By way of preface to the
preceding chapter an explication was given of what the Lord foretold
in Matthew 24:15-18 concerning the last time of the church. Following
this order there are now to be unfolded-by way of preface to the
present chapter - the contents of the succeeding verses (19 to 22);
namely, the words:
But woe unto them that
are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! And pray
ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath;
for then shall be great affliction, such as was not since the
beginning of the world even until now, neither shall be. And except
those days should be shortened there should no flesh be preserved;
but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened (Matt.
24:19-22).
No one can possibly comprehend
the signification of these words unless he is enlightened by the
internal sense. That they are not said concerning the destruction of
Jerusalem appears from many things in the chapter, as from this:
Except those days should
be shortened there should no flesh be preserved; but for the elect's
sake those days shall be shortened;
and from the following:
After the affliction of
those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give
her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of
the heavens shall be shaken; and then shall appear the sign of the
Son of man; and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds
of heaven with power and glory;
and from other passages. That
neither are the words now under consideration said concerning the
destruction of the world, is also evident from many things contained
in the same chapter; as from those which precede:
He that is on the
housetop, let him not come down to take anything out of his house;
and he who is in the field, let him not return back to take his
garments;
and also from these now brought
under consideration:
Pray ye that your flight
be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath;
and from the following:
Then shall two be in the
field; the one shall be taken, and the other left; two women shall
be grinding at the mill, the one shall be taken, and the other left.
But it is evident that the words
in question are said concerning the last time of the church, that is,
concerning its vastation; for the church is said to be vastated when
there is no longer any charity.
Everyone who thinks about the
Lord with reverence and who believes that the Divine was in Him, and
that He spoke from the Divine, is able to know and believe that the
above words, like the rest the Lord taught and spoke, were not spoken
of one nation only, but of the universal human race; and not of its
worldly, but of its spiritual state; and also that the Lord's words
comprehended the things which are of His kingdom and of the church,
for these are Divine and eternal. Whoever believes in this manner,
concludes that these words: "Woe unto them that are with child, and to
them that give suck in those days," do not signify those who are with
child and give suck; and that the words: "Pray ye that your flight be
not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath," do not signify any flight
on account of worldly enemies; and so in regard to the rest.
In the preceding verses there
were treated of three states of the perversion of good and truth in
the church; and in the present verses a fourth state is treated of,
which is also the last. Concerning the first state it was shown that
it was that men began no longer to know what was good and true, but
disputed among themselves concerning good and truth, whence came
falsities (n. 3354). Concerning the second state, that it was that men
began to despise good and truth, and also to hold them in aversion,
and thus that faith in the Lord was about to expire, according to the
degrees in which charity was about to cease (n. 3487, 3488).
Concerning the third state, that it was a state of desolation of the
church in respect to good and truth (n. 3651, 3652). Concerning the
fourth state, we are now to show that it is that of the profanation of
good and truth. That this state is here described, may be seen from
all the particulars in the internal sense, which is as follows.
But woe unto them that
are with child, and to them that give suck in those days;
signifies those who have been
imbued with the good of love to the Lord and the good of innocence.
"Woe" is a form of expression signifying the danger of eternal
damnation; "to be with child" is to conceive the good of heavenly
love; "to give suck" is also a state of innocence; "those days" denote
the states in which the church then is.
[2] And pray ye that your
flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath;
signifies removal from those
things, that it be not done precipitately, in a state of too much cold
or of too much heat. "Flight" is removal from a state of the good of
love and of innocence, just now spoken of; "flight in the winter" is
removal therefrom in a state of too much cold; "cold" is when there is
aversion to love and innocence, which is induced by the loves of self;
"flight on the sabbath" is removal from them in a state of too much
heat; "heat" is external sanctity, while within are the love of self
and the love of the world.
[3] For then shall be
great affliction, such as was not since the beginning of the world
even until now, neither shall be;
signifies the highest degree of
the perversion and vastation of the church in respect to good and
truth, which is profanation; for profanation of what is holy occasions
death eternal and much more grievous than any other states of evil,
and so much the more grievous in proportion as the goods and truths
profaned are of a more interior kind; and inasmuch as such interior
goods and truths are open and known in the Christian Church, and are
profaned, it is said that "then shall be great affliction such as was
not from the beginning of the world even until now, neither shall be."
[4] And except those days
should be shortened, there should no flesh be preserved; but for the
elect's sake those days shall be shortened;
signifies the removal of those
who are of the church from interior goods and truths to exterior, so
that those may still be saved who are in the life of good and truth;
by the "days being shortened," is signified a state of removal; by "no
flesh being preserved," is signified that otherwise none could be
saved; by "the elect" are signified those who are in the life of good
and truth.
That this is the internal sense
of these words could be fully shown-as that by "those who are with
child" are signified those who first become imbued with good; and that
by "those who give suck" are signified those who become imbued with a
state of innocence; that by "flight" is signified removal from good
and innocence; by "winter," aversion to such goods through the love of
self taking possession of the interiors; and by "flight on the
sabbath," profanation, which takes place when there is holiness in
externals, and the love of self and the world within. But as the same
words and similar expressions occur throughout in what follows, of the
Lord's Divine mercy their signification shall then be shown to be such
as is here stated.
But as regards the profanation of
what is holy, few know what it is; yet this can be seen from what has
been already stated and shown concerning it, namely, that those are
able to profane holy things who know, acknowledge, and become imbued
with good and truth; but not those who do not acknowledge, and still
less those who do not know them (see n. 593, 1008, 1010, 1059, 3398):
Thus that they who are within the church can profane holy things, but
not they who are without it (n. 2051): That they who are of the
celestial church can profane holy goods, and that they who are of the
spiritual church can profane holy truths (n. 3399): That therefore
interior truths were not disclosed to the Jews, lest they should
profane them (n. 3398): That the Gentiles can least of all profane (n.
2051): That profanation is a commingling and conjunction of good and
evil, and also of truth and falsity (n. 1001, 1003, 2426): That this
was signified by the eating of blood, which was so severely prohibited
in the Jewish Church (n. 1003): That therefore insofar as possible men
are withheld from the acknowledgment and faith of good and truth,
unless they are able to remain therein (n. 3398, 3402); and that on
this account they are kept in ignorance (n. 301-303); and that worship
also becomes external (n. 1327, 1328): That internal truths are not
revealed until the church has been vastated, because then good and
truth can no longer be profaned (n. 3398, 3399): That this was the
reason why the Lord then first came into the world (n. 3398): How
great a danger there is from the profanation of what is holy and of
the Word (n. 571, 582).
(from
Arcana Coelestia 3751-3757 ~ Emanuel Swedenborg)
