Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 433land of Egypt that speak with the lip of Canaan and that swear toJehovah of Hosts. In that day there shall be an altar to Jehovah in themidst of Egypt (19:2, 18, 19).“Egypt” means the natural man and its knowledge; “that they mayfight a man against his brother, and a man against his companion,”means against good and truth; “city against city, and kingdomagainst kingdom,” signifies doctrine against doctrine, and churchagainst church; “in that day” signifies the Lord’s coming, and thestate then of those who are natural and in true knowledges(scientificum); “five cities in the land of Egypt,that speak with thelip of Canaan” signify the truths of doctrine in abundance, whichare genuine truths of the church, “five” meaning many or inabundance; “cities” truths of doctrine; “the lip of Canaan” genuinetruths of the church. “An altar to Jehovah” here signifies worshipfrom the good of love.[15] In the same:The highways have been laid waste, he that passeth through theway hath ceased; he hath rejected the cities, he regardeth not man. Theland mourneth, it languisheth; Lebanon hath faded away (33:8, 9).“The highways that have been laid waste, and the way that is notpassed through,” are truths leading to heaven, which are truths ofthe church; “to reject the cities” is to reject the truths of doctrine;“to regard not man” is to regard not truth and good. “The landthat mourneth and languisheth” is the church in respect to good;“Lebanon that hath faded away” is the church in respect to truth.[16] In the same:Sing, O barren, that did not bear, for more are the sons of thedesolate than the sons of the married one. Enlarge the place of thy tent;thy seed shall inherit the nations, and make the desolate cities to beinhabited (54:1–3).“The barren that did not bear” signifies the nations that have not asyet truths from the Word; “the sons of the desolate” are the truths