Lord love of self reigns, and in place of love towards the neighbor love of the world reigns, then the mountains are said "to quake," and the hills "to dissolve;" for this occurs in the spiritual world, not with the angels, who are in heaven, but with those spirits that made for themselves a semblance of heaven upon the mountains and hills before the Last Judgment. Because the love of self and the world is meant, it is said that "they dissolve," and that "the earth is burned up before Him, the world and all that dwell therein," also that "His wrath is poured out like fire," for "fire" signifies such loves, and "to dissolve" and "to be burned" signify to perish by them; "the rocks that are torn down," signify the truths of faith, because those who are in faith, and do good from obedience, although not from charity, dwell in the spiritual world upon rocks.
[8] In Job:
Jehovah who maketh the earth to tremble out of its place, so that the pillars thereof shake (Job 9:6).
And in Jeremiah:
Jehovah is God in truth, He is the living God, and King of an age; by His rage the earth quaketh, and the nations are not able to abide His indignation (Jeremiah 10:10).
Here, too, "the earth" signifies the church, but the church in which are falsities, which is said "to quake" when falsities are believed and are called truths. "Nations" signify the evils of falsity; the casting down into hell and destruction of these evils is signified by "the nations are not able to abide His indignation." Because "the earth" here signifies the church in which are falsities, it is said "God in truth, He is the living God, and the King of an age;" for Jehovah is called "God" and "King" from Divine truth, "a living God" from Divine truth in the heavens, and "King of an age," from Divine truth on the earth; and as good is also treated of in the Word wherever truth is treated of, because of the heavenly marriage in the particulars of the Word, and so on the other hand, where falsity is treated of, evil is also treated of, mention is made also of "the nations," by which the evils of falsity are signified. What the evils of falsity that flow from the falsities of doctrine are, may be illustrated as follows: where the doctrine prevails that faith alone and not the good of life saves, also that to one who has faith nothing of evil is imputed, and that a man may be saved by faith alone, even at the end of his life, provided he then believes that the Lord has delivered all from the yoke of the law by His fulfillment of it, and has made atonement by His blood, in that case the evils that a man does in consequence of such a faith are the evils of falsity.
[9] In Ezekiel:
In the day in which Gog shall come upon the ground of Israel, in My anger wrath shall go up, and in My zeal and in the fire of My indignation I will speak: Surely there shall be in this day a great earthquake upon the ground of Israel, that the fishes of the sea, and the fowl of the heavens, and the wild beast of the field, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the ground, and every man who is upon the faces of the ground may quake before Me; and the mountains shall be thrown down and the steps shall fall, and every wall shall fall down to the earth (Ezekiel 38:18-20).
"Gog" signifies external worship without internal; "the ground of Israel" signifies the church; this makes clear what is signified by "in that day Gog shall come upon the ground of Israel;" that "then there shall be a great earthquake," signifies a change of the church, and its overthrow; for external worship derives its all from internal worship, so that the external is just such as the internal is, consequently where there is no internal worship the external worship is not worship but mere gesture and speech; the thought that is present at the time is solely from the natural memory, and the affection is from the body, such as arises from habit before men; "the fishes of the sea, the fowl of the heavens, the wild beast of the field, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, shall quake" signifies all things of man; for "fishes of the sea" signify natural things in general, and in particular, knowledges there, "the fowl of the heavens" signify in general intellectual things, in particular, thoughts from truths, but here from falsities, "the wild beast of the field" signifies affection and lust for falsity and evil, and the creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth" signifies the sensual, which is the ultimate of the natural, with its delights and knowledges; and as these signify all things of man it is said, "and every man who is upon the faces of the ground," "every man" in the spiritual sense meaning everything of man in respect to intelligence and wisdom; "the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steps shall fall, and every wall shall fall down to the earth" signifies that every good of love and every truth of that good shall perish, and thus every evil and falsity will break in unresisted; "mountains" signifying the goods of love, "steps" the truths therefrom, and "wall" defense; and where there is no defense there every evil and falsity breaks in unresisted. Who does not see that this does not mean that fishes of the sea, the fowl of the heavens, the wild beast of the field, and the creeping thing of the ground are to quake before Jehovah?
[10] In Jeremiah:
At the sound of the fall of Edom and of the inhabitants of Teman the earth quaked, there is a cry, and the sound of it was heard in the sea of Suph (Arcana Coelestia 8099.)
[11] In David:
O God, Thou hast cast us off, Thou hast made a breach in us, Thou hast been angry; restore rest to us. Thou hast made the earth to quake; Thou hast broken it up; heal the breaches thereof, for it is moved (Psalms 60:1, 2).
"Breach" signifies a falling away of the church and the consequent perversion of truth and breaking in of falsity; this therefore is signified by "Thou hast made the earth to quake, Thou hast broken it up," also by "the earth is moved," "earth" meaning the church.
[12] In Haggai:
Yet once, it is for a little while, when I make the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land to quake, and then I will make all nations to quake that the choice of all nations may come; and I will fill this house with glory (Haggai 2:6-7).
This is said of the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem, and the "new temple" there signifies a new church that is to be established by the Lord. This is meant by "Yet once, it is for a little while," and by "then I will make all nations quake that the choice of all nations may come; and I will fill this house with glory," "nations" and "the choice of nations" signifying all who are in good (See above, n. Haggai 2:9).
The judgment in the spiritual world that will precede is described by "I make the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land to quake" "the heavens and the earth" meaning all interior things of the church, and "sea and dry land" all the exterior things of it.
[13] In the Gospels:
Nation shall be stirred up against nation, kingdom against kingdom; for there shall be pestilences, famines, and earthquakes, in divers places (Arcana Coelestia 3353-3356, 3486-3489, 3650-3655, 3751-3757, 3897-3901, 4056-4060, 4229-4231, 4332-4335, 4422-4434.)
[14] It is recorded also in the Word that there was an earthquake when the Lord suffered upon the cross, and also when the angel descended and rolled away the stone from the mouth of the sepulcher; and each of these earthquakes signified a change in the state of the church. Of the earthquake that occurred when the Lord suffered it is thus written:
The veil in the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks were rent. The centurion and they that were with him guarding Jesus, seeing the earthquake and the things that were done, feared exceedingly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God (Matthew 27:51, 54).
And of the earthquake that occurred when the angel descended and rolled away the stone from the mouth of the sepulcher it is said:
When Mary Magdalene came and the other Mary to see the sepulcher, and behold, there was a great earthquake; for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and coming, rolled away the stone from the mouth, and sat upon it (Matthew 28:1-2
These earthquakes occurred to indicate that the state of the church was then changed; for the Lord by His last temptation, which He endured in Gethsemane and upon the cross, conquered the hells, and put in order all things there and in the heavens, and also glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine; for this reason "there was an earthquake, and the rocks were rent." "The veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom" signified that His Human was made Divine; for within the veil was the ark in which was the Testimony, and "the Testimony" signified the Lord in respect to His Divine Human (See above Matthew 28:18). "The angel rolled away the stone from the mouth and sat upon it" signifies that the Lord removed all the falsity that had shut off access to Him, and that He opened Divine truth, "the stone" signifying the Divine truth which the Jews had falsified by their tradition; for it is said that:
The chief priests and Pharisees sealed the stone with a guard; but that an angel from heaven removed it and sat upon it (Matthew 27:66; 28:2).
The things that have been said respecting these earthquakes, and the veil of the temple, and the stone before the mouth of sepulcher, are but a few, but the things signified by them are many, for each and everything that is written in the Gospels respecting the Lord's Passion involves arcana and is significative. The earthquakes mentioned elsewhere in Revelation also signify changes of the state of the church (as chap. Revelation 11:13; 16:17-19).
400. "Et ecce terrae motus magnus factus est." - Quod significet statum ecclesiae prorsus immutatism, constat ex significatione "terrae motus", quod sit mutatio status ecclesiae, "terra" enim est ecclesia, et "motus" est mutatio status.
(Quod "terra" sit ecclesia, videatur supra, n. 304; et quod motus" sit mutatio status, in Arcanis Caelestibus, n. 1273-1275, 1377, 3356.) Quod haec praedictio, quae significatur per "apertum sigillum sextum", involvat quod ecclesiae status prorsus immutatus sit, patet a praecedentibus et a sequentibus in eo capite; in praecedentibus praedictum est quod perierit intellectus Verbi quoad bonum, et dein quoad verum, et tandem quod nullus intellectus Verbi esset ex malis vitae et inde falsis doctrinae; quod intellectus Verbi deperditus sit quoad bonum, significatum est per "equum rufum", qui visus est exire ex aperto sigillo libri (de quo supra, n. 364); quod intellectus Verbi deperditus sit quoad verum, significatum est per "equum nigrum" visum (de quo supra, n. 372); et quod inde nullus intellectus Verbi esset ex malis vitae et falsis doctrinae, significatum est per "equum pallidum" (de quo supra, n. 381); inde nunc sequitur quod status ecclesiae prorsus immutatus sit; haec a praecedentibus: a sequentibus etiam, nam dicitur quod "sol factus sit niger tanquam saccus cilicinus, et luna facta sit sicut sanguis", et quod "stellae caeli ceciderint in terram", praeter plura, per quae significatur quod non amplius aliquod bonum amoris nec verum fidei, nec aliquae cognitiones boni et veri essent; ex quibus etiam patet quod per "terrae motum magnum" hic significetur quod ecclesiae status prorsus immutatus sit.
[2] Praeterea, quod "terrae motus" significet mutationem status ecclesiae, ex pluribus locis in Verbo constat, quorum aliqua in sequentibus adducentur.
Quod "terrae motus" id significet, est ex apparentiis in mundo spirituali. In eo mundo aeque sunt terrae, valles, colles, montes, ut in mundo naturali; et super illis habitant spirituum et angelorum societates. Illa loca, antequam super illis formatum est novum caelum, visa sunt insignes mutationes subire; quaedam apparuerunt subsidere, quaedam concuti et commoveri, et quaedam convolvi sicut solet volumen libri convolvi, et auferri; et quaedam quassari et tremere sicut a terrae motu magno: haec mihi saepe visa sunt antequam novum caelum formatum est, et semper indicia fuerunt quod status ecclesiae ibi immutatus sit; quando quassata fuerunt et tremuerunt sicut a terrae motu, indicium fuit quod ibi status ecclesiae mutatus sit, et in quantum mutatus constabat a terrae motus quanto et quali; et quando ecclesiae status apud illos plane conversus est a bono in malum et a vero in falsum, tunc apparuit terra ibi convolvi sicut volumen libri et auferri; haec intelliguntur per verba in versu hujus capitis, nempe, "Et caelum abscessit tanquam liber convolutus."
Similia etiam visa sunt Johanni; nam is, cum illa vidit, fuit in spiritu, ut quoque ipse dicit (cap. 1:10; 4:2);
et qui videt in spiritu, is videt quae existunt et apparent in mundo spirituali. Ex his nunc etiam patet quod per "terrae motum" significetur mutatio status ecclesiae, nempe a bono in' malum et a vero in falsum.
[3] Quod per "terrae motus" et "contremiscentias" non aliud in Verbo intelligatur, constare etiam potest a sequentibus his locis:
Apud Joelem,
"Coram Ipso commota est terra, contremuerunt caeli, sol et luna atrati sunt, et stellae contraxerunt splendorem suum" (2:10):
per "terram" et per "caelos" hic, ut pluries alibi, significatur ecclesia, per "terram" ecclesia externa, et per "caelos" ecclesia interna; per ecclesiam externam intelligitur cultus ex bono et vero in naturali homine, et per ecclesiam internam bonum amoris et fidei, quod in spirituali homine, ex quo cultus; datur enim homo internus et externus, seu spiritualis et naturalis, ita quoque ecclesia, nam ecclesia est in homine et ex hominibus in quibus ecclesia: immutatio et perversio ecclesiae significatur per quod "commota sit terra et contremuerint caeli"; per quod "sol et luna atrati sint" significatur quod non bonum amoris et verum fidei; et per quod "Stellae contraxerint splendorem suum" significatur quod non amplius aliquae cognitiones veri et boni.
[4] Apud Esaiam,
"Rarum reddam virum hominem prae auro puro;... propterea commovebo caelum, et commovebitur terra e loco suo, in indignatione Jehovae Zebaoth, in die excandescentiae irae Ejus" (13:12, 13):
per "virum hominem "intelligitur intelligentia, et per" rarum reddere illum prae auro puro" intelligitur quod intelligentia vix amplius; per intelligentiam intelligitur intelligentia ex veris, nam ex veris est omnis intelligentia: "propterea commovebo caelum, et commovebitur terra e loco suo", significat quod dissipatum sit bonum amoris et verum fidei, et quod cultus in externis inde; per "caelum" et "terram" significatur hic ut supra internum et externum ecclesiae; internum ecclesiae est bonum amoris et bonum fidei, et externum ejus est cultus inde, nam quale est internum hominis ecclesiae tale est externum ejus; hoc non aliunde procedit quam ex interno; absque hoc est cultus externus inanimatus, et vox absque spiritu, et cogitatio ex qua vox, ac voluntas ex qua gestus, absque vita; nam non inest spirituale ex quo vita: quid per "indignationem Jehovae et excandescentiam irae Ejus" significatur, dicetur in explicatione ad versum 17, infra.
[5] Apud eundem,
"Cataractae ab alto apertae sunt, et concussa sunt fundamenta terrae, confringendo confracta est terra, ... commovendo commota est terra, nutando nutat terra sicut ebrius, ... vacillat sicut tugurium, et gravis super illam praevaricatio ejus, et cadet et non addet resurgere amplius" (24:18-20):
quod haec non de terra sed de ecclesia dicta sint, manifeste patet, nam quis potest intelligere quod fundamenta terrae concussa sint, quod terra commota, nutet sicut ebrius, vacillet sicut tugurium? Sed quisque illa potest intelligere dum pro "terra" cogitatur ecclesia: quod per illa verba significetur immutatio et perversio ejus, patet, nam dicitur, "Gravis super illam praevaricatio ejus, et cadet et non resurget amplius"; et per "cataractas" quae ab alto apertae sunt, etiam intelligitur inundatio mali et falsi.
[6] Apud Davidem,
"Concussa et commota est terra, et fundamenta montium tremuerunt..., quia exarsit illi" (Psalms 18:7, 8 [B.A. 6, [7]):
per haec non intelligitur quod terra et fundamenta ejus concussa et commota sint, sed quod ecclesia, et quod vera super quibus fundatur; "terra" enim significat ecclesiam, et "fundamenta montium" significant vera super quibus fundatur, quae sunt vera ex bono; "quia exarsit Ipsi" significat simile quod in Verbo "excandescentia Jehovae." Quod "terra concutiatur et commoveatur", et quod "fundamenta montium tremiscant", est ex apparentiis in mundo spirituali; ita enim ibi fit quando status ecclesiae mutatur apud illos qui ibi habitant. Praeterea sub montibus ibi sunt illi qui in veris sunt; nam omnes habitationes angelorum in eo ordine sunt ut super montibus sint qui in bono amoris in Dominum sunt, et infra illos qui in veris ex illo bono; quando status horum quoad vera mutatur, tunc contremiscunt habitationes horum, ita fundamenta montium. Quod talia sint in mundo spirituali, et quod ex mutationibus status ecclesiae apud illos talia existant, nemo scit nisi cui revelatum est.
[7] Apud Nahum,
"Montes contremiscunt coram" Jehovah, "et colles liquefiunt, et comburitur terra coram Ipso, et orbis et omnes habitantes in. .. excandescentia Ipsius effunditur sicut ignis, et petrae evertuntur coram Ipso" (1:5, 6):
"montes" significant ecclesiam ubi amor in Dominum est, et "colles" ecclesiam ubi amor erga proximum; inde per "montes" significatur amor in Dominum, et per "colles" amor erga proximum; causa est quia angeli qui in amore in Dominum sunt habitant super montibus, et qui in amore erga proximum super collibus: quando loco amoris in Dominum regnat amor sui, et loco amoris erga proximum regnat amor mundi, tunc dicuntur montes "contremiscere", et colles "liquefieri"; ita enim fit in mundo spirituali, sed non apud angelos qui in caelo sunt, sed apud spiritus qui sibi instar caeli fecerunt super montibus et collibus ante ultimum judicium: quia amor sui et mundi intelligitur, ideo dicitur "liquefieri", et quoque "comburitur terra coram Ipso, et orbis et omnes habitantes in eo", tum "excandescentia Ejus effunditur sicut ignis", "ignis" enim significat illos amores, et "liquefieri" ac "comburi" significat ab illis perire: per "petras" quae evertuntur, significantur vera fidei, ex causa quia illi qui in fide sunt, et ex obedientia, tametsi non ex charitate, bonum faciunt, super petris in mundo spirituali habitant.
[8] Apud Hiobum,
Jehovah "qui tremefacit terram e loco suo, ita ut columnae ejus contremiscant" (9:6);
et apud Jeremiam,
"Jehovah Deus in Veritate, Ille Deus vivus et Rex saeculi; ab ira Ipsius contremiscit terra, neque sustinere possunt gentes indignationem Ejus" (10:10):
per "terram" etiam hic significatur ecclesia, sed ecclesia ubi falsa; quae "contremiscere" dicitur quando falsa creduntur ac dicuntur vera: per "gentes" significantur mala falsi; dejectio eorum in infernum et exitium significatur per quod "gentes non possint sustinere indignationem Ejus": quia per "terram" hic significatur ecclesia ubi falsa, ideo dicitur "Deus in veritate, Ille Deus vivus et Rex saeculi"; Jehovah enim "Deus" et "Rex" dicitur ex Divino Vero, Deus vivus" ex Divino Vero in caelis, et "Rex saeculi" ex Divino Vero in terris; et quia in Verbo ubi agitur de vero etiam agitur de bono, ob conjugium caeleste in singulis Verbi, et inde vicissim ubi de falso etiam de malo, ideo etiam additur de "gentibus", per quas significantur mala falsi. Quid mala falsi, quae fluunt ex falsis doctrinae, illustrabitur per hoc: ubi doctrina est quod sola fides salvet, et non bonum vitae, tum quod nihil mali imputetur ei qui fidem habet, et quod salvari possit homo per solam fidem etiam in extremis vitae suae modo tunc credat quod Dominus liberaverit omnes a jugo legis per impletionem ejus ac quod propitiaverit per sanguinem suum, tunc mala quae homo facit ex illa fide sunt mala falsi.
[9] Apud Ezechielem,
"In die quo veniet Gog super terram Israelis, ... ascendet excandescentia in ira mea; et in zelo meo et in igne indignationis loquar, Si non in die hoc fuerit terrae motus magnus super terra Israelis, ut contremiscant coram Me pisces maris, et avis caelorum, et fera agri, et omne reptile reptans super terra, et omnis homo qui super faciebus terrae, et evertentur montes, et cadent gradus, et omnis murus in terram ruet" (38:18-20):
per "Gogum" significatur cultus externus absque interno, per "terram Israelis" significatur ecclesia; inde patet quid significat quod "in die illo veniet Gogus super terram Israelis": tunc erit terrae motus magnus" significat quod mutationem ecclesiae ac inversionem ejus; cultus enim externus omne suum habet ex cultu interno, adeo ut qualis hic talis ille; quare ubi non est cultus internus ibi est cultus externus non cultus, sed modo gestus et loquela; cogitatio quae simul adest, est ex sola memoria naturali, et affectio est ex corpore, qualis est coram homine ex habitu: per quod "contremiscent pisces maris, avis caelorum, fera agri, et omne reptile reptans super terra", significantur omnia hominis; nam per "pisces maris" significantur naturalia in communi, et in Specie scientifica ibi; per "aves caelorum" significantur intellectualia in communi, in specie cogitationes ex veris, hic autem ex falsis; per "feram agri" significatur affectio et cupiditas falsi et mali; et per "reptile reptans super terra" significatur sensuale quod est ultimum naturalis cum jucundis et scientificis ibi: et quia per illa significantur omnia hominis, ideo dicitur, "et omnis homo qui super faciebus terrae"; "omnis homo" in sensu spirituali est omne hominis quoad intelligentiam et sapientiam: quod "evertentur montes, cadent gradus, et omnis murus in terram ruet", significatur quod periturum omne bonum amoris, et omne verum ejus, et quod sic absque resistentia irrupturum sit omne malum et falsum; per "montes" significantur bona amoris, per "gradus" vera inde, et per "murum" tutamen; et ubi non tutamen, illuc irrumpit absque resistentia omne malum et falsum. Quis non videt quod non intelligantur pisces maris, aves caelorum, fera agri, et reptile terrae, quae contremiscent coram Jehovah?
[10] Apud Jeremiam,
"A voce casus" Edomi et habitatorum Themanis "contremuit terra, clamor, in mari Suph audita est vox ejus" (49:21):
per "Edomum et habitatores Themanis" non illi intelliguntur, sed mala et falsa opposita bonis et veris regni caelestis; inde per "a voce casus Edomi et habitatorum Themanis contremuit terra", significatur quod ecclesia mutata sit et perierit a malis et falsis illis: "clamor, in mari Suph audita est vox ejus, significat damnationem eorum; "mare Suph" est damnatio, "clamor" dicitur de damnatione mali, et "vox" de damnatione falsi.
(Quod "mare Suph" significet damnationem et infernum, videatur n. 8099.)
[11] Apud Davidem,
"Deus, deseruisti nos, rupturam fecisti in nobis, succensuisti, reduc nobis quietem; tremefecisti terram, diffregisti, sana fracturas ejus quia commota est" (Psalms 60:3, 4 [B.A. 1, [2]):
per "rupturam" significatur labefactatio ecclesiae, et inde perversio veri ac irruptio falsi; hoc itaque significatur per "tremefecisti terram, diffregisti", et per quod "terra commota sit"; "terra" est ecclesia.
[12] Apud Haggaeum,
"Adhuc semel, brevi illud, quando Ego commovens caelos et terram, et mare et aridam, et tunc commovebo omnes gentes, ut veniat electio omnium gentium, et impleam domum hanc gloria" (Haggaeum 2:6, 7):
haec dicta sunt de reaedificatione templi in Hierosolyma, et per "novum templum" ibi significatur nova ecclesia, quae instauranda a Domino; hoc intelligitur per "adhuc semel, brevi illud", et per quod "tunc commovebo omnes gentes, ut veniat eo electio gentium, et impleam domum hanc gloria"; per "gentes" et "electionem gentium" significantur omnes qui in bono (videatur supra, n. 175(a), 331), et per "domum" significatur ecclesia, ac per "gloriam" Divinum Verum. Nova illa ecclesia per "templum" describitur amplius in eo capite ita,
"Major erit gloria domus hujus posterioris quam prioris, ... nam in loco hoc dabo pacem" (2) vers. 9):
judicium quod praecedet in mundo spirituali describitur per quod "Ego commovens caelos et terram et mare et aridam", et per "caelos et terram" intelliguntur omnia interiora ecclesiae, et per "mare et aridam" omnia exteriora ejus.
[13] Apud Evangelistas,
"Excitabitur gens contra gentem, regnum contra regnum, erunt enim pestes, fames et terrae motus in variis locis" (Matthaeus 24:7, 8; Marcus 13:8; Luca 21:11):
per "excitabitur gens contra gentem et regnum contra regnum" signlficatur quod pugnaturum malum cum malo et falsum cum falso; per "gentem" significatur bonum ecclesiae et ill opposito sensu malum ejus, ac per "regnum" significatur verum ecclesiae, et in opposito sensu falsum ejus: per "erunt pestes, fames et terrae motus in variis locis" significatur quod non erunt amplius bona et vera ac cognitiones boni et veri, ac ita quod ecclesiae status sit mutatus, quod est "terrae motus." In his capitibus apud Evangelistas praedicuntur status successivi ecclesiae usque ad consummationem ejus, sed describuntur illi per meras correspondentias (quae explicantur in Arcanis Caelestibus, n. 3353-3356, 3486-3489, 3650-3655, 3751- 1
3757, 3897-3901, 4056-4060, 4229-4231, 4332-4335, 2
[14] Memoratur etiam in Verbo quod terrae motus factus sit cum Dominus passus est super cruce, et quoque cum angelus descendit et devolvit lapidem ab ostio sepulchri; et per utrumque terrae motum significabatur mutatio status ecclesiae. De terrae motu cum Dominus passus est, ita legitur,
"Velum in templo disruptum est in duas partes a summo ad imum, et terra commota est, et petrae discissae sunt... Centurio et qui cum eo custodientes Jesum, videntes terrae motum, et quae facta sunt, perterriti sunt valde, dicentes, Revera Dei Filius erat Hic" (Matthaeus 27:51, 54):
et de terrae rnotu qui factus cum angelus descendit et devolvit lapidem ab ostio sepulchri, ita legitur,
Cum "venit Maria Magdalena et altera Maria visurae sepulchrum, et ecce terrae motus lactus est magnus; angelus enim Domini descendit e caelo, accedens devolvit lapidem ab ostio, et sedit super illo" (Matthaeus 28:1, 2):
illi terrae motus facti sunt ut indicaretur quod status ecclesiae tunc mutatus fuerit; Dominus enim per ultimam suam tentationem, quam sustinuit in Gethsemane et super cruce, vicit inferna, ac omnia ibi et in caelis in ordine posuit, et quoque Humanum suum glorificavit, hoc est, Divinum fecit; ideo "terrae motus factus est", et "petrae discissae sunt." Quod "velum templi disruptum Sit in duas partes a summo ad imum", significabat quod Humanum suum Divinum factum sit; nam intra velum erat arca in qua Testimonium, et per "Testimonium" significabatur Dominus quoad Divinum Humanum suum (ut supra, n. 392 (b-e), ostensum videatur): "velum" significabat externum ecclesiae, quod apud Judaeos et Israelitas, quod obtexit oculos eorum, ut non viderent Dominum ac Divinum Verum seu Verbum in sua luce. Per "terrae motum magnum", qui factus est cum angelus descendit de caelo et devolvit lapidem ab ostio sepulchri, simile significatur, nempe quod status ecclesiae prorsus mutatus sit; Dominus enim tunc resurrexit,
et quoad Humanum suum suscepit omne dominium super caelum et terram, ut Ipse dicit apud Matthaeum (28:18):
quod "angelus devolverit lapidem ab ostio, et sederit super illo", significat quod Dominus amoverit omne falsum, quod intercluserat aditum ad Ipsum, et aperuerit Divinum Verum; "lapis" enim significat Divinum Verum, quod a Judaeis per traditiones falsificatum fuit; nam dicitur, quod
Pontifices et Pharisaei "obsignaverint lapidem cum custodia", (Matthaeus 27:66), at quod angelus e caelo amoverit eum et sederit super illo (28:2).
Sed haec pauca sunt quae dicta sunt de his terrae motibus, tum de velo templi, et de lapide ante ostium sepulchri; sunt usque plura quae per illa significantur, nam omnia et singula quae apud Evangelistas scripta sunt de Passione Domini involvunt arcana et significant.
Per "terrae motus" etiam alibi in Apocalypsi significantur mutationes status ecclesiae (Ut cap. 11:13, 16, 17, 19 3
).
Footnotes:
1. The editors made a correction or note here.
2. The editors made a correction or note here.
3. The editors made a correction or note here.