Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 498the church who are in the knowledges of truth and good, seeArcana Coelestia, n. 1201; that “sons of Judah and sons ofJerusalem” mean all truths of good, because “sons” signify truths, n.1729, 1733, 2159, 2623, 2803, 2813, 3373, 3704, 7499, 8897,9807; “Judah” the celestial church, n. 3654, 6364; “Jerusalem” thechurch where there is genuine doctrine, n. 3654, 9166; that “sonsof the Grecians” mean falsities, because “Grecians signify thenations that are in falsities, see above, n. 50.)[13] In Ezekiel:The traders of Sheba and Raamah, by the chief of all spices, and byevery precious stone and gold, they gave for thy tradings (27:22).In thy wisdom and thine intelligence thou hadst made to thyselfwealth, and hast gotten gold and silver in thy treasures. Thou wast inEden, the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, andgold (28:4, 13).In these two passages also Tyre is treated of, and by it, as was saidabove, those within the church who are in the knowledges of truthand good are meant. (By “her tradings” those knowledgesthemselves are meant. “Sheba and Raamah” also mean those whoare in these knowledges, see A.C, n. 1171, 3240; “spices” signifytruths which are pleasing because from good, see n. 4748, 5621,9474, 9475, 10199, 10254; “precious stones” signify truths, whichare beautiful because from good, n. 9863, 9865, 9868, 9873, 9905;“the garden of Eden” signifies intelligence and wisdom therefrom,n. 100, 108, 1588, 2702, 3220.) Now because these things signifythe knowledges of truth and of good, and “gold and silver” thegoods and truths themselves, and because through these allintelligence and wisdom are acquired, it is said, “In thineintelligence and thy wisdom thou hast gotten gold and silver in thytreasures.”[14] In Lamentations:How is the gold become dim! how is the most pure gold changed!the stones of holiness are poured out at the head of every street. The