7573. And Jehovah gave voices of thunder. That this signifies the withdrawal and separation of the communication with those who are in good and truth is evident from the signification of the "voices," which are those of thunders, as being truths Divine that enlighten and perfect those who are in heaven, and that terrify and devastate those who are in hell; and because they devastate these latter, they signify the withdrawal and separation of the communication of those who are in good and truth, for in this way they are devastated. How this takes place is plain from what was said before (n. 7502, 7541, 7542, 7545, 7554), namely, that they who have been of the church, and from this have imbibed knowledges of truth and good from the Word, but have lived a life of evil, have communication with heaven through the truths and goods which they have brought with them from the world by having been in the church (that a man brings with him in the other life whatever he has known in the world, nay, whatever he has seen, heard, thought, spoken, willed, and done, see n. 2474, 2475, 2481-2486, 7398). This is the communication which is taken away when they are being devastated; and when this communication has been taken away, then also the truths and goods together with the knowledges thereof have also been taken away. For whatever is known by spirits, nay, by the angels, flows in through heaven from the Lord, thus by means of communications (see n. 6053-6058, 6189-6215, 6307-6327, 6466-6495, 6613-6626). From all this it is evident what is meant by the withdrawal and separation of the communication with those who are in truth and good. As regards truth Divine in heaven and in hell, which truth is signified by the "voices," the case is the same as it is with thunders on earth. On high mountains thunders are heard as a mild and gentle sound, whereas below on the earth they are heard as a terrific noise; and in the same way in heaven truth Divine is mild and gentle, but in hell is terrible. [2] That "voices" which are thunders signify truths Divine that enlighten and perfect those who are in heaven, and that terrify and devastate those who are in hell, is plain from the following passages:
There shall be joy of heart; as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountains of Jehovah, unto the Rock of Israel; then shall Jehovah cause the glory of His voice to be heard, and shall make His arm see rest; in the indignation of anger, and the flame of a devouring fire, in scattering, and in inundation, and in hailstone. For by the voice of Jehovah shall Asshur be dismayed (Isa. 30:29-31);
here "the voice of Jehovah" denotes truth Divine, which enlightens and perfects those who are in good, and terrifies and devastates those who are in evil. In Joel:
The earth quaked before Him, the sun and the moon were blackened, and the stars withdrew their shining; and Jehovah uttered His voice before His army, His camp is very great; for numberless is he that doeth His word; for the day of Jehovah is great and very terrible (Joel 2:10-11);
where the meaning is similar. [3] In the same:
Jehovah shall roar from Zion, and shall utter His voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake; but Jehovah shall be a refuge for His people, and a stronghold to the sons of Israel (Joel 3:16). Here in like manner the "voice of Jehovah" denotes truth Divine; that it is said to be "from Jerusalem" is because by "Jerusalem" is signified the Lord's spiritual kingdom, in which are they who are in good from truth, and in truth from good. [4] In David:
Jehovah thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered His voice, hailstone and coals of fire; so that He sent out His arrows and scattered them; and many thunderbolts, and troubled them (Ps. 18:13-14);
"to utter His voice," "hailstone," and "coals of fire," denote the devastation of truth and good through falsities, and the evils of cupidities. In the same:
The clouds dropped waters, the skies uttered a voice, Thine arrows also went abroad, the voice of Thy thunder into the world, the lightnings lightened the world (Ps. 77:17-18);
"a voice" denotes truth Divine, which enlightens those who are of the church. [5] In the same:
The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters, the God of glory thundereth, even Jehovah upon great waters: the voice of Jehovah is in power: the voice of Jehovah is with honor: the voice of Jehovah breaketh the cedars, Jehovah hath broken in pieces the cedars of Lebanon: the voice of Jehovah cleaveth as flames of fire: the voice of Jehovah maketh the wilderness to tremble: the voice of Jehovah maketh the hinds to calve, and strippeth the forests (Ps. 29:3-9);
here "the voice of Jehovah" denotes truth Divine and its power, thus also the Word, because this is truth Divine. [6] In John:
A strong angel coming down cried with a great voice, and when he cried the seven thunders uttered their voices. I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not (Rev. 10:1, 3-4);
"voices" denote truth Divine; "thunders," those who carry it and bring it from heaven to earth. Everyone can see that by "thunders" and "voices" are signified Divine things, not thunders and sounds; and because they signify Divine things, and are called "the voices of Jehovah," it is evident that they denote Divine truth. It was for this reason that when Jehovah descended upon Mount Sinai and promulgated Divine truth there were voices, lightnings, and thunders (Exod. 19:16; 20:18); and He spoke out of the midst of the fire (Deut. 4:11-12; 5:22-25).
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