Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 294For brass I will bring gold, for iron I will bring silver, for woodsbrass, and for stones iron (Isa. 60:17).“To bring gold for brass” means celestial good for natural good;“silver for iron” means celestial truth for natural truth; “brass forwoods, and iron for stones,” means natural good and truth in greatabundance like that of woods and stones. Here the state of thecelestial church is treated of. (That “iron” signifies truth in thenatural man, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 425, 426.)[4] These passages are cited that it may be known what is meantby the “iron rod,” namely, the power whereby the Lord chastisesthe evils and disperses the falsities that are in the natural man; for a“rod” or “staff” signifies power (as was said above), and “iron”signifies truths in the natural man. The Lord chastises evils anddisperses falsities by means of truths in the natural man, because allevils and the falsities therefrom have their seat in the natural man,and none in the spiritual or internal man. The internal man doesnot receive evils and falsities, but is closed against them. And as allevils and falsities have their seat in the natural man, they mustneeds be chastised and dispersed by means of such things as arethere, which are truths in the natural man. Truths in the naturalman are knowledges and cognitions, from which man can think,reason, and conclude naturally respecting the truths and goods ofthe church, and the falsities and evils which are opposed to these,and can consequently be in some natural illustration when he readsthe Word. For the Word in the letter is not understood withoutillustration; and illustration is either spiritual or natural. Spiritualillustration is only with those who are spiritual; and the spiritual arethose that are of the good of love and charity and in truthstherefrom; while mere natural illustration is with those who arenatural (see Heaven and Hell, n. 153, 425, 455; and above, n. 140).Moreover, those who are spiritual have, whilst they live in theworld, illustration in the natural; but this springs from illustrationin the spiritual; for with them the Lord flows in through thespiritual or internal man into the natural or external, and thusillustrates it, from which enlightenment man can see what is trueand good, and what is false and evil, and when he sees that, theLord scatters the evils and the falsities that are in the natural man,