Chapter Eighteen

On the Importance of Humility

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1. In the same hour came the disciples to Jesus, saying, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of the heavens?”

2. And Jesus, calling a little child to [Him], stood him in the midst of them,

3. And said, “Amen I say to you, Unless you be turned [around], and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of the heavens.

4. Whoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of the heavens.

5. And whoever shall receive one such little child in My name, receives Me.

6. But whoever shall cause one of these little ones that believe in Me to stumble, it is expedient for him that a donkey’s millstone should be hung upon his neck, and he should be sunk in the depth of the sea.

7. Woe unto the world because of offenses! For it is necessary that offenses come; nevertheless, woe to that man by whom the offense comes!

8. And if either thy hand or thy foot cause thee to stumble, cut them off, and cast [them] from thee; it is better for thee to enter into life lame or maimed, than having either two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire.

9. And if thine eye cause thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast [it] from thee; it is good for thee with one eye to enter into life, [rather] than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of fire.

10. See [that] you not despise one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that their angels in [the] heavens continually look at the face of My Father who is in [the] heavens.”

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Throughout this gospel, Jesus has been teaching His disciples about the kingdom of heaven. In this next episode, we see that the disciples still have much to learn about that kingdom. This becomes clear when they approach Jesus and ask Him, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” (Matthew 18:1).

These disciples are still imagining that Jesus is about to declare Himself king, and when He does so, He will be selecting others to rule with Him. Therefore, they want to know who will have the greatest power and most prestigious positions in that kingdom. In other words, they want to know who will be the greatest in the coming kingdom. Their focus on “being the greatest” reveals how little they know about the kingdom of heaven.

Nevertheless, Jesus continues to instruct them. Placing a child in their midst, Jesus says, “Assuredly, I say unto you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one little child such as this in My name, receives Me” (Matthew 18:3-5).

By setting a child in the midst of the disciples, Jesus is teaching them that child-like innocence and trust represent the kind of humility they should be seeking, especially the humility that trusts in God rather than in oneself. In this context, it is helpful to remember that Jesus has just rebuked them for their inability to heal the demon-possessed boy. At that time, when they asked Jesus why they could not cast out the demon, Jesus said, “because of your unbelief” (Matthew 17:20). In other words, they trusted in their own power rather than in God’s power. ¹

Earlier in this gospel, Jesus taught the disciples how to pray by giving them a model prayer that ended with the ascription, “for Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever” (Matthew 6:13). Through these concluding words of the prayer, Jesus was teaching them that all power, including the power to cast out demons, is from God. As long as the disciples believed that the power to cast out demons was from themselves rather than from God, they had no power. Therefore, when Jesus says that the “greatest” in the kingdom of heaven are like little children, He is referring to humility — the heavenly quality that attributes all power to God. ²

Sacred places within us

As Jesus continues to instruct His disciples, He says, “Whoever shall offend one of these little ones who believe in Me, it would be better for him if a great millstone were fastened around his neck, and he should be sunk into the depths of the sea” (Matthew 18:6). These “little ones” are the sacred places within us where innocence and trust still remain. Whenever these tender states recur, we should welcome them, and by no means deny them.

Jesus then adds that if our foot or our hand offends us, we should “cut it off,” and if our eye offends us, we should “pluck it out” (see Matthew 18:8-9). The strong language is intended to convey a powerful spiritual message. If we are inclined to take a step in the wrong direction or feel a desire to use our hand to do something against “the little ones” of our better nature, we should “cut off” that desire as quickly as we can. It’s far better to practice self-restraint than to go through life succumbing to the desires of our lower nature. ³

Similarly, if our “eye” (meaning our understanding) is tending to believe things that are false and therefore damaging to our spirit, it is better to “pluck it out” immediately. It should be clear that Jesus is using figurative language to describe the many ways we can be inflamed by selfish desires and led astray by misleading beliefs. In this passage, Jesus is not speaking about literally cutting off limbs or plucking out eyes, but rather about ceasing from evil and clearing up misunderstandings so that we can see what is true and do what is good.

At the same time, it does us no good to see the truth, fully understand it, and yet desire to live contrary to it. In that case, it’s better to misunderstand the truth, represented by seeing with “one eye,” rather than to grasp the truth clearly with “two eyes,” while being unwilling to rise above selfish desires. As Jesus puts it, “It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the Gehenna of fire” (Matthew 18:9). ⁴

All of this powerful language is given to urge us to treat with respect these “little ones” who believe in God. That’s because these “little ones” are the sacred places within each of us that are in closest connection to God. In the spiritual sense, the “little ones” in us represent our most tender and innocent states — many of which came to us in our infancy, childhood, and early adolescence, and have remained with us throughout our lives. This also includes all those states, not only in infancy and childhood, but also in our adult years, when we have experienced the Lord’s qualities flowing in, qualities such as love, faith, compassion, patience, and understanding. ⁵

This lesson, in its essence, is to attribute nothing to ourselves. Rather, we should regard every loving affection that flows in, every charitable thought that arises, and every tender memory that comes to mind as the secret influence of our heavenly Father. These loving affections, compassionate thoughts, and blessed memories are not self-generated. They are the “little ones” that come to us from the Lord through the medium of angels. Although they come to us quietly, and without a trace of compulsion, they should not be ignored, disregarded, or despised. As Jesus says to His disciples, “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10). ⁶

This, then, is how Jesus taught His disciples about the central importance of humility. He had already touched on this subject when He began the Sermon on the Mount, saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3), and now He returns to that same theme. This is because humility is an essential aspect of heavenly life. Whenever we humble ourselves, expressing a sincere desire to be led by the Lord and not by self, the Lord flows in with inspiration, goodwill, and the power to serve selflessly. Those who humble themselves in this way are the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁷

A practical application

In this episode, Jesus tells His disciples to welcome “the little ones.” These “little ones” represent the sacred states that come to us as spiritual gifts in moments of innocence and trust, especially in childhood. These experiences, however brief, remain with us, and serve to receive the life that flows in from the Lord. Although these innocent states may be deeply buried and almost forgotten, they can never be lost. In fact, they can resurface and be re-experienced as holy moments — as times when we feel the Lord’s presence in us and around us. These holy moments are often associated with a passage or a story from the Lord’s Word. But they can also be associated with a relative who comforted you, a friend who helped you, or someone who inspired you. Although these moments of holiness might seem minor and fleeting, they are foundational experiences in your spiritual development. As a practical application, then, allow the Lord, through the ministry of angels, to bring to mind those experiences when you felt the Lord’s love, protection, and guidance. Remember these moments and honor them. You may also want to share them with a loved one or trusted friend. As Jesus says, “Whoever receives one little child like this in My name, receives Me” (Matthew 18:5). ⁸

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

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11. “For the Son of Man is come to save that which was lost.

12. What do you think? If a certain man have a hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine upon the mountains, [and] go seeking that which is gone astray?

13. And if [it] be that he find it, amen I say unto you, that he rejoices more at that, than at the ninety-nine which went not astray.

14. Thus it is not the will of your | Father who is in [the] heavens, that one of these little ones should perish.”

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We all begin life in states of innocence and trust. Then, gradually, we begin to believe the appearance that life is from ourselves, unaware that it is a moment-to-moment gift from God. Because it feels as though life is our own, we believe the appearance that we are self-directed, self-reliant, and self-sufficient, with no real need for God.

As we grow older, this illusion gradually becomes a firm belief that we are in charge of our own lives, even to the point where we stray away from God. In the language of sacred scripture, we are like sheep who have wandered away from their shepherd. As Isaiah prophesied, “All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned, everyone, to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). ⁹

Increasingly, as our reliance on God wanes, and our self-reliance increases, we wander away from the Lord’s protection, drifting into the dark valleys of self-derived intelligence and self-love. In our ever-increasing arrogance we lose all sense of humility, even to the point where we begin to despise the “little ones” in us. ¹⁰

And yet, even when we turn away from the Lord, and the blessings He has bestowed upon us, the Lord never turns away from us. He is always there, gently calling us back, hoping that we will hear His call. As it is written in the Hebrew scriptures, “Listen and give heed. Do not be arrogant…. But if you will not listen, My soul will weep for you in secret because of your pride. My eyes will overflow with tears because the Lord’s flock has been taken captive” (Jeremiah 13:16-17).

This passage refers to the time that the Lord Himself would come to earth as a shepherd to lead His people back to Him. He would come to rescue His children from the evils and falsities that held them captive. And so, Jesus says, “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does He not leave the ninety-nine upon the mountains to seek the one that is straying?” (Matthew 18:12). ¹¹

In these words, Jesus gives a most tender image of the divine love — the total and eternal forgiveness of a loving Father toward His wayward children. There could not be a more poignant or beautiful way of expressing that love than in the image of a father who has come to rescue His children from captivity, or of a shepherd who rescues a lost lamb before it perishes.

Rescuing the “little ones”

The parable of the lost sheep speaks of the Lord’s complete and unlimited forgiveness no matter how often, and no matter how far we have strayed from the heavenly fold. Such straying relates to our gradual loss of willingness to be led by the Lord. Instead, as our self-love rises, we tend to despise and reject the idea that we are totally reliant on God for spiritual direction and divine guidance.

The more we rely on our self-derived intelligence, the more we find ourselves at odds with others. As disagreements mount, and opinions collide, the uniting influence of divine truth is left behind. Unable to get others to agree with us, we may choose go on the attack, or sulk, or simply regard others as ignorant. At such times, when we have become lost in self-derived intellect, the “little ones” in us have gone astray. We have wandered far from the teaching that says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).

Each of us, at times, has wandered far and become lost in these dark valleys of self-reliance. During such times, we forget, dismiss, or regard as insignificant those times when we felt close to and protected by the Lord. This is the kind of forgetfulness that takes place within us whenever we are taken captive by worldly desires and false thoughts.

It is in these times of spiritual captivity that the Lord comes to rescue the “little ones” within us — the early memories of His love and protection that have gone astray. As it is written “Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish” (Matthew 18:14).

A practical application

There are times when we have wandered from the Lord’s presence and found ourselves in dark places, lost in self-derived intelligence, and far removed from the guidance of God’s Word. The “mountains” from which we have strayed are those innocent, trusting times when we felt close to the Lord, inspired by His Word, and therefore were without worries or resentments. As a practical application, then, read His Word with the assurance that the Shepherd has come to take you back to His holy mountain, back to that place of innocent trust in Him rather than in self. This does not mean that disagreements will magically end. But it does mean you will be able to deal with disagreements from a higher state of consciousness, and with a deeper sense of peace, knowing that your viewpoint is based on your best understanding of God’s Word, and that you are humbly following where He leads.

Dealing with a Sinning Brother

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15. “And if thy brother sin against thee, go thy way and reprove him between thee and him alone; if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

16. And if he shall not hear, take with thee yet one or two, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every saying may be established.

17. And if he neglect to hear them, tell [it] to the church; but if he also neglect to hear the church, let him be to thee just as a gentile and a publican.

18. Amen I say to you, whatever things you shall bind on the earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever things you shall loose on the earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

19. “Again I say to you that if two of you shall agree together on the earth about any matter that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in [the] heavens.

20. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.”

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In biblical times, it was taught that sinners should first be given a warning — perhaps even three warnings — before being punished. As it is written through the prophet Ezekiel, “You must warn the wicked to turn from his way” (Ezekiel 33:9). While this passage does not specifically say how many times a sinning brother should be warned, some rabbis taught that three transgressions could be forgiven, but the fourth transgression should bring about a punishment.

As this next episode begins, Jesus seems to be repeating this familiar idea about warning a sinning brother. As Jesus says, “If your brother sins against you, go your way and reprove him between you and him alone; if he shall hear you, you have gained your brother” (Matthew 18:15). This is consistent with the cultural attitudes of the day regarding forgiveness and reconciliation.

But what happens if your brother refuses to hear you? Jesus has an answer for that as well. He says, “And if he shall not hear you, take with you one or two, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every saying may be established” (Matthew 18:16). And if he refuses to hear the two or three witnesses, there is a third step. Jesus says, “Tell it to the church” (Matthew 18:17). This is the final step in the effort to reconcile. If the person refuses to hear the church, says Jesus, “Let him be to you as a heathen or as a tax collector” (Matthew 18:17).

In this series, the first step is to go directly to the person who has sinned against us and work it out in private. If that doesn’t work, we should try to settle the issue in front of two or three objective witnesses. And if that also fails, the issue should be taken to the church. By “the church” Jesus is referring to people who are able to see situations through spiritual principles. And if all that fails, the issue is over.

This is good, practical advice. It’s always best to work things out in private, speaking honestly, without a desire to be right, but rather with a desire to restore a relationship. If this doesn’t work, the next step is to invite mediators to help. At times, even this attempt at reconciliation may fail. While forgiveness should be limitless, there may be situations where one of the parties has no interest in restoring the relationship. This is when it may be time to separate.

Inner reconciliation

As Jesus describes this process for dealing with a sinning brother, it seems as though He is speaking within the framework of the cultural attitudes and rabbinical traditions that gave allowances for three offenses, while not allowing a fourth transgression. And yet, there is a more interior message within Jesus’ words. On one level, Jesus is offering direction about how to deal with disagreements that arise between people. At a deeper level, however, Jesus is speaking about disagreements that arise within us — that is, between our thoughts and our feelings.

The alignment of heart and mind, emotion and thought, will and understanding, is one of the chief tasks of spiritual development. Whenever there is disagreement between our desires and our understanding, we first need to see how the issue can be reconciled. In order to achieve this inner reconciliation, we need to bring in a few teachings from the Word (“two or three witnesses”), and if that doesn’t settle the issue, we should consider a larger selection of teachings (“the church”).

Finally, when we have exhausted all attempts to bring about a reconciliation, it is time for a separation. It is time to re-align what is true with what is good, and what is good with what is true. If it turns out that our understanding has been led astray by false ideas, we must separate from those misleading beliefs, which are here called “heathen.” And if our desires are based on some form of self-love or materialistic gain, we must separate from them as well — here called “tax collectors.” ¹²

Therefore, this teaching is not just about our relationships with others. More deeply, it’s about false ideas that arise in our minds, diminishing our faith, and greedy attitudes that flow into our hearts, inflaming our selfish ambitions and materialistic desires. In either case, it is time for a separation. As Jesus says, “Let him be to you as a heathen or as a tax collector” (Matthew 18:17). ¹³

Jesus then adds, “Whatever things you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever things you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18:18). If we are “bound” to false beliefs and selfish desires, we must separate from them in order to be “loosed’ from their bondage. Once we have been loosed from that bondage, our spirit is set free so that it may receive what flows in from the Lord.

Once loosed from that bondage, our spirit is set free so that it may receive what flows in from the Lord. This is the foundation for a heavenly marriage that takes place between an individual and the Lord.

Jesus’ words about “binding” and “loosing” on earth are given to teach us that this lifetime is our chance to straighten out our relationships with others, and especially our relationship with the Lord. In other words, this is our chance to decide about the kind of relationships we want to have, the thoughts we want to dwell on, and the desires we want to embrace. It is here, now — in this lifetime and not after death — that we freely determine the kind of person we want to be for eternity. ¹⁴

To assist us in this all-important task, Jesus reminds us that He will be with us every step of the way. Nevertheless, He can only be with us and act through us to the extent that we are operating from His teachings and in His name. As He says, “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).

A practical application

It is comforting to remember that God is always present to lead and guide us. In fact, He is “in the midst” of us. This means that when people come together “in His name” — in the spirit of kindness, mercy, and forgiveness, and are willing to be led by His truth — selfish interests can be put aside, misleading ideas can be corrected, and differences can be reconciled. As a practical application, then, before endeavoring to settle a disagreement with someone, invite the Lord’s presence. Call to mind scriptures that will open you to the Lord’s compassion and guide you in the Lord’s wisdom. This will “bind” you together with the Lord in a heavenly marriage — a marriage that begins on earth and continues in heaven. As it is written, “What is bound on earth is bound in heaven.” ¹⁵

The Unforgiving Servant

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21. Then Peter, coming to Him, said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?”

22. Jesus says to him, “I say not to thee, until seven times, but until seventy times seven.”

23. “Therefore is the kingdom of the heavens likened to a man, a king, who willed to take account with his servants.

24. And when he had begun to take [it], one was brought to him who owed [him] ten thousand talents.

25. But he not having [anything] to pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and [it] be paid.

26. Then the servant, falling [down], worshiped him saying, ‘Lord, bear with me, and I will pay thee all.’

27. And the lord of that servant being moved with compassion released him, and forgave him the debt.

28. But that servant going out, found one of his fellow servants, who owed him a hundred denarii, and [taking] hold of him choked [him], saying, ‘Pay me what thou owest.’

29. Then his fellow servant, falling at his feet, implored him, saying, ‘Bear with me, and I will pay thee all.’

30. And he was not willing; but going away, cast him into prison, until he should pay what was owed.

31. But his fellow servants, seeing what was done, sorrowed greatly; and coming, they gave their lord to understand all things that were done.

32. Then his lord, calling him, says to him, ‘Thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, since thou didst implore me.

33. Shouldest thou not also have had mercy on thy fellow servant, even as I had mercy on thee?’

34. And his lord, being angry, delivered him up to the tormentors until he should pay all that was owed to him.

35. So also shall My heavenly Father do unto you, unless every one of you forgive his brother from your hearts their trespasses.”

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Peter, who has been listening to Jesus’ explanation of the reconciliation process, is wondering about how often he should allow a person to sin against him, and still forgive that person. So, he asks Jesus, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” (Matthew 18:21). Interestingly, Peter’s question more than doubles the cultural standard of offering forgiveness three times. In response, Jesus says, “I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22). ¹⁶

Aware that Peter has little understanding of what these words mean, Jesus illustrates this teaching with a parable about a forgiving king and an unforgiving servant. As the parable begins, the king wants to settle an account with a servant who owes him ten thousand talents. This is an outlandishly huge debt, especially since a laborer would have to work fifteen years to earn the equivalent of even one talent. At the standard wage of one denarius per day, it would take one hundred and fifty thousand years to pay off the ten thousand talent debt. In other words, it was a debt that could never be repaid.

In a deeper sense, the parable speaks about our debt to the Lord. He has given us so many gifts, so many blessings, endless forgiveness, and even our very life. It is a debt that can never be repaid, not in ten thousand years, or even in ten thousand lifetimes. As it written in the Hebrew scriptures, “His mercy endures forever” (Psalms 136:1-26).

The servant in the parable may know he can never repay his debt, but still he cries out, “Lord, have patience with me and I will pay you all” (Matthew 18:26). This is a picture of each of us, acknowledging our debt to God, and promising to repay Him by a life of shunning evils and doing good.

As the parable continues, we learn that the king is “moved with compassion” and forgives the debt (Matthew 18:27). The servant, whose debt is now completely forgiven, goes out and finds a fellow servant who owes him one hundred denarii, a debt equivalent to three months’ wages at that time. It might be expected that this servant who had just been forgiven such an enormous debt, would remember the king’s mercy toward him, and exercise the same mercy towards his fellow servant, whose debt, in comparison, is relatively minor.

But the servant who has just been forgiven such a large debt refuses to forgive a relatively minor debt. Instead, he takes the debtor by the throat and says, “Pay me what you owe!” The fellow servant begs for mercy saying, “Have patience with me and I will pay you all.” These are the very same words spoken by the servant who is forgiven by the king. Unfortunately, the king’s magnanimous act of forgiveness seems to be forgotten. Instead, the unforgiving servant shows no mercy. As it is written, “He went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt” (Matthew 18:30).

Like the unforgiving servant in the parable, there are times when we forget what the Lord has done for us. We forget the many ways He has saved us and continues to save us from our sins. Instead, we feel justified in being angry or resentful towards those who have hurt us in some way. When we forget how much we have been forgiven, we cannot forgive. Instead, we cast those who have offended us in some way into our “debtor’s prisons” — hard, stony places in our own hearts where there is no compassion, and no forgiveness.

Finally, as we come to the conclusion of the parable, we learn that others have witnessed the hard-heartedness of the unforgiving servant. When they tell the king about the hard-hearted servant, the king says to him, “You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?” (Matthew 18:31-34).

This parable speaks of the inclination in every human heart to forget how deeply we have been blessed and how abundantly we have been forgiven. It is to forget that “The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works” (Psalms 145:9). To the extent that we forget the Lord’s mercy towards us, we forget to be merciful to others. In doing so, we turn our backs on the innumerable blessings the Lord has stored up in our interiors.

These blessings include the “little ones” that we must never despise, for they lead us back to God. They are His priceless gifts to us, which we can never completely remove, but which we can close up through hardness of heart. Nevertheless, these “little ones” remain with us always, ready to be accessed if and when we so choose. As Jesus says, these are the “little ones” who “always see the face of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:10). ¹⁷

A return to innocence

When the disciples asked Jesus, “Who will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

their question revealed their desire to exalt themselves. Jesus saw that they were more concerned with being “great” than being humble. They imagined that heavenly life consisted in wealth, honor, and power — in other words, in being “great” in terms of worldly ambitions. To correct their misunderstanding about heavenly life, Jesus told them, “Whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” ¹⁸

It is important to note that Jesus begins His teaching about humility by comparing this virtue to the innocent, trusting states of little children — especially their willingness to be led by their parents. This state is called “the innocence of infancy.” ¹⁹

As beautiful as this state might be, we cannot remain in it for our entire lives. Each of us must leave this early “Eden” of innocent trust, and begin the journey into adolescence, adulthood, and old age. Hopefully, as we learn about God, His love for us, His will for our lives, and His infinite forgiveness, we freely choose to live according to His commandments.

Whenever we do this, we return to that childlike state of willingness to be led. But this time there is a transition from a willingness to be led by parents to a willingness to be led by the Lord. This willingness to be led first begins in obedience to the Lord’s commandments. As the commandments are lived and put into one’s life, the goodness within them is perceived, even to the point where we love to keep the commandments. As it is written in the Hebrew scriptures, “Oh, how I love your law. All day long it is my meditation. Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies” (Psalms 119:97-98). This is genuine innocence. It is the innocence that attributes all goodness and all truth to God, and nothing at all to oneself. Therefore, it is called “the innocence of wisdom.” ²⁰

As Jesus deepens His lessons in humility, He teaches His disciples about the connection between humility and forgiveness. This is because there can be no forgiveness without humility. Therefore, in the language of sacred scripture, Jesus encourages His disciples to be “as children” and to respect “the little ones” — the tender places of the human spirit. These are the enduring experiences of love and the glimpses of truth that seem to have been forgotten, ignored, despised, or simply buried in hardened hearts. Without humbly remembering these buried states of innocence and peace, love and compassion, truth and understanding, we cannot truly forgive.

It should also be pointed out that forgiveness, especially when someone has deeply hurt us, is a difficult process. The deeper the hurt, the more difficult it is for us to forgive. At times, it feels impossible. Nevertheless, the forgiveness process can begin by simply resisting the desire to be angry, resentful, or vengeful. To the extent that we can do this, shunning the evils of hatred and revenge as sins, the Lord can flow in with both the willingness and the power to forgive. As it is written in the Hebrew scriptures, “‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty” (Zechariah 4:6). ²¹

A practical application

Is there a situation in your life where you are finding it hard to forgive? Is there a lingering resentment or a persistent grievance that arises from time to time? If so, keep in mind that you are to keep on forgiving every time the memory, resentment, or grievance intrudes — even if it intrudes seven times a day, or seven hundred times a day. The very effort to forgive by first shunning the evils of resentment, anger, and vengeance, while calling upon the Lord for the strength to do so, will weaken the grip of that negative emotion and allow the Lord’s forgiveness to enter. This does not mean that you should allow others to take advantage of you. Not at all. We all need to maintain healthy boundaries in the external world, for both our sake and for the sake of others. Forgiveness, however, like turning the cheek, takes place in our internal world. And while healthy boundaries are necessary, relationships can still be cordial and courteous. As a practical application, then, strive to identify any feelings of resentment, notice the arising of any grievances, and be aware of any hard feelings that may come to mind when you feel that you have been mistreated. Then pray for the strength to put those feelings aside. While it can be very difficult at first, with effort, persistence, and prayer it will become easier and easier. The willingness and the power to forgive, which can only come from the Lord, will flow in. But you must do this every time negative emotions arise, and as many times as the person who offended you comes to mind. As Jesus says in this chapter, “I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” This means that your effort to forgive should not just be three times, or even many times, but always.

Bilješke:

405. And every mountain and island were moved out of their places, signifies that every good of love and every truth of faith perished. This is evident from the signification of "a mountain," as being the good of love to the Lord (of which presently); from the signification of "island" as being the truth of faith (of which in the next article); and from the signification of "to be moved out of their places," as being to be taken away and to perish, since the good of love and the truth of faith are meant, for when these are moved out of their places, then evils and falsities take their place, and through evils and falsities goods and truths perish. "Mountain" signifies the good of love, because in heaven those who are in the good of love to the Lord, dwell upon mountains, and those who are in charity towards the neighbor dwell upon hills; or, what is the same, those who are of the Lord's celestial kingdom dwell upon mountains, and those who are of His spiritual kingdom dwell upon hills; and the celestial kingdom is distinguished from the spiritual kingdom in this, that those who are of the celestial kingdom are in love to the Lord, and those who are of the spiritual kingdom are in charity towards the neighbor (but of the latter and the former, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 20-28). This is why "mountain" signifies the good of love to the Lord.

[2] The good of love to the Lord is meant in an abstract sense by "mountain," because all things in the internal sense of the Word are spiritual, and spiritual things must be understood in a sense abstracted from persons and places; consequently, because angels are spiritual they think and speak abstractedly from these, and thereby have intelligence and wisdom; for the idea of persons and places limits the thought, since it confines it to persons and places, and thus limits it. This idea of thought is proper to the natural, while the idea abstracted from persons and places extends itself into heaven in every direction, and is no otherwise limited than the sight of the eye is limited when it looks up into the sky without intervening objects; such an idea is proper to the spiritual. This is why "a mountain" in the spiritual sense of the Word signifies the good of love. It is similar with the signification of "the earth," as being the church; for thought abstracted from places, and from nations and peoples upon the earth, is thought respecting the church there or with these; this, therefore, is signified by "earth" in the Word. It is similar with the other things that are mentioned in the natural sense of the Word, as with hills, rocks, valleys, rivers, seas, cities, houses, gardens, woods, and other things.

[3] That "mountain" signifies the love to the Lord, and thus all good that is from that, which is called celestial good, and in the contrary sense signifies the love of self, and thus all the evil that is from that, is evident from the following passages in the Word. In Amos:

Dispose thyself towards thy God, O Israel; for lo, He is the Former of the mountains, and the Creator of the spirit, and declareth unto man what is his thought (Amos 4:12-13).

God is here called "the Former of the mountains" because "mountains" signify the goods of love, and "the Creator of the spirit" because "spirit" signifies life from such goods; and because through these He gives intelligence to man it is added, "and declareth unto man what is his thought," for the intelligence that man has is of his thought, which flows in from the Lord through the good of love into his life, so "to declare" here means to flow in.

[4] In David:

God who maketh firm the mountains by His power; He is girded with might (Psalms 65:6).

Here, too, "mountains" signify the goods of love; these the "Lord maketh firm" in heaven and in the church through His Divine truth, which has all power; therefore it is said "He maketh firm the mountains by His power; He is girded with might." In the Word "God's power" signifies Divine truth; and "might" in reference to the Lord signifies all might or omnipotence. (That all power is in the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell 228-233; and above, n. 209, 333; and that might in reference to the Lord is omnipotence, see above, n. 338)

[5] In the same:

I lift up mine eyes to the mountains, whence cometh help (Psalms 121:1).

"Mountains" here mean the heavens; and as in the heavens those who are in the goods of love and of charity dwell upon the mountains and hills, as was said above, and the Lord is in these goods, "to lift up the eyes to the mountains" also means to the Lord, from whom is all help. When "mountains," in the plural, are mentioned, both mountains and hills are meant, consequently both the good of love to the Lord and the good of charity towards the neighbor.

[6] In Isaiah:

There shall be upon every high mountain and upon every lofty hill streams, rivulets of waters, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers shall fall (Isaiah 30:25).

The Last Judgment, which is here treated of, is meant by "the day of great slaughter, when the towers shall fall," "great slaughter" meaning the destruction of the evil, "the towers which shall fall," the falsities of doctrine that are from the love of self and the world. That this is what "towers" signify is from appearances in the spiritual world, for those who seek to rule by such things as pertain to the church build towers for themselves in high places (See in the small work on The Last Judgment 56, 58). That such then as are in love to the Lord and in charity towards the neighbor are raised up into heaven and imbued with intelligence and wisdom, is meant by "there shall be upon every high mountain and upon every lofty hill streams, rivulets of waters;" "the high mountain" signifying where those are who are in love to the Lord, and "lofty hill" where those are who are in charity towards the neighbor; "streams" wisdom, and "rivulets of waters" intelligence, for "waters" mean truths, from which are intelligence and wisdom.

[7] In Joel:

It shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the water-courses of Judah shall flow with waters (Joel 3:18).

This treats of the Lord's coming and of the new heaven and the new earth at that time; "the mountains shall drop down sweet wine" means that all truth shall be from the good of love to the Lord; "the hills shall flow with milk" means that there shall be spiritual life from the good of charity towards the neighbor; and "all the water-courses of Judah shall flow with waters" means that there shall be truths from the particulars of the Word, through which there is intelligence. (But these things may be seen more fully explained above, n. 376)

[8] In Nahum:

Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that proclaimeth good tidings, [that publisheth] peace (Nahum 1:15).

In Isaiah:

How joyous [upon the mountains] are the feet of him that proclaimeth good tidings, that maketh peace to be heard; that saith unto Zion, Thy king ¹ reigneth (Isaiah 52:7).

In the same:

O Zion, that proclaimest good tidings, go up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that proclaimest good tidings, lift up thy voice with power (Isaiah 40:9).

This is said of the Lord's coming, and of the salvation at that time of those who are in the good of love to Him, and thence in truths of doctrine from the Word; and as the salvation of these is treated of, it is said, "Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that publisheth peace," and "O Zion, that proclaimest good tidings, go up into the high mountain," "to publish peace," signifying to preach the Lord's coming, for "peace" in the highest sense signifies the Lord, and in the internal sense every good and truth that is from the Lord (See above, n. 365); and "O Zion, that proclaimest good tidings," means the church that is in the good of love to the Lord; and "O Jerusalem, that proclaimest good tidings," the church that is thence in truths of doctrine from the Word.

[9] In Isaiah:

I will make all My mountains for a way, and My highways shall be exalted. Sing aloud O heavens, and exult O earth, and break forth with singing aloud O mountains; for Jehovah hath comforted His people (Isaiah 49:11, 13).

"Mountains," in the plural, mean both mountains and hills, thus both the good of love and the good of charity. "Mountains and hills shall be made for a way, and highways shall be exalted" signifies that those who are in these goods shall be in genuine truths; "to be made for a way" signifying to be in truths, and "highways being exalted" signifying to be in genuine truths; for "ways and highways" signify truths, which are said to be exalted by good, and the truths that are from good are genuine truths. Their joy of heart on this account is signified by "Sing aloud O heavens, exult O earth," internal joy by "Sing aloud O heavens," and external joy by "exult O earth." Confessions from joy originating in the good of love are signified by "break forth with singing aloud O mountains;" that this is on account of reformation and regeneration is signified by "for Jehovah hath comforted his people." Evidently mountains in the world are not here meant; for why should mountains be made for a way, and highways be exalted, and mountains resound with singing aloud?

[10] In the same:

Sing aloud ye heavens, shout ye lower parts of the earth, break forth with singing aloud, ye mountains, O forest and every tree therein; for Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob, and hath shown Himself glorious in Israel (Isaiah 44:23).

"Sing aloud ye heavens, shout ye lower parts of the earth, break forth with singing aloud ye mountains," has a like signification as just above; but here "mountains" signify the goods of charity; therefore it is also said, "O forest and every tree therein," for "a forest" means the external or natural man in respect to all things thereof, and "every tree" means the cognizing and knowing faculty therein; the reformation of these is signified by "Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob, and hath shown Himself glorious in Israel;" "Jacob and Israel" meaning the church external and internal; thus the external and internal with those in whom the church is.

[11] In the same:

The mountains and hills shall break forth with singing aloud, and all the trees of the field shall clap the hand (Isaiah 55:12).

In David:

Praise Jehovah, mountains and hills, tree of fruit, and all cedars (Psalms 148:7, 9).

This describes the joy of heart from the good of love and charity; and "mountains," "hills," "trees," and "cedars," are said "to break forth with singing aloud," "to clap the hand," and "to praise," because these signify the goods and truths that cause joys in man; for man does not rejoice from himself, but from the goods and truths that are with him; these rejoice because they make joy for man.

[12] In Isaiah:

The wilderness and its cities shall lift up their voice, and the villages that Arabia doth inhabit; the inhabitants of the cliff shall sing aloud, they shall shout from the top of the mountains (Isaiah 42:11).

"The wilderness" signifies the obscurity of truth; "its cities" signify doctrinals; "villages" the natural cognitions and knowledges; "Arabia" the natural man, for "an Arabian in the wilderness" means the natural man; "the inhabitants of the cliff" signify the goods of faith, or those who are in the goods of faith; "the top of the mountains" signifies the good of love to the Lord. This makes clear what the particulars signify in their order, namely, confession and joyful worship from the good of love in such things as are mentioned; for "to shout from the top of the mountains" means to worship from the good of love.

[13] In David:

A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan; a mountain of hills is the mountain of Bashan; why leap ye, ye mountains, ye hills of the mountain? God desireth to dwell in it; yea, Jehovah will inhabit it perpetually (Psalms 68:15-16).

"The mountain of Bashan" signifies voluntary good, such as exists in those who are in the externals of the church; for Bashan was a region beyond Jordan, which was given as an inheritance to the half tribe of Manasseh, as may be seen in Joshua (Joshua 13:29-32); and "Manasseh" signifies the voluntary good of the external or natural man. This voluntary good is the same as the good of love in the external man, for all good of love is of the will, and all truth therefrom is of the understanding; therefore "Ephraim," his brother, signifies the intellectual truth of that good. Because "the mountain of Bashan" signifies that good, "the hills" of that mountain signify goods in act. Because it is the will that acts-for every activity of the mind and body is from the will, as everything active of thought and speech is from the understanding, therefore the joy arising from the good of love is described and meant by "skipping" and "leaping;" this makes clear what is signified by "a mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan; a mountain of hills is the mountain of Bashan; why leap ye, ye mountains, ye hills of the mountain?" Because the Lord dwells with man in his voluntary good, from which are goods in act, it is said, "God desireth to dwell in it; yea, Jehovah will inhabit it perpetually."

[14] In the same:

Judah became the sanctuary of Jehovah. The sea saw it and fled; the Jordan turned itself back. The mountains leaped like rams, the hills like the sons of the flock. What hast thou O sea, that thou fleest? O Jordan, that thou turnest back? ye mountains, that ye leap like rams; ye hills, like sons of the flock? Before the Lord thou art in travail, O earth, before the God of Jacob; who turned the rock into a pool of waters, the flint into a fountain of waters (Psalms 114:2-8).

This describes the departure of the sons of Israel out of Egypt; and yet without explanation by the internal sense no one can know what this signifies, as that "the mountains then leaped like rams, and the hills like the sons of the flock," likewise what is meant by "the sea saw it and fled, and the Jordan turned itself back." It shall therefore be explained. The establishment of the church, or the regeneration of the men of the church, is here meant in the internal sense, for the church that was to be established is signified by the sons of Israel, its establishment by their departure, the shaking off of evils by the passage through the sea Suph, which is said "to have fled," and the introduction into the church by the crossing of the Jordan, which is said to have "turned itself back." But for the particulars: "Judah became a sanctuary, and Israel a domain," signifies that the good of love to the Lord is the very holiness of heaven and the church, and that truth from that good is that by which there is government; for "Judah" signifies celestial good, which is the good of love to the Lord; "sanctuary" the very holiness of heaven and the church; "Israel" spiritual good, which is truth from that good, by which there is government, for all government pertaining to the Lord is a government of Divine truth proceeding from Divine good; "the sea saw it and fled, Jordan turned itself back," signifies that when the evils and falsities which are in the natural man had been shaken off, true knowledges [scientifica] and cognitions [cognitiones] of truth and good took their place; "the mountains leaped like rams, the hills like the sons of the flock," signifies that celestial good, which is the good of love, and spiritual good, which is truth from that good, produce good or come into effect from joy; "mountains" signifying the good of love, "hills" the goods of charity, which in their essence are truths from that good; and "to leap," because it is predicated of these, signifies to produce good from joy. It is said "like rams," and "like the sons of the flock," because "rams" signify the goods of charity, and "the sons of the flock" truths therefrom. The establishment of the church from these, that is, the regeneration of the men of the church, is signified by, "before the Lord thou art in travail, O earth, before the God of Jacob; who turned the rock into a pool of waters, and the flint into a fountain of waters;" "earth" meaning the church; and this is said "to be in travail" when it is established or when the man of the church is born anew; it is said "before the Lord" and "before the God of Jacob," because where the good of love is treated of in the Word the Lord is called "the Lord;" and when goods in act are treated of He is called "the God of Jacob." Regeneration by truths from goods is signified by "He turned the rock into a pool of waters, and the flint into a fountain of waters;" "pool of waters" signifying the knowledges of truth, and "fountain of waters" the Word from which these are, and "rock" the natural man in respect to truth before reformation, and "flint" the natural man in respect to good before reformation.

[15] In the same:

Thou hast caused a vine to journey out of Egypt; Thou hast driven out the nations and planted it. The mountains were covered by its shadow, and the cedars of God by its branches (Psalms 80:8, 10).

"A vine out of Egypt" signifies the spiritual church which has its beginning with man by means of knowledges and cognitions in the natural man, "vine" meaning the spiritual church, and "Egypt" the knowing faculty [scientificum] which is in the natural man; "thou hast driven out the nations, and planted it," signifies that when evils had been cast out therefrom the church was established; "nations" meaning evils, and "to plant a vine" meaning to establish the spiritual church; "the mountains were covered by its shadow, and the cedars of God by its branches," signifies that the whole church is from spiritual goods and truths; "mountains" meaning spiritual goods, and "the cedars of God" spiritual truths. Evidently the bringing forth of the sons of Israel out of Egypt and their introduction into the land of Canaan, from which the nations were expelled, is what is meant by these words; and yet the same words, in the internal sense, mean such things as have been explained; nor was anything else represented and signified by the introduction of the sons of Israel into the land of Canaan, and by the expulsion of the nations from it; for all the historical parts of the Word, as well as its prophetical parts, involve spiritual things.

[16] In Isaiah:

As to all mountains that shall be hoed with the hoe, there shall not come thither the fear of briar and bramble; but there shall be the sending forth of the ox and the trampling of the sheep (Isaiah 7:25).

"The mountains that shall be hoed with the hoe" mean those who do what is good from a love of good. (What the remainder signifies see above, n. 304, where it is explained.) In the same:

I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of My mountains, that My chosen may possess it and My servants dwell there (Isaiah 65:9).

"Jacob" and "Judah" signify the church, "Jacob" the external church, which is in the knowledges of good and truth, and "Judah" the [internal] church which is in the good of love to the Lord; therefore "a seed out of Jacob" signifies the knowledges of good and truth, and thus such as are in these; and "the mountains whose inheritor shall be out of Judah," signify the good of love to the Lord, and thence such as are in it; "the chosen who shall possess the mountain," signify those who are in good, and "the servants" those who are in truths from good.

[17] In Jeremiah:

I will bring the sons of Israel back upon their land. Behold, I will send to many fishers, who shall fish them; and I will send to many hunters, who shall hunt them from upon every mountain and from upon every hill and out of the holes of the cliffs (Jeremiah 16:15-16).

This treats of the establishment of a new church, which was represented and signified by the bringing back of the Jews from the captivity out of the land of Babylon into the land of Canaan. He who does not know what is signified by "fishing and hunting," by "mountain," "hill," and "holes of the cliffs," can gather nothing from these words that he can comprehend. That a church was to be established from those who are in natural good and in spiritual good is meant by "I will send fishers who shall fish them, and hunters who shall hunt them." To gather together those who are in natural good is meant by "sending fishers who shall fish them;" and to gather together those who are in spiritual good is meant by "sending hunters who shall hunt them;" because such are meant it is added, "from upon every mountain and from upon every hill, and out of the holes of the cliffs," those "upon a mountain" meaning those who are in the good of love, "those upon a hill" those who are in the good of charity; "and those out of the holes of the cliffs" those who are in obscurities respecting truth.

[18] In Ezekiel:

Ye mountains of Israel, ye shall give forth your branch, and bear your fruit to My people Israel, when they draw near to come (Ezekiel 36:8).

"The mountains of Israel" signify the goods of charity; that from these are the truths of faith and the goods of life, is signified by "ye shall give forth your branch, and bear your fruit;" "branch" meaning the truth of faith, and "fruit" the good of life.

[19] In Amos:

Behold, the days come, that the ploughman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall dissolve; for I will bring back the captivity of My people (Amos 9:13-14).

What these words signify may be seen above (n. 376), where they are explained. "The mountains" are said "to drop sweet wine," and "the hills to dissolve," because "mountains" signify the good of love to the Lord, and "hills" the good of charity towards the neighbor, and "sweet wine" truths; therefore these words signify that from these two goods they shall have truths in abundance, for the bringing back of the people from captivity, about which this is said, signifies the establishment of a new church.

[20] In David:

Jehovah, Thy righteousness is like the mountains of God; Thy judgments like a great deep (Psalms 36:6).

Because "righteousness," in the Word, is predicated of good, and "judgment" of truth, it is said that "the righteousness of Jehovah is like the mountains of God, and His judgments like a great deep;" "the mountains of God" signifying the good of charity, and "the deep" truths in general, which are called the truths of faith. (That "righteousness" is predicated of good, and "judgment" of truth, see Arcana Coelestia 2235, 9857.)

[21] In the same:

Jehovah hath founded the earth upon its bases; Thou hast covered it with the deep as with a vesture; the waters stand above the mountains. At Thy rebuke they flee; at the voice of Thy thunder they hurried away. The mountains arise, the valleys sink down unto the place which Thou hast founded for them. Thou hast set a bound, they pass it not; they return not again to cover the earth. He sendeth forth springs into the brooks, they flow between the mountains. He watereth the mountains from His upper chambers; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of Thy works (Psalms 104:5-10, 13).

This, understood in the spiritual sense, describes the process of regeneration, or of the formation of the church with man; and "He hath founded the earth upon its bases," signifies the church with man with its boundaries and closings; "Thou hast covered it with the deep as with a vesture," signifies with knowledges [scientifica] in the natural man, by which knowledges the interiors of the natural man, where the spiritual things of the church have their seat, are encompassed; "the deep" signifying knowledges in general, and "vesture" the true knowledges encircling and investing; "the waters stand above the mountains" signifies the falsities above the delights of the natural loves, which delights are in themselves evils; "mountains" meaning the evils of those loves, and "waters" falsities therefrom; "at Thy rebuke they flee, at the voice of Thy thunder they hurry away" signifies that falsities are dispersed by truths, and evils by goods from heaven; "the mountains arise, and the valleys sink down unto the place which Thou hast founded for them" signifies that in place of natural loves and of evils therefrom there are inserted heavenly loves and goods from them, and in place of falsities general truths are let down; "Thou hast set a bound, they pass it not, they return not again to cover the earth" signifies that falsities and evils are kept without, separated from truths and goods, and held within bounds that they may not flow in again and destroy; "He sendeth forth springs into the brooks, they flow between the mountains" signifies that the Lord, out of the truths of the Word, gives intelligence, all things of which are from the good of celestial love; "springs" signifying the truths of the Word, "springs sent into brooks" the intelligence therefrom, and their "flowing between the mountains" that they are from the goods of celestial love, "mountains" meaning such goods. "He watereth the mountains from His upper chambers" signifies that all goods are by means of truths from heaven; "to water" is predicated of truths, because "waters" mean truths; "mountains" mean the goods of love; and "upper chambers" the heavens from which these are; "the earth is satisfied with the fruit of Thy works" signifies that from the Divine operation the church continually increases with man; "the fruit of works" meaning, in reference to the Lord, the Divine operation, and "the earth" the church in man, the formation of which is here treated of; and the church is said "to be satisfied" by continual increase. These are the arcana that are hid in these words; but who can see them unless he knows them from the internal sense, and unless he is in knowledges, in this case, unless he is in knowledge respecting the internal and external man, and the goods and truths that constitute the church in these?

[22] In Zechariah:

I lifted up mine eyes and saw, when behold, four chariots coming out from between the mountains; and the mountains were mountains of copper (Zechariah 6:1).

A new church to be established among the Gentiles is treated of in this chapter, for a new temple is treated of, which signifies a new church. "Chariots coming out from between the mountains" signify doctrine, which is to be formed out of good by means of truths, "chariots" signifying doctrinals, "mountains" the goods of love, and "between mountains" truths from goods; for "valleys," which are between mountains, signify lower truths, which are the truths of the natural man. That it may be known, that "mountains" here signify the goods of the natural man, it is said, "and the mountains were mountains of copper," "copper" signifying the good of the natural man.

[23] In Zechariah:

Jehovah shall go forth and fight against the nations; His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, before the faces of Jerusalem from the east; and the Mount of Olives shall be cloven asunder, a part thereof toward the east and toward the sea with a great valley, and a part of the mountain shall withdraw toward the north, and a part of it toward the south. Then shall ye flee through the valley of My mountains; and the valley of the mountains shall reach towards Azal (Zechariah 14:3-5).

This is said of the Last Judgment, which was accomplished by the Lord when He was in the world; for when the Lord was in the world He reduced all things to order in the heavens and in the hells, therefore He then wrought a judgment upon the evil and upon the good. This judgment is what is meant in the Word of the Old Testament by "the day of indignation," "of anger," "of wrath," "of the vengeance of Jehovah," and by "the year of retributions" (on this judgment see the small work on The Last Judgment 46). That the Lord's coming and the judgment that then took place are treated of in this chapter, is evident from these words in it:

Then Jehovah my God shall come, all the holy ones with Thee. And there shall be in that day no light, brightness, nor flashing; and it shall be one day that shall be known to Jehovah, not day nor night; for about the time of evening there shall be light (Zechariah 14:5-7).

"The time of evening" means the last time of the church, when judgment takes place; then it is "evening" to the evil, but "light" to the good. As soon as these things are known, it becomes plain, through the spiritual sense, what the particulars here signify, namely, "Jehovah shall go forth and fight against the nations" signifies the Last Judgment upon the evil, "to go forth and fight" means to execute judgment, and "nations" the evil; "His feet shall stand upon the Mount of Olives, before the faces of Jerusalem from the east" signifies that this is effected from the Divine love by means of Divine truths proceeding from His Divine good; "the Mount of Olives" signifying, in reference to the Lord, the Divine love, "Jerusalem," the church in respect to truths, and therefore the Divine truths of the church, and "the east" the Divine good; "the Mount of Olives shall be cloven asunder, a part thereof toward the east and toward the sea, with a great valley" signifies the separation of those who are in good from those who are in evil; for "the Mount of Olives," as was said, means the Divine love; "the east" means where those are who are in Divine good, and "the sea" where those are who are in evil, for in the western quarter of the spiritual world is a sea which separates; "a part of the mountain shall withdraw toward the north, and part of it toward the south" signifies the separation of those who are in the falsities of evil from those who are in the truths of good; "the north" meaning where those are who are in the falsities of evil, since they are in darkness, and "the south" where those are who are in the truths of good, since they are in light; "then shall ye flee through the valley of my mountains" signifies that then those who are in truths from good shall be rescued, "to flee" signifying to be rescued, "the valley of the mountains" signifying where those are who are in the knowledges of truth, and thus in truths from good, for those who are in the knowledges of truth dwell in valleys, and those who are in good upon the mountains; "and the valley of the mountains shall reach even unto Azal" signifies separation from the falsities of evil, "Azal" signifying separation and liberation.

[24] Because "the Mount of Olives," which was before Jerusalem eastward, signified the Divine love, and "Jerusalem from the east" Divine truth proceeding from Divine good, as was said above, the Lord was accustomed to stay on that mount, as is evident in Luke:

Jesus during the days was teaching in the temple; but at night He went out and lodged in the mount that is called the Mount of Olives (Luke 21:37; 22:39; John 8:1).

It was here, too, that He spoke with His disciples about His coming and the consummation of the age, that is, about the Last Judgment (Matthew 24:3; Mark 13:3). It was from here, also, that He went to Jerusalem and suffered (Matthew 21:1; 26:30; Mark 11:1; 14:26; Luke 19:29, 37; 21:37; 22:39); signifying thereby that He did all things from the Divine love, for "the Mount of Olives" signified that love; for whatever the Lord did in the world was representative, and whatever He spoke was significative. The Lord when in the world was in representatives and significatives, in order that He might be in the ultimates of heaven and the church, and at the same time in their firsts, and thus might rule and dispose ultimates from firsts, and thus all intermediates from firsts through ultimates; representatives and significatives are in ultimates.

[25] Because "a mountain" signified the good of love and in reference to the Lord, the Divine good of the Divine love, from which good Divine truth proceeds, so Jehovah, that is, the Lord, descended upon Mount Sinai and promulgated the law. For it is said that:

He came down upon that mount, to the top of the mount (Exodus 19:20; 24:16-17);

And that He promulgated the law there (Exodus 20).

Therefore also Divine truth from Divine good is signified in the Word by "Sinai," and also by "the law" there promulgated. So too:

The Lord took Peter, James, and John into a high mountain, when He was transfigured (Matthew 17:1; Mark 9:2).

and when He was transfigured He appeared in Divine truth from Divine good, for "His face which was as the sun" represented the Divine good, and "His raiment which was as the light" the Divine truth; and "Moses and Elias," who appeared, signified the Word, which is Divine truth from the Divine good.

[26] Since "a mountain" signified the good of love, and in the highest sense, the Divine good, and from the Divine good Divine truth proceeds, so Mount Zion was built up above Jerusalem, and in the Word "Mount Zion" signifies the church that is in the good of love to the Lord, and "Jerusalem" the church that is in truths from that good, or the church in respect to doctrine. For the same reason Jerusalem is called "the mountain of holiness," also "the hill;" for "the mountain of holiness," likewise "hill" signify spiritual good, which in its essence is truth from good, as can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:

It shall come to pass in the latter end of days that the mountain of Jehovah shall be on the head of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; whence all nations shall flow unto it; and many peoples shall go and say, Come ye, let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob (Isaiah 2:2-3).

In the same:

In that day a great trumpet shall be blown, and the perishing in the land of Assyria shall come, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and they shall bow down to Jehovah in the mountain of holiness at Jerusalem (Isaiah 27:13).

In Joel:

Blow ye the trumpet in ² Zion, and cry aloud in the mountain of holiness (Joel 2:1).

In Daniel:

Let thine anger and Thy wrath be turned back from Thy city Jerusalem, the mountain of Thy Holiness (Daniel 9:16).

In Isaiah:

They shall bring all your brethren out of all nations unto Jehovah, unto the mountain of My holiness, Jerusalem (Isaiah 66:20).

He that putteth His trust in Me shall have the land for a heritage, and shall possess as an inheritance the mountain of My holiness (Isaiah 57:13).

In Ezekiel:

In the mountain of My holiness, in the mountain of the height of Israel, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve Me (Ezekiel 20:40).

In Micah:

In the latter end of days it shall be that the mountain of the house of Jehovah shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and the peoples shall flow unto it (Micah 4:1).

Besides many passages elsewhere in which "the mountain of holiness," "Mount Zion," and "the mountain of Jehovah" are mentioned:

The mountain of holiness (Isaiah 11:9; 56:7; 65:11, 65:25; Jeremiah 31:23; Ezekiel 28:14; Daniel 9:20; 11:45; Joel 2:11; 3:17; Obadiah 1:16; Zephaniah 3:11;Zechariah 8:3; Psalms 15:1; 43:3).

And Mount Zion (Isaiah 4:5; 8:18; 10:12; 18:7; 24:23; 29:8; 31:4; 37:32; Joel 3:5; Obad. verses 17, 21; Micah 4:7; Lamentations 5:18; Psalms 48:11; 74:2; 78:68; 125:1).

Because "Mount Zion" signified Divine good and the church in respect to Divine good, it is said in Isaiah:

Send ye [the lamb of] the ruler of the land from the cliff towards the wilderness unto the mountain of the daughter of Zion (Isaiah 16:1).

And in Revelation:

A lamb standing upon the Mount Zion, and with him a hundred forty and four thousand (Revelation 14:1).

[27] From this it can also be seen why the New Jerusalem, in which was a temple, was seen by Ezekiel built upon a high mountain, respecting which it is thus written:

In the visions of God I was brought unto the land of Israel; he set me down upon a very high mountain, whereon was as it were the building of a city on the south (Ezekiel 40:2).

Respecting this, much is said in the chapters that follow. In David:

Great is Jehovah, and to be praised exceedingly in the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness; beautiful in situation, the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. God is known in her palaces as a refuge (Psalms 48:1-3).

This describes the worship of the Lord from truths that are from good. The worship of Him from spiritual truths and goods and the consequent pleasure of the soul is signified by "Great is Jehovah, and to be praised exceedingly in the city of our God, in the mountain of His Holiness, beautiful for situation;" worship is meant by "to be great," and "to be praised exceedingly;" spiritual truth that is from spiritual good by "in the city of our God, the mountain of His Holiness;" and the consequent pleasure of the soul by "beautiful for situation;" the worship of the Lord from celestial goods and truths is described by "the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great king;" worship from celestial good is meant by "the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion;" and truths from that good by "on the sides of the north, the city of the great King;" "the sides of the north" meaning truths from celestial good, and "the city of the great King" the doctrine of truth therefrom. That truths are inscribed on those who are in celestial good is signified by "God is known in her palaces." "The sides of the north" signify truths from celestial good, because those who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom dwell in the east in heaven; and those who are in truths from that good, towards the north there.

[28] In Isaiah:

O Lucifer, thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into the heavens; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; and I will sit on the mount of the meeting, on the sides of the north (Isaiah 14:13).

"Lucifer" means Babylon, as is evident from what precedes and follows in this chapter; its love of ruling over heaven and the church is described by "I will ascend into the heavens, and will exalt my throne above the stars of God;" which means a striving for dominion over those heavens that constitute the Lord's spiritual kingdom, for truths and the knowledges of truth appear to such as stars; "I will sit on the mount of meeting, on the sides of the north" signifies a striving for dominion over the heavens that constitute the Lord's celestial kingdom, "the mount of meeting" and "the sides of the north" meaning the goods and truths there (as above). The fact that Mount Zion and Jerusalem were built as far as possible according to the form of heaven makes clear what the words cited above from David signify, "Mount Zion on the sides of the north, the city of the great king;" and the words from Isaiah, "The mount of meeting on the sides of the north."

[29] In Isaiah:

Sennacherib the king of Assyria said, By the multitude of my chariots I will come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; where I will cut down the height of its cedars, the choice of its fir trees (Isaiah 37:24).

This describes, in the internal sense, the haughtiness of those who wish to destroy the goods and truths of the church by reasonings from falsities; "the king of Assyria" signifies the rational perverted; "the multitude of his chariots" signifies reasonings from the falsities of doctrine; "to come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and to cut down the height of its cedars, and the choice of its fir trees" signifies the endeavor to destroy the goods and truths of the church, both internal and external; "mountains" meaning the goods of the church, "the sides of Lebanon" meaning where goods are conjoined with truths, "Lebanon" the spiritual church, "cedars" its internal truths which are from good, and "fir trees" its external truths, also from good. This is the meaning of these words in the spiritual sense, consequently in heaven.

[30] "Mountain" and "mountains" signify the goods of love and of charity in the following passages also. In David:

Jehovah who covereth the heavens with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to spring forth upon the mountains (Psalms 147:8).

"The clouds," with which Jehovah covers the heavens, signify external truths, such as are in the sense of the letter of the Word; for the truths in that sense are called in the Word "clouds," while the truths in the internal sense are called "glory;" "the heavens" mean internal truths, because those who are in the heavens are in them; "the rain which he prepares for the earth" signifies influx of truth, "the earth" meaning the church, and thus those there who receive truth, for the church consists of such; "the mountains on which He makes grass to spring forth" signify the goods of love, and thence those who are in the goods of love, "grass" signifying the spiritual nourishment that such have; for grass for beasts is meant, and "beasts" signify the affections of good of the natural man.

[31] In Moses:

Of Joseph he said, Blessed of Jehovah be the land [of Joseph] for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that lieth beneath, for the firstfruits of the mountains of the east, and for the precious things of the hills of an age (Deuteronomy 33:13-15).

This is the blessing of Joseph, or of the tribe named from Joseph by Moses; and this blessing was pronounced upon Joseph because "Joseph" signifies the Lord's spiritual kingdom, and the heaven there that most nearly communicates with the Lord's celestial kingdom; "the land of Joseph" means that heaven, and also the church that consists of those who will be in that heaven; "the precious things of heaven, the dew, and the deep that lieth beneath" signify Divine-spiritual and spiritual-natural things from a celestial origin, "the precious things of heaven" Divine-spiritual things, "the dew" spiritual things communicating, and "the deep that lieth beneath" spiritual-natural things; "the firstfruits of the mountains of the east, and the precious things of the hills of an age" signify genuine goods, both of the love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbor, "the mountains of the east" meaning the goods of love to the Lord, "the firstfruits" genuine goods, and "the hills of an age" the goods of charity towards the neighbor. Those who are ignorant of what is represented by "Joseph" and "his tribe," and also by "dew," "the deep that lieth beneath," "the mountains of the east," and "the hills of an age," can know scarcely anything of what such words involve, and, in general, can know scarcely anything of the significance of what is said by Moses in this whole chapter respecting the tribes of Israel, and of what is said by Israel the father in Genesis 49.

[32] In Matthew:

Ye are the light of the world; a city ³ that is set on a mountain cannot be hid (Matthew 5:14).

This was said to the disciples, by whom the church which is in truths from good is meant; therefore it is said, "Ye are the light of the world," "the light of the world" meaning the truth of the church. That it is not the truth unless it is from good is signified by "a city that is set on a mountain cannot be hid," "a city on a mountain" meaning truth from good.

[33] In the same:

If any man have a hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, will he not leave the ninety and nine in the mountains, and going seek that which is gone astray? (Matthew 18:12).

It is said, "will he not leave the ninety and nine in the mountains?" for "sheep in the mountains" signify those who are in the good of love and charity; but "the one that is gone astray" signifies one who is not in that good, because he is in falsities from ignorance; for where falsity is, there good is not, because good is of truth.

[34] In the Gospels:

When ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, then let them that are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let him that is on the roof not go down into the house (Mark 13:14; Matthew 24:15-17; Luke 21:21).

In those chapters the Lord describes the successive vastation of the church, but it is described by pure correspondences. "When ye shall see the abomination of desolation" signifies when the disciples, that is, those who are in truths from good, perceive the church to be devastated, which takes place when there is no longer any truth because there is no good, or no faith because there is no charity; "then let them that are in Judea flee to the mountains" signifies that those who are of the Lord's church are to remain in the good of love, "Judea" signifying the Lord's church, and "mountains" the goods of love; "to flee to them" means to remain in those goods; "let him that is on the roof not go down into the house" signifies that he that is in genuine truths should remain in them, "house" signifying a man in respect to all the interior things which belong to his mind, and "the roof of the house" signifying therefore the intelligence that is from genuine truths, thus also the genuine truths through which there is intelligence. Unless the particulars of what the Lord said in these chapters of the Gospels are illustrated by the spiritual sense, scarcely anything that is contained there can be known, thus when it is said "let him that is on the roof not go down into the house;" or in another place, "let not him that is in the field return back to take his garments;" and many other things.

[35] Thus far it has been shown that "mountains" signify in the Word the goods of love; but as most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so do "mountains," which in that sense signify the evils of the love, or the evils that spring forth from the loves of self and the world. Mountains are mentioned in this sense in the following passages in the Word. In Isaiah:

The day of Jehovah of Hosts shall come upon everyone that is proud and exalted, and upon all the exalted mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up (Isaiah 2:12, 14).

"The day of Jehovah of Hosts" means the Last Judgment, when the evil were cast down from the mountains and hills which they occupied in the spiritual world, as was said in the beginning of this article. It is because such before the Last Judgment dwelt upon mountains and hills, that "mountains and hills" mean the loves and the evils therefrom in which they were, "mountains" the evils of the love of self, and "hills" the evils of the love of the world. It is to be known that all who are in the love of self, especially those who are in the love of ruling, when they come into the spiritual world, are in the greatest eagerness to raise themselves into high places; this desire is inherent in that love; and this is why "to be of a high or elated mind" and "to aspire to high things" have become expressions in common use. The reason itself that there is this eagerness in the love of ruling is that they wish to make themselves gods, and God is in things highest. That "mountains and hills" signify these loves, and thence the evils of these loves, is clear from its being said, "a day of Jehovah of Hosts shall come upon everyone that is proud and exalted, and upon all the exalted mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up;" what else could be meant by "coming upon the mountains and hills?"

[36] In the same:

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, make level a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill shall be made low (Isaiah 40:3-4).

This, too, treats of the Lord's coming and of the Last Judgment at that time; and "the voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, and a highway for our God," signifies that they should prepare themselves to receive the Lord; "wilderness" signifying where there is no good because there is no truth, thus where there is as yet no church; "every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill shall be made low" signifies that all who are humble in heart, that is, all who are in goods and truths, are received, for such as are received by the Lord are raised up to heaven; while "every mountain and hill shall be made low" signifies that all who are elated in mind, that is, who are in the love of self and the world, shall be put down.

[37] In Ezekiel:

For I will make the land a desolation and wasteness, that the pride of strength may cease; and the mountains of Israel have been laid waste, that none may pass through (Ezekiel 33:28).

This describes the desolation and vastation of the spiritual church, which the Israelites represented; for the Jews represented the Lord's celestial kingdom, or the celestial church, while the Israelites represented the Lord's spiritual kingdom, or the spiritual church. Its "desolation and vastation" signifies the last state of the spiritual church, which was when there was no longer any truth because there was no good, or, when there was no faith because no charity; "desolation" is predicated of truth which is of faith, and "vastation" of good which is of charity. Boasting and elation of mind from falsities that they call truths, is signified by "the pride of strength," "strength" and "power" having reference to truths from good, because all strength and all power belong to such truths; here, however, they have reference to falsities, because of the boasting and elation of mind. That there was no longer any good of charity and faith is signified by "the mountains of Israel have been laid waste;" that there was no good whatever, but only evil, is signified by "that none may pass through."

[38] In the same:

Son of man, set thy faces toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord Jehovih; Thus said the Lord Jehovih to the mountains and to the hills, to the water-courses and to the valleys: Behold I bring the sword upon you (Ezekiel 6:2-3).

Here, too, "mountains of Israel" signify the evils that proceed from the love of self and of the world, which exist with those who are in the spiritual church, when they no longer have any good of life, but only evil of life and the falsity of doctrine therefrom; "mountains," "hills," "water-courses," and "valleys," signify all things of the church, both interior or spiritual and exterior or natural, "mountains and hills" signifying things interior or spiritual, "water-courses and valleys" things exterior or natural; that these will perish through falsities is signified by "Behold I will bring the sword upon you," "sword" meaning the destruction of falsity by truths, and in a contrary sense, as here, the destruction of truth by falsities.

[39] In the same:

In the day in which God shall come upon the ground of Israel, the fishes of the sea, and the fowl of the heavens, and the wild beast of the field, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the ground, and every man who is upon the faces of the ground, shall quake before Me, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steps shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the earth; then I will call for the sword against him unto all My mountains (Ezekiel 38:18, 20-21).

What all this signifies see above, n. 400, where it is explained, namely, what is signified by "God," by "the fishes of the sea," "the fowl of the heavens," "the wild beast of the field," "the creeping thing that creepeth upon the ground;" also that "the mountains of Israel" signify the goods of spiritual love, but here, the evils of love that are opposed to those goods.

[40] In Micah:

Arise, strive thou with the mountains, that the hills may hear thy ⁴ voice. Hear, O ye mountains, the strife of Jehovah, and ye strong foundations of the earth; for Jehovah hath a strife with His people, and He reproveth Israel (Micah 6:1, 2).

This, too, was said of the spiritual church, which was represented by the Israelites when separated from the Jews; and "mountains" mean the goods of charity, and "hills" the goods of faith; but here, the evils and falsities that are the opposites of these goods; therefore, it is said, "strive thou with the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice;" "the strong foundations of the earth" mean the principles of falsity in that church, "the earth" meaning the church, and "foundations" the principles upon which the other things are founded. It is said, "with His people," "with Israel," because "people" means those who are in truths, or those who are in falsities; and "Israel" those who are in goods, or those who are in evils.

[41] In Jeremiah:

Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, destroying the whole earth; and I will stretch out the hand against thee, and roll thee down from the cliffs, and will make thee a mountain of burning (Jeremiah 51:25).

This was said of Babylon, by which those who are in the falsities of evil and in the evils of falsity from the love of self are meant, for such misuse the holy things of the church as a means of ruling; it is from that love and the falsities and evils therefrom that Babylon is called "a destroying mountain, destroying the whole earth," "the earth" meaning the church. The destruction and damnation of such by the falsities of evil is signified by "I will roll thee down from the cliffs," "cliffs" meaning where the truths of faith are, here, where the falsities of evil are; while the destruction and damnation of such by the evils of falsity is signified by "I will make thee a mountain of burning," "burning" having reference to the love of self, because "fire" signifies that love (See in the work on Heaven and Hell 566-573). This makes clear that "mountains" signify the evils of the love of self and the world, since Babylon is called "a destroying mountain," and is to be made "a mountain of burning." In Nahum:

The mountains quake before Him, and the hills dissolve, and the whole earth is burned up before Him. Who can stand before His rebuking (Nahum 1:5-6).

What this, in series, signifies, may be seen above n. 400, where the particulars are explained; showing that "mountains and hills" here mean the evils of the love of self and the world.

[42] In Micah:

Jehovah going forth out of His place cometh down and treadeth upon the high places of the earth. Therefore the mountains are melted under Him, and the valleys are cleft, as wax before the fire, as waters poured down a descent; on account of the transgressions of Jacob is all this, and on account of the sins of the house of Israel (Micah 1:3-5).

This, too, was said of the Last Judgment, and of those who then made for themselves a semblance of heaven upon the mountains and hills (who have been treated of above, in several places). The Last Judgment is meant by "Jehovah going forth out of His place, He cometh down and treadeth upon the high places of the earth," "upon the high places of the earth" signifying upon those who were in the high places, that is, upon whom judgment was executed, for in the spiritual world, just as in the natural world, there are lands, mountains, hills, and valleys. The destruction of those who are upon the mountains and in the valleys, who are such as are in evils from the love of self and the world and in the falsities therefrom, is signified by "the mountains are melted under Him, and the valleys are cleft, as wax before the fire, as waters poured down a descent," "mountains" signifying the evils of the loves of self and of the world, and "valleys" the falsities therefrom; of these evils of the loves of self and of the world that are signified by "mountains" it is said that they are melted "as wax before the fire," since "fire" signifies those loves; and of the falsities that are signified by "valleys" it is said "as waters poured down a descent," since "waters" signify falsities. This was evidently because of evils and falsities, for it is said, "on account of the transgressions of Jacob is all this, and on account of the sins of the house of Israel."

[43] In Jeremiah:

I saw the earth, and lo, it is void and empty; and towards the heavens, and they have no light. I saw the mountains, and lo, they quake, and all the hills are overturned. I saw, and lo, there is no man, and every fowl of heaven hath fled away (Jeremiah 4:23-25).

"The quaking of the mountains" signifies the destruction of those who are in the evils of the love of self, and "the overturning of the hills," the destruction of those who are in the evils of the love of the world, and in falsities. (The remainder may be seen explained above, n. 280, 304).

In Isaiah:

O Jehovah, that Thou wouldst rend the heavens, that Thou wouldst come down, that the mountains might flow down before Thee (Isaiah 64:1).

These words have a similar signification as those in Micah (1:3-5) which have been explained above.

[44] In David:

Bow Thy heavens, O Jehovah, and come down; touch the mountains that they may smoke. Flash forth the lightning and scatter them (Psalms 144:5-6.

"To bow the heavens and come down," means the like as "to rend the heavens and come down," "to go forth out of His place, and to come down and tread upon the high places of the earth," quoted above, namely, to visit and judge; "to touch the mountains that they may smoke" signifies to destroy by His presence those who are in the evils of the loves of self and of the world, and in falsities therefrom; "to smoke" signifies to be let into the evils of these loves and into their falsities, for "fire" signifies these loves, and "smoke" their falsities; "flash forth the lightning and scatter them" signifies the Divine truth by which they are dispersed, for it is by the presence of Divine truth that evils and falsities are disclosed, and from the collision then there are appearances like lightnings.

[45] In Moses:

A fire hath been kindled in Mine anger, and shall burn even unto the lowest hell, and it shall devour the earth and its produce, and shall set in flames the foundations of the mountains (Deuteronomy 32:22).

It is said that "a fire hath been kindled in Jehovah's anger, which shall burn even unto the lowest hell," although Jehovah has no fire of anger, much less one that burns to the lowest hell; for Jehovah, that is the Lord, is angry with no one, and does evil to no one, neither does He cast anyone into hell, as may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell 545-550; but it is so said in the sense of the letter of the Word, because it so appears to an evil man, and also to a simple man, for the Word in the letter is according to appearance, because according to the apprehension of natural men. But as angels, who are spiritual, see the truths themselves of the Word, not apparently according to the apprehension of man, but spiritually, therefore with the angels the sense of such expressions is inverted, and this is the internal or spiritual sense, that is, that the infernal love with man is such a fire, and burns even to the lowest hell; and as that fire, that is, that love, destroys all things of the church with man, from the very foundation, therefore it is said that "it shall devour the earth and its produce, and shall set in flames the foundations of the mountains," "the earth" meaning the church, "its produce" everything of the church, "the foundations of the mountains" the truths upon which the goods of love are founded, and these are said "to be set in flames" by the fire of the love of self and the world. In David:

Then the earth tottered and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled and tottered because He was wroth (Psalms 18:7).

The meaning here is similar, but for an explanation of the particulars see above, n. 400. In the same:

God is a refuge for us. Therefore will we not fear when the earth shall be changed, and when the mountains are moved in the heart of the seas; the waters thereof shall be in tumult, they shall foam, the mountains shall quake in the uprising thereof (Psalms 46:1-3).

This, too, may be seen explained above n. 304, where it may be seen what is signified by "the mountains are moved in the heart of the seas," and "the mountains shall quake in the uprising," namely, that the evils of the loves of self and of the world will cause distress according to their increase.

[46] In Isaiah:

The anger of Jehovah is against all nations, and His wrath upon all their host; He hath devoted them, He hath given them to the slaughter, that their slain may be cast forth; and the stink of their carcasses shall come up, and the mountains shall be melted by their blood (Isaiah 34:2-3).

This is said of the Last Judgment; and "the anger of Jehovah is against all nations, and His wrath upon all their host" signifies the destruction and damnation of all who are in evils and their falsities from purpose and from the heart; "nations" signifying these evils, and "host" all falsities therefrom. That such are to be damned and that they will perish is signified by "He hath devoted them, and hath given them to the slaughter." The damnation of those who will perish through falsities is signified by "their slain shall be cast forth;" those are said in the Word "to have been slain" who have perished through falsities; and "to be cast forth" signifies to be damned. The damnation of those who would perish by evils is signified by "the stink of their carcasses shall come up;" those are called in the Word "carcasses" who have perished by evils, and "stink" signifies their damnation; "the mountains shall be melted by their blood" signifies that evils of the loves with such are full of falsities, "mountains" meaning the evils of the loves of self and of the world, and "blood" falsity.

[47] In the same:

I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools (Isaiah 42:15).

"To make waste mountains and hills" signifies to destroy all the good of love to the Lord and towards the neighbor; "to dry up every herb" signifies the consequent destruction of all truths, "herb" signifying truths springing from good; "to make the rivers islands, and to dry up the pools" signifies to annihilate all the understanding and perception of truth, "rivers" signifying intelligence which is of truth, "islands" where there is no intelligence, "pools" the perception of truth. The understanding of truth is from the light of truth, but the perception of truth is from the heat or love of truth.

[48] In the same:

Behold, O Jacob, I have made thee into a new threshing instrument having sharp teeth, that thou mayest thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and make the hills as chaff. Thou shalt disperse them, that the wind may carry them away and the tempest scatter them (Isaiah 41:15-16).

"Jacob" means the external church in respect to good and truth, and thence external good and truth, which are good and truth from the sense of the letter of the Word. Those who are of the external church are in such good and truth. These are compared to "a new threshing instrument having sharp teeth," because a threshing instrument beats out wheat, barley, and other grain from the ears, and these signify the goods and truths of the church (See above, n. 374-375; here therefore because evils and falsities are what are to be crushed and broken up it is said "a threshing instrument having sharp teeth, that thou mayest thresh the mountains and beat them small, and make the hills as chaff," which signifies the destruction of the evils arising from the love of self and the world, and of the falsities therefrom; and it is added "thou shalt disperse them, that the wind may carry them away and the tempest scatter them," which signifies that they shall be of no account; both "wind" and "tempest" are mentioned because both evils and falsities are meant, "wind" having reference to truths, and in the contrary sense to falsities, and "tempest" to the evils of falsity.

[49] In the same:

The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, but My mercy shall not depart from with thee (Isaiah 54:10).

"The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed," does not mean that the mountains and hills that are on the earth are to depart and be removed, but those who are in evil loves and in falsities therefrom, for this chapter treats of the nations from which a new church is to be formed, therefore "mountains and hills" mean, in particular, those of the former church, consequently the Jews with whom were mere evils of falsity and falsities of evil, because they were in the loves of self and of the world.

[50] In Jeremiah:

For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are laid waste so that no man passeth through (Jeremiah 9:10).

"The mountains" for which there is weeping and wailing, mean evils of every kind springing forth from the two loves just mentioned; and "the habitations of the wilderness" signify falsities therefrom, for "wilderness" signifies where there is no good because there is no truth, and "habitations" where falsities are; so here the "habitations of the wilderness" mean the falsities from the evils above described; that there is no good and truth whatever is meant by "they are laid waste so that no man passeth through." Where vastation is treated of in the Word, it is customary to say, "so that no man passeth through," and it signifies that there is no longer any truth, and consequently no intelligence. It is evident that it is not mountains and habitations of the wilderness for which there is weeping and wailing.

[51] In the same:

My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have caused them to err, the mountains have turned away; they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place (Jeremiah 50:6).

In Ezekiel:

My sheep go astray on all the mountains and upon every exalted hill; and My sheep were scattered upon all the faces of the earth, and there is none that enquireth or seeketh (Ezekiel 34:6).

That "the sheep have gone from mountain to hill," and that "they go astray on all the mountains and upon every exalted hill" signifies that they seek goods and truths, but do not find them, but that evils and falsities are seized upon instead. "The mountains have turned away" signifies that instead of goods there are evils.

[52] In Jeremiah:

Give glory to Jehovah your ⁵ God, before He cause darkness and before your feet stumble upon the mountains of twilight (Jeremiah 13:16).

This signifies that Divine truth must be acknowledged, that falsities and evils therefrom may not break in from the natural man; "to give glory to God" signifies to acknowledge the Divine truth, "glory" in the Word signifying Divine truth, and to acknowledge it and live according to it is the glory which the Lord desires, and which is to be given to Him; "before He cause darkness" signifies lest falsities take possession, "darkness" meaning falsities; "and before your feet stumble upon the mountains of twilight" signifies lest evils therefrom out of the natural man take possession, "the mountains of twilight" meaning the evils of falsity, for "mountains" mean evils, and it is "twilight" when truth is not seen, but falsity instead, and "feet" signify the natural man, for all evils and the falsities therefrom are in the natural man, because that man by inheritance is moved to love himself more than God, and the world more than heaven, and to love the evils adhering to those loves from parents. These evils and the falsities therefrom are not removed except by means of Divine truth and a life according to it; by these means the higher or interior mind of man, which sees from the light of heaven, is opened, and by this light the Lord disperses the evils and the falsities therefrom that are in the natural mind. (That "feet" signify the natural man, see above, n. 65, 69 and Arcana Coelestia 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952)

[53] In the Gospels:

Jesus saith unto the disciples, Have the faith of God; verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto [this] mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, what he hath said shall be done for him (Mark 11:22-23; Matthew 17:20).

One who is ignorant of the arcana of heaven and of the spiritual sense of the Word, might believe that the Lord said this, not of saving faith, but of another faith that is called historical and miraculous; but the Lord said this of saving faith, which faith makes one with charity and is wholly from the Lord, therefore the Lord calls this faith "the faith of God;" and because it is by this faith, which is the faith of charity from Him, that the Lord removes all evils flowing from the loves of self and of the world and casts them into hell from which they came, so He says, "Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea, what he hath said shall he done;" for "mountain" signifies the evils of those loves, and "sea" signifies hell; therefore "to say to a mountain, Be thou taken up," signifies the removal of those evils, and "to be cast into the sea" signifies to be cast into the hell from which they came. Because of this signification of "mountain" and "sea," this came to be a common expression with the ancients when the power of faith was the subject of discourse; not that that power can cast the mountains on the earth into the sea, but it can cast out the evils that are from hell.

Moreover, the mountains in the spiritual world upon which the evil dwell are often overturned and cast down by faith from the Lord; for when the evils with such are cast down, the mountains upon which they dwell are also cast down, as has been several times said before; and this has often been seen by me. That no other faith than the faith of charity from the Lord is here meant is evident from what follows in the Lord's discourse in Mark, where it is said:

Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever that praying ye ask for, believe that ye are to receive, and it shall be done for you. But when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any, that your Father also who is in the heavens may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye shall not forgive, neither will your Father who is in the heavens forgive your trespasses (Mark 11:24-26).

This makes evident that "the faith of God," of which the Lord here speaks, is the faith of charity, that is, the faith that makes one with charity, and is therefore wholly from the Lord. Moreover, the Lord said these things to the disciples when they supposed that they could do miracles from their own faith, thus from themselves; nevertheless such things are done by faith from the Lord, thus by the Lord (as is also evident from Matthew 17:19, 20, where like things are said).

[54] Because "mountains" signified the goods of celestial love, and "hills" the goods of spiritual love, the ancients, with whom the church was representative, had their Divine worship upon mountains and hills, and Zion was upon a mountain, and Jerusalem on mountainous places below it. But that the Jews and Israelites, who were given to idolatry, might not turn Divine worship into idolatrous worship, it was commanded them that they should have their worship in Jerusalem only, and not elsewhere; but because they were idolaters at heart they were not content to have their worship in Jerusalem, but after a custom of the nations derived from the ancients they everywhere held worship upon mountains and hills, and sacrificed and burnt incense thereon; and because this was idolatrous with them, worship from evils and falsities was signified by their worship upon other mountains and hills; as in the following passages. In Isaiah:

Upon a mountain high and lifted up hast thou set thy bed; thither also wentest thou up to sacrifice sacrifices (Isaiah 57:7).

In Hosea:

They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills (Hosea 4:13).

In Jeremiah:

Backsliding Israel is gone away upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and thou hast played the harlot (Jeremiah 3:6).

"To play the harlot" signifies to falsify worship; that this was idolatrous, is evident from these words in Moses:

Ye shall destroy the places wherein the nations served their gods, upon the mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree (Deuteronomy 12:2).

In these passages, therefore, worship upon mountains and hills signifies worship from evils and falsities. From this, also, it came that the nations in Greece placed Helicon on a high mountain, and Parnassus on a hill below it, and believed that their gods and goddesses dwelt there; this was derived from the ancients in Asia, and especially those in the land of Canaan, who were not far away, with whom all worship consisted of representatives.

[55] It is said in the Gospels:

The devil took Jesus up into a high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and tempted Him there (Matthew 4:8; Luke 4:5).

This signifies that the devil tempted the Lord through the love of self, for this is what "the high mountain" signifies; for the three temptations described in these passages signify and involve all the temptations that the Lord endured when He was in the world; for the Lord, by temptations admitted into Himself from the hells and by victories then, reduced all things in the hells to order, and also glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine. All the Lord's temptations were described so briefly, since He has revealed them in no other way; but yet they are fully described in the internal sense of the Word. (Respecting the Lord's temptations see what is cited in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 201, 293, 302.)

Bilješke: