719.“对我说，来；我将坐在众水上的大淫妇所要受的审判指示你”表关于这个宗教对圣言真理的亵渎和玷污的揭示。“说”和“指示”表示揭示。“审判”表示天主教末后的状态。“大淫妇”表示对圣言和教会的神圣事物的亵渎，以及对良善和真理的玷污。“众水”表示被玷污的圣言真理。“坐在众水上”表示处于并生活在其中。行淫、淫妇、淫乱、淫行和通奸都表示对圣言的歪曲和玷污（参看134，620，632节）；“水”表示圣言的真理（50，563，614，685节），在此表示那些被玷污和亵渎的真理，因为经上说“淫妇”坐在它们上面。从这些事明显可知，“对我说，我将坐在众水上的大淫妇所要受的审判指示你”表示关于这个宗教对圣言真理的亵渎与玷污的启示。
在耶利米书，同样的话论及“巴别”（或巴比伦）：
耶和华指着巴别居民所说的话，祂已经作成；住在众水之上多有财宝的啊，你的结局到了，你贪婪之量满了。（耶利米书51:12，13）
之所以说他们已经玷污和亵渎了圣言的真理，是因为他们利用圣言真理攫取对教会和天堂的神圣事物的统治权，将主的神性权柄据为己有；利用圣言真理攫取对教会和天堂的神圣事物的统治权，就是玷污它们；利用它们将主的神性权柄据为己有就是亵渎它们。众所周知，他们通过圣言确认自己的教条。然而，留心读一下它们，就会发现他们利用取自圣言的所有这些事物来攫取对世人灵魂的掌控权，为自己谋取神性的能力、权柄和威严。正因如此，“巴比伦”被称为“地上的淫乱和一切可憎之物的母”（｛17:5）。
719. Saying to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters." This symbolizes a revelation about that religion as regards its profanations and adulterations of the Word's truths.
Saying and showing symbolize a revelation. The judgment symbolizes the state of the Roman Catholic religion at its end. The great harlot symbolizes a profanation of the sanctities of the Word and the church, and an adulteration of their goodness and truth. Many waters symbolize the Word's truths adulterated. To sit upon the waters means, symbolically, to possess them and live caught up in them.
To play the harlot, to whore, to behave licentiously and to commit adultery mean, symbolically, to falsify and adulterate the Word, as may be seen in nos. 134, 620, 632 above; and waters symbolize its truths, nos. 50, 563, 614, 685, here those truths adulterated and profaned, because a harlot is said to be on them.
It is apparent from this that "saying to me, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters," symbolizes a revelation about the aforesaid religion as regards its profanations and adulterations of the Word's truths.
[2] Something similar is said about Babel in Jeremiah:
...Jehovah will... do what He spoke against the inhabitants of Babel. You who dwell upon many waters, abundant in treasures, your end is coming, the measure of your material gain. (Jeremiah 51:12-13)
We say that Roman Catholics adulterated and profaned the Word's truths, because they used the Word's truths to gain dominion over the sanctities of the church and over heaven and to claim for themselves the Lord's Divine power; and to use the Word's truths to gain dominion over the sanctities of the church and heaven is to adulterate them, and to use them to claim for oneself the Lord's Divine power is to profane them.
People know that they use the Word to defend their dogmas. But read those dogmas attentively and you will see that they have used everything that they have taken from the Word to gain dominion over people's souls and to acquire for themselves a power, authority and majesty that is Divine.
It is for this reason that Babylon is named the Mother of the Whoredoms and Abominations of the Earth in verse 5.
719. 'Saying to me, I will show thee the judgment of the great harlot sitting upon many waters' signifies a revelation concerning that form of religion as to its profanations and adulterations of the truths (veritas) of the Word. By 'to say' and 'to show' is signified a revelation. By 'the judgment' is signified the state thereof at its end. By 'the great harlot' is signified the profanation of the holy things of the Word and the Church, and the adulteration of good and truth. By 'many waters' are signified the truths of the Word adulterated. By 'to sit upon them' is signified to be and to live in them. That by to commit 'harlotry' (meretricari), 'fornication' (maechari), 'whoredom' (scortari), and 'adultery' (adulterari) is signified to falsify and adulterate the Word, may be seen above (134, 620, 632); also that by 'waters' are signified the truths thereof (50, 563, 614, 685); here, those truths adulterated and profaned, because 'the harlot' is said to be 'upon' them. From these things it is plain that by 'saying to me, I will show thee the judgment of the great harlot sitting upon many waters' is signified a revelation concerning that form of religion as to its profanations and adulterations of the truths (veritas) of the Word.
[2] A similar thing is said of 'Babel' in Jeremiah:
Jehovah shall do that which He has spoken against the inhabitants of Babel. O thou who art dwelling upon many waters, great in treasures, thy end is coming, the measuring of thy gain. Jeremiah 51:12-13.
Its being said that the truths of the Word have been adulterated and profaned by them, is because they have applied the truths of the Word for the purpose of obtaining dominion over the holy things of the Church and over heaven, and for claiming the Lord's Divine authority to themselves. And to apply the truths of the Word to obtaining dominion over the holy things of the Church and of heaven is to adulterate them; while to apply them for claiming the Lord's Divine authority to themselves is to profane them. That they have confirmed their dogmas out of the Word is known; but read them and pay attention, and you will see that they have applied all the things they have taken out of the Word to [establish] a dominion over men's souls, and for acquiring for themselves Divine authority, influence and majesty. It is on this account that Babylon is termed 'the mother of the whoredoms and abominations of the land' (verse 5).
719. Saying unto me, 1I will show unto thee the judgment of the great harlot, that sitteth upon many waters, signifies a revelation concerning that religious persuasion, as to its profanations and adulterations of the truths of the Word. "To say" and "to show" signifies revelation. By "judgment" is signified its state at its end. By "the great harlot" is signified the profanation of the holy things of the Word and church, and the adulteration of good and truth. By "many waters" are signified the truths of the Word adulterated. By "sitting upon them" is signified to be and to live in them. That by "committing whoredom" [meretricari], harlotry [moechari], scortation [scortari], and adultery [adulterari], is signified to falsify and adulterate the Word, see above, (134, 620, 632); and that by "waters" are signified its truths, (50, 563, 614, 685); here, those truths adulterated and profaned, because it says "the harlot" sat upon them. From these things it is evident, that by "saying unto me, I will show unto thee the judgment of the great harlot that sitteth upon many waters," is signified revelation concerning that religious persuasion, as to its profanations and adulterations of the truths of the Word.
[2] The like is said of "Babel" in Jeremiah:
Jehovah hath done that which He spoke against the inhabitants of Babel; O thou that dwellest upon many waters, great in treasures, thy end is come, and the measure of thy gain, (Jeremiah 51:12-13).
The reason why they are said to have adulterated and profaned the truths of the Word, is, because they have applied the truths of the Word to obtaining dominion over the holy things of the church and heaven, and to claiming to themselves the Divine authority of the Lord; and to apply the truths of the Word to obtaining dominion over the holy things of the church and heaven, is to adulterate them; and to apply them to the purpose of claiming to themselves the Divine authority of the Lord, is to profane them. That they have confirmed their dogmas from the Word, is known. But read them with attention, and you will see that they applied all those things taken from the Word to obtaining dominion over the souls of men, and to acquiring to themselves Divine power, authority, and majesty. It is on this account that Babylon is called "the mother of whoredoms and the abominations of the earth" (verse 5).
Footnotes:
1. The original Latin omits "Come."
719. "Dicens mihi, (Veni,) ostendam tibi judicium Meretricis magnae sedentis super aquis multis," significat revelationem de illo Religioso quoad prophanationes ejus et adulterationes veritatum Verbi. - Per "dicere" et "ostendere" significatur revelatio; per "judicium" significatur status ejus in fine ejus; per "Meretricem magnam" significatur prophanatio sanctorum Verbi et Ecclesiae, ac adulteratio boni et veri; per "aquas multas" significantur veritates Verbi adulteratae; per "sedere super illis" significatur esse et vivere in illis: quod per "moechari," "scortari" et "adulterari" significetur falsificare et adulterare Verbum, videatur supra (134, 620, 632); et quod per "aquas" significentur vera ejus (50, 563, 614, 685), hic illa adulterata et prophanata, quia dicitur "Meretrix" super illis; ex his patet, quod per "dicens mihi, Ostendam tibi judicium Meretricis magnae sedentis super aquis multis" significetur revelatio de illo Religioso quoad prophanationes ejus et adulterationes veritatum Verbi. Simile dicitur de "Babele" apud Jeremiam:
"Jehovah faciet id quod locutus est contra habitatores Babelis; quae habitas super aquis multis, magna thesauris, venit finis tuus, mensura lucri tui," (51:12-13). 1
Quod dicatur quod ab illis vera Verbi adulterata et prophanata sint, est quia applicuerunt vera Verbi ad obtinendum dominium super sancta Ecclesiae et super Caelum, et ad vindicandum sibi Divinam potestatem Domini; et applicare vera Verbi ad obtinendum dominium super sancta Ecclesiae et Caeli, est adulterare illa; et applicare illa ad vindicandum sibi Divinam potestatem Domini, est prophanare Quod sua dogmata confirmaverint ex Verbo, notum est; sed lege illa et attende, et videbis quod applicuerint omnia illa, quae ex Verbo desumpserunt, ad dominium super animas hominum, et ad acquirendum sibi potentiam, auctoritatem et majestatem Divinam. Inde est quod Babylon dicatur "mater scortationum et abominationum terrae," (vers. 5).
Footnotes:
1. Jerem. pro "Esaj."