is also signified the end of the former church, and it is said that there will then be rumors, tumults, and wars, which passages are adduced in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Lord, n. 4, 5.

703. 66 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments," signifies, the Lord's advent, and then heaven to those who look to him and persist in a life according to his commandments, which are the truths of the Word. That to come as a thief, when said of the Lord, signifies, his advent and then the portion of those who have lived well, in heaven, and of those who have lived wickedly, in hell, see above, n. 164. That he is called blessed who receives eternal life, n. 639. To watch signifies to live spiritually, that is, to be in truths and in a life according to them, and to look to the Lord, n. 158, and to keep his garments, signifies, to continue therein to his life's end, for garments signify investing truths, n. 166, 212, 328, consequently, the Lord's commandments in the Word, for these are truths. Now these things follow in their order; for what goes before relates to the Lord's advent, and to the New Church, as also to the opposition it will meet with from those who are of the old church; and inasmuch as combat is at hand, they who are in truths from the Word are admonished to abide in them, lest they fall in the conflict spoken of in the next verse.

706. "Lest he walk naked and they see his shame," signifies, lest they should be with those who are in no truths, and their infernal loves should appear. To walk naked, signifies, to live without truths. The shame of nakedness, or the secret parts, signifies, unclean loves, which are infernal loves; and inasmuch as it is said, lest they see his shame, it signifies lest they should appear; that by nakedness is signified ignorance of truth, and by shame of nakedness infernal love, see above, n. 213. These observations are for those who will be of the Lord's New Church, that they may learn truths and abide in them, for without truths their connate evils, which are infernal loves, cannot be removed. A man may, indeed, live as a Christian without truths, but this only before

men, but not in the sight of angels. The truths which they should learn, relate to the Lord, and to the commandments according to which their lives must be regulated.

707. "And he gathered them together into the place called in Hebrew Armageddon," signifies, a state of combat of falses against truths, and a desire to destroy the New Church, springing from the love of dominion and pre-eminence. To gather together into a place, in this instance to battle, signifies, to excite to combat, from falses against truths. The reason why it signifies a state of combat, is, because a place signifies a state of a thing; the reason why it is with intent to destroy the New Church, is, because combat between the old and New Church is understood, and the intent of combat being to destroy. The signification of Armageddon shall be explained below. It was said before, "that the dragon went to make war with the remnant of the seed of the woman, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ," Apoc. xii. 17, as also," that to the beast which came out of the sea it was given to make war with the saints," xiii. 7. And in this chapter: "That the spirits of devils which came out of the mouth of the dragon, and of the beast, and of the false prophet, go forth unto the kings of the earth to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty," verse 13, 14. The subject now treated of is the battle itself, the success of which is not described, but only its state, this being signified by Armageddon. In heaven Armageddon* signifies the love of honor, dominion, and pre-eminence; moreover, Aram, or Arom, in the Hebrew tongue, signifies loftiness; and by Megiddon in the ancient Hebrew, love proceeding from loftiness is signified, as is evident from its signification in the Arabic tongue; the same is signified by Hadradrimmon in the valley of Megiddo, in Zechariah, xii. 11. In

*

Aquay eSSwv-Armageddon, from a mountain, and or -the mountain of Megiddo; a place distinguished in ancient times for blood and slaughter. It occurs not as a verb in Hebrew, but its root in Arabic signifies to excel or exceed in glory and honor,

that chapter also the Lord's advent is treated of, and of the end of the then existing Jewish Church and the commencement of a new church, which was to be established by the Lord, and likewise the collision between those churches, for which reason the expression in that day so often occurs in that chapter, and by that day is signified the advent or coming of the Lord, as above, n. 704; to render this evident, I will adduce the pas sages: "In that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people. In that day I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness. In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood. In that day shall Jehovah defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble ainong them shall be a David. In that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem" and lastly, " In that day shall there be a mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadradrimmon in the valley of Megiddon," ver. 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, and in the subsequent chapter, "In that day shall there be a fountain opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. In that day shall the prophets be ashamed, and shall put on a garment of hair cloth, to lie," xiii. 1, 4. By that day is signified the Lord's advent, and then the end of the old church and commencement of the new, as was said above; but what is there signified by the valley of Megiddon cannot be seen, unless the series of things contained in that and the two subsequent chapters in that prophet be laid open by the spiritual sense; and since this sense has been revealed to me I will explain them, though only in a summary way. The xiith chapter of Zechariah, in its spiritual sense, sets forth, "That the Lord is about to form a New Church, 66 ver. 1. That at that time there will not be any doc"trine in the old church, and that therefore they must "flee from it, ver. 2, 3. That there is no longer any "understanding of truth, except with those who are n "the Word, and are of the New Church, ver. 4. That "these will learn the good of doctrine from the Lord, ver. 5. That then the Lord by the truths of the

"Word will destroy all falses, that the doctrine of the "New Church may teach nothing but truth, ver. 6, 7. "That then the church will be in doctrine concerning the "Lord, ver. 8. That he will destroy all men and things "which are contrary to that doctrine, ver. 9. That "then there will be a New Church from the Lord, ver. And that then all and singular things in the "church will be in lamentation," verse 10-14. These are the contents of the xiith chapter in the spiritual sense. The contents of the next or xiiith chapter are as follows: "That the Word will be for the New Church, and that "it will be opened to them, ver. 1. That the falses of "doctrine and worship will be totally destroyed, ver. 2, "3. That the old prophetics or doctrinals shall cease, "and that there shall be no more falses of doctrine, verse "4, 5. That the Lord will be killed by those who are "in the old church, to the intent that they who believe "in him, may be dispersed, ver. 6, 7. That they who are of the devastated church will perish, and that they "who are of the New Church are to be purified and "taught by the Lord," verse 8, 9. These are the contents of chap. xiii. in the spiritual sense. The contents of chap. xiv. are these: "Concerning the Lord's com"bats against the wicked, and their dispersion, ver. 1"5. That then there will be no truth, but that divine "truth will come from the Lord, ver. 6, 7. That divine "truth will proceed from the Lord, ver. 8, 9. That "truth will be multiplied in the New Church, nor will "there be any falsity of evil therein, ver. 10, 11. That "he who fights against those truths will plunge himself "into all kinds of falses, ver. 12. That then follows "the destruction of all things of the church, ver. 13, 14, "15. That then the Gentiles even, who are external "natural men, will accede to the worship of the Lord, ver. 16-19: and that there will then be intelligence originating in the good of charity, from which will proceed worship." These are the contents of the xiith. xiiith and xivth chapters of Zechariah in the spiritual sense, which are here laid open on account of their treating of the last state of the old and the first state of the New

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Church. And as it is said that they are to be gathered together into a place called in the Hebrew Armageddon, it is evident that the same passages in that prophet relate to the last state of the present church and first state of the New Church. Armageddon, as has been observed, signifies the love of honor, power, and pre-eminence, for from that source comes combat, and froin and on account of it there exists lamentation, such as is described in chap. xii. 11-14. The same thing is likewise signified by Megiddon, 2 Kings xxiii. 29, 30; 2 Chron. xxxv. 20— 24, but in a spiritual sense.

708. "And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air," signifies, influx from the Lord into all things collectively that pertain to the men of the Reformed Church. By the seventh angel pouring out his vial, is signified here, as by those before-mentioned, influx; by the air is signified all things relating to perception and thought, and thus to their faith; therefore it also signifies the general quality of all those who are principled in faith separated from charity, seeing that by the air their respiration is signified, and respiration corresponds to the understanding, thus to perception and thought, and also to faith, because faith is of the thought according to the perception of the understanding; that there is such a correspondence, and that in the spiritual world every one respires according to his faith, is abundantly set forth in the work entitled Angelic Wisdom concerning the Divine Love and Divine Wisdom, Part V.

709. "And there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven from the throne, saying, It is done," signifies, that thus it was made manifest by the Lord, that all things of the church are devastated, and that the last judgment is now at hand. By a great voice coming out of the temple of heaven, is signified a manifestation from the Lord from the inmost of heaven; by a great voice, manifestation, and by the temple of heaven is signified the inmost of heaven, from which the influx proceeds, n. 669. The reason why it is said to have come out of the throne, is, because by a throne is signified heaven, and also judgment: that heaven is signified thereby, may be seɩn, n.