Signs And Wonders
Selection from
Apocalypse Explained ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
And a great sign was seen in heaven; a woman arrayed with the sun, and the
moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.
(Revelation 12: 1)
And a great sign was seen in heaven,
signifies Divine attestation respecting the coming church and the reception of
its doctrine, and by whom it will be assaulted. This is evident from the
signification of "a great sign in heaven," as being Divine manifestation and
attestation; that it has reference to the church and the reception of its
doctrine, and also to assault upon it, is evident from what follows, for the
"woman" means the church, her "son a male" doctrine, and "the dragon and his
angels" and afterwards "the beasts," mean those who will assault the church
and its doctrine. This vision is called "a great sign" because a "sign" means
Divine manifestation respecting things to come, and attestation, here
respecting the coming church and its doctrine, and also the assault upon it by
those who are meant by "the dragon" and "the beasts." This is called a "sign,"
because it manifests and attests.
"Sign" and "wonder" are mentioned in many
passages in the Word, "sign" meaning that which indicates, witnesses, and
persuades respecting the subject of inquiry, and "wonder" meaning that which
stirs up, strikes dumb, and fills with amazement; thus a sign moves the
understanding and faith, but a wonder the will and its affection, for the will
and its affection are what are stirred up, stricken dumb, and filled with
amazement, while the understanding and its faith are what are persuaded and
moved by indications and proofs.
[2] That there is a difference between a
sign and a wonder is evident from the fact that the Jews, although they had
seen so many wonders performed by the Lord, still sought signs from Him; and
also from the fact that the prodigies wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness
are sometimes called "signs" and sometimes "wonders," and sometimes both. It
is further evident from this, that in every particular of the Word there is a
marriage of truth and good, and thus also of the understanding and will, for
truth is of the understanding and good of the will, consequently "signs" there
have reference to things pertaining to truth, and to faith and the
understanding, and "wonders" to the things pertaining to good, and to
affection and the will. Thence is clear the meaning of "signs" and of
"wonders," where they are both mentioned in the Word, as in the following
passages.
In Moses:
I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that I may
multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt (Exod. 7:3).
In the same:
Jehovah gave signs and wonders great and
evil upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his men * (Deut. 6:22).
* The Hebrew has "house."
In the same:
Hath Jehovah tried to come to take to Him a
nation out of the midst of a nation, by wonders, by signs, and by prodigies?
(Deut. 4:34)
In David:
They remembered not the day in which
Jehovah set His signs in Egypt, and His prodigies in the field of Zoan (Ps.
78:42, 43).
In the same:
They set among them the words of their*
signs and wonders in the land of Ham (Ps. 105:27).
* The Hebrew has "His," as found in AR
598.
In the same:
He sent signs and wonders into the midst of
thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh and all his servants (Ps. 135:9).
In Jeremiah:
Who hast set signs and wonders in the land
of Egypt, and even to this day, both in Israel and in men, and hast led forth
Thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt by signs and by wonders (Jer.
32:20, 21).
This shows that the prodigies wrought in
Egypt, and afterwards among the sons of Israel, are called "signs and
wonders," "signs" because they attested and persuaded, and "wonders" because
they stirred up and filled with amazement; yet they agree in this, that the
things that stir up and fill with amazement also attest and persuade, as those
things that stir up the will also persuade the understanding, or as those
things that move the affection also move the thought by persuading.
Likewise
in the Gospels: In the consummation of the age there shall
arise false Christs and false prophets, they shall show great signs and
wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect (Matt. 24:24; Mark
13:22).
Here "great signs and wonders" have a like
signification, namely, that they will attest and persuade, and that they will
strike dumb and fill with amazement, which will cause a strong persuasion. Who
are meant by "false Christs and false prophets," and who by "the elect," may
be seen above (n. 624, 684).[3] In Moses:
If there shall arise in the midst of thee a
prophet or a dreamer of dreams who shall give thee a sign or a wonder, and if
the sign or the wonder come to pass whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us
go after other gods, thou shalt not obey (Deut. 13:1-3).
Here a "prophet" and a "dreamer of dreams,"
also "sign" and "wonder" are mentioned, because a "sign" has reference to a
prophet, and a "wonder" to a dreamer of dreams, because a "prophet" means one
who teaches truths, and in the abstract sense the doctrine of truth, and a
"dreamer" means one who stirs up to doing, and in the abstract sense the
stirring up from which a thing is done; this, too, pertains to a "wonder," and
the former to a "sign;" for prophets were instructed by a living voice from
the Lord, and "dreamers" by representatives exciting to doing, which flowed
into the affection of the dreamer, and from that into the sight of the
thought, for when a man dreams his natural understanding is laid asleep and
his spiritual sight is opened, which draws its all from the affection. But in
this passage the sight that draws its all from an evil affection is meant, for
it treats of prophets who teach falsities and who dream vain things, for
"other gods" mean the falsities and vain things that such heard and saw.
[4] That "signs" signify attestations which
indicate and persuade to the belief that a thing is so, is evident from the
following passages.
In Moses:
If they will not believe thee nor hear the
voice of the first sign, yet they will believe the voice of the latter sign.
And if they will not believe these two signs nor hear thy voice, thou shalt
take of the waters of the river and they shall become blood (Exod. 4:8, 9).
This is said of the wonders wrought by
Moses, when the Lord appeared to him in the bush, which are called "signs"
because they were to attest and persuade that Moses was sent to lead them out
of Egypt; this is why it is three times said "that they may believe," and also
"that they may hear his voice."
[5] In the same:
Jehovah said unto Moses, How long will the
people not believe in Me for all the signs which I have done in the midst of
them? All the men that have seen My glory and the signs which I wrought in
Egypt and in the wilderness, they shall not see the land (Num. 14:11, 22, 23).
These miracles, too, are called "signs,"
because mention is made of believing; for as has been said, miracles are
called "signs" because they persuade and induce faith; and as signs did not
induce faith with those who were unwilling on account of fear to enter into
the land of Canaan, therefore it is said of them that "they should not see the
land." "Signs" have a like signification in Exod. 4:17; and 10:1, 2.
[6] In the Gospels:
The Scribes and Pharisees said, Master, we
would see a sign from Thee. But He answering, said, An evil and adulterous
generation seeketh after a sign, but no sign shall be given to it but the sign
of Jonah the prophet; for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the
belly of the whale, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in
the belly* of the earth (Matt. 12:38-40; Luke 11:16, 29, 30).
* The Greek has "heart," as also found in
AC 2798.
A "sign" plainly means attestation that
they may be persuaded and believe that the Lord was the Messiah and the Son of
God who was to come, for the miracles that the Lord wrought in abundance, and
that they saw, were no signs to them, because miracles, as has been said
above, are signs only with the good. "Jonah was three days and three nights in
the belly of the whale," and this was taken for a "sign," because it signified
the burial and resurrection of the Lord, thus the complete glorification of
His Human, "three days and three nights" also signifying completeness.
[7] In Matthew:
The Pharisees and the Sadducees, tempting,
asked Jesus to show them a sign from heaven. He answering, said to them, When
it is evening ye say, It will be fair weather, for the heaven is red. And in
the morning, There will be storm today, for the heaven is red and gloomy. Ye
hypocrites, ye know how to discern the face of heaven, but not the signs of
the times. A wicked and adulterous nation requireth a sign, but no sign shall
be given unto it but the sign of the prophet Jonah (Matt. 16:1-4).
Here, too, the "sign" asked from heaven
means attestation that they might be persuaded and might believe that the Lord
was the Son of God, although miracles were wrought that they did not call
signs. The Lord then spoke of evening and of morning because "evening and
morning" signifies the Lord's coming; here it means when the church with the
Jews was laid waste, who then had "fair weather," because they had no
knowledge of the Lord, and lived securely in falsities from evil; this is the
"evening;" but when they knew Him, and because of falsities from evils in
which they were denied and assaulted Him, this is signified by "the morning
when there is a storm." This is why the Lord said, "Ye hypocrites, ye know how
to discern the face of heaven, but not the signs of the times," that is, the
Lord's coming; and because they were "a wicked and adulterous nation," that
is, one that adulterated the Word, He said that "no sign should be given unto
them." [8] So again in Mark:
The Pharisees began to dispute with Jesus,
seeking of Him a sign from heaven; and He, sighing in His spirit, said, Why
doth this generation seek a sign? Verily I say unto you, There shall no sign
be given unto this generation (Mark 8:11, 12).
That a "sign" here signifies attestation by
which they might plainly know, acknowledge, and believe, that the Lord was the
Messiah and Son of God whom they expected from the predictions in the
prophets, is evident from this, that "sighing in spirit, He said, Why doth
this generation seek a sign? Verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be
given unto this generation;" and this was because if this had been plainly
revealed or told them from heaven, and if thus persuaded they had acknowledged
and believed it, they would nevertheless have rejected it afterwards, and to
reject after acknowledgment and faith is to profane, and the lot of profaners
in hell is the worst of all.
[9] That for this reason plain attestation
was not given them from heaven is evident from these words in John:
He hath blinded their eyes and hardened
their hearts lest they should see with their eyes and understand with their
heart, and should turn themselves, and I should heal them (John 12:40).
"To turn themselves and be healed" means
here to profane, which is done when truths and goods are acknowledged,
especially when the Lord is acknowledged and afterwards denied; so would it
have been if the Jews had turned themselves and been healed by a sign. "To see
with the eyes and understand with the heart" signifies to receive in the
understanding and will, or in faith and love. From this it is clear that a
"sign" signifies a plain testification. (On the lot of profaners see the
New
Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 172.)
[10] In John:
The disciples* said unto Jesus, What
doest Thou for a sign, that we may see and believe Thee, what workest Thou?
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written, He gave them
bread out of heaven to eat. Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto
you, Moses gave you not the bread out of heaven; but my Father giveth you the
true bread out of heaven; for the bread of God is He who cometh down out of
heaven and giveth life unto the world (John 6:30-33).
* The context would seem to show that we
should read "The people."
Here also the disciples* desired a sign;
that this signifies attestation that they might believe is clear from their
saying, "That we may see and believe, what workest Thou?" They then spoke of
"manna," and the Lord answered respecting "bread from heaven," because "bread"
signifies all good and truth that nourishes the soul, and in the highest sense
the Lord Himself, from whom is everything of doctrine and everything of
spiritual nourishment, whereby he gave attestation that they might see and
believe. Nevertheless attestation, that is, a sign from heaven, was given to
the three disciples, Peter, James, and John, as can be seen from the Lord's
transfiguration, for they then saw His glory, and heard a voice out of heaven
saying, "This is My beloved Son, hear ye Him" (Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35; Matt.
17:5). * The context would seem to show that we
should read "The people."[11] In John:
When Jesus cast out of the temple them that
sold therein, the Jews said, What sign showest Thou, that Thou doest these
things? Jesus answered and said to them, Destroy this temple, yet in three
days I will raise it up (John 2:16, 18, 19).
Here evidently "to show a sign" signifies
to give attestation by something wonderful, or by a voice out of heaven. But
because such an attestation would have damned rather than saved them, as has
been said just above, He answered them concerning "the temple," by which He
meant His body, that this should be destroyed, that is, should die, and should
rise again glorified on the third day. This too is what the Lord meant by "the
sign of Jonah in the belly of the whale three days and three nights." (That
"temple" in the highest sense signifies the Lord's body, see John 2:21.)
[12] In Luke:
The angels said to the shepherds, There is
born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord;
and this is a sign unto you, ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling
clothes lying in a manger (Luke 2:11, 12, 16).
Since a "sign" means attestation that they
might believe that the Savior of the world was born, it is said that "they
should find Him lying in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes;" but that this
was an attestation no one can know until it is known what is meant by a
"manger" and by "swaddling clothes." "A manger" means the doctrine of truth
from the Word, because "horses" signify the understanding of the Word (as can
be seen from what has been shown above, n. 355, 364, and in the small work on
The White Horse, n. 2-4); and thus a manger, as a feeding place for horses,
signifies the doctrine of truth from the Word. It is said in the seventh verse
of the same chapter that this was done "because there was no place in the
inn," an "inn" signifying a place of instruction. (This is the signification
of "inn" also in Luke 10:34; 22:11; Mark 14:14; and elsewhere.) Because this
was the state with the Jews, who were then in mere falsities, through the
adulteration of the Word, this was signified by "there was no place in the
inn;" for if it had pleased the Lord He might have been born in a most
splendid palace, and have been laid in a bed adorned with precious stones; but
He would thus have been with such as were in no doctrine of truth, and there
would have been no heavenly representation. He is also said to have been
"wrapped in swaddling clothes," because "swaddling clothes" signify first
truths, which are truths of innocence, and which are also truths of the Divine
love; for "nakedness," in reference to a babe, signifies deprivation of truth.
From this it is clear why it was said by the angels, "This is a sign unto you,
ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger."
[13] In the Gospels:
The disciples said to Jesus, What shall be
the sign of Thy coming and of the consummation of the age? (Matt. 24:3; Mark
13:4; Luke 21:7)
"The coming of the Lord and the
consummation of the age" signifies the beginning of the New Church and the end
of the former church, "the coming of the Lord" the beginning of the New
Church, and "the consummation of the age" the end of the old church, therefore
in these chapters the Lord instructs His disciples respecting the successive
vastation of the former church, and at its end the establishment of the New
Church; but He instructs and teaches them by mere correspondences, which
cannot be unfolded and made known except by means of the spiritual sense; and
because the Lord spoke by correspondences, all of these were signs and thus
attestations. Moreover, the Lord calls them "signs."
As in Luke:
And there shall be fearful things, great
signs from heaven. There shall be signs in the sun, moon, and stars, and upon
the earth distress of nations in desperation, the sea and the waves roaring
(Luke 21:11, 25).
In Matthew:
And then shall appear the sign of the Son
of man; and then shall all the tribes of the earth lament, and they shall see
the Son of man coming In the clouds of heaven with power and glory (Matt.
24:30).
The signification in the spiritual sense of
these and the other things contained in the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew
have been explained in the Arcana Coelestia, and of "the appearing of the sign
of the Son of man in the clouds of heaven" in the work on Heaven and Hell (n.
1); therefore further explanation is unnecessary.
[14] In Mark:
Jesus said unto the disciples, These signs
shall follow them that believe, In My name shall they cast out demons; they
shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink
any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the infirm
and they shall be well. And they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord
working with them by signs following (Mark 16:17, 18, 20).
These were miracles, yet still they are
called "signs" because they were attestations of the Divine power of the Lord
who wrought them; therefore it is said, "The Lord working with them by those
signs." If these had been applied to the evil they would have been called
"wonders," for with the evil such things only fill with amazement and strike
the mind, and still do not persuade to belief; but with the good it is
otherwise, for with them the same things are attestations that persuade to
belief, and therefore they are called "signs," and it is said "these signs
shall follow them that believe." But how these signs can persuade to belief
shall be briefly told. These miraculous signs, as that "they should cast out
demons," "should speak with new tongues," "should take up serpents," "if they
drank any deadly thing it should not hurt them," and "they should become well
by the laying on of hands," were in their essence and in their origin
spiritual, from which these flowed forth and came forth as effects; for they
were correspondences that derived their all from the spiritual world by influx
from the Lord. For instance, that "they should cast out demons in the name of
the Lord" derived its effect from this, that the name of the Lord understood
spiritually means everything of doctrine out of the Word from the Lord, and
that "demons" mean falsities of every kind, and these are thus cast out, that
is, taken away, by the doctrine out of the Word from the Lord; that "they
should speak with new tongues" derives its effect from this, that "new
tongues" mean doctrinals for the New Church; "they should take up serpents"
was because "serpents" signify the hells in respect to malice, and thus they
would be safe from infestation by it; "they would not be hurt if they drank
any deadly thing" meant that they would not be contaminated by the malice of
the hells; and "the infirm would become well by the laying on of hands" meant
to be healed of spiritual diseases, which are called iniquities and sins, by
communication and conjunction with heaven, thus with the Lord; the laying on
of the hands of the disciples corresponding to communication and conjunction
with the Lord, and thus to the removal of iniquities by His Divine power.
[15] In Isaiah:
Jehovah said unto Ahaz, Ask thee a sign of
Jehovah, direct it into the deep, or lift it up on high. The Lord giveth you a
sign, Behold, a virgin shall conceive and shall bear a son, and shall call His
name God-with-us (Isa. 7:11, 14).
This was said to Ahaz king of Judah,
because the king of Syria and the king of Israel made war against him, even to
Jerusalem, and they also had on their side the tribe of Ephraim, and yet they
did not prevail, for the reason that "the king of Syria" here represented the
external or natural of the church, "the king of Israel" its internal or
spiritual, and "Ephraim" its intellectual; but here these three, the natural,
the spiritual, and the intellectual, perverted, and these wished to attack the
doctrine of truth, signified by "the king of Judah" and by "Jerusalem,"
wherefore they did not succeed. Nevertheless, in order that Ahaz might be
assured of the frustration of their attempt he was told "to ask a sign," that
is, an attestation that he might be assured, and the choice was granted him
whether it should be from heaven or from hell; this was signified by "direct
it into the deep, or lift it up on high," for the king was evil. But because
"Jerusalem," which signifies the doctrine of truth from the Word, was not to
be destroyed by such before the Lord's coming, there was given him, as an
attestation of this, a miraculous sign, namely, that "a virgin shall conceive
and shall bear a son, whose name shall be God-with-us." That this church would
subsequently be destroyed is indicated further on in the same chapter.
[16] In the same:
This shall be a sign to thee from with
Jehovah, behold, I will bring back the shadow of the steps which is gone down
on the steps of Ahaz before the sun, ten steps backward, that the sun may
return ten steps on the steps which it has gone down (Isa. 38:7, 8).
This sign was given to King Hezekiah as an
attestation that the Lord would defend him and Jerusalem from the king of
Assyria (as is said in the sixth verse of that chapter), that king signifying
the perverted rational destroying all things of the church; therefore this
sign represented also a New Church that was to be established by the Lord, but
here that the time would be protracted beyond that indicated to Ahaz just
above; "bringing back the shadow that had gone down on the steps of Ahaz
before the sun" signifies a drawing back of the time before this should be
done, "steps of Ahaz" signifying a time, here even until the coming of the
Lord, and the "shadow" signifying the progress of time from the rising to the
setting; that the shadow "should be drawn backwards ten degrees" signifies the
prolongation of the time for many years still, "ten" signifying many, and the
"sun" which should go back signifying the Lord's coming.
But this shall be further illustrated. The
Lord's coming took place when the Jewish Church was at an end, that is, when
there was no good or truth left in it; this is meant by "when iniquity was
consummated," also by "the fullness of times," in which the Lord was to come.
The entire period of the duration of the Jewish Church was represented by "the
steps of Ahaz," its beginning by the first step there, which is when the sun
is in its rising, and its end by the last when it is at its setting. This
makes evident that by "the drawing back of the shadow" from the setting
towards the rising means the prolongation of the time. This should take place
"in the steps of Ahaz," because Ahaz was a wicked king, and profaned the holy
things of the church, consequently if his successors had done the same, the
end of that church would have quickly come; but as Hezekiah was an upright
king the time was prolonged, for on that account the iniquity of that nation
was not so soon to reach its consummation, that is, its end.
[17] In the same:
Say to King Hezekiah, This shall be the
sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year that which springeth up of itself, and
in the second year that which groweth of its own accord; but in the third year
sow ye, reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof (Isa. 37:30).
This was said to King Hezekiah when
Sennacherib, king of Assyria, made war against him, and spoke proudly of
himself and insolently of God and of Israel; in consequence of which also one
hundred and eighty* thousand were smitten in his camp, and he was himself
killed by his sons. This was done because "Assyria" signifies the rational,
and "the king of Assyria" the like, and "Judea" the celestial of the church,
and "its king" the spiritual of the church; but here "the king of Assyria"
signifies the perverted rational, which destroys by false reasonings all the
celestial and spiritual things of the church, which are its goods and truths.
And as "Judea and its king" signify the celestial and spiritual of the church
which will be from the Lord when He comes into the world, therefore these
things are said by which is described the regeneration of those who will be of
that church. So the sign that the first year "they shall eat that which
springeth up of itself" signifies celestial good that the Lord will implant in
them; "in the second year that which groweth of its own accord," signifies the
truth of that good which shall come from it; "to sow, to reap, to plant
vineyards, and to eat the fruit thereof," signifies all the goods and truths
that flow forth therefrom, "to sow and reap" signifying the implantation of
good and its reception; "to plant vineyards" the implantation of truth and its
reception; and "to eat the fruits thereof" the enjoyment of good and joyous
things therefrom which the regenerate man has. These things are called "a
sign" because they are attestations of a celestial church with those who are
meant in the spiritual sense by "Judah," whose regeneration is effected by the
Lord by the implantation of celestial good, afterwards by the implantation of
spiritual good, which in its essence is the truth of celestial good, and
finally by multiplication and fructification in the natural man.
*
The Hebrew has "185,000," as found in
AC 4236. [18] In the same:
Thus said Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel
and his Former, They have asked Me signs respecting My sons, and respecting
the work of My hands they command Me. I have raised him up in righteousness,
and I will make straight all his ways. He shall build My city, and he shall
send forth My captivity, not for price nor reward (Isa. 45:11, 13).
This also treats of the Lord's coming and
of the establishment of a church by Him. The Lord is meant by "Jehovah, the
Holy One of Israel, and his Former," who is called "the Holy One of Israel"
from Divine truth, and his "Former" from the establishment of the church by
means of truth; and "Israel" means the church; therefore "His sons, respecting
whom they asked signs," mean those who are in truths from the Lord, and "the
work of His hands" means their formation, and the establishment of a church
among them. "I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will make straight
all His ways" signifies that Divine good and Divine truth are the Lord's, for
"righteousness" is predicated in the Word of good, and "ways" signify truths
that lead, here Divine truths, because they are predicated of the Lord; "he
shall build My city, and he shall send forth My captivity" signifies that He
will restore the doctrine of truth, and that He will deliver those who are in
falsities from ignorance, "city" signifying the doctrine of truth, and
"captivity" the falsities of ignorance in which the Gentiles were, and through
which they were in spiritual captivity; "not for price nor reward" signifies
freely given from Divine love.
[19] In the same:
Let them declare to you* the things
that shall happen, declare ye the former things, that we may set our heart and
may know the latter end of them; or make us to hear things to come, declare to
us a sign for the future, that we may know that ye are gods (Isa. 41:22,
23).
* The Hebrew has "to us."
That to tell things past and to come
belongs to the Lord alone, and not to any man or any spirit, is expressed by
"declare a sign for the future, that we may know that ye are gods;" this
concludes what precedes, therefore "to declare a sign" means to testify by
persuading to believe.
[20] In Ezekiel:
Take to thee a pan of iron, and set it for
a wall of iron between thee and the city; and thou shalt set thy faces against
it, that it may be for a siege, and thou shalt lay siege to it; this shall be
a sign to the house of Israel (Ezek. 4:3).
These and the rest of the things in this
chapter are representatives of the state of the church with the Jewish nation,
signifying that they had no truth that was not falsified and adulterated,
which in itself is falsity. Such truth is signified by "the pan of iron" that
he should set for a wall between him and the city; and because this, like
iron, is hard, shutting out and not admitting any genuine truth, it is said,
"that it may be for a siege, and thou shalt lay siege to it;" that this sign
should be a witness that the church is such is signified by "this shall be a
sign to the house of Israel," "sign" meaning an attestation, and "house of
Israel" the church.
[21] In David:
The adversary hath destroyed all things in
the sanctuary; the adversaries have roared in the midst of Thy feast; they
have set up their own signs for signs. We see not our signs; there is no more
a prophet (Ps. 74:3, 4, 9).
"The adversary hath destroyed all things in
the sanctuary" signifies that evil has destroyed the holy things of the
church; "the adversaries have roared in the midst of Thy feast" signifies that
falsities have destroyed all things of worship; "they have set up their own
signs for signs" signifies that they have given attestation and persuaded by
every means; "we see not our signs" signifies that no attestations of truth
were accepted in the church; "there is no more a prophet" signifies no
doctrine of truth.
[22] In the same:
Jehovah make a sign with me for good, that
they that hate me may see and be ashamed, because Thou, O Jehovah, hast helped
me and comforted me (Ps. 86:17).
"To make a sign for good" signifies
attestation that Jehovah will help and comfort him, as follows, for this is
the good for which Jehovah makes a sign; and because a sign is an attestation
of this it is said "that they that hate me may see and be ashamed."
[23] In the same:
God who setteth fast the mountains by His
power is girded with might; He maketh the tumult of the seas to cease, the
tumult of its waves and the noise of the peoples, that the dwellers in the
uttermost parts may fear because of Thy signs (Ps. 65:6-8).
This describes the Lord's Divine power
through attestations that cause belief; but attestations that are signs are
not that "He setteth fast the mountains, maketh the tumult of the seas and of
its waves, and the noise of the people to cease," for these are not such signs
as convince those who ascribe all things to nature; but the things meant in
the spiritual sense, in which sense heaven and the church are treated of, are
the signs that give attestation of the Lord's Divine power, for in that sense,
the "mountains" that God setteth fast by His power mean the higher heavens,
because the angels of those heavens dwell upon mountains; and in the abstract
sense love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbor are meant; these are
what the Lord "girded with might, setteth fast by His power," that is, makes
them to stand fast forever; that "mountains" have such a signification may be
seen above (n. 405); "the tumult of the seas" and "the tumult of the waves"
mean the disputations and reasonings of those who are beneath the heavens, and
who are natural and sensual; that "seas" signify the things of the natural
man, thus those who are natural, therefore their tumults and waves signify
disputations and reasonings, may be seen also above (n. 342). "The noise of
the peoples" mean contradictions from falsities, for "peoples" signify those
who are in truths, and in the contrary sense those who are in falsities (see
above, n. 175, 331, 625). "That the dwellers in the uttermost parts may fear
because of Thy signs" signifies holy worship from faith in regard to Divine
power with those who are in the ultimates of heaven and the church; that "to
fear" means to worship the Lord from charity and faith may be seen above (n.
696); and that "dwellers in the uttermost parts" mean those who are in the
ultimates of heaven and the church, and are in the faith of charity there, is
evident, since "the uttermost parts" mean the ultimates of heaven and the
church. From this it is clear that "signs" here signify attestations
respecting the Lord's Divine power.
[24] In Jeremiah:
This shall be the sign unto you that I will
visit upon you in this place, that ye may know that My words shall stand
against you for evil. Behold, I give the king of Egypt into the hand of his
adversaries and into the hand of them that seek his soul (Jer. 44:29, 30).
This treats of those of the church who have
become natural, who are meant by those who sojourned in Egypt and returned
therefrom. That such would be destroyed by evils and falsities is meant by "He
will give the king of Egypt into the hand of his adversaries and into the hand
of them that seek his soul," "adversaries" here meaning those who are in
evils, and "them that seek the soul" those who are in falsities, thus in an
abstract sense evils and falsities (that "Egypt" means the natural man see
above, n. 654).
This is called a "sign," because it is an
attestation that this will be done; therefore it is added, "that ye may know
that my words shall stand against you for evil."
[25] That a "sign" means attestation of
certainty is evident from the following passages.
In Isaiah:
Hezekiah said, What is the sign that I am
to go up into the house of Jehovah? (Isa. 38:22)
In the book of Judges:
Gideon said to the angel of Jehovah, Show
me a sign that it is thou that speakest to me; and the sign was, that when he
touched with the staff the flesh and unleavened bread which Gideon had
offered, a fire went up out of the rock and consumed them (Judg. 6:17, 21).
In the first book of Samuel:
This shall be the sign unto thee that shall
come upon thy two sons, in one day they shall die, both of them (1 Sam. 2:34).
If the Philistines say, Come up unto us,
then will we go up, for Jehovah hath given them into our hand; this shall be
the sign unto us (1 Sam. 14:10).
Nearly the same is signified by:
The signs of the covenant (Gen. 9:13;
17:11; Ezek. 20:12, 20; and elsewhere);
namely, attestations respecting
conjunction.
[26] Attestations are signified also by
"signs" wrought by the evil that appeared like miracles, as in the following
passages. In Isaiah:
Jehovah maketh void the signs of the liars,
He rendereth the diviners mad, He turneth wise men backward, and maketh their
knowledge stupid (Isa. 44:25).
In Jeremiah:
Jehovah hath said, Learn not the way of the
nations, and be not dismayed at the signs of the heavens; for the nations are
dismayed at them. The statutes of the nations*
are vanity (Jer. 10:2,
3). * The Hebrew has "peoples."
In Revelation:
The beast coming up out of the earth did
great signs, so that he even maketh fire to come down from heaven unto the
earth before men, and seduceth them that worship* upon the earth,
because of the signs that were given him to do (Rev. 13:13, 14).
* The Greek has "dwell," as found in
AC 826; AR 600.
They are the spirits of demons doing signs
to go forth unto the kings of the earth, to gather them together unto the war
of that great day (Rev. 16:14).
And again:
The beast was taken, and with him the false
prophet that did signs before him, by which he seduced them that had received
the mark of the beast (Rev. 19:20).
But what is meant by "signs upon the hand
and in the forehead" may be seen above (n. 427). Again, the "signs" that were
set upon mountains to gather the people together to war, to battle, and so on,
signified indications to do the things commanded.
As in Isaiah:
It shall be in that day that the root of
Jesse, which standeth for an ensign of the peoples, the nations shall seek,
and his rest shall be glory. When he shall lift up an ensign to the nations,
and shall gather together the outcasts of Israel and the dispersed of Judah
from the four winds of the earth (Isa. 11:10-12).
In Jeremiah:
Set thee up signs, place for thee
columns, set thine heart to the highway, the way thou mayest go (Jer.
31:21).
In the same:
Declare ye among the nations, and make
to be heard, and lift up an ensign; Babylon is taken (Jer. 50:2).
Lift up an ensign against the walls of
Babylon, keep the watch, set the watchmen. Lift up an ensign in the land,
sound the trumpet among the nations (Jer. 51:12, 27);
and elsewhere, especially in the historical
parts of the Word. From all these passages quoted from the Word it is clear
that "a great sign seen in heaven" signifies Divine manifestation and
attestation (as also in the third verse of this chapter, and afterwards in
chap. 15:1).
(Apocalypse
Explained 706)
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