Chapter 21.

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The Triumphal Entry

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1. And when they were near Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage unto the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

2. Saying to them, “Go ye into the village opposite you, and straightway you shall find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; when you have loosed [them], bring [them] to Me.

3. And if anyone say anything to you, you shall say that the Lord has need of them; and straightway he will send them.”

4. And all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was declared through the prophet, saying,

5. “Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King comes to thee, meek, and mounted upon a donkey, and a colt the son of her that is used to the yoke.”

6. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus directed them.

7. They brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their garments on them, and they had [Him]sit on them.

8. And a crowd of very many spread their own garments in the way; and others cut branches from the trees and spread [them] in the way.

9. And the crowds that went before, and they that followed, cried out, saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed [is] He that comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest.”

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As the disciples follow Jesus on the upward journey toward Jerusalem, they come to the Mount of Olives (21:1). In the Word, mountains (because of their power and height) signify the loftiest aspects of God — especially God’s love. And olives (because of the golden color of their oil, and their ability to sooth wounds) signify God’s compassion and power to heal. So, the picture of Jesus on the Mount of Olives suggests that whatever He is about to do will come from the divine love within Him. ¹

The first thing Jesus does is to send two of His disciples into the village to get a female donkey (a “she-ass”) and a male donkey (the “colt of the she-ass”). This brings to mind Zechariah’s prophecy: “Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, and a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9).

When the disciples return with the female donkey and the colt that Jesus requested, the disciples first put their garments on the two animals, and then they set Jesus upon them. He is ready to begin what is known as His “triumphal entry” into Jerusalem.

At this point, a question arises. The literal text simply says that they set Jesus on them.” Does it mean that they set Jesus on the garments? Or does it mean that they set Jesus on the animals? Also, does it mean that Jesus rode upon one and let the other follow? Or, does it mean that Jesus straddled both animals? From the literal statement alone, even in the most faithful translations from the Greek, it is difficult to determine. However, when we consider the spiritual meaning of this event, we might reasonably conclude that Jesus rode upon both, exactly according to the letter. As it is written, “They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them” (21:7). ²

Because all things in the Word are representative and significative, we need to carefully consider what is meant by Jesus coming into Jerusalem sitting on both a female donkey and a male colt. Taken together, a female and a male represent the two essential principles of spiritual life: goodness (a female donkey) and truth (a colt). Jesus sits above them both, holding them closely together, and leading them along. Meanwhile, the garments of the disciples upon which Jesus sits, and the palm branches that are spread in the way (21:8) represent every derivative good and truth related to the higher principles represented by the female donkey and male colt. ³

This is the beautiful picture that is presented to us as Jesus — sitting above the donkey and colt — now makes His triumphal entry from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem. Beneath Him are every principle of the human mind, signified not only by the donkey and her colt, but also by the garments of the disciples which are laid on the two animals, and the clothing of the multitudes that are spread out on the road, along with branches they have cut from palm trees. This is a picture of the total subordination of the human mind to the leading of the Lord. ⁴

It is a time to rejoice, not only for the people who have come to Jerusalem to witness Jesus’ triumphal entry, but also for each of us. As Jesus rides into Jerusalem, indicating that He is about to become king, we can acknowledge that everything in us is subject to His rule, and we can cry out along with the multitudes, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (21:9).

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The Cleansing of the Temple

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10. And when He was come into Jerusalem, all the city was shaken, saying, “Who is this?”

11. And the crowd said, “This is Jesus, the Prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”

12. And Jesus came into the temple of God, and cast out all those that sold and bought in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of those that sold doves;

13. And says to them, “My house shall be called a house of prayer; but you have made it a cave of robbers.”

14. And there came to Him the blind and the lame in the temple; and He cured them.

15. But the chief priests and the scribes seeing the marvelous [things] which He did, and the boys crying out in the temple, and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” were indignant;

16. And said to Him, “Hearest Thou what these say?” But Jesus says to them, “Yes; have you never read, that out of the mouths of infants and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?”

17. And leaving them, He went out of the city to Bethany, and stayed there.

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It is one thing to proclaim that the Lord is our King, and to welcome Him as the ruler of our lives. We can rejoice with the multitude who cried out “Hosanna,” an echo from the Hebrew scriptures when the people cried out, “O, Lord, save us, grant us prosperity” (Psalm 118:25). There is a part of us that wishes it were that easy. If we could be saved from our sins by merely calling upon the Lord, as the literal teachings of scripture seem to indicate, there would be nothing for us to do. But the real work of salvation requires effort on our part. The Lord cannot save us apart from our willingness to deeply examine our innermost thoughts and desires, acknowledge those that are contrary to the Lord’s will, fight against them, and pray for deliverance from them. ⁵

This is not an easy process, and often does not look like a victory parade. And so, even while we are receiving the Lord, and rejoicing at His coming into our lives, He enters the temple — the sacred place within us where our innermost thoughts and feelings reside. This should be a temple of God, a place that hallows every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord, a place of devout worship and continual prayer. But when Jesus comes to the temple, He does not find this sort of worship and prayer. Instead, He finds that the temple is filled with people making profit, buying and selling — instead of worshipping and praying. It is a picture of our own minds, whenever they are pre-occupied with selfish gain and material profit rather than focusing on God and the things of heaven.

It is true that Jesus comes into our lives — as He came into Jerusalem — to bless us. But before He can do so, we need to remove every thought and feeling that prevents us from experiencing His presence and doing His will. Therefore we read that “Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of those who sold doves” (21:12).

his dramatic incident pictures the way Jesus can enter our minds, clearing out the thieves and robbers that would take away our faith in God. The human mind, like a holy temple, should be free from selfish interests; it should be a holy place, a sacred dwelling, a “house of God” ready to receive the Lord at His coming. And so, as Jesus clears the temple, He says “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves’” (21:13).

If we read these words merely at the literal level, there is a danger that it will encourage contempt for the corrupt religious leaders, and for the people who bought and sold in the temple. While it was certainly sacrilegious for them to use the temple for selfish profit,

there is no point now in condemning them. Rather, we should examine our own hearts and minds, and recognize how we, like those religious leaders can also use the things of religion for our own advantage. In what ways might we also be using the scriptures and the things of faith to justify our selfish ambitions, advance our own agendas, and justify feelings of contempt for others? ⁶

Every now and then we hear about religious leaders who inordinately profit from their ministries, living in luxury while members of their congregation go hungry. This is an obvious example of how the things of religion can be used for selfish gain. Also, whenever “people of the cloth” attribute to themselves the honor and dignity which belong to their sacred office — and not to the person — they also use the things of religion for selfish gain. They “steal” the honor and glory that belong to God alone, and attribute it to themselves. Truly they make the house of God a den of thieves. But each of us does similarly whenever we attribute to ourselves the true thoughts we think (moneychangers) and the good things we do (selling doves), taking credit for our accomplishments rather than attributing everything to God. ⁷

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Out of the mouth of babes

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Historically, the temple at Jerusalem had become entirely corrupt. Divine worship had been perverted into a form or self-aggrandizement among the priesthood. The pride of self-intelligence was rampant. The truths of doctrine and the letter of the Word were perverted and profaned in the hands of a self-serving religious establishment.

When God came into the world through the life and teachings of Jesus, a central part of His mission was to restore a proper understanding of the Word. This is represented by His efforts to clear out the temple. of course, there were some who vehemently resented what Jesus was doing. These are the parts of our mind that do not want to change. These strongholds of selfishness strenuously resist any attempt we make to drive them out.

But there are other parts of our mind that welcome Jesus. These are represented by the blind and the lame who come to Him while He is still in the temple and ask to be healed (21:14). This is a picture of our willingness to approach the Lord, humbly recognizing our spiritual blindness, and our tendency to hobble through life without the light of truth to guide us. We mean well, but we acknowledge that we have been stumbling along in darkness, making poor choices because we lack spiritual discernment. Jesus responds to these states in us, always ready to provide the healing truths that we need. Therefore, we read that Jesus “cured them” (21:14). ⁸

This healing in the temple did not go unnoticed. Not only did the religious leaders see what Jesus had just done, but also children were present to witness the event. These children represent the innocent parts of us that can never be lost, those deep, innocent affections that remain with us wherever we go. Just as they were there in the temple two thousand years ago, they are there with us today, in the innermost parts of our mind — our holy temple. These are the parts of us which cry out again and again, not just in the streets outside of the temple, but within the very temple itself. Therefore, we read that

“the children were crying out in the temple and saying, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David’” (21:15).

When the religious leaders see what is happening and hear the children shouting, they are outraged, not just because the children are crying out in the temple, but because they are praising Jesus. Even worse, these children are repeating the same words that were shouted when Jesus rode through the streets of Jerusalem, “Hosanna to the Son of David” — words that welcomed Jesus as the coming king who would save them.

Therefore, the religious leaders confront Jesus, saying, “Do You hear what these are saying?” (21:16). Jesus has not only heard what they are saying, but He commends them for praising Him: “Yes,” He says, “have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?” (21:16).

These “babes” and “nursing infants” are those parts of ourselves which can still honor and praise the Lord, no matter how much the temple of our mind has been desecrated by “thieves” and “robbers.” It is because of these tender states, stored away in the deepest part of ourselves, that there is always hope for each of us. Though these states may seem weak and helpless, they are in reality our strength, for they acknowledge that the Lord alone is the strength of our lives. As it is written in the Hebrew scriptures, “O, Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth, You who have set Your glory above the heavens! Out of the mouth of babes and infants You have ordained strength, because of Your enemies. That You may silence the enemy and the avenger” (Psalm 8:1-2).

Just as the words of scripture have the power to silence our inner enemies, Jesus has temporarily silenced the religious leaders. They say nothing. It is time for Jesus to move on. As it is written, “Then He left them and went out of city to Bethany, and He lodged there” (21:17).

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The Tree and the Mountain

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18. And in the morning, as He went up into the city, He hungered.

19. And seeing one fig tree on the way, He came up to it, and found nothing on it except leaves only, and says to it, “No more shall there be fruit from thee to eternity”; and immediately the fig tree dried up.

20. And the disciples, seeing, marveled, saying, “How immediately has the fig tree dried up!”

21. And Jesus answering said to them, “Amen I say to you, If you have faith, and doubt not, you shall not only do this [which is done] to the fig tree, but should you just say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up, and be thou cast into the sea, it shall come to pass.

22. And all things whatever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.”

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The cleansing of the temple in Jerusalem represents how the Lord comes into the very interiors of our mind to cast out every selfish concern and arrogant attitude. As a result, we discover there are still places within us that are “blind” and “lame” as well as places of child-like humility. These are the places in us that acknowledge our need for the

Lord’s guidance at every moment of our lives. In this way, the temple of our mind is re-ordered by the Lord; “the last” (heavenly thoughts and feelings) which had been buried for so long, resurface. Once again, they are “first,” and this time they will not be silenced. Instead, they cry out within us, saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David.”

But this is only a beginning. The Lord still desires that these heavenly thoughts and feelings be actualized in works of useful service to others. The useful deeds that we perform, in the name of the Lord, are His food. He hungers to see us loving and serving one another. Therefore, as the next episode begins, we read that Jesus arises the next morning and returns to the city. Along the way He hungers. So He stops by a fig tree to eat some of its fruit, but finds nothing on it but leaves (21:18-19). On one level, the fig tree with only leaves on it represents the corrupt religious establishment of the time. It taught truth (leaves) but did not live according to truth (fruit). At a more interior level, however, the fruitless fig tree represents our tendency to get caught up in knowledge about heaven, rather than leading the live of heaven. We learn truths in abundance (leaves), but do not do any good; that is, we produce no fruit. ⁹

Just as fruit trees are meant to produce fruit, not just leaves, human beings are born to be of service to others, not just to study how to be of service. In a dramatic representation of what can happen to us if we spend our time learning truth, rather than using it to do good, Jesus says to the fig tree, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately, “the fig tree withered away” (21:19). Through this illustration, Jesus teaches that if we do not put the truth that we know to use, it will wither and die, just as the fruitless fig tree perishes before the eyes of the disciples.

The disciples, amazed at what they have just seen, turn to Jesus and ask, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?” (21:20). Jesus replies, “Assuredly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to this fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And all things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive” (21:22).

Here Jesus speaks of a great promise that will be fulfilled if we, on our part, do two things. First, we must be willing to put aside our tendency to value the pursuit of knowledge over the dedication to useful service. This is represented by the fig tree filled with leaves but without any fruit. We should remember that knowledge is a means, but not an end. The Son of Man (the divine truth of the Word) comes to serve, not to be served.

Secondly, we must be willing to put aside our tendency to love ourselves and the things of the world more than the Lord and our neighbor. We must never exalt ourselves over others, feel proud of ourselves in comparison with others, or adopt a “high and mighty” attitude when dealing with others. These kinds of attitudes are represented by the mountain which must be cast into the sea. As it is written by the prophets, “Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill shall be made low (Isaiah 40:4); also, “The Lord of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up, and it shall be brought low…. The loftiness of man shall be bowed down…. The Lord alone will be exalted in that day” (Isaiah 2:14-17). ¹⁰

To the extent that we strive to remove the unfruitful fig tree of mere knowledge without service, along with the towering mountain of haughtiness and pride, Jesus promises wonderful things. “All things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive” (21:22). We must be aware, however, that these answers to prayer will not come by merely believing. We must first remove the unfruitful tree and the prideful mountain!

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Into the Temple, Again

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23. And coming into the temple, the chief priests and elders of the people came to Him as He was teaching, saying, “By what authority doest Thou these things? And who gave Thee this authority?”

24. And Jesus answering said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I also will tell you by what authority I do these things.

25. The baptism of John, whence was [it]? From heaven, or from men?” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we shall say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why did you not then believe him?’

26. But if we shall say, ‘From men,’ we fear the crowd, for all hold John as a prophet.”

27. And answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” And He declared unto them, “Neither do I say to you by what authority I do these things.”

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After teaching His disciples about the fig tree and the mountain, Jesus goes back into the temple. He is immediately confronted by the religious leaders who ask, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?” (21:23). Instead of answering them directly, Jesus asks them a question: “The baptism of John,” He says, “Where was it from? Was it from heaven or from men?” (21:25).

This is an important question, not just for the religious leaders to consider, but for each of us as well. John the Baptist represents the letter of the Word. To a certain extent it is from men, because it is written by men and contains their many misconceptions about God and the life that leads to heaven. And yet, it is also from heaven because it contains infinite divine truth. Even the misconceptions, when understood more deeply, and interpreted according to the things they signify, contain beautiful truths waiting to be received by all who have ears to hear.

The answer, then, is that the literal sense alone — when separated from its internal meaning — is from man. But when the internal meaning can be seen within it, it is from heaven. Just as John the Baptist prepared the way for the coming of Jesus, the letter of the Word prepares the way for the coming of the internal sense.

The religious leaders, however, are not aware of this. But they are aware that if they say that John’s authority is from heaven, Jesus will then be able to ask, “Why did you not believe Him?” (21:25). On the other hand, if they say that John’s authority is from men,

they will displease the multitudes who believe that John is a prophet. So they merely say, “We do not know” (21:27).

These words, so simple, and yet so expressive, demonstrate the Lord’s ability to humble the proud. Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled: “The loftiness of man shall be bowed down.” These knowledgeable religious leaders, so proud of their learning and their intellect, are unable to answer Jesus’ question. All they can say is, “We do not know.” Once again, the arrogant religious leaders are silenced by the wisdom of Jesus who came to exalt every humble valley and cause every mountain of prideful self-love to be brought low. ¹¹

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The Parable of the Two Sons

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28. “But what do you think? A man had two children, and coming to the first he said, ‘Child, go, work today in my vineyard.’

29. And he answering, said, ‘I am not willing’; but afterwards being remorseful, he went.

30. And coming to the second, he said likewise; and he answering said, ‘I [go], lord’; and went not.

31. Which of the two did the will of the father?” They say to Him, “The first.” Jesus says to them, “Amen I say to you, that the publicans and the harlots shall go before you into the kingdom of God.

32. For John came to you in the way of justice, and you did not believe him; but the publicans and the harlots believed him; and seeing [it] you were not remorseful afterwards, that you might believe him.”

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Still in the temple, Jesus delivers a series of parables that reveal the true motives of the religious leaders. The first parable concerns a landowner who has two sons. One of the sons says he will not work in the vineyard, but afterwards he regrets his decision and says he will. But the second son does just the opposite. He says he will work in the vineyard, but he doesn’t. “Now which of these sons,” says Jesus, “did the will of his father?” (21:31). Although this appears to be a simple and straightforward question, it is much more than that. It’s about the religious leaders who are confronting Jesus at that very moment. They are the ones who say they will work in the vineyard, but do not. They may occupy places of importance in the temple and in the community, but as far as Jesus is concerned, they are not doing their Father’s will.

But there were other people — sinners, tax collectors, harlots — who initially refused to do their Father’s will, and later on regretted it. They saw the error of their ways, returned to their Father, determined to do His will. Such are those whom Jesus is speaking about when He says, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you, for John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward repent and believe him” (21:32).

With these words, Jesus comes closer to removing any ambiguity about whom the parable is about. It’s about the religious leaders who will not believe the words of John the Baptist, nor will they accept the Lord’s leading. They continue to do their own will,

rather than the Lord’s. The case is similar for each of us whenever we refuse to live by the plain, open teachings of John the Baptist — the plain, literal, unmistakably true teachings of the Word. Even tax collectors and harlots may relent and decide to accept the basic truths of the Word as the guide for their life, but the religious leaders do not. Therefore, the tax collectors and harlots will enter the kingdom of God before the religious leaders — if they enter at all. ¹²

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The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers

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33. “Hear another parable: There was a certain man, a householder, who planted a vineyard, and put a hedge around it, and dug a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to farmers, and went abroad.

34. And when the time of the fruits was near, he sent his servants to the farmers, to receive the fruits of it.

35. And the farmers taking his servants, beat one, and killed one, and stoned one.

36. Again, he sent out other servants, more than the first; and they did unto them likewise.

37. And last of all he sent to them his son, saying, ‘They will have respect for my son.’

38. But the farmers, seeing the son, said in themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and have his inheritance.’

39. And taking him, they cast [him] out of the vineyard, and killed [him].

40. When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?”

41. They say to Him, “He will destroy those evil [ones] with evil, and will let out the vineyard to other farmers, who will render him the fruits in their times.”

42. Jesus says to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone which the builders rejected, this has been made into the head of the corner; this was made by the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes?’

43. Therefore I say to you, that the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth its fruits .

44. And whoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken; but on whomever it shall fall, it shall grind him to powder.”

45. And when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they knew that He spoke of them.

46. And when they sought to take hold of Him, they feared the crowds, since they held Him as a prophet.

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Jesus then tells another parable, apparently about a landowner who leased his vineyard to vinedressers, but more specifically about the religious leaders. If the previous parable was not direct enough to let the religious know that it was about them, this next parable gradually becomes an obvious condemnation of their behavior. In this parable, Jesus compares authentic religion — that which is consistent with God’s will for humanity — to a “vineyard.” The owner of the vineyard is the Lord, and the vinedressers whom He initially hires are the religious establishment of that day — especially the religious leaders at the temple in Jerusalem.

At first, Jesus keeps the connection to the religious leaders deliberately vague. He simply says, “There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard . . . And he leased it to vinedressers” (21:33). When it is harvest time, the landowner sends his servants to the vinedressers “that they might receive its fruit” (21:34). Here we note once again, that the emphasis is upon fruit. The Lord wants to see the fruits of our labors in the vineyard; He wants us to be involved in useful service to others. For this He hungers (see 21:18). ¹³

But the vinedressers give them no fruit. Instead, “the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another” (21:35). Not only do they give no fruit, but also they cruelly abuse and murder those who come to collect it. Jesus is here referring to the many prophets who have preceded Him. Each of them warned that people should turn to the Lord, remove evil from their hearts, and live in righteousness. But the people, and especially the religious leaders, refused to listen. Instead, as Jesus said during the Sermon on the Mount, they “persecuted the prophets who were before you” (5:12).

When Jesus speaks about the beating, killing, and stoning of the servants of the landowner, He is referring to a time in history when the human heart had become so hardened that it was outraged at any attempt to correct it. The Hebrew scriptures record numerous examples of how God’s prophets, who all spoke about the necessity of returning to the Lord, were treated. For example, we read that “The children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword” (1 Kings 19:10). “Jezebel slaughtered the prophets of the Lord” (1 Kings 18:4), and “Your sword has devoured your prophets like a roaring lion.” (Jeremiah 2:29-30). This history of reckless rejection of the prophets did not cease. Even in Jesus’ day, the prophet John the Baptist was at first rejected, then imprisoned, and finally beheaded.

Similarly, the religious leaders have rejected every attempt to soften their hardened hearts. The human race was headed for spiritual destruction. God had no other recourse than to come in person. Therefore, we read, “Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when those wicked vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come let us kill him and seize the inheritance.’” (21:38).

Jesus is talking about Himself as the “son of the landowner.” He knew that in their hearts these religious leaders wanted to destroy Him. They thought that they could secure their positions of power and maintain their influence by denying the divine truth. We do something similar whenever we believe that we can find happiness by avoiding the spiritual work of keeping the commandments. Our avoidance and denial might take the form of self-defensive lies, shrewd rationalizations for not keeping the commandments, and clever ways to twist the truth in order justify our selfish desires. The ways and opportunities are myriad. And yet, each time we do this, we murder the son of the landowner thinking that we can “seize the inheritance” — that is, we think we can secure what we believe is our happiness. Jesus puts it this way: “They took him, cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him” (21:39).

The religious leaders still do not see the connection between themselves and the wicked vinedressers. So, Jesus asks them, “Therefore, when the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?” (21:40). Not realizing that Jesus is talking about them, and what the Lord will do to them, they reply, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons” (21:41).

The religious leaders answer in a way that reveals their incorrect understanding of God. Not yet realizing that the lord of the vineyard is God Himself, they say, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably.” It’s an idea of God based on their own level of consciousness, or to put if differently, according to what was in their hearts. They see God in terms of their own nature — a God of vengeance and destruction. ¹⁴

In saying that these wicked vinedressers should be killed for the way they treated the son, the religious leaders are condemning themselves for the way they have been treating Jesus. Additionally, they are predicting the eventual demise of the religious establishment they represent. It will be taken away from them and given to others. This becomes clear when they add that the lord of the vineyard will not only destroy those wicked men, but also “lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.”

The beautiful phrase, “render to him the fruits in their seasons,” although spoken by the religious leaders, contains a blessed truth. Every time we perform some act of unselfish service, acknowledging that the love, wisdom, and power to do so come from the Lord alone, we “render to him the fruits in their seasons.” ¹⁵

So far, the religious leaders still do not get the point — nor do we if believe that this parable refers simply to the religious leaders of that time. It is about us — not just them. It is about our tendency to reject the truth when it comes into our lives by not living according to it. While the language in the parable is strong, it is useful to understand that in some way we murder the truth in ourselves every time we refuse to live what that truth teaches. Truth not lived will wither and die, like the fig tree that bore no fruit in the previous parable.

Jesus now gets very direct with the religious leaders. It’s time to let them know that this parable, like the preceding parable, is about them. Did you never read the scriptures?” He says. “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone” (21:42). Jesus then adds, “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it” (21:43). If they haven’t gotten the point before, they are surely getting it now. “The kingdom of God will be taken from you,” says Jesus. And He concludes with these words: “Whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder” (21:44).

What is this stone? Jesus has already told that this is the stone that “the builders rejected.” It is the same stone that Jesus referred to when Peter confessed that Jesus is the Son of the Living God. At the time, Jesus said, “Upon this rock I will build My church” (16:18). It is the same stone that Jesus referred to when He concluded the Sermon on the Mount, saying “a wise man built his house upon a rock” (7:24). It is the same stone that Isaiah referred to, many years before, when he said that the Lord is “a sanctuary” to those who trust in Him . . . “but a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense . . . to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and many among them shall stumble; they shall fall and be broken” (Isaiah 8:14-15).

This is the conclusion of the parable. Jesus is telling the religious leaders that whoever hears His words and lives according to them will be able to meet adversity like a house built upon a rock. But those who doubt His words will not only “fall upon the stone” but also be “crushed to powder.” To “fall upon the stone” is to question divine truth; but to utterly reject it is to be “ground to powder.”

As this episode comes to a close, it seems that the religious leaders finally get the point: “They perceived that He was speaking about them” (21:45). Unfortunately, they remain true to form, stubbornly rejecting the truth about themselves, and refusing to believe that this is their call to repentance. Instead, they are so infuriated that they desire to “lay hands on Him.” But they refrain, because “they feared the multitudes who took Him for a prophet” (21:46).

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A practical application

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It can be hard to take criticism. An overinflated, puffed-up ego resists being brought down to size. But it is far better to suffer from wounded pride, and learn from our errors, than to stubbornly resist criticism, and hate those who deliver it. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).

അടിക്കുറിപ്പുകൾ:

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.)

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