649.“向拿着快镰刀的大声喊着说，伸出快镰刀来收取佳酿，就是地上葡萄园串串的果子”表主通过其爱之良善藉其圣言神性真理的运作进入基督教会之人里面的仁与信的行为中。这就是这些话的灵义，因为这两位“天使”表示主的属灵和属天国度的众天堂（647，648节）；众天堂凭自身什么也做不了，而是凭着主去做，因为天堂中的天使只是接受者，故这些话在灵义上无非表示唯独主的运作，在此表示这运作进入基督教界的教会中，并进入教会之人里面的仁与信的行为中。因为“葡萄园”表示这教会，该教会将在下面章节（651节）进一步予以论述；“串串”（clusters）和“葡萄”表示仁爱的行为。“串串”和“葡萄”之所以表示这些仁爱行为，是因为它们是葡萄园中葡萄树的果实，在圣言中，“果子”或“果实”表示好行为或善行（good works）。
“从祭坛中出来的天使”之所以向“从殿中出来的天使”说，“伸出镰刀收取佳酿”，是因为“从祭坛中出来的天使”表示属天国度的众天堂，或处于爱之良善的众天堂；“从殿中出来的天使”表示属灵国度的众天堂，或处于智慧之真理的众天堂，如前所述；爱之良善凭自己不会运作任何事，而是要藉着智慧之真理；智慧之真理凭自己也不会运作任何事，而是要通过爱之良善。事实的确如此，这一点在《圣爱与圣智》一书多有说明。这就是为何“从祭坛中出来的天使”向“从殿中出来的天使”说，“伸出镰刀来收取佳酿，就是地上葡萄园串串的果子”的原因。正因如此，这些话表示主出于祂的爱之良善藉其圣言的神性真理的运作。
“葡萄”和“串串”表示仁爱的良善和行为，这一点从以下经文明显看出来：
我有祸了！我好像夏天的果子已被收尽，又像摘了葡萄所剩下的。没有一串可吃的，我的灵魂羡慕初熟的果子。圣者从地上灭绝了，人间没有正直人。（弥迦书7:1-2）
他们的葡萄是毒葡萄，它们串串都是苦的。（申命记32:32）
我所亲爱的有葡萄园；他指望结好葡萄，反倒结了野葡萄。（以赛亚书5:1，2，4 ）
这些人转向别神，喜爱葡萄饼。（何西阿书3:1）
凡树木都凭自己的果子被认出来；人不是从荆棘上收集无花果，也不是从蒺藜里摘葡萄。（路加福音6:44）
在地中间像摘取完了的葡萄树，所剩无几。（以赛亚书24:12，13）
摘葡萄的若来到你那里，岂不剩下些葡萄呢 ？（耶利米书49:9；俄巴底亚书49:9，5）；
无虑的，必受骚扰，因为葡萄必断绝，收取的也不来。（以赛亚书32:9，10）
此外还有其它提及“葡萄园的果子”和“葡萄树的果子”的经文。既有属天之爱的良善，也有属灵之爱的良善；属天之爱的良善属于对主的爱，属灵之爱的良善属于对邻之爱；后一种良善被称为“仁之良善”，以由葡萄和串串组成的“葡萄园的果子”来表示；而对主之爱的良善在圣言中则以“树上的果子”，尤其以“橄榄树的果子”来表示。
649b.“因为葡萄熟透了”表因为这是基督教会的最后状态。“葡萄园的葡萄熟透了”和前面“庄稼已经熟透了”所表相同，不过，“庄稼”论及总体上的教会，“葡萄园”论及具体的教会；“庄稼熟透了”表示教会的最后状态（参看645节）；因此，“葡萄园的葡萄熟透了”所表相同。“葡萄园”表示有圣言的神性真理，并且主由此在那里为人所知的教会；因为“葡萄酒”表示从主那里经由圣言而来的内在真理，故“葡萄园”在此表示基督教会。“葡萄酒”表示源于爱之良善，因而源于主的真理（参看316节）。
649. And he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes of the vine of the earth." This symbolizes the Lord's operation from the goodness of His love through the Word's Divine truth into the works of charity and faith among people belonging to the Christian Church.
This is the spiritual meaning of these words, inasmuch as the two angels symbolize the heavens of the Lord's spiritual and celestial kingdoms (nos. 647, 648), and the heavens do nothing of themselves, but from the Lord. For the angels in the heavens are only recipient vessels. Consequently in the spiritual sense nothing else is symbolized but the Lord's operation, here His operation into the church in the Christian world and into the works of charity and faith among the people in it. The vine, indeed, symbolizes that church, as we shall see after this in number 651, and grapes and clusters of grapes symbolize works of charity. This is the symbolism of grapes and clusters of grapes because they are the fruits of the vine in a vineyard, and fruits in the Word symbolize good works.
[2] The angel who came out from the altar told the angel who came out of the temple to thrust in his sickle and gather the grapes because, as we said before, the angel who came out from the altar symbolizes the heavens of the celestial kingdom, or heavens characterized by the goodness of love, while the angel who came out of the temple symbolizes the heavens of the spiritual kingdom, or heavens characterized by truths of wisdom; and the goodness of love does nothing by itself, but only through the truth of wisdom, and the truth of wisdom does nothing by itself, but only in response to the goodness of love. The reality of this is something we showed many times in Angelic Wisdom Regarding Divine Love and Wisdom. That is why the angel who came out from the altar told the angel who came out of the temple to thrust in his sickle and gather the clusters of grapes of the vine of the earth.
That now is why this description symbolizes the Lord's operation from the goodness of His love through the Divine truth of His Word.
[3] That grapes and clusters of grapes symbolize goods and the works of charity can be seen from the following passages:
Woe is me! ...I have become like the gatherings of summer, like the gleanings of vintage grapes; there is no cluster to eat; first-ripe fruit my soul desires. The holy man has perished from the earth, and the upright among men. (Micah 7:1-2)
Their grapes are grapes of gall, they have bitter clusters. (Deuteronomy 32:32)
My beloved had a vineyard... He expected it to produce good grapes, but it produced wild grapes. (Isaiah 5:1-2, 4)
They look to other gods, they love flagons of grapes. (Hosea 3:1)
...every tree is known by its own fruit. ...people do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. (Luke 6:44)
...in the midst of the land... it shall be... like the gleanings of grapes when the grape harvest is done. (Isaiah 24:12-13)
If the gatherers of the grapes come to you, they will not leave any gleanings. (Jeremiah 49:9, cf. Obadiah verses 4, 5)
The plunderer has fallen on... your grape harvest. (Jeremiah 48:32-33)
You will be troubled, you complacent ones, for the grape harvest is failing, the gathering will not come. (Isaiah 32:9-10)
And so on elsewhere where the fruit of the vineyard and the fruit of the vine are mentioned.
Some goods are the goods of a celestial love, and some are the goods of a spiritual love. The goods of a celestial love are those of love toward the Lord, and the goods of a spiritual love are those of a love for the neighbor. The latter goods are called goods of charity and are those meant by the fruits of the vineyard, which are grapes and clusters of grapes. But the goods of love toward the Lord are meant in the Word by the fruits of trees, primarily olives.
[4] "For her grapes are ripe." This symbolically means, because the Christian Church has reached its last state.
The ripening of the vineyard's grapes has the same symbolic meaning as the drying of the harvest above, but a harvest is mentioned in reference to the church in general, while a vineyard is mentioned in reference to the church in particular. The drying of the harvest symbolizes the last state of the church, as may be seen in no. 645 above, and so likewise does the ripening of the grapes of the vineyard.
A vineyard symbolize the church which has the Word's Divine truth and where the Lord is thereby known, since wine symbolizes the interior truth that comes from the Lord through the Word. The vineyard here accordingly symbolizes the Christian Church.
That wine symbolizes truth springing from the goodness of love, thus from the Lord, may be seen in no. 316 above.
649. 'And he cried with a great cry to the one having the sharp sickle, saying, Put forth thy sharp sickle, and gather the vintage of the clusters of the vineyard of the land' signifies the Lord's operation out of the good of His love by means of the Divine Truth of His Word into the works of charity and faith that are with the men of the Christian Church. This is the spiritual sense of these words, since by those two 'angels' are signified the heavens of the Lord's spiritual kingdom and celestial kingdom (647-648); and the heavens do nothing of themselves, but from the Lord, for the angels in the heavens are only the recipients, and therefore in the spiritual sense nothing else than the Lord's operation is signified, here into the Church in Christendom and into the works of charity and faith with the men there. For by 'the vineyard' is signified that Church, of which [something will be said] in paragraph 651 following, and by 'clusters' and 'grapes' are signified the works of charity. These are signified by 'clusters' and 'grapes' because they are the fruits of the vine in the vineyard, and by 'fruits' in the Word good works are signified.
[2] The angel going out of the altar said to the angel who went out of the temple that he should put forth the sickle and gather the vintage, because by 'the angel going out of the altar' are signified the heavens of the celestial kingdom or the heavens that are in the good of love, and by 'the angel going out of the temple' are signified the heavens of the spiritual kingdom or the heavens that are in the truths of wisdom, as was said above; and the good of love does not operate anything of itself, but by means of the truth of wisdom, nor does the truth of wisdom operate anything of itself, but out of the good of love. That this is the case has been shown in many places in ANGELIC WISDOM CONCERNING DIVINE LOVE AND WISDOM. This is the reason why 'the angel going out of the altar said to the angel who went out of the temple that he should put forth the sickle and gather the vintage of the clusters of the vineyard of the land.' It is why now by those [words] the Lord's operation out of the good of His love by means of the Divine Truth of His Word is signified.
[3] That 'grapes' and 'clusters' signify the goods and works of charity can be established from the following passages:
Woe is me, I have become as the gatherings of the summer, as the grape-gleanings of the vintage; there is no cluster to eat; my soul longs for what is primitive; the holy one has passed away out of the land, and the upright among men. Micah 7:1-2.
Their grapes are grapes of gall, the clusters have bitterness. Deuteronomy 32:32.
My well-beloved had a vineyard, he expected it to produce grapes, but it produced wild grapes. Isaiah 5:1-2, 4.
These looking to strange gods, loving flagons of grapes, Hosea 3:1.
Every tree is recognised by its own fruit, of thorns they do not gather figs, nor of the bramble do they gather as vintage the grape. Luke 6:44.
There shall be in the midst of the land as it were grape-gleanings, when the vintage is done. Isaiah 24:12-13.
If grape-gatherers come to thee, shall they not leave grape-gleanings. Jeremiah 49:9; Obad. verses 4-5.
The waster has fallen upon thy vintage. Jeremiah 48:32-33.
You shall be violently moved, O confident ones, because the vintage is consumed, the gathering shall not come. Isaiah 32:9-10; besides elsewhere, where it is termed 'the fruits of the vineyard,' and 'of the vine.' There are goods of a celestial love, and there are goods of a spiritual love. The goods of a celestial love are of a love directed to the Lord, and the goods of a spiritual love are of a love towards the neighbour. These goods are called the goods of charity and are understood by 'the fruits of the vineyard,' which are the grapes and clusters; but the goods of a love directed to the Lord are understood in the Word by 'the fruits of trees,' especially by 'olives.
[4] [649a 1.] 'For the grapes thereof have ripened' signifies because it is the last state of the Christian Church. A similar thing is signified by 'the grapes of the vineyard have ripened' as above by 'the harvest has dried up,' but 'harvest' is said of the Church in general, and 'vineyard' of the Church in particular. That 'the harvest has dried up' signifies the last state of the Church may be seen above (645), and therefore likewise' the grapes of the vineyard have ripened.' 'A vineyard' signifies the Church where there is the Divine Truth of the Word and the Lord is thereby known, since 'wine' signifies the interior Truth that is from the Lord by means of the Word. Consequently 'the vineyard' here signifies the Christian Church. That 'wine' signifies the truth derived from the good of love, thus from the Lord, may be seen above (316).
Footnotes:
1. This paragraph is not numbered in the Original Edition.
649. And he cried with a great cry to Him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Send thy sharp sickle, and gather the vintage, the clusters of the vineyard of the earth, signifies the Lord's operation from the good of His love through the Divine truth of His Word into the works of charity and faith which are with the men of the Christian church. This is the spiritual sense of these words, because by those two "angels" are signified the heavens of the Lord's spiritual kingdom and of His celestial kingdom, (647, 648); and the heavens do nothing from themselves, but from the Lord, for the angels in the heavens are only recipients, therefore nothing else is signified in the spiritual sense but the operation of the Lord, here into the church in the Christian world, and into the works of charity and faith with the men there. For by "vineyard" that church is signified, which will be further treated of in article, (651); and by "clusters" and "grapes" are signified works of charity. The reason why these are signified by "clusters" and "grapes," is, because they are the fruits of the vine in the vineyard, and by "fruits" in the Word are signified good works.
[2] The reason why "the angel who went out from the altar, said to the angel who went out from the temple, that he should send his sickle and gather the vintage," is because by "the angel who went out from the altar" the heavens of the celestial kingdom, or the heavens which are in the goods of love, are signified; and by "the angel who went out from the temple" the heavens of the spiritual kingdom, or the heavens which are in the truths of wisdom, are signified, as was said above, and the good of love does not operate anything from itself, but by the truth of wisdom, nor does the truth of wisdom operate anything from itself, but from the good of love. That this is the case, is shown in many places in the Angelic Wisdom concerning the Divine Love and Wisdom. This is the reason why "the angel who went out from the altar" said to "the angel who went out from the temple," "to send his sickle and gather the vintage, the clusters of the vineyard of the earth." Hence then it is, that by these words the Lord's operation from the good of His love by the Divine truth of His Word is signified.
[3] That "grapes" and "clusters" signify the goods and works of charity, may appear from the following passages:
Woe unto me, I have become as the gatherings of the summer, as the grape-gleanings of the vintage; there is no cluster to eat; my soul desires the firstfruits; the holy one has perished from the earth, and the upright among men, (Micah 7:1-2).
Their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter, (Deuteronomy 32:32).
My beloved had a vineyard; he looked that it should bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes, (Isaiah 5:1-2, 4).
These look to strange gods, and love flagons of grapes, (Hosea 3:1).
Every tree is known by its own fruit; for of thorns men do not gather a fig, nor of a bramble-bush gather they a grape, (Luke 6:44).
There shall be in the midst of the land as it were grape-gleanings, when the vintage is finished, (Isaiah 24:13).
If grape gatherers come to thee, would they not leave grape-gleanings, (Jeremiah 49:9; Obadiah 1:4-5)?
The waster is fallen upon thy vintage, (Jeremiah 48:32-33).
Ye shall be moved, ye confident ones, for the vintage shall be consumed, the gathering shall not come, (Isaiah 32:9-10).
Besides other passages in which "the fruit of the vineyard," and "from the vine" are mentioned. There are goods of celestial love, and there are goods of spiritual love; the goods of celestial love are of love to the Lord, and the goods of spiritual love are of love towards the neighbor; the latter goods are called the goods of charity, and are meant by "the fruit of the vineyard," which consists of grapes and clusters; but the goods of love to the Lord are meant in the Word by "the fruits of trees," especially by "olives."
649b. For her grapes are ripened, signifies because it is the last state of the Christian church. The same is signified by "the grapes of the vineyard are ripened" as above by "the harvest was dried up," but "a harvest" is said of the church in general and "a vineyard" of the church in particular; that "the harvest was dried up" signifies the last state of the church, see above, (645); therefore the like is meant by "the grapes of the vineyard are ripened.""A vineyard" signifies the church where the Divine truth of the Word is, and where the Lord is known thereby; because "wine" signifies interior truth, which is from the Lord through the Word, therefore "a vineyard" here signifies the Christian church. That "wine" signifies truth from the good of love, thus from the Lord, see above, (316).
649. "Et clamavit clamore magno habenti falcem acutam, dicens, Mitte tuam falcem acutam, et vindemia botros vineae terrae," significat operationem Domini ex Bono Amoris Sui per Divinum Verum Verbi Sui in opera charitatis et fidei, quae apud homines Ecclesiae Christianae sunt.--Hic est Sensus spiritualis horum verborum, quoniam per binos illos "Angelos" significantur Caeli Regni spiritualis et Regni caelestis Domini (647, 648); ac Caeli nihil faciunt ex se, sed a Domino, angeli enim in Caelis sunt modo recipientes; quare nihil aliud in Sensu spirituali significatur quam operatio Domini, hic in Ecclesiam in Christiano orbe, inque opera charitatis et fidei apud homines ibi; per "vineam" enim significatur illa Ecclesia (de qua in articulo 651 sequente), et per "botros" et "uvas" significantur opera charitatis; quod haec per "botros" et "uvas" significentur, est quia sunt fructus vitis in vinea, et per "fructus" in Verbo significantur bona opera. Quod "Angelus exiens ex Altari dixerit ad Angelum qui exivit e Templo, quod hic mitteret falcem et vindemiaret," est quia per "Angelum exeuntem ex Altari" significantur Caeli Regni caelestis seu Caeli qui in bonis amoris sunt, et per "Angelum exeuntem e Templo" significantur Caeli Regni spiritualis seu Caeli qui in veris sapientiae sunt, ut supra dictum est; ac bonum amoris non operatur aliquid ex se, sed per verum sapientiae, nec verum sapientiae operatur aliquid ex se, sed ex bono amoris; quod ita sit, multis ostensum est in Sapientia Angelica de Divino Amore et Divina Sapientia; haec causa est, quod "Angelus exiens ex Altari" dixerit ad "Angelum qui exivit e Templo," ut "mitteret falcem et vindemiaret botros vineae terrae:" inde nunc est, quod per illa significetur Operatio Domini ex Bono Amoris Sui per Divinum Verum Verbi Sui. Quod "uvae" et "botri significent bona et opera charitatis, constare potest ex sequentibus locis:
"Vae Mihi, factus sum sicut collectiones aestatis, sicut racemationes Vindemiae; non botrus ad comedendum, primitivum desiderat anima mea; perit sanctus e terra, et rectus inter homines," (Micham 7:1-2);
"Uvae eorum uvae fellis, botri amaritudinum illis," (Deuteronomius 32:32);
"Vinea fuit Dilecto meo; exspectavit ut faceret uvas, sed fecit labruscas," (Esaias 5:1-2, 4);
"Hi respicientes ad deos alienos, amantes lagenas uvarum," (Hoschea 3:1)
"Omnis arbor ex proprio fructu cognoscitur; non ex spinis colliguntur ficus, neque ex rubo Vindemiant uvam," (Luca 6:44);
"Erit in medio terrae quasi racemationes, quando consummata est Vindemia," (Esaias 24:13); 1
"Si Vindemiatores venerint tibi, non relinquent racemationes," (Jeremias 49:9; Obad. vers. 4, 5);
"Super Vindemiam tuam vastator cecidit," (Jeremias 48:32-33);
"Commovebimini confidentes, quia consummatur Vindemia, collectio non veniet," (Esaias 32:9-10).
(Praeter alibi, ubi dicitur "fructus vineae," et "ex vite.")
Sunt bona amoris caelestis, et sunt bona amoris spiritualis; bona amoris caelestis sunt amoris in Dominum, et bona amoris spiritualis sunt amoris erga proximum; haec bona vocantur bona charitatis, ac intelliguntur per "fructus vineae," quae sunt uvae et botri; at bona amoris in Dominum intelliguntur in Verbo per "fructus arborum," imprimis per "olivas."
649b. "Quia maturuerunt uvae ejus," significat quia ultimus status Ecclesiae Christianae est.--Simile significatur per "maturuerunt uvae vineae" quod supra per "aruit messis," sed "messis" dicitur de Ecclesia in communi, et "vinea" de Ecclesia in particulari; quod "aruit messis" significet ultimum statum Ecclesiae, videatur supra (645), similiter itaque "maturuerunt uvae vineae." "Vinea" significat Ecclesiam ubi Divinum Verum Verbi est, et Dominus per id notus, quoniam "vinum" significat Verum interius, quod a Domino per Verbum est; proinde significat "vinea" hic Ecclesiam Christianam: quod "vinum" significet verum ex bono amoris, ita a Domino, videatur supra (316).
Footnotes:
1. 13 pro "12, 13"