1131. When they shall see the smoke of her burning.- That this signifies, on account of hell and of their damnation, is evident from the signification of the smoke of burning, which denotes hell and damnation, of which we shall speak presently. "When they shall see it," signifies on account of those things, for it is said "they shall weep for her, and wail over her, when they see the smoke of her burning," by which is signified mourning and grief of heart on account thereof, that is, on account of hell and of their damnation. The smoke of burning signifies hell and damnation, because smoke signifies infernal falsity, and fire, thus combustion or burning, infernal evil. From the correspondence of infernal falsity and infernal evil with the fire of combustion, smoke mingled with fire, like smoke from a furnace or from places on fire, appears over their hells. That smoke signifies infernal falsity, may be seen above (n. 494, 539, 889); and that fire signifies such infernal evil as springs from their love, may be seen above (n. 68, 496, 504, 916).
[2] Continuation concerning the Athanasian Creed, and concerning the Lord.- Since God is eternal, He is, also, infinite; but as there is a natural idea as well as a spiritual idea of what is eternal, so is there also of what is infinite. The natural idea of what is eternal is derived from time, but the spiritual idea of this is not from time. The natural idea also of what is infinite is derived from space, but the spiritual idea of it is not from space. For as life is not nature, so the two properties of nature, which are time and space, are not properties of life, for they are from the life which is God, and were created with nature. The natural idea of the infinite God, derived from space, is, that He fills the universe from end to end; but from this idea concerning the infinite the thought arises, that the inmost of nature is God, and that therefore He is extension, whereas all extension is a property of matter.
[3] Thus because the natural idea does not at all agree with the idea of life-wisdom and love - which is God, therefore what is infinite must be viewed from the spiritual idea, in which, as there is nothing of time, so there is nothing of space, because there is nothing of nature. It is from the spiritual idea, that the Divine Love is infinite, and that the Divine Wisdom is infinite; and since the Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom are the life which is God, therefore the Divine Life is also infinite; God therefore is consequently infinite. That the Divine Wisdom is infinite, is evident from the wisdom of the angels of the third heaven. Because these excel others in wisdom, they perceive that there is no comparison between their wisdom and the Divine Wisdom of the Lord, for there can be no comparison between infinite and finite. They say also that the first degree of wisdom is to see and acknowledge that this is the case; it is similar in regard to the Divine Love. Moreover, angels, like men, are forms recipient of life, thus recipient of wisdom and love from the Lord; and these forms are from substances which are without life, thus in themselves dead, and between what is dead and what is living there is no comparison.
[4] But how what is finite receives what is infinite, may be illustrated from the light and heat of the sun of the world. The light and heat from that sun are not themselves material, but still they affect material substances, the light by modifying them, and the heat by changing their states. The Divine Wisdom of the Lord is also light, and the Divine Love of the Lord is heat-but spiritual heat and light, because they proceed from the Lord as the Sun, which is Divine Love, and at the same time Divine Wisdom; but light and heat from the sun of the world are natural, because that sun is fire and not love.
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