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912. (Verse 16) And he that sat on the cloud thrust in the sickle upon the earth, and the earth was reaped. That this signifies the collection of the good and their separation from the evil, and that the church was by this means devastated, is evident from the signification of Him who sat on the cloud, as denoting the Lord as to the Word, which is Divine truth; from which, and according to the reception of which, judgment is effected. And from the signification of the earth, as denoting the church (concerning which see above, n. 29, 304, 417, 697, 741, 752, 876). And from the signification of the earth being reaped, as denoting that the church was devastated. For by harvest is signified the last state of the church, as was shown above (n. 911). Therefore by the earth being reaped is signified that the church is no more, or that it was devastated, because there were no longer any good and the truth therefrom, these being signified by the corn of the harvest. It is here said, that the earth was reaped by Him who sat on the cloud, but it is by man; as in many other passages, where devastation is attributed to the Lord, although it proceeds from man. For man, according to his first idea, according to which the Word exists in the sense of the letter, sees no otherwise.
That the separation of the good and the evil, when the Last Judgment was at hand, was thus accomplished, is evident from what has been said above upon this subject, namely, that when the good were separated from those who were inwardly evil, but could outwardly live a moral life like the Christian [life], and had therefore made to themselves heavens, as it were, in the world of spirits; then, the bond being broken with the good, they came into their own evils, which they had inwardly cherished. This is why the church, which appeared to be such only in externals, was devastated with them. For their being able to live a moral life, in externals, like the Christian, was solely from their conjunction with the good, and from the closing of the interiors which are of the will meanwhile.
But upon this subject see what is said in the small work concerning the Last Judgment; also in several passages above, and also in the Appendix to that work, in which it will be further treated of. For unless these things were expounded in their series, they could be understood only obscurely.
912. Verse 16. And He that sat upon the cloud cast the sickle upon the earth, and the earth was reaped, signifies the collection of the good and their separation from the evil, and that thus the church was laid waste. This is evident from the signification of "Him who sat upon the cloud," as being the Lord as to the Word, which is the Divine truth; from which and according to the reception of which judgment is effected; also from the signification of "the earth," as being the church (See above, n. 29, 304, 417, 697, 741, 741, 752, 876); also from the signification of "the earth was reaped," as being that the church was laid waste. For "harvest" signifies the last state of the church, as has been shown above n. 911, therefore "the earth was reaped" signifies that there is no church, or that it has been laid waste, because there is no longer any good or any truth therefrom, which are signified by the grain of the harvest. It is here said that "the earth was reaped" by Him who sat upon the cloud, but the meaning is that this is done by man; as in many other passages where devastation is attributed to the Lord, when yet it is wrought by man; for man from his first idea can see it in no other way, and the Word in the sense of the letter is written according to that idea.
[2] That the separation of the good and the evil was thus effected when the Last Judgment was at hand can be seen from what has been said above on this subject, namely, that when the good were separated from those who were inwardly evil, but had been able to live outwardly a moral life like the Christian life, and had therefore made for themselves seeming heavens in the world of spirits, these, as soon as the bond that held them to the good was broken, came into their own evils which deeply concealed they had inwardly cherished; and thus the church, which was merely maintained in externals, was laid waste with them; for they had been able to live a moral life like the Christian life in externals, solely because of their conjunction with the good and the closing up for the time of their interiors which are of their will. But on this subject see what has been said in the work on The Last Judgment, as well as in several passages above, and what will be said specifically in the appendix to this work; for unless these things were explained in their series they could not fall into the understanding except in an obscure way.
912. [Vers. 16.] "Et misit sedens super nube falcem super terram, et demessa est terra." Quod significet collectionem bonorum, et separationem illorum a malis, et quod sic devastata sit ecclesia, constat ex significatione "sedentis super nube", quod sit Dominus quoad Verbum, quod est Divinum Verum, ex quo, et secundum cujus receptionem, fit judicium; ex significatione "terrae", quod sit ecclesia (de qua supra, n. 29, 304, 417 [a] , 697, 741 [b-d] , 752, 876); et ex significatione "demessae terrae", quod sit quod devastata sit ecclesia: per "messem" enim significatur ultimus status ecclesiae, ut mox supra (n. 911) ostensum est; quare per quod "terra demessa sit", significatur quod non ecclesia, seu quod illa devastata sit, ex causa quia non bonum et inde verum amplius, quod significatur per "frumentum messis." Dicitur hic quod "a sedente super nube demessa sit terra", sed intelligitur quod ab homine; ut multis aliis in locis, quod tribuatur Domino devastatio, cum tamen illa fit ab homine; homo enim ex prima sua idea, secundum quam Verbum est in sensu litterae, non videt aliter.
[2] Quod separatio bonorum et malorum, dum instabat ultimum judicium, ita facta sit, constare potest ex illis quae supra de hac re dicta sunt; nempe, quod dum boni ab illis separati sunt, illi qui interius mali fuerunt, sed exterius potuerunt moralem vitam sicut Christianam agere, et sibi ideo tanquam caelos in mundo spirituum fecerunt, tunc rupto vinculo cum bonis venerint in sua mala, quae interius recondita fovebant; inde erat quod ecclesia, quae solum in externis constabat, apud illos devastata 1
sit: nam quod moralem vitam sicut Christianam in externis potuerint agere, fuit unice ex conjunctione illorum cum bonis, et ex occlusione interiorum quae voluntatis interea. Sed de hac re videantur quae in opusculo De Ultimo Judicio dicta sunt, tum quae supra aliquibus in locis, et quae infra in Appendice in specie dicentur; nam haec nisi in sua serie exposita fuerint, non possunt in intellectum cadere, nisi obscure.
Footnotes:
1. The editors made a correction or note here.