410.启8:11.“这星名叫苦艾；众水的三分之一部分变为苦艾”表他们自己的聪明所源自的地狱虚假，圣言的一切真理就是被这些虚假歪曲的。 “星”表示他们自己的聪明，这聪明源自地狱之爱所产生的骄傲（408节）。“名”表示其性质（81，122，165节）；“苦艾”（或译茵陈）表示地狱的虚假，对此，稍后会有说明；“水”表示真理（50节），在此表示圣言的真理，因为所论述的主题涉及信；“三分之一部分”表示全部，如前所述；这些合在一起就是上面这句经文的含义。
“苦艾”表示地狱的虚假，是因为它极苦，由此使食物和饮料变得令人憎恶；所以在以下经文中，“苦艾”表示这种虚假：
看哪，我必将苦艾给这百姓吃，又将苦胆水给他们喝。（耶利米书9:14，15）
耶和华论到先知如此说：看哪，我必将苦艾给他们吃，又将苦胆水给他们喝；因为伪善出于耶路撒冷的先知，流行遍地。（耶利米书23:15）
你们却使公平变为苦胆，使公义的果子变为苦艾。（阿摩司书5:7；6:12）
又怕你们中间有根生出苦胆和苦艾来。（申命记29:18）
和此处论述的教会一样，犹太教会歪曲了圣言的一切真理，主通过祂的一切受难来代表它，允许犹太人如同对待圣言那样对待祂，因为祂就是圣言，故：他们拿苦胆调和的醋拿给祂喝，但祂尝了，就不肯喝（马太福音27:34；马可福音15:23；诗篇69:21）。由于犹太人教会已然如此，所以经上这样描述它：
410. The name of the star is Wormwood, and a third of the waters became wormwood. (8:11) This symbolizes hellish falsity, the origin of their personal intelligence, by which they had falsified all the Word's truths.
The star symbolizes their personal intelligence owing to a conceit arising from a hellish love (no. 408). The name symbolizes its character (nos. 81, 122, 165). Wormwood symbolizes hellish falsity, which we will consider next. Waters symbolize truths (no. 50), here the Word's truths, because the subject is faith. A third means, symbolically, all, as said before. Gathering these into a single meaning yields the meaning presented above.
As for wormwood, it symbolizes hellish falsity because of its extreme bitterness, which renders foods and beverages unpalatable. Wormwood symbolizes such falsity, therefore, in the following places:
Behold, I feed... this people with wormwood, and will give them water of gall to drink. (Jeremiah 9:14-15)
...thus says Jehovah... against the prophets: Behold, I feed them with wormwood, and will make them drink water of gall; for from the prophets of Jerusalem hypocrisy has gone out into all the land. (Jeremiah 23:15)
...you turn justice into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood. (Amos 6:12, cf. 5:7)
...that there may not be among you a root bearing gall or wormwood. (Deuteronomy 29:18)
Since the Jewish Church falsified all the Word's truths, like the church which is the subject here, and the Lord represented it by all the events of His suffering, by permitting the Jews to treat Him as they had the Word, because He embodied the Word, therefore "they gave Him vinegar mingled with gall," which is like wormwood, "but when He had tasted it, He would not drink" (Matthew 27:34, Mark 15:23, cf. Psalms 69:21).
As that was the character of the Jewish Church, it is therefore described in this way:
He has filled me with bitterness, (and) He has made me drunk on wormwood. (Lamentations 3:15, 19)
410. [verse 11] 'And the name of the star is termed Wormwood, and a third part of the waters became wormwood' signifies the infernal untruth from which their self-intelligence is derived, by means of which all the truths of the Word have been falsified. By 'the star' is signified self-intelligence derived from pride arising from infernal love (408); by 'the name' is signified the quality thereof (81, 122, 165); by 'wormwood' is signified infernal untruth, concerning which [something] follows; by 'the waters' are signified truths (50), here the truths of the Word because [it treats] of faith; by 'a third part' all are signified, as above. Out of these significations collected together into one the above rendered sense is the result. That 'wormwood' signifies infernal untruth is by reason of its intense bitterness whereby it renders food and drink abominable. Such untruth is therefore signified in the following places:
Behold I am feeding this people with wormwood, and I will give them the waters of the gall-bladder to drink. Jeremiah 9:14-15.
Thus has Jehovah said against the prophets, Behold I am feeding them with wormwood, and I will give them the waters of the gallbladder to drink; for from the prophets of Jerusalem hypocrisy has gone forth into the whole land. Jeremiah 23:15.
You turn judgment into gall, and the fruit of justice into wormwood, Amos 5:7; 7:2.
Lest there should be among you a root bringing forth gall and wormwood. Deuteronomy 29:18; [H.B. 17].
Since the Jewish Church had falsified all the truths of the Word, just as the Church of which it treats here, and the Lord represented that by means of all the things of His passion, by permitting the Jews to treat Him as [they were treating] the Word, because He was the Word, therefore:
They gave him vinegar mingled with gall (which is like wormwood), but, having tasted it, He would not drink. Matthew 27:34; Mark 15:23; Psalms 69:21; [H.B. 22].
Because the Jewish Church was such, therefore it is thus described:
He has filled me with bitterness, and has made me drunk with wormwood, Lamentations 3:15, 18-19.
410. Verse 11. And the name of the star is called Wormwood; and the third part of the waters became wormwood, signifies the infernal falsity from which their own intelligence is derived, and by which all the truths of the Word are falsified. By "a star" is signified their own intelligence springing from pride from infernal love, (408). By "name" is signified its quality, (81[1-4], 122, 165); by "wormwood" is signified infernal falsity concerning which something will be said presently; by "waters" are signified truths, (50), here the truths of the Word, because the subject relates to faith; by "the third part" is signified all, as above; from these taken together the sense results as delivered above. "Wormwood" signifies infernal falsity, from its intense bitterness, whereby it renders food and drink abominable; such falsity is signified therefore by "wormwood," in the following passages:
Behold, I feed these people with wormwood, and I will give them water of gall to drink, (Jeremiah 9:14-15).
Thus saith Jehovah against the prophets: Behold, I feed them with wormwood, and I will make them drink the water of gall; for from the prophets of Jerusalem hypocrisy is gone forth into the whole earth, (Jeremiah 23:15).
Ye turn judgment into gall, and the fruit of justice into wormwood, (Amos 5:7; 6:12).
Lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood, (Deuteronomy 29:18).
Since the Jewish church had falsified all the truths of the Word, like the church here treated of, and since the Lord by all things of His passion represented it, by permitting the Jews to treat Him as they did the Word, because He was the Word, therefore:
They gave Him vinegar mingled with gall (which is like wormwood), but, tasting it, He would not drink, (Matthew 27:34; Mark 15:23; Psalms 69:21).
Because the Jewish church was such, therefore it is thus described:
He hath filled me with bitterness, and hath made me drunken with wormwood, (Lamentations 3:15, 18-19).
410. (Vers. II.) "Et nomen stellae dicitur Absinthium, et facta est tertia pars aquarum absinthium" significat falsum infernale ex quo illorum propria intelligentia, per quam omnia vera Verbi falsificata sunt. - Per "stellam" significatur propria intelligentia ex fastu oriundo ex amore infernali (408); per "nomen" significatur quale ejus (81, 122, 165) ;. per "absinthium" significatur falsum infernale, de quo sequitur; per "aquas" significantur vera (50), hic vera Verbi, quia de fide; per "tertiam partem" significantur omnia, ut supra; ex his in unum collatis, sensus supra traditus resultat. Quod "absinthium" significet falsum infernale, est ex gravi ejus amaritudine, qua cibos et potus reddit abominabiles; ideo tale falsum per "absinthium" significatur in sequentibus locis:
"Ecce Ego cibans populum hunc Absinthio, et potabo illos aquis fellis," (Jeremias 9:14-15);
"Sic dixit Jehovah contra Prophetas. Ecce Ego cibans eos Absinthio, et potabo eos aquis fellis: quia a Prophetis Hierosolymae exivit hypocrisis in universam terram," (Jeremias 13:15);
"Convertitis in Fel judicium, et fructum justitiae in Absinthium," (Amos 5:7; 6:12);
Ne sit inter vos radix proferens Fel et Absinthium," (Deuteronomius 29:17 (B.A. 18)).
Quoniam Ecclesia Judaica falsificaverat omnia vera Verbi, quemadmodum Ecclesia, de qua hic agitur, et Dominus per omnia Passionis Suae repraesentavit illam, permittendo ut Judaei tractarent Ipsum sicut Verbum, quia Ipse erat Verbum, ideo Dederunt Ipsi Acetum felle mixtum (quod est sicut absinthium),sed id gustans non voluit bibere, (Matthaeus 27:34; Marcus 15:23; Psalm 69:22 (B.A. 21)).
Quia talis fuit Ecclesia Judaica, ideo describitur ita:
"Satiavit Me amaritudinibus, et inebriavit Me Absinthio," (Threni 3:15, 18-19).