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697. And to destroy those that destroy the earth.- That this signifies hell with those who destroy the church, is evident from the signification of destroying, when said of those who destroy the church, as denoting damnation and hell; for since to give reward to His servants the prophets and saints signifies salvation and heaven with those who are in truths from good, that is, those who form the church, therefore to destroy the earth signifies damnation and hell; and from the signification of earth, as denoting the church concerning which, see above (n, 29, 304, 413:4, 417). To destroy the earth therefore signifies to destroy the church. That by land (terra) in the Word, is meant the church, has been shown above in many places, as well as in the Arcana Coelestia. There are many reasons why land, in the Word, signifies the church; that is, when no particular land is mentioned, such as the land of Egypt, of Edom, of Moab, of Assyria, of Chaldea, of Babylon and others, the land of Canaan is meant, and those who are in spiritual thought cannot think of that land as a land, since that would be to have an earthly and not a heavenly idea, but they think of the character of the nation there in regard to the church. Similarly when any one is thinking of a church, or religion or worship, and from that thought lands are spoken of, the land is not thought of but only the character of the people of the land in regard to the church, religion or worship. For this reason, when a man reads in the Word the term land (terra) the angels, who are spiritual, think of the church, and what the angels think, this is the spiritual sense of the Word, since the spiritual sense of the Word is for angels, and also for those men who are spiritual; for the Word in the letter is natural, but still interiorly or in its bosom it is spiritual, and when the natural is withdrawn, the spiritual which is within or in its bosom is disclosed.
[2] Moreover, there are lands in the spiritual world, or in the world where spirits and angels are, equally as in the natural world where men are, and these lands are quite alike in external appearance. In that world there are plains, valleys, mountains, hills, rivers, and seas, and also fields, meadows, forests, gardens, and paradises. And the lands, there, are beautiful in appearance, exactly according to the state of the church with those who dwell upon them, and they also undergo changes according to the changes of the church in the inhabitants. In a word, the lands there correspond completely with the reception of the good of love and the truth of faith in those who dwell there. It is also for this reason that land in the Word signifies the church, for the quality of the land is according to the quality of the church there, and correspondence is the cause of this. In that world, the land itself makes one with the church, just as a correspondent does with the subject to which it corresponds, as an effect with its efficient cause, as the eye with its sight, speech with the understanding, action with the will, the expression of the face with the affection of the thought, in a word, as the instrumental with its principal, of which it is said that they constitute one thing; so is it in the spiritual world, as to the quality of the land with the quality of the church. From these things it is evident why land in the Word signifies the church, and why to destroy the earth (or land) here signifies to destroy the church.
[3] So also in the following passages.
In Isaiah:
"Is this the man that shaketh the earth, that causeth kingdoms to tremble, that hath made the world a desert, and destroyed the cities thereof? Thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people" (14:16, 17, 20).
This is said of Lucifer, by whom Babel is here meant, as is evident from what here precedes and follows; the earth which he shook and destroyed signifies the church. The kingdoms which he causeth to tremble signify the churches into which the general church is divided. The world which he made a desert signifies the church in general; the cities which he destroyed signify the truths of the doctrine thereof, and the people that he slew signify the men of the church, whose spiritual life he destroyed.
[4] In Jeremiah:
"Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, destroying the whole earth" (51:25).
This also is said of Babel, which is called a destroying mountain, because a mountain signifies the love of ruling, here, over heaven and earth, to which the goods and truths of the church are caused to serve as means; to destroy all the earth signifies therefore to utterly destroy the whole church.
[5] In Daniel:
The fourth beast ascending out of the sea "shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces" (7:23).
This beast also signifies the love of ruling over the whole heaven and the whole earth, and those who are of Babel have this love, as may be seen above (n. Genesis 9:11).
Here the earth also signifies the church, which was destroyed by the antediluvians, but which should be destroyed no more.
[6] In Isaiah:
"Jehovah maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and he overturneth the faces thereof. In emptying the earth shall be emptied, and in spoiling it shall be spoiled; the habitable earth shall mourn, shall be confounded; the world shall languish, shall be confounded; the earth itself shall be profaned; because they have transgressed the laws, passed by the statute, made void the covenant of eternity, therefore a curse shall devour the earth; 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, and it is moved to and fro as a hut" (24:1, 3-6, 18-20).
That the earth here does not mean the earth, but the church, must be evident to every one. The church is thus spoken of, because the lands (terroe) in the spiritual world, upon which angels and spirits dwell, undergo such changes as are here described, according to the changes of the state of the church with those who dwell there; in fact even movements take place in them. It is said that Jehovah maketh the earth empty and maketh it waste, that in emptying it shall be emptied, and in spoiling it shall be spoiled, because the lands (terroe) there, when the church in those who dwell upon them is laid waste, completely change their appearance. The gardens, flower-gardens, lawns, and similar places in which those lands previously abounded, disappear, and instead of them there arise unpleasant things such as, sandy and rocky places, plains full of thorns and briars, and things of a like nature, which correspond to the falsities and evils that have laid waste the church. The devastation of the church as to the good of love and of charity is signified by making the earth empty; and its desolation as to the truths of doctrine and of faith is signified by making it waste and spoiling it, and the change itself by overturning the faces thereof. The habitable earth shall mourn, shall be confounded; the world shall languish, shall be confounded; a curse shall devour the earth, signifies that nothing shall grow and flourish there, but that it shall be barren, and filled with useless things, on account of which the earth is said to mourn, to languish, and to be devoured with a curse. Since these things take place when they that dwell there have no longer any regard for the holy things of the church, therefore it is said, because they have transgressed the laws, passed by the statute, made void the covenant of eternity. As the lands there are sometimes inundated, sometimes violently shaken, and also here and there gape and open towards the hell, which is beneath and lifts itself up - which takes place according to the nature, and extent of the falsities and evils that are loved, and the consequent falsification and denial of the goods and truths of the church - it is therefore said, that the flood-gates from on high are open, the foundations of the earth are shaken, the earth is broken, and staggereth as a drunkard. These things also actually take place in the spiritual world, when the state of the church is there changed into a contrary one. From this it is evident, why the earth, here and elsewhere in the Word, means the church.
697. And to destroy them that are destroying the earth, signifies hell to those who destroy the church. This is evident from the signification of "to destroy," as being, in reference to those that destroy the church, damnation and hell; for as "to give the reward to His servants, the prophets and the saints," signifies salvation and heaven to those who are in truths from good, that is, who constitute the church, so "to destroy" the earth signifies damnation and hell. Also from the signification of the "earth," as meaning the church (of which above, n. 29, 304, 413, 417); therefore "to destroy the earth" signifies to destroy the church. That in the Word the "earth" means the church has been shown frequently above, also in the Arcana Coelestia. There are many reasons why in the Word the "earth" signifies the church; that is, when no land in particular is mentioned, as the land of Egypt, of Edom, of Moab, of Assyria, of Chaldea, of Babylon, and others, the "earth" (or land) means the land of Canaan, and that land, to those who are in spiritual thought, does not suggest the idea of a land which is earthly, not heavenly, but the idea of the quality of the nation there in respect to the church. So again, when the church, or religion, or worship, is in one's thought, and from this lands are mentioned, the land is not thought of, but the quality of the nation of the land in respect to the church, religion, or worship. For this reason when a man in reading the Word mentions a land, the angels, who are spiritual, think of the church; and what the angels think is the spiritual sense of the Word; for the spiritual sense of the Word is for the angels, and also for those men who are spiritual. For the Word in the letter is natural, and yet inwardly or in its bosom it is spiritual; and whenever the natural is withdrawn the spiritual that is within or in its bosom is disclosed.
[2] Moreover, there are lands in the spiritual world, that is, in the world where spirits and angels are, equally as in the natural world where men are, and these lands are altogether alike in external appearance; there are there plains, valleys, mountains, hills, and there are rivers, and seas, and also fields, meadows, forests, gardens, and paradises; and those lands are in appearance beautiful in exact accord with the state of the church with those who dwell upon them, and they undergo changes in accord with the changes of the church with the inhabitants; in a word, there is a full correspondence of the lands there with the reception of the good of love and the truth of faith with those who dwell there. It is for this reason also that "land" in the Word signifies the church, for in that world according to the quality of the land is the quality of the church there, and correspondence is what makes it be so. In that world the land itself makes one with the church, as a correspondent with its own thing to which it corresponds, just as an effect does with its effecting cause, as the eye with its sight, as speech with its understanding, as action with the will, as the expression of the face with the affection of the thought, in a word, as the instrumental with its principal, of which it is said that they make one thing; so in the spiritual world the quality of the land makes one with that of the church. From this it is clear why in the Word "land (or earth)" signifies the church, and "to destroy the earth" signifies here to destroy the church.
[3] So also in the following passages. In Isaiah:
Is this the man that maketh the earth to tremble, that maketh the kingdoms to quake, that made the world a wilderness, and threw down the cities thereof? Thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people (Isaiah 14:16, 17, 20.)
This is said of Lucifer, by whom Babylon is here meant, as is evident from what here precedes and follows; and "the earth that he maketh to tremble and that he destroyed" signifies the church; the "kingdoms that he maketh to quake" signify the churches into which the general church is divided; the "world that he made a wilderness" signifies the church in general; the "cities that he threw down" signify its truths of doctrine; and the "people that he slew" signify the men of the church whose spiritual life he destroyed.
[4] In Jeremiah:
Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, destroying the whole earth (Jeremiah 51:25).
This, too, is said of Babylon, which is called a destroying mountain, because a "mountain" signifies the love of ruling, here over heaven and earth, which the goods and truths of the church are made to serve as means; therefore "to destroy the whole earth" signifies to destroy the church.
[5] In Daniel:
The fourth beast coming up out of the sea shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down and break it in pieces (Daniel 7:23).
This beast, too, signifies the love of ruling over the whole heaven and the whole earth, which love those have who are of Babylon (See above, n. Genesis 9:11).
Here again "the earth" also signifies the church that was destroyed by the antediluvians, but was not again to be destroyed.
[6] In Isaiah:
Jehovah maketh the earth void and maketh it empty, and He shall overturn the faces thereof. In emptying the earth shall be emptied, and In spoiling it shall be spoiled; the habitable earth shall mourn, shall be confounded; the world shall languish, shall be confounded; the earth itself shall be profaned because they have transgressed the laws, overstepped the statute, made void the covenant of eternity, therefore a malediction shall devour the earth. The floodgates from on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth quake; in breaking the earth is broken, in moving the earth is moved, in staggering the earth shall stagger as a drunkard, and it shall be moved to and fro as a balance (Isaiah 24:1, 3-6, 18-20).
Anyone can see that "the earth" here does not mean the earth, but the church. This is said of the church, because the earths (or lands) in the spiritual world, upon which angels and spirits dwell, undergo such changes as are here described according to the changes of state of the church with those who dwell there; they are even moved accordingly. It is said that "Jehovah maketh the earth void and maketh it empty," also that "in emptying it shall be emptied, and in spoiling it shall be spoiled," because the lands there, when the church is laid waste with those who dwell upon them, altogether change their appearance; the paradises, flower gardens, lawns, and the like, with which they before flourished disappear, and things that are unpleasant, such as sandy and rocky places, and plains full of brambles and briars, and like things corresponding to the falsities and evils that have devastated the church, spring up in their place. The devastation of the church in respect to the good of love and charity is signified by "making the earth void," and its desolation in respect to the truths of doctrine and faith is signified by "making it empty and spoiling it," and the change itself by "overturning its faces." "The habitable earth shall mourn, shall be confounded, the world shall languish, shall be confounded, a malediction shall devour the earth," signifies that nothing shall there grow and flourish, but that it shall become barren and filled with useless things, on account of which the earth is said "to mourn, to languish, and to be devoured with a malediction." Because this takes place when those that dwell there have no longer any regard for the holy things of the church, it is said, "because they have transgressed the laws, overstepped the statute, made void the covenant of eternity." Because there the lands are sometimes overflowed, sometimes shaken, and also here and there gape and open towards the hell that lies below and that lifts itself up, and this takes place according to the quality and quantity of the falsities and evils that are loved, and the consequent falsification and denial of the goods and truths of the church, therefore it is said that "the floodgates from on high shall be opened, the foundations of the earth shall quake, the earth shall be broken, and shall stagger like a drunkard," and these things actually take place in the spiritual world, when the state of the church there is changed into a contrary state. From this it can be seen why "the earth" here and elsewhere in the Word, means the church.
697. "Et perdere perdentes terram." - Quod significet infernum illis qui destruunt ecclesiam, constat ex significatione "perdere", cum de illis qui destruunt ecclesiam, quod sit damnatio et infernum; nam cum "dare mercedem servis prophetis et sanctis" significat salvationem et caelum illis qui in veris ex bono sunt, ita qui faciunt ecclesiam, inde "perdere" illam 1
significat damnationem et infernum: et ex significatione "terrae", quod sit ecclesia (de qua supra, 29, 304, 413 [b] 417 [a]); inde "perdere terram" significat destruere ecclesiam. Quod per "terram" in Verbo intelligatur ecclesia, multis ostensum est supra, tum etiam in Arcanis Caelestibus. Causae, quod per "terram" in Verbo significetur ecclesia, sunt plures; nempe, quod per "terram" ibi, dum non aliqua terra in specie nominatur, ut terra Aegypti, Edomi, Moabi, Assyriae, Chaldaeae, Babelis, et aliorum, intelligitur terra Canaan; et per illam terram, ab illis qui in spirituali idea sunt, non potest cogitari terra, quia id terrestre est et non caeleste, sed cogitatur quale gentis ibi quoad ecclesiam; similiter ut dum in alicujus idea est ecclesia, aut religio, aut cultus, dum ex illa idea nominantur terrae tunc non cogitatur terra, sed gentis terrae quale quoad ecclesiam, religionem aut cultum; inde est quod angeli, qui spirituales sunt, dum homo in Verbo legit "terram", cogitent ecclesiam; et quod angeli cogitant, hoc sensus spiritualis Verbi est, nam sensus spiritualis Verbi est pro angelis et quoque pro hominibus qui spirituales sunt; Verbum enim in littera est naturale, sed usque intus seu in sinu suo est spirituale; ac dum naturale abstergitur, patet spirituale quod intus seu in sinu est.
[2] Praeterea sunt terrae in mundo spirituali, seu in mundo ubi sunt spiritus et angeli, aeque ac in mundo naturali ubi sunt homines, et sunt illae terrae quoad externam apparentiam prorsus similes; sunt ibi planities, valles, montes, colles, et sunt fluvii et maria, et quoque sunt agri, prata, silvae, horti, paradisi; et illae terrae ibi sunt aspectu pulchrae prorsus secundum statum ecclesiae apud illos qui super iis habitant, et quoque mutantur secundum mutationes ecclesiae apud illos: verbo, est plena correspondentia terrarum ibi cum receptione boni amoris et veri fidei apud habitatores; inde quoque est quod per "terram" in Verbo significetur ecclesia; quale enim terrae est quale ecclesiae ibi; correspondentia id facit. In eo mundo ipsa terra cum ecclesia unum facit, sicut correspondens cum sua re cui correspondet, prorsus sicut effectus cum sua causa efficiente; sicut oculus cum suo visu, sicut loquela cum suo intellectu, sicut actio cum voluntate, sicut vultus faciei cum affectione cogitationis, verbo, sicut instrumentale cum suo principali, de quibus dicitur quod unam rem faciant; ita in mundo spirituali quale terrae cum quali ecclesiae. Ex his constare potest unde est quod per "terram" in Verbo significetur ecclesia, et hic quod per "perdere terram" significetur destruere ecclesiam:
[3] ut quoque in sequentibus locis:
– Apud Esaiam,
"Num hic vir commovens terram, tremefaciens regna? posuit orbem in desertum, urbes ejus destruxit?.... terram tuam perdidisti, populum tuum occidisti" (14:16, 17, 20).
haec de Lucifero, per quem ibi intelligitur Babel, ut ex praecedentibus et consequentibus ibi patet; et per "terram" quam commovet, et quam perdidit, significatur ecclesia; per "regna" quae tremefacit, significantur ecclesiae in quas ecclesia communis distincta est; per "orbem", quem posuit in desertum, significatur ecclesia communis; per "urbes" quas destruxit, significantur vera doctrinae ejus; et per "populum" quem occidit, significantur homines ecclesiae quorum spiritualem vitam perdidit.
[4] Apud Jeremiam,
"Ecce Ego contra te, mons perdens, ...perdens universam terram" (51:25):
etiam haec de Babele, quae "mons perdens" dicitur, quia "mons" significat amorem imperandi, ibi super caelum et super terram, cui amori inserviunt bona et vera ecclesiae pro mediis quare "perdere universam terram" significat ecclesiam.
[5] Apud Danielem,
Bestia quarta ascendens e mari "comedet totam terram, et conculcabit eam, et conteret eam" (7:23):
per hanc "bestiam" etiam significatur amor imperandi super universum caelum et universam terram, qui amor est illis qui e Babele sunt (videatur supra, n. 316 [e] 556 [a]); quare per "comedere, conculcare et conterere terram significatur prorsus destruere ecclesiam. Quis non videt quod non aliqua bestia ascensura sit ex mari, quae comesura, conculcatura et contritura sit omnem terram, sed quod aliquis amor malus et diabolicus, qui ita facturus est ecclesiae? Apud Mosen,
"Non futurum erit amplius diluvium ad perdendum terram" (Genesis 9:11);
per "terram" etiam ibi significatur ecclesia, quae ab Antediluvianis destructa est, sed non amplius destruenda.
[6] Apud Esaiam,
"Jehovah evacuans terram, et exinaniens eam, et evertet facies ejus.... .Evacuando evacuabitur terra, et spoliando spoliabitur.... ;lugebit, confundetur terra habitabilis; languescet, confundetur orbis:.... ipsa terra prophanabitur..., ex eo quod transgressi sint leges, transcenderint statutum, irritum reddiderint foedus aeternitatis, propterea maledictio comedet terram. .... Cataractae ab alto apertae sunt, et commota sunt fundamenta terrae, confringendo confracta est terra, .... commovendo commota est terra, titubando titubat terra sicut ebrius, et hinc inde commovetur sicut tigillum" (24:1, 3-6, 18-20):
quod hic per "terram" non intelligatur terra sed ecclesia, quisque videre potest; quod ita dicatur de ecclesia, est quia terrae in mundo spirituali, super quibus habitant angeli et spiritus, taliter ut hic dicitur, secundum mutationes status ecclesiae apud habitatores ibi, mutantur, immo etiam commoventur. Quod dicatur "Jehovah evacuans terram et exinaniens eam", tum "evacuando evacuabitur, et spoliando spoliabitur", est quia terrae ibi, quando ecclesia apud illos devastatur, prorsus mutat facies suas; paradisiaca ibi, floreta, vireta, et reliqua, ex quibus illae terrae prius floruerant, evanescunt; et pro illis existunt inamoena, ut arenosa, rupeta, campi vepretis et senticetis pleni, ac similia, quae correspondent falsis et malis quae devastarunt ecclesiam. Devastatio ejus quoad bonum amoris et charitatis significatur per "evacuare terram", et desolatio ejus quoad vera doctrinae et fidei significatur per "exinanire et spoliare illam", et ipsa mutatio per "evertere facies ejus": "lugebit, confundetur terra habitabilis; languescet, confundetur orbis; maledictio comedet terram", significat quod non aliquid ibi crescet et florebit, sed quod sterilescet et implebitur inutilibus, ex quibus terra dicitur "lugere", "languescere" et "comedi maledictione"; quia haec fiunt quando habitatores ibi non amplius curant sancta ecclesiae, ideo dicitur, "ex eo quod transgressi sint leges, transcenderint statutum, irritum reddiderint foedus aeternitatis." Quoniam terrae ibi nunc inundantur, nunc concutiuntur, etiam hic et ibi hiscunt et patent versus infernum quod infra est et se elevat, quod fit secundum quale et quantum falsa et mala amantur, et inde bona et vera ecclesiae falsificantur et negantur, ideo dicitur quod "cataractae ab alto aperiantur, fundamenta terrae commoveantur, terra confringatur, ac titubet sicut ebrius"; haec etiam actualiter fiunt in mundo spirituali, quando status ecclesiae mutatur ibi in contrarium. Ex his constare potest unde est quod per "terram" hic et in Verbo alibi intelligatur ecclesia.
Footnotes:
1. The editors made a correction or note here.