785. 启18:16.“说，祸哉，祸哉，这大城阿，素常穿着细麻，紫色，朱红色，嵌有金子，宝石，和珍珠的衣服；一时之间，这么大的财富就归于无有了”表因他们的荣华富贵和利益突然之间被完全摧毁而感到极其悲痛。“祸哉，祸哉”表示极其悲痛，如前所述（769节）。“这大城”表示天主教，因为经上说它“穿着细麻，紫色，嵌有金子的衣服”；这种话不可能是指着一座城说的，而是指着一个宗教说的。“穿着细麻，紫色，朱红色，嵌有金子，宝石，和珍珠的衣服”和前面所表相同（725-727节），那里也有同样的话，总体上描述了外在形式上的壮丽事物。“一时之间，这么大的财富就归于无有了”表示他们的利益突然之间被完全摧毁了。“一时之间”表示突然和完全，如前所述（769节）；因为时间及其一切事物皆表示状态（476节）。由此明显可知，这些话表示上面所列举的事。耶利米书在论到“巴比伦”或“巴别”的毁灭时，就有几乎一样的话：
巴比伦之地充满违背以色列圣者的罪；耶和华向巴比伦所定的旨意，使她变为荒场；他们必不从你那里取石头为房角石，也不取石头为根基，你必永远荒凉。巴比伦必成为乱堆，为翼龙的住处，令人惊骇、嗤笑。巴比伦变为荒场，海水涨起漫过她，她被许多海浪遮盖，她的城邑变为荒场，干旱和无人居住之地。（耶利米书51:5，26，29，37，41-43）
785. 18:16 18:17 "And saying, 'Woe, woe, that great city, clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold, precious stones and pearls,' because in one hour such great riches were laid waste." This symbolizes their grievous lamentation that their magnificence and material gains were so suddenly and completely destroyed.
"Woe, woe," symbolizes a grievous lamentation, as in no. 769 above. That great city symbolizes the Roman Catholic religion, because it is said to be clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold, precious stones and pearls, which cannot be said of a city, but can be said of a religion. Being clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold, precious stones and pearls, symbolizes the same things as in nos. 725-727 above where the same words occur, depicting in general things magnificent in outward form. Such great riches being laid waste in one hour means symbolically that their material gains were suddenly and completely destroyed - one hour meaning suddenly and completely, as in no. 769 above, because time and everything having to do with time symbolizes a state (no. 476).
It is apparent from this that the description here contains the same symbolic meanings as those reported above.
Regarding the devastation of Babylon, something similar is said in Jeremiah:
(The land of Babylon) is full of guilt against the Holy One of Israel... The thoughts of Jehovah stand against (her), to make (her) a desolation... They shall not take from you a stone for a corner, nor a foundation stone, because you shall be desolate forever... Babylon shall become a heap of ruins, a habitation of dragons, an astonishment and a hissing... ...Babylon has been reduced to desolation... The sea has come up over (her), she is covered with the multitude of its waves. Her cities have become a desolation, a dry land and a wilderness... (Jeremiah 51:5, 29, 26, 37, 41-43)
785. [verse 16] 'And saying, Woe, woe, that great city, clothed with fine linen and purple and scarlet and decked with gold, precious stone and pearls, for in one hour so many riches have been devastated' signifies a grievous lamentation that their magnificent things and gains have been destroyed so suddenly and so clearly. By 'woe, woe' is signified a grievous lamentation, as above (769). By 'that great city' is signified the Roman Catholic form of religion because it is said 'clothed with fine linen and purple' and 'decked with gold,' which cannot be said of a city but can of a form of religion. By 'clothed with fine linen, purple and scarlet, and decked with gold, precious stone and pearls' are signified things similar to those above (725-727) where the same words are, in general things magnificent in external form. By 'for in one hour so many riches have been devastated' is signified that their gains have been destroyed so suddenly and so clearly. By 'in one hour' is signified suddenly and clearly, as above (769), because by time and all things of time states are signified (476). It is plain from these things that by those words are signified the things that have been set forth above. Very similar things are said in Jeremiah concerning the devastation of Babel:
The land of Babel is full of a sense of guilt from the Holy One of Israel: the thoughts of Jehovah stand against them to place them in desolation: they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner nor a stone of foundations, because thou shalt have been laid waste for an age. Babel shall become heaps, a habitation of dragons, an astonishment and a hissing. Babel has been reduced to desolation, the sea has gone up over her, she has been covered with the multitude of the waves, her cities have been thriven back to desolation, a hand of drought and solitude. Jeremiah 51:5, 26, 29, 37, 41-43.
785. Verse 16. And saying, Woe, woe, that great city, arrayed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and inwrought with gold, precious stone and pearls, because in one hour so great riches are devastated, signifies grievous lamentation that their magnificence and gains are so suddenly and totally destroyed. By "woe, woe," grievous lamentation is signified, as above, (769). By "that great city," is signified the Roman Catholic religious persuasion, as it is said to be "arrayed in fine linen and purple, and inwrought with gold;" which cannot be said of a city, but of a religious persuasion. By "arrayed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and inwrought with gold, precious stone, and pearls" are signified similar things as above, (725-727), where are the same words, in general, magnificent things in external form. "Because in one hour so great riches are devastated" signifies that their gains are so suddenly and totally destroyed. By "one hour" is signified suddenly and totally, as above, (769); because by time and all the things of time states are signified, (476). It is manifest from this, that the things which were adduced above are signified by these words. Very similar things are said of the devastation of Babel in Jeremiah:
The land of Babel is full of guilt against the Holy one of Israel; the thoughts of Jehovah stand against her, to make her a desolation; they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner nor a stone for foundations, for thou shalt be a waste for an age. Babel shall become heaps, a habitation for dragons, an astonishment and a hissing. Babel is reduced to desolation, the sea goeth up over her, she is covered with the multitude of the waves, her cities are reduced to desolation, a land of drought and of solitude, (Jeremiah 51:5, 26, 29, 37, 41-43).
785. (Vers. 16.) "Et dicentes, Vae, vae, urbs illa magna, circumamicta bysso et purpura et coccino, et inaurata auro, lapide pretioso et margaritis, quia una hora devastatae sunt tantae divitiae," significat gravem lamentationem quod magnifica et lucra eorum, tam subito et plane destructa sint.--Per "Vae, vae" significatur gravis lamentatio, ut supra (769); per "urbem illam magnam" significatur Religiosum Catholico Romanum, quia dicitur "circumamicta bysso et purpura (et coccino,) ac inaurata auro," quod non dici potest de urbe, sed de Religioso; per "circumamictam bysso, purpura et coccino, et inauratam auro, lapide pretioso, et margaritis" significantur similia quae supra (725-727), ubi eadem verba, in genere magnifica in externa forma; per "quia una hora devastatae sunt tantae divitiae significatur quod lucra eorum tam subito et plane destructa sint; per "unam horam" significatur subito et plane, ut supra (769), quia per tempus et omnia temporis significantur status (476). Ex his patet, quod per illa verba significentur illa quae supra allata. De devastatione Babelis consimilia dicuntur apud Jeremiam:
"Terra" Babelis "plena est reatu a Sancto Israelis; stant cogitationes Jehovae contra illam, ad ponendum illam in desolationem: non sument de te lapidem pro angulo aut lapidem fundamentorum, quia vastitas saeculi eris. Erit Babel in acervos, habitaculum draconum, stuporem et sibilum. Redacta 1est Babel in desolationem, ascendit super illam mare, multitudine fluctuum obtecta est, redactae sunt urbes ejus in desolationem, terram siccitatis et solitudinis," (51:5, 29, 26, 37, 41-43). 2
Footnotes:
1. Redacta pro "Reducta"
2. 29, 26 pro "26, 29"