Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 569I will shut up the Egyptians into the land of a hard lord; and afierce king shall rule over them. Then the waters shall fail from the sea,and the river shall dry up and become dry (19:4, 6).By “the Egyptians” knowledges that are of the natural man aremeant; “the hard lord into whose hands they should be shut up”signifies the evil of self-love; “a fierce king” signifies falsitytherefrom; “the waters shall fail from the sea” signifies that with allthe abundance of knowledges there still are no truths; and “theriver shall dry up and become dry” signifies that there is nodoctrine of truth and no intelligence therefrom.[3] In the same:Jehovah win visit with His sword, hard, great, and strong, uponleviathan the stretched out serpent, and leviathan the crooked serpent,and win slay the whales that are in the sea (27:1).This is also said of “Egypt,” by which knowledges that are of thenatural man are signified; “leviathan the stretched out serpent”signifies those who reject all things which they do not see with theeyes, thus the merely sensual, who are without faith, because theydo not comprehend. “Leviathan the crooked serpent” signifiesthose who, for the same reason, do not believe, and yet say thatthey believe. “The sword, hard, and great, and strong, with whichthey shall be visited,” signifies the extinction of all truth, for“sword” signifies falsity destroying truth. “The whales in the sea,”that shall be slain, signify knowledges in general. (That these aresignified by “whales,” see Arcana Coelestia, n. 7293.)[4] In the same:Let the inhabitants of the isle be still; thou merchant of Zidonpassing over the sea, they have fined thee. Blush, O Zidon, for the seahath said, the stronghold of the sea, saying, I have not travailed, and Ihave not brought forth, and I have not brought up young men, andhave not raced up virgins; when the report comes to Egypt they shall beseized with grief, as by the report respecting Tyre (23:2–5).