680. The second woe is past, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.- That this signifies lamentation over the final vastation of the church, now certainly at hand, is evident from the signification of woe, as denoting lamentation over various things, especially over such things as devastate the church (concerning this see above, n. 531); and because three signifies what is complete, therefore the third woe signifies the final lamentation, when there is full devastation; for three signifies what is complete, and thus the end, as may be seen above (n. 435, 506, 532); and from the signification of coming quickly, as denoting certainly at hand and coming to pass. That quickly signifies certainly, may be seen also above (n. 7, 216). What this third woe, which was to come quickly, involves, is evident from what follows, namely, that it involves the final state of the church, when there is no longer any truth or good, and the state of separation at that time of the evil from the good, and of the good from the evil, and at length the Last Judgment, which is effected by a complete separation, and then the casting of the evil into hell, and the raising up of the good into heaven.