767. And the dragon was wroth against the woman.- That this signifies the hatred of those who are meant by the dragon, against the church, which is the New Jerusalem, enkindled by the perception that it is favoured by many, is evident from the signification of wroth when said of the dragon, as denoting hatred, concerning which see above (n. 754, 758), therefore to be wroth denotes to hate. That it is a grievous hatred enkindled by the perception that that church is favoured by many, follows as a consequence from what precedes and from what follows. From what precedes, namely, that the earth opened her mouth, and helped the woman, and swallowed up the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth, which signifies that the church, in which there are also dragons, rendered assistance, and did not accept their crafty reasonings about faith alone; and from what follows, namely, that the dragon went away to make war with the rest of her seed, which signifies a determined effort, arising from that hatred, to attack the truths of the doctrine of that church. The anger of the dragon therefore signifies here such hatred enkindled by a perception that it is favoured by many. For, as said above, the woman flying into the wilderness to the place prepared by God signifies that the church which is the New Jerusalem was yet among a few, while provision was being made for it among many, and for its growing to fulness,