Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 210against truth and destroying it. The vastations of the church, whichtake place when there are no longer any truths, but only falsities,are described in the Word by a “sword,” as in the followingpassages:They shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led captiveinto all nations; Jerusalem shall finally be trodden down by all nations,until the times of the nations shall be fulfilled (Luke 21:24).The consummation of the age, which is here treated of, is the lasttime of the church, when falsities are to prevail. “To fall by theedge of the sword” denotes that truth will be destroyed by falsity;“nations” here are evils and “Jerusalem” is the church.[7] In Isaiah:I will make a man more rare than fine gold. Everyone that is foundshall be thrust through; and everyone gathered in shall fall by the sword(Isa. 13:12, 15).“A man who is rare” for those that are in truths; “to be thrustthrough” and “to fall by the sword” means to be consumed byfalsity.[8] In the same:In that day they shall cast away every man the idols of his silverand the idols of his gold, which your own hands have made unto you.Then shall Asshur fall by the sword, not of a man [viri]; and the swordnot of a man [hominis] shall devour him; but he who fleeth for himselfbefore the sword, his young man shall be for tribute (Isa. 31:7, 8).“The idols which the hands have made” are falsities from selfintelligence;“Asshur” is the rational by which [per quod]. “To fallby the sword not of a man” [viri], and “not of a man” [hominis], isnot to be destroyed by any combat of truth against falsity. “He whofleeth for himself before the sword, his young man shall be fortribute,” means that the truth which is not destroyed shall besubservient to falsities. That this is the meaning of these words does