justification by faith alone, these reasonings being treated of in what now follows.

700. "And the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings from the rising of the sun might be prepared," signifies, that the falses of their reasoning were removed, with those who are in truths derived from good from the Lord, and are to be introduced into the New Church. By the water being dried up, is signified, that the falses of their interior reasonings were removed; by being dried up is signified that they were removed, and by water is signified truths, and, in an opposite sense, falses, n. 50, 614; in the present case, the falses of interior reasonings, because it was the water of the river Euphrates, by which river such reasonings are signified, n. 699. By the kings for whom a way was to be prepared, are signified they who are in truths derived from good from the Lord, n. 28, 483. By the rising of the sun is signified the beginning of a new church from the Lord, the same as by morning, n. 151. By preparing the way is signified to prepare for introduction. From these considerations it is evident, that by the water being dried up, that the way of the kings from the rising of the sun might be prepared, is signified, that the falses of their reasonings were removed with respect to those who are in truths derived from good from the Lord, and are to be introduced into the New Church.

This is the series of the subjects under consideration : the one here treated of relates to the consummation or end of the present church, and to the establishment or beginning of a new church, and contentions relative thereto; they of the present church who are in faith alone, are meant by the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, of which mention is made below; and his contentions with those who will be of the New Church, are meant by the gathering together of the kings of the earth to battle: but they of the New Church, with whom they will contend, are meant by those for whom the water of the river Eu phrates was dried up, that a way might be prepared for the kings from the rising of the sun. This involves or implies something similar to the introduction of the child

ren of Israel into the land of Canaan, only with this dif ference, that for the former the river Jordan was dried up, but for the latter the river Euphrates; the reason why the river Euphrates was dried up for the latter, is, because, in the present instance, the contention is carried on by means of interior reasonings, which are to be dried up, that is, removed, before introduction can be effected; which also is the cause why their interior reasonings are discovered and laid open in this work; indeed, were these interior reasonings to remain undiscovered, man with all his intelligence might unawares be easily seduced and led away.

701. "And I saw come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet," signifies, a perception that from the theology founded on the doctrine of a trinity of persons in the Divinity, and on the doctrine of justification by faith alone without the works of the law. By the mouth is signified doctrine, and thence preaching and discourse, n. 453, 574. By the dragon is signified the acknowledgment of three gods, and of justification by faith alone, and the consequent devastation of the church, n. 537. By the beast which came up out of the sea, which is here meant, are signified the men of the external church who are in that acknowledgment and faith, n. 567, 576, 577, 601. By the false prophet are signified the men of the internal church, who teach theology as formed from those doctrines; the false prophet is not mentioned before, but it is the beast which rose out of the earth which is now so called, see above, n. 594. Now as all these things are signified by the dragon, the beast out of the sea, and the false prophet, by which is here meant the same as the beast out of the earth, it follows, that by I saw come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, is signified a perception that from the theology founded on the doctrine of a trinity of persons in the Divinity, and on the doctrine of justification by faith alone without the works of the law.

702. "Three unclean spirits like frogs," signifies,

there resulted mere ratiocinations and cupidities of falsifying truths. By spirits the same is here signified as by demons, because it is presently said that they were spirits of demons, and by demons are signified the lusts of falsifying truths, n. 458. By three are signified all, n. 400, 505, therefore, in this instance exclusively; by frogs are signified ratiocinations proceeding from lusts, because they croak, and have itching desires, hence it is plain, that by the three unclean spirits like frogs, are signified mere ratiocinations and lusts of falsifying truths. Frogs, in this passage, have a like signification with the frogs of Egypt, because the devastation of the church effected among the Egyptians is in like manner described by miracles, concerning which it is thus written in Moses: "Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up, and covered the land, and afterwards the frogs were removed, and remained in the river only," Exod. viii. 1-10, Psalın lxxviii. 45, cv. 30. The reason why frogs were produced from the waters of Egypt, and remained in the river, was because the waters in Egypt, and especially the waters of its river, signified the falses of doctrine upon which their reasonings were founded.

703. "For they are the spirits of demons," signifies that they were cupidities of falsifying truths, see above, n. 458, and as they were like frogs, they were also the lusts of reasoning from falses, as above, n. 702.

704. "Working signs which go forth unto the kings of the earth, and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of the great day of God Almighty," signifies, attestations that their falses are truths, and excitements of all those in that church, who are in the same falses, to impugn the truths of the new church. That to make or do signs, is to testify, and also to make attestation that a thing is true, see above, n. 598, 599, in the present case, that their falses are truths. By the kings of the earth and of the whole world, are signified they who are principally in falses grounded in evil, here all who are in the same falses throughout the whole church; for by kings are signified they who are in truths derived from good,

and, in an opposite sense, they who are in falses derived from evil, n. 483. By the earth is signified the church, n. 285, in like manner, by the world, n. 551. By going away to gather them to battle, is signified to incite them to combat or to make opposition, for by war is signified spiritual war, which is that war of falsity against truth, and of truth against falsity, n. 500, 586: the reason why it means to oppose or impugn the truths of the New Church, is, because it is called the great day of God Almighty, and by that day the coming of the Lord is signified, and upon that the establishment of the New Church; that this is the signification of the great day will be seen presently. It is said that the spirits of demons would do this, because they signify the lusts of falsifying truths, and reasoning from falses, as above, n. 703. From these considerations it is evident, that by spirits of demons making signs to go away unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty, are signified attestations by those who are meant by the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, as above, n. 701, 702, that their falses are truths, and the excitements of all those in that church, who are in the same falses, to oppose or impugn the truths of the New Church. That the great day of God Almighty signifies the coming of the Lord, and upon that the establishment of a new church, is evident from many passages in the Word, as from these: "In that day shall Jehovah alone be exalted," Isaiah ii. 11. "In that day the remnant of Israel shall stay upon Jehovah, the holy One of Israel, in truth," Isaiah x. 20. "In that day-shall be a root of Jesse ; to it shall the Gentiles seek, and his rest shall be glorious," Isaiah xi. 10. "In that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the holy One of Israel," Isaiah xvii. 7, 9. "In that day it shall be said, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us," Isaiah xxv. 9. "Therefore my people shall know my name; therefore in that day they shall know that I am he that doth speak; behold it is I,' Isaiah lii. 6. "Alas! for that day is great, so that none

VOL. II.

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"Behold, the days come,

is like it," Jerem. xxx. 7. saith Jehovah, that I will make a new covenant, and the city shall be built to Jehovah," Jerem. xxxi. 27, 31, 38. "In those days-will I cause the branch of righteousness to grow up unto David," Jerem. xxxiii. 15. “For the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of Jehovah," Ezek. xiii. 5. "In that day shall Michael stand up, the great prince, which standeth for the children of thy people. In that day thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book," Dan. xii. 1. "In that day, saith Jehovah, that thou shalt call me, Ishi. In that day will I make a covenant with them. In that day will I hear," Hosea ii. 16, 18, 21. "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great day of Jehovah," Malachi iv. 5. "In that day shall Jehovah their God save the flock of his people," Zech. ix. 16. "In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem," Zech. xiii. 1. “Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh, it shall be one day which shall be known to Jehovah. In that day shall there be one Jehovah, and his name One. In that day there shall be a great tumult. In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, Holiness to Jehovah," Zech. xiv. 1, 7, 9, 13, 20. Besides these there are many other passages, in which by the day of Jehovah is meant the coming of the Lord and then the establishment of a new church by him, as in the following places, Isaiah iv. 2, xx. 6, xxiv. 21, xxv. 9, xxviii. 5, xxix. 18, xxx. 25, 26, xxxi. 7, Jerem. iii. 16, 17, 18, xxiii. 5, 6, 7, 12, 20, 1. 4, 20, 27, Ezek. xxiv. 26, 27, xxix. 21, xxxiii. 11, 12, xxxvi. 33, Hosea iii. 5, vi. 1, 2, Joel iii. 1, 2, 14, 18, Obad. ver. 15, Amos ix. 11, 13, Micah iv. 6, Habak. iii. 2, Zeph. iii. 11, 16, 19, Zech. ii. 11, Psalm lxxii. 7, 8. And that day is called the day of Jehovah, Joel i. 15, ii. 1, 2, 11, Amos v. 13, 18, 20, Zeph. i. 7, 14. ii. 2, 3, Zech. xiv. 1, and in other places. Inasmuch as there is a consummation of the age, that is, an end of the old church, at the coming of the Lord, and the commencement of a new church, therefore by the day of Jehovah, in many passages,