Rain

Apocalypse Explained (Tansley) n. 644

[5] That by rain, in the Word, is not meant rain, but the inflowing Divine, from which intelligence and wisdom, as well as the good of love and the truth of faith in man, grow and fructify; and that by raining is signified influx, is evident from the following passages.

Thus in Moses:

“My doctrine shall flow down as the rain, My word shall distill as the dew, as the small rain upon the grass, and as drops upon the herb” (Deut. xxxii. 2).

Doctrine is here compared to rain, because rain signifies the proceeding Divine Truth, from which is every thing of doctrine; for all comparisons in the Word are also from correspondences. Because rain signifies the Divine Truth flowing down, it is therefore said, “My doctrine shall flow down as the rain.” By dew is signified “good,” and this is also signified by “word,” therefore it is said, “My word shall distil as the dew”; intelligence and wisdom therefrom are signified by the small rain upon the grass, and by drops upon the herb; for as the grass and the herb of the field grow by reason of the waters of rain and dew, so do intelligence and wisdom from the influx of Divine Truth from the Lord. This was said by Moses, because in that chapter the twelve tribes of Israel are treated of, who, in the spiritual sense, signify all the truths and goods of the church, consequently doctrine in its whole compass.

[6] So again:

“The land which ye shall go over to possess it, is a land of mountains and valleys; it drinketh the waters of the rain of heaven. And I will give the rain of your land in its season, the early and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine (mustum), and thine oil.” But if ye shall serve other gods, and shall not walk in my statutes, “the anger of Jehovah shall be kindled against you; he will shut heaven that there be no rain, and the land shall not yield her produce.” (Deut. xi. 11, 14, 16, 17).

These words describe the land of Canaan and its fruitfulness; but because that land in the spiritual sense signifies the church, it follows that all the things contained in that description signify such things as pertain to the church, as the mountains, valleys, corn, wine (mustum), oil, produce, and rain. A land of mountains and valleys signifies the higher and lower, or the internal and external things of the church; the internal things of the church are in the internal man, which is also called the spiritual man, and the external things of the church are in the external man, which is called the natural man. That each of these is of such a quality as to receive the influx of Divine truth, is signified by drinking the waters of the rain of heaven; that the Divine Truth flows-in in each state, that is, when the man of the church is in his spiritual state and when he is in his natural state, is signified by the rain being given in its season, the early and the latter rain. For the man of the church is alternately in a spiritual state and in a natural state, and the influx and reception of Divine Truth in the spiritual state is meant by the early or morning rain, and in the natural state by the latter or evening rain. Spiritual and celestial good and truth, which the man of the church thence possesses, are meant by the corn, wine (mustum), and oil, which they shall gather in. That falsities of doctrine and of worship would prevent the influx and reception of Divine Truth, whence there would be no growth of the spiritual life, is signified by the words, “if ye shall serve other gods, there shall be no rain, and the land shall not yield her produce,” other gods denoting falsities of doctrine and of worship.

[7] Again:

“If ye walk in my statutes, and observe my precepts and do them; and the earth shall yield its produce, and the tree of the field shall yield its fruit” (Lev. xxvi. 3, 4).

Here by the rain which shall be given in its season, and the produce of the land, are signified similar things to those above. And because the church at that time was an external church, representative of interior spiritual things, therefore also it came to pass when they walked in the statutes, and observed the precepts, and did them, that they had rain in its season, and the earth yielded its produce, and the tree of the field its fruit; but still rain and thence produce were representative and significative, rain representing and signifying the inflowing Divine, produce the truth of doctrine and the understanding of truth, and fruit of the tree the good of love and the will of good.

[8] This is evident from the fact rain was withheld, and thence a famine took place in the land of Israel, for three years and a half, under Ahab, because they served other gods, and slew the prophets (1 Kings xvii. and xviii.; Luke iv. 25). This represented, and thence signified, that no Divine truth flowing-in out of heaven could be received on account of the falsities of evil, signified by other gods and by Baal, whom they worshipped. By killing the prophets is also signified to destroy Divine [truth]; for by a prophet, in the Word, is signified the doctrine of truth from the Word.

[9] In Isaiah:

“I will make” my vineyard “a desolation; it shall not be pruned nor weeded, so that the briar and the thorn shall come up; and I will command the clouds, that they rain no rain upon it” (v. 6).

Here also it is said of Jehovah that He makes the vineyard a desolation, and commands the clouds that they rain no rain upon it, although this is not done by Jehovah, that is, by the Lord, for He always flows-in with the evil as well as the good, which is meant by His sending His rain upon the just and upon the unjust (Matt. v. 45); but the cause is in the man of the church, for the reason that he does not receive any influx of Divine Truth, and the man who does not receive this closes the interiors of his mind, which are the recipients, and when these are shut, then the Divine influx is rejected. The vineyard, which is made a desolation, signifies the church; by its being neither pruned nor weeded is signified that it cannot be cultivated and so prepared for reception; by the briar and thorn which shall come up, are signified the falsities of evil; by commanding the clouds that they rain no rain, is signified that no influx of Divine truth out of heaven is received.

[10] In Jeremiah:

“The showers have been withheld, and there hath been no latter rain, but notwithstanding the forehead of a harlot remained to thee, thou hast refused to be ashamed” (iii. 3).

Again:

“They said not in their heart, Let us now fear Jehovah our God, that giveth the rain and the early and the latter rain in its season; He reserveth unto us the weeks, the appointed times of harvest; your iniquities make these to decline” (v. 24, 25).

In Amos:

“I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest, so that I caused it indeed to rain upon one city, and I caused it not to rain upon another city; one field received the rain, but the field upon which it rained not, withered; whence two three cities wandered to one city to drink waters, but they were not satisfied; nevertheless ye have not returned unto me” (iv. 7, 8).

In Ezekiel:

“Son of man, say, Thou art a land that is not cleansed, that hath no rain in the day of anger; a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst of her” (xxii. 24, 25).

In Zechariah:

“Whosoever of the families of the land shall not go up to Jerusalem to adore Jehovah Zebaoth, there shall be no rain upon them” (xiv. 17).

In these passages also rain signifies the reception of the influx of Divine Truth, from which comes spiritual intelligence; and that there is no such intelligence by any influx because of the evils and falsities which refuse to receive it and which reject it, is signified by there being no rain.

[11] In Jeremiah:

“The mighty sent their little ones to seek waters; they came unto the pits and found no waters, because the earth was chapt, for there had been no rain upon the earth; the husbandmen were ashamed, they covered their heads” (xiv. 3, 4).

By the mighty are meant those who teach and lead, and by their little ones, those who are taught and led. Waters signify truths of doctrine; pits in which there is no water signify doctrinals in which there are no truths. By there being no rain upon the earth is signified that no influx of Divine Truth is received because of the falsities in the church; by the husbandmen who were ashamed and covered their heads, are signified those who teach, and their grief.

[12] In Isaiah:

“Then Jehovah shall give rain to thy seed, with which thou shalt sow the earth, and bread of the produce of the earth, and it shall be fat and rich; thy cattle shall feed in that day in a broad meadow” (xxx. 23).

These words refer to the coming of the Lord. The influx of Divine Truth proceeding from Him, is signified by the rain which the Lord shall then give to the seed, rain signifying the Divine influx, seed the truth of the Word. To sow the land signifies to plant and form the church in man. The bread of the produce which Jehovah will give, signifies the good of love and of charity, which is produced by the truths of the Word, vivified by Divine influx. Fat and rich signifies filled with the good of love and truths therefrom, for fat is said of good, and rich of truths. By the cattle shall feed in that day in a broad meadow, is signified the extension and multiplication of these from the Divine influx, and thence spiritual nourishment, cattle denoting the goods and truths with man, that day, the coming of the Lord, and a broad meadow, the Word, by means of which the Divine influx and spiritual nourishment come; breadth is said of the extension and multiplication of truth.

[13] In the same:

“As the rain cometh down and the snow out of heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it to bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater; so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me in vain, but it shall accomplish that which I desire, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (lv. 10, 11).

Here the Word which goeth forth out of the mouth of God is compared to the rain and snow from heaven, because by the Word, the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord, and which flows into us by means of the Word, is meant; the rain and snow descending from heaven have a similar meaning, by the rain is signified spiritual truth, which is appropriated to man, and by snow, natural truth, which, when only in the memory, is like snow, but becomes spiritual by love just as snow becomes rain water by heat. By watering the earth that it may bring forth and bud, is signified to vivify the church, that it may produce the truth of doctrine and of faith and the good of love and of charity; the truth of doctrine and of faith being signified by the seed which it giveth to the sower, and the good of love and of charity by the bread which it giveth to the eater. It shall not return to me in vain, but it shall accomplish that which I desire, signifies that it shall be received, and that man from it shall be led to look to the Lord.

[14] In Ezekiel:

“I will give them and the places round about my hill a blessing, and I will send down the rain in its season, there shall be rains of blessing; then the tree of the field shall yield its fruit and the earth shall yield its produce” (xxxiv. 26, 27).

The places round about the hill of Jehovah mean all who are in truths of doctrine and thence in the good of charity. By sending down the rain in its season is signified the influx of Divine Truth, accommodated to the affection and desire of receiving and because the fructification of good and the multiplication of truth are thence, they are called rains of blessing. And it is said that the tree of the field shall yield its fruit, and the earth shall yield its produce; the tree of the field and the earth signify the church and the man of the church, the fruit of the tree of the field signifies the fructification of good, the multiplication of whose truth is signified by the produce of the earth.

[15] And in Joel:

“Sons of Zion, rejoice and be glad in Jehovah your God, for he shall give you the former rain in justice, yea, he shall cause to descend for you the rain, the former and the latter, in the first, that the floors may be full of pure corn, and the presses overflow with wine (mustum), and oil” (ii. 23, 24).

The sons of Zion signify those who are in genuine truths through which they have the good of love, for by Zion is signified the celestial church which is in the good of love to the Lord by means of genuine truths. He shall give them the former rain in justice, signifies that with them the Lord flows-in with the good of love and from that into truths; justice in the Word is said of the good of love, while the just denote those who are in that good, as may be seen above (n. 204). That the Lord continually flows-in with the good of love into truths, is signified by the words, “He shall cause the rain to descend, the former and the latter, as at first.” That thence they will have the good of brotherly and social love, is signified by the floors being full of pure corn; and that from the same source they will have the truth and good of love to the Lord, is signified by the presses overflowing with wine (mustum) and oil. Those who belong to the celestial church of the Lord possess the good of brotherly and social love; this love with those who belong to the spiritual church of the Lord is called “charity towards the neighbour.”

[16] In Zechariah:

“Ask of Jehovah rain in its season; Jehovah will make clouds and will give them the rain of the shower, to a man the herb in the field” (x. 1).

Rain here also signifies the influx of Divine Truth from the Lord, from which man possesses spiritual intelligence, rain of the shower signifies Divine Truth flowing-in abundantly, while by giving the herb in the field is signified knowledge of truth and good from the Word and intelligence therefrom.

[17] In David:

“Thou visitest the earth, and delightest in it, thou greatly enrichest it; the river of God is full of waters, thou preparest their corn, and so thou establishest it. Water the furrows thereof; settle the ridges thereof; make it soft with drops; bless the budding thereof” (Psalm lxv. 9, 10).

The earth here signifies the church; the river full of waters signifies doctrine full of truths; by watering the furrows, settling the ridges, and making it soft with drops, is signified to fill with the knowledges of good and truth. By preparing the corn is signified every thing that nourishes the soul, therefore it is said, “so thou establishest the earth,” that is, the church; by blessing the budding thereof is signified to continually bring forth anew and to cause truths to spring up.

[18] Again:

“Thou, O God, causest the rain of benevolences to come down” (Psalm lxviii. 9);

and again:

“He shall come down like the rain upon the grass of the meadow, as drops into the cleft of the earth, in his days the just shall flourish” (Psalm lxxii. 6, 7).

In these passages also rain does not signify rain, but the influx of Divine Truth with man, from which he receives spiritual life.

In Job:

“My word they will not repeat, and my speech will drop upon them, and they will wait for me as for the rain, and they will open their mouth for the latter rain” (xxix. 22, 23).

That rain here means truth which is spoken by any one and which flows-in to another, is clear, for word, speech, and to open the mouth, signify truth proceeding from any one by means of speech; therefore it is called rain, and the latter rain, and it is said also to drop, which means to speak.

[19] In Jeremiah:

“The maker of the earth by his power prepareth the world, by his wisdom and by his understanding he stretcheth out the heavens; at the voice which he uttereth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; and he maketh the vapours to ascend from the end of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth the wind out of his treasuries” (x. 12, 13; li. 16; Psalm cxxxv. 7).

The world which the Maker of the earth prepares by His power signifies the church in all the earth; power signifies the power of Divine Truth. By the heavens which He stretcheth out by wisdom and understanding, is signified the church in the heavens corresponding to the church on earth; wisdom and understanding signify the proceeding Divine, from which angels and men receive the wisdom of good and the understanding of truth, to stretch out signifying the formation and extension of the heavens in general, and the extension of intelligence and wisdom with every one who receives. At the voice which He uttereth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, signifies that from the proceeding Divine are spiritual truths in immense abundance, voice denoting the proceeding Divine, waters truths, and multitude abundance. He maketh the vapours to ascend from the end of the earth, signifies truths in ultimates, such as the truths of the Word are in the sense of the letter, in which are spiritual truths, the end of the earth denoting the ultimates of the church, vapours denoting truths for those who are in ultimates, while to make them ascend denotes, from them, because contained in them, that is, in ultimates, to give spiritual truths, which especially fructify the church. He maketh lightnings with rain signifies illustration from the influx of Divine Truth with them; and bringeth the wind out of His treasuries signifies spiritual things in the Word from heaven.

[20] In Luke:

“When ye see a cloud rising in the west, straightway it is said, There cometh rain, and so it is; and when the south wind bloweth, it is said, There will be heat, and it cometh to pass. Ye hypocrites, ye know how to interpret the face of the earth and of heaven, how is it that ye do not interpret this time?” (xii. 54-56).

The Lord teaches by this comparison that they see earthly things but not heavenly things; and the comparison itself, as in the case of all comparisons in the Word, is made from correspondences. For by the cloud rising in the west is signified the coming of the Lord at the end of the church, predicted in the Word, the cloud denoting the Word in the letter, the rising of it the coming of the Lord, and the west the end of the church. Straightway it is said, There cometh rain, signifies that then there is the influx of Divine Truth; and when ye perceive the south wind blowing, signifies preaching concerning His coming; it is said, There will be heat, signifies that then there is the influx of Divine Good. The same words also signify contentions and combats of truth from good with falsities from evil, rain and heat also signifying these contentions and combats; for this comparison follows immediately after the Lord’s word, that He came not to send peace on the earth, but division; and that the father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father, the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother (Luke xii. 51-53). These words signify such contention and combat; that the same is also signified by rain will be seen below. Because this comparison considered in its spiritual sense involves the coming of the Lord, and because they would not acknowledge Him through blindness caused by falsities although He might have been known to them from the Word, therefore these words follow, “Ye hypocrites, ye know how to interpret the face of the earth and of heaven, but ye do not interpret this time,” namely, the time of His coming, and the conflict which then took place between the falsity of evil and the truth of good.

[21] In Hosea:

“Let us know, and let us follow on to know Jehovah; his going forth is prepared as the cloud, and he shall come to us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth” (vi. 3).

These words are said of the Lord and His coming. And because all Divine Truth proceeds from Him, and angels and men have life and salvation from this, therefore it is said that “He shall come to us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth.” To water the earth signifies to make the church fruitful, and it is said to be made fruitful when truths are multiplied and intelligence thence increases, and when goods are fructified, and celestial love thence increases.

[22] In the Second Book of Samuel:

“The Rock of Israel spake to me, as the light of the morning the sun riseth, of a morning without clouds; from clear shining after rain grass out of the earth” (xxiii.3, 4).

These words also refer to the Lord, who is called the Rock of Israel from Divine Truth which proceeds from Him. That Divine Truth proceeds from His Divine Good is meant by the words “as the light of the morning the sun riseth.” Comparison is made with light, because light signifies the proceeding Divine Truth, and with the morning, because the morning signifies the Divine Good, and with the rising sun, because the east, and the sun, signify the Divine Love; that these are without obscurity is signified by the light of a morning without clouds. The enlightenment of the man of the church by means of the reception and after the reception of Divine Truth from the Divine Good of the Lord, is signified by the words “from clear shining after rain,” clear shining denoting illustration, and rain denoting influx and consequent reception. That thence those who are of the church have knowledge (scientia), intelligence, and wisdom, is signified by grass out of the earth, grass, like pasture, denoting spiritual nourishment, and thence knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom, which are spiritual foods, while the earth denotes the church and the man of the church.

[23] In Matthew:

“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that hurt and persecute you, that ye may be sons of your Father who is in the heavens, who maketh his sun to rise upon the evil and the good, and sendeth rain upon the just and the unjust” (v. 44, 45).

Charity towards the neighbour, which is to will good, and to do good, even to one’s enemies, is first described, by the expressions loving them, blessing them, and praying for them, for genuine charity regards only the good of another. To love, in this place, signifies charity; to bless, instruction, and to pray, intercession, the reason is, that charity inwardly has for an end the doing of good. That this is the very Divine with man, as it is with regenerated men, is signified by the words “that ye may be sons of your Father in the heavens.” The Father in the heavens is the proceeding Divine; for all who receive this are called sons of the Father, that is, of the Lord. The sun which He maketh to rise upon the evil and the good signifies the inflowing Divine Good; and the rain which He sendeth upon the just and the unjust signifies the inflowing Divine Truth. For the proceeding Divine which is “the Father in the heavens,” equally flows-in with the evil and the good, but the reception of it depends upon man, although it is not as one man from another, but as from himself; for the power to receive is continually given to him, and also flows-in as far as he removes opposing evils, and does this from the power that is continually given him, the power itself appearing to be the man’s, although it is from the Lord.

[24] From these considerations it is now evident that rain in the Word signifies the influx of Divine Truth from the Lord, whence man has spiritual life; and this because waters, of which rain consists, signify the truth of doctrine and the truth of faith. But because waters, in the opposite sense, signify falsities of doctrine and of faith, therefore also rain of the shower, or shower, equally as inundations of waters and a flood, signify not only falsities destroying truths, but also temptations, in which man either falls or conquers. These are signified by shower in Matthew:

“Every one who heareth my words, and doeth them, I will liken to a prudent man, who built his house upon the rock; and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, yet it fell not. But he who heareth my words, and doeth them not, shall be likened to a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand; and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it” (vii. 24-27).

The rain and the floods here mean temptations, in which man conquers and in which he falls; waters the falsities which usually flow-in in temptations, while the floods, which are here inundations of waters from the rain, signify temptations. The winds which also blow and beat signify the thoughts going forth thence; for temptations arise through irruptions of falsities caused by evil spirits to rush into the thoughts. By the house against which they beat, is signified man, properly his mind, which consists of understanding or thought, and of will or affection. He who receives the words of the Lord, that is, Divine truths, in that part of his mind only which pertains to thought or understanding, and not at the same time in that other part which pertains to affection or will, succumbs in temptations, and falls into grievous falsities, which are the falsities of evil; therefore it is said, “great was the fall of it.” But he who receives Divine truths in both parts, as well in the will as in the understanding, conquers in temptations. The rock upon which that house is founded, signifies the Lord as to Divine Truth, or Divine Truth received in the soul and heart, that is, in faith and love, which is in the understanding and will. But by the sand is signified Divine Truth received merely in the memory, and thence in some slight degree in the thought, consequently scattered and unconnected, because intermixed with falsities, and falsified by ideas. From these things, therefore, it is evident what is meant by hearing [the Lord’s] words and not doing them. That such is the meaning of the above words is more distinctly evident from those which immediately precede.

[25] By an inundating rain or shower is signified an inundation of falsities also in Ezekiel:

“Say unto them that plaster untempered mortar, that it shall fall because an inundating rain, because ye, O hail-stones, shall fall, and a wind of storms shall break through; thus saith the Lord Jehovih, I will cause a wind of storms to break through in my wrath, and an inundating rain in mine anger, and stones of hail in ardour for consummation, and I will destroy the wall which ye plaster with untempered mortar” (xiii. 11, 13, 14).

By plastering with untempered mortar signifies confirmation of falsity by fallacies; through these falsity appears like truth. The stones of hail signify truths without good, thus without any spiritual life, all of which inwardly are falsities, for the ideas that are dead, cause them to be merely like shells and pictures in which there is nothing living; such are the scientific truths (scientifica vera) of the natural man into which there flows nothing from the spiritual. The inundating rain and wind of storms signify falsities in abundance rushing in and imaginary things, also contentions concerning truths, which render the seeing of anything of truth impossible, and so destroy man.

[26] In the same:

“I will contend with” Gog, “with pestilence and blood, and an inundating rain, and hail-stones, fire and sulphur, I will cause to rain upon him, and upon his wings, and upon the many people who are with him” (xxxviii. 22).

By Gog are meant those who are in external worship without any internal; and because that worship similarly consists as it were of shells, in which the kernels are either putrified or corroded by worms, therefore they are called an inundating rain and hail-stones, which signify falsities in abundance rushing in and imaginary things which destroy man; evils of falsity and falsities of evil are signified by fire and sulphur.

[27] By the deluge of waters, concerning which it is said that it inundated the whole earth, and destroyed all except Noah and his sons (Gen. vii., viii.), is also signified an inundation of falsities, by which the Most Ancient church was at length destroyed; by Noah and his sons is signified the new church – which must be called the Ancient Church – and its establishment after the devastation of the Most Ancient Church. But the details by which that deluge, and the salvation of the family of Noah, are described in those chapters, may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia. That waters signify truths, and, in the opposite sense, falsities, may be seen above (n. 71, 483, 518, 537, 538); and that inundations of waters signify inundations of falsities and temptations, may also be seen above (n. 518:38).