Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 563Thou hast with Thine arm redeemed Thy people. The cloudspoured out waters; the skies gave forth a voice; Thine arrows also wentforth; the voice of Thy thunder into the world; the lightning lightenedthe world (Ps. 77:15, 17, 18).Here the establishment of the church is treated of; “the cloudspoured out waters” signifies truths from the sense of the letter ofthe Word; “the skies gave forth a voice” (that is, the higher clouds),signifies truths from the spiritual sense of the Word; “the arrowsthat went forth” (meaning thunderbolts, from which there is anappearance as of arrows from a bow and which are present whenthere are thunders and lightnings) signify Divine truths; “the voiceof thunder into the world” signifies Divine truth in respect toperception and understanding in the church; and “the lightningslightened the world” signifies Divine truth in respect to illustrationthence; “the world” signifies the church.[3] In the same:A fire shall go before Jehovah, and bum up His enemies roundabout; His lightnings shall lighten the world (Ps. 97:3, 4).From these words also it is clear that “lightnings” signify Divinetruth in respect to illustration, for it is said “His lightnings shalllighten the world.[4] In Jeremiah:The Maker of the earth by His power, He prepareth the world byHis wisdom, and by His intelligence stretcheth out the heavens; at thevoice that He giveth forth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens,and He maketh the vapors to go up from the end of the earth, Hemaketh lightnings for the rain (10:12, 13; 51:16; Ps. 135:7, 8).Here again the establishment of the church is treated of. That “thevoice of thunder” signifies Divine truth in respect to perceptionand understanding, and “lightnings” Divine truth in respect toillustration, can be seen from its being said, “The Maker of theearth prepareth the world by His wisdom, and by His intelligence