397. Until their fellow-servants and their brethren, who should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. That this signifies until evils have been consummated, is plain from the signification of, they should be fulfilled, as denoting until they are consummated. And from the signification of "their fellow-servants and their brethren, who should be killed as they were," as denoting evils, for to kill them denotes evil. By fellow-servants are meant those who are in truths, and by brethren are meant those who are in goods; and by fellow-servants and brethren together are meant those who are in truths from good, for in the internal sense the two are conjoined into one. Consummation is mentioned in some passages in the Word, also when evils are consummated; but scarcely any one at this day knows what is signified thereby. In three articles above, n. 391, 392, 394, it was shown that the former heaven consisted of such as haad led a moral life in externals, and yet in their internals were evil, and that they dwelt in high places in the spiritual world, and thence supposed that they were in heaven. These, because they were inwardly evil, would not tolerate among them those that were inwardly good, and this on account of the disagreement of their affections and thoughts. For all consociations in the spiritual world are effected according to the agreement of the affections, and thence of the thoughts, for angels and spirits are nothing but affections and the thoughts thence in a human form; and because those who were then on the high places, could not suffer the presence of those who were inwardly good, they, therefore, cast them out from among them, and wherever they saw them they treated them in an evil and disgraceful manner, therefore they were removed from their violence by the Lord, and concealed under heaven, and preserved. And this was taking place from the time when the Lord was in the world until this time when the judgment took place; and then those who were on high places were cast down, and those who were under heaven, raised up. The reason why the evil were so long tolerated upon high 'places, and the good so long detained under heaven, was that both the latter and the former might be completed, that is, that the good might amount to such a number as to be sufficient to form a new heaven, and also that the evil might fall down of themselves into hell; for the Lord casts no one down into hell, but the evil itself which is with evil spirits, casts them down (as may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell, n. 545-550). This is effected at the time when evils are consummated, that is, are completed.
[2] This also is what is meant by the Lord's words in Matthew:
"The servants of the householder coming, said, Didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? whence then are the tares? And they said, Wilt thou, therefore, that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest in gathering the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into the barn. So shall it be in the consummation of the age" (xiii. 27-30, 42).
The consummation of the age is the last time when the judgment [takes place]; the time of harvest is when all things are consummated or completed; the tares denote evils or those in whom evils are, and the wheat denotes goods or those in whom goods are. But concerning these more may be seen in the small work concerning the Last Judgment, n. 65-72. From these considerations it may in some degree be known why it was said to them, that they should rest yet for a little time until their fellow-servants and their brethren, who should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. By being killed is here signified the same as being slain (above, n. 392), namely, to be rejected by the evil on account of the Divine truth, and on account of their confession of the Lord.
[3] From these known circumstances it may be known what is signified by consummation, and by iniquity being consummated, in the following passages.
In Moses:
Jehovah said, "I will go down, and see whether they have made a consummation, according to the cry which is come unto me" (Gen. xviii. 21).
This is said of Sodom. In the same:
"For the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet consummated (fulfilled)" (Gen. xv. 16).
In Isaiah:
"I have heard from the Lord Jehovih of hosts a consummation and a decision upon the whole earth" (xxviii. 22).
In the same:
"A consummation is determined, justice has overflowed. For the Lord Jehovih of hosts maketh a consummation, and a decision, in the whole earth" (x. 22, 23).
In Zephaniah:
"In the fire of the zeal" of Jehovih of hosts "the whole land shall be devoured: for he shall make a consummation, and indeed speedily, with all the inhabitants of the land" (i. 18).
In Daniel:
"At length upon the bird of abominations shall be desolation, and even to the consummation and decision it shall drop upon the devastation" (ix. 27; and elsewhere).
By consummation and decision, in these passages, is signified the last state of the church, which is when truth is no longer, because there is no good, or when there is faith no longer, because there is no charity; when such is the state of the church, then the Last Judgment is come. The reason why the Last Judgment then is come, is also that the human race is the basis or foundation of the angelic heaven, for the conjunction of the angelic heaven with the human race is perpetual, and the one subsists by the other; therefore when the basis does not correspond, the angelic heaven is shaken, therefore there is then a judgment upon those who are in the spiritual world, in order that all things, in the heavens as well as in the hells, may be reduced to order. (That the human race is the basis and foundation of the angelic heaven, and that the conjunction is perpetual, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell, n. 291-310.) From these things it may be known, that by consummation is meant the last state of the church, when there is faith no longer because there is no charity. This state of the church is also called in the Word vastation and desolation, and by the Lord the consummation of the age (Matt. xiii. 39, 40, 49; xxiv. 3; xxviii. 20).
This page is part of 
© 2000-2001 The Academy of the New Church