• "Then the church will be gathered together, and then judgment will be executed upon those who have scattered the goods and truths of the church…"

• "…I shall in this first chapter merely adduce passages from the Word which contain the expressions ‘that day,’ ‘in that day,’ and ‘in that time;’ in which, by ‘day,’ and ‘time,’ is meant the Lord’s advent. In…Joel…3:1, 2, 14, 18)."

• "…the Lord’s coming and the New Church from Him…are meant by ‘the day of Jehovah’; as in these…Joel 3:1, 14, 18…"

• "…the Lord’s coming is called ‘the day of Jehovah’ (as in…Joel 3:1, 14, 18…)…"

• "In the following passages…by a ‘boy’ or ‘child’ is signified innocence." Joel 3:3 is cited.

• "In Joel…3:3…‘To cast lots upon the people’ signifies to dissipate the truths of the church, ‘to cast a lot’ signifying to dissipate, and ‘people’ signifying the church in relation to truths, thus also the truths of the church; ‘to give a boy for a harlot’ signifies to falsify truth, ‘boy’ meaning the truth of the church, and ‘harlot’ falsity; and ‘to sell a girl for wine, which they drank,’ signifies to pervert the good of the church by truth falsified, ‘girl’ meaning the good of the church, and ‘wine’ truth falsified."

• "In Joel…3:3…‘To cast lots upon the people’ signifies to disperse the truths of the church by falsities; ‘to give a boy for a harlot’ signifies to falsify the truths of the Word; ‘to sell a girl for wine’ signifies to falsify the goods of the Word; ‘which they drank’ signifies becoming imbued with falsity."

• "Bring back" signifies that the internal person will reduce everything in the external to a state of agreement (AC 1717).
• "Captives" signify a mind in darkness about good and truth (AC 7950).
• "Judah" signifies a celestial love to the Lord, with all who are to be of His new heaven and new church (AR 350).
• "Jerusalem" signifies those who will be in the church who will receive interiorly the Divine Proceeding (Holy Spirit) and will receive it exteriorly (AE 629 [6]).

• To "gather" or to "store up" signifies the truths in the memory. AC 679 teaches us that "...‘gathering’ is predicated of the things that are in man's memory, where they are gathered together."
• The "valley of Jehoshaphat" signifies the falsification of the Word (AE 911 [8]).
• To "gather all nations" signifies the evils of the will, or lusts, and nations (people) the persuasions of the falsities of the understanding (AC 622).
• Do we see what is being said here? In order for the Lord to bring back the captives, He must collect all of the truths in the memory of the people. The gathering of the nations is a collection of the evils in the will and understanding. He must expose how these corrupted vessels brought about the falsification of the Word. The Lord didn’t do this in the mountain. It took place in the valley where battles occur, where the daily life was more impure and profane. See AC 1292.

• The doctrine of good relates to Justice and the doctrine of truth to Judgment (AC 612 and 2231). To "enter into judgment with them" signifies that the Lord will bring His truth into the center of their falsification of the Word for the purpose of exposing and expelling the disorders of their evils.

• "Heritage" has a good representation. AE 650 [53] teaches that "heritage" signifies the church. AE 727 [10] describes "heritage" as signifying the church that has Divine truth, and its power against falsities. AE 727 [6] teaches that the "flock of heritage" signifies those in the church who are in spiritual things of the Word, which are the truths of its internal sense. "Heritage" in the negative sense is described as the "heritage of Esau" wherein the natural person’s good is destroyed by the falsities of the sensuous person (AE 714 [25]). And lastly, AE 730 gives us this: "‘Esau’s heritage’ signifies the falsities from evils."
• "Israel" in the highest sense means the Lord in relation to the internal of the church and also the church with those who are interiorly natural and have truths there from a spiritual origin. "Israel" signifies the church that is spiritual-natural (AE 768 [15]).
• "People" signify truth or falsity, and "nation" signifies good or evil (AC 1259-60). Note this interesting quote from AC 1259 [6] and 1672: "Before the sons of Israel sought for kings, they were a nation…but after they desired a king…they became a people."

• "Scattered" signifies to spread falsities from evil (AE 67). "Scattered" signifies an infernal enjoyment of mixing or mingling falsity with truths (AC 10464-65). "Scattering" signifies the dissemination of falsities by those who are not in truths (TCR 137).
• "Among the nations" signifies the enjoyment of scattering falsity in the will or good of the church. See AC 1259 for the signification of "nation."
• "Divided" signifies the devastation of the church and its end, when there is a separation of its truths and goods (AE 710 [24]).
• "Land" signifies various things: the internal man of the church; the church itself; the doctrine of love and charity; where the faith of the church resides (AC 2571).

• "Give" in the positive sense signifies that all things are the Lord’s (AC 2026). The question jumps out at us—were they giving away that which was the Lord’s?
• "Payment" or the act of buying means that they sought to make acquisitions for themselves. Truth that constitutes faith is never an acquisition that a person makes; it is a gift instilled and conferred by the Lord. See AC 5664. What did they want to buy?
• "Boy" signifies the truth and good of innocence (AE 863 [11]).
• "Harlot" signifies to falsify the truths of the Word (AE 863 [10]).
• "Sold," or "sell," signifies to claim for oneself (AC 3325). "Sell" signifies to remove something from oneself (AC 4752). "Sell" signifies to ascribe something to someone else (AC 5371). "Sell" signifies those who make personal gain from holy things (AE 840 [4]). In the positive sense, "sell" signifies to set aside all self-love to procure the divine truth in the Word (AC 840 [9 & 10]).
• "Girl" signifies goods and their affections and the derivative gladness (AC 2348).
• "Wine" in the positive sense signifies faith from charity. To "drink wine" signifies a wish to investigate what belongs to faith (AC 1071). The "wine of whoredom" signifies adulterated truths of faith (AC 1072 [4]).
• To "drink" signifies to inquire whether any truth could be conjoined or appropriated (AC 3089). "Drink" signifies instruction in spiritual things (AC 2704). We can, from the context of this verse, see that "they" did not want to investigate the Lord’s truth. Instead, they wanted to investigate ways to falsify and pollute the Word.

"Then the church will be gathered together, and then judgment will be executed upon those who have scattered the goods and truths of the church." (P&P)

Can we picture the great spiritual gathering of the church? I don’t necessarily picture throngs of people as much as I picture the Lord "reviewing" the doctrines, the policies, the attitudes that misled the church over the years. It’s not as if the Lord wasn’t aware of these things up to this point. That’s not His nature. All along the way, He was intricately involved. Each step of the way, He tried to mediate things. He tried to lift the church. If someone wanted to choose a disorder, He worked to get that person to choose a lesser disorder. The life of humanity was in great peril. In effect, the church and its people had run out of spiritual options. The "time" left to them was at its end. The Lord needed to act on behalf of the church. Doctrine of the Lord 3 outlines the seriousness of the situation for us:

"The Lord came into the world in the fullness of times, which was when He was no longer known by the Jews, and unless He had then come into the world and revealed Himself, mankind would have perished in eternal death."

How does this quote fit into our lesson from Joel?

1. The spiritual barrenness of the church was "gathered together" so it could be made plain to the church what gross evils they had come to live and love.
2. Their actions, their choices were reviewed in the valley of Jehoshaphat, a valley of decisions where a "war" was going to take place. The outcome would not be in doubt. The Lord was going to make a judgment on the folly of their thinking. He was going to end the reign of evil and falsity, and give birth to a new church.
3. What issues would come under the scrutiny and light of the Lord? The falsities of the sensual person had destroyed natural good. The scattering of the people spoke of the infernal enjoyment the hells derived from mixing and mingling falsities with truths. The clever subterfuges used to mislead the church would be exposed. The mocking laughter and glee of the hellish spirits would end.
4. Hellish loves worked tirelessly to divide the will and understanding. There was devastation in the land. Lots were cast. We are taught that casting lots signifies the plan of hell to dissipate the truths of the Word. The hells propounded the idea that they could "buy" their way into heaven or anywhere else they wanted to go. This was illustrated with the buying and selling of the young boy and girl. The philosophy of "payment" was wrong. The things they tried to claim for themselves were not theirs to buy or own. The Lord owned them. It was His choosing to do with them what He wanted. The Lord conferred divine things freely on the faithful. The faithful needed no money. The hells could not sell the holy things of the Lord for their own profit. It was now time for the Lord to completely expose the layers of falsity and evil within the fallen church.
5. Humankind, the church, had spiritually and morally bottomed out. The Lord’s love and mercy needed to come into the world to provide a way out of the pit of hell. If the Lord had delayed His coming any longer, it would have been all over, spiritually, for the church.

Read the selection from P&P.

Read Joel 3:1-3.

1. The word "Jehoshaphat" in Hebrew comprises various meanings. It means "Yahu judges or has judged." It also is identified with the term decision. But when considered in a larger context, it is speaking of a verdict being made by the Lord. Would you agree that the choice of the valley of Jehoshaphat in the prophecy was not a random choice? How is it relevant to the situation?

2. The story of the tower of Babel comes to mind when I read about the buying and selling theme in Joel. The builders of that tower felt they could force their way into heaven and become god-like. Do you see some of this outlook when you think about the hells’ brazen attitude about purchasing whatever they wanted?

3. Our lesson portrays hell’s glee and delight in mixing and mingling falsity with truth. As always, we need to think of some example of this in our day. What examples come to mind?

4. One of the quotes in our Derived Doctrine section mentioned that before Israel had sought a king, they were a "nation." After they took on a king, they were called a "people." What do you make of this point? Doesn’t this sound like a loss of cohesion moving from nation to people? The unity of the nation was lost when "Everyone did what was right in his own eyes." (Judges 17:6)

5. The giving and selling of the boy and girl signifies the cheapening of the good of innocence and the conjugial quality. What application of this principle can we make in today’s issues of life?

6. Does the quote from Doctrine of the Lord 3 awaken your mind to the desperate conditions of the world before the advent of the Lord? Have conditions improved since the advent? How? Does the fact that we have the Writings improve our opportunities to combat the forces of hell?

• "…upon those who are in knowledges (cognitions) alone and in faith alone, and have thereby destroyed the truths of the Word and of doctrine."

• "In Joel…3:4, 5…Here ‘Tyre and Zidon" evidently denote knowledges, and are called ‘the borders of Philistia;’ ‘silver and gold,’ and ‘desirable good things,’ are knowledges."

• "In Joel…3:4, 5…‘all borders of Philistia’ denote all the interior and exterior truths of faith; ‘to carry silver and gold and desirable good things into their temples’ denotes to pervert truths and goods, and profane them by application to evils and falsities. (That ‘silver and gold’ denote truths and goods, see n. 1551, 2954, 5658, 6112, 6914, 6917, 8932.)"

• "In Joel…3:4-6…Here it is evident what is meant by the Philistines, and by ‘all Philistia,’ or all ‘the borders’ of it. ‘Silver and gold’ here are the spiritual and celestial things of faith; ‘desirable good things’ are the knowledges of them. That they ‘carried them into their temples,’ is that they possessed and proclaimed them; and that they ‘sold the sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem,’ signifies that they had no love and no faith; ‘Judah’ in the Word is the celestial of faith, and ‘Jerusalem’ is the spiritual of faith thence derived, which were ‘removed far from their borders.’"

• "That by the ‘head’ is meant the whole man, is also evident from many passages in the Word, as the following…Joel 3:4, 7…"

• "But in the contrary sense the ‘head’ signifies the craftiness that those have who are in the love of ruling…That the craftiness by which they purpose and contrive evil against others returns upon themselves is by…" Joel 3:4 and 7 are cited.

• "In Joel…3:5…This is said concerning Tyre, Zidon, and Philistia; by which are signified knowledges, which are ‘the gold and the silver’ that they carried into their temples."

• "The reason why ‘gold’ signifies the good of love is because metals, as well as each and every thing which appears in the natural world, correspond: gold to the good of love, silver to the truths of wisdom…That ‘gold’ from correspondence signifies the good of love, may appear from the following passages…" Joel 3:5 is cited.

• "…in Joel…3:6…‘The sons of Judah’ denote celestial things of faith; ‘the sons of Jerusalem,’ spiritual things of faith—thus things internal; and ‘the sons of the Javanites,’ worship in externals separate from what is internal. Because this worship is so widely remote from what is internal, it is said that they have ‘removed them far from their border.’"

• "Moreover, ‘to sell’ and ‘to be sold’ signify to alienate truths and to be alienated from them, and to accept falsities in their place, and to be captivated by them." Joel 3:6 and 7 are cited.

• "In Joel…3:6-8…Speaking of Tyre and Sidon; ‘to sell’ here also denotes to alienate."

• "He who knows that by ‘Judah’ is meant in the highest sense the Lord, and in the internal sense His kingdom and the Word, and in the external sense doctrine from the Word, also in a contrary sense those who deny the Lord and adulterate the Word, can know what is signified by ‘Judah’ in very many passages of the Word, as in the following…" Joel 3:6, 18, and 20 are cited.

• Does the word "indeed" mean "in truth," "in fact," or is it an exclamation of surprise, irony, or incredulity?
• "Tyre" and "Sidon" (Zidon) represent those who perverted spiritual things. The Lord is making it quite clear that these two cities had no interest or part of Him in their hearts and minds. They were dangerous and arrogant neighbors of Israel.
• As we think about the meanings given above for "…and all the coasts of Philistia," it may be helpful to consider Ezekiel 25:16: "…therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘I will stretch out My hand against the Philistines, and I will…destroy the remnant of the seacoast." AE 275 explains the spiritual sense of this passage: ‘the Philistines’ signify those who are in the doctrine of faith alone, and the remnant of the seacoast signify all things of truth."

• There is a "law of order" in the spiritual world that is constant and perpetual. When an evil spirit intends harm to be inflicted on others, whether they are companions or enemies, the intended evil recoils upon the spirit who willed it to be done (AC 8223). The spirit of retaliation faces the constant and perpetual law of order. Can we see this law written within this passage? Those who want to retaliate against the Lord will experience swift and speedy retaliation upon their own head. The spirit of retaliation comes only from the evil and not from the good because the good continually desire to do good to both foes and friends.

• To "take away" signifies to remove every good and truth of the church for the purpose of leaving no power to resist falsities (AE 727 [12]). According to AC 10540, to "take away" signifies to destroy defending truths.
• "My silver" relates to understanding truths of the Lord. "My gold" relates to willing the things of the Lord. Hence, this phrase describes a removal of the understanding and the will.
• What would be a "prized possession" of the Lord’s? It most likely would be the conjugial principle within all things. What is that conjugial principle? CL 316 teaches, "The conjugial principle is present in the tiniest details of each human being." AC 3915 shares with us, "The conjunction of good and truth is the conjugial principle in the Lord’s kingdom." So the crime here is that the prized possession was carried into the temple of self-love so that it could be disjoined, severed, and lost.

• "The people of Judah" signify love to the Lord, with whom the church was to be established (AC 10329). The people of Jerusalem signify the church with whom the Divine Proceeding (Holy Spirit) was to be received (AE 629 [6]).
• "Sold to the Greeks" signifies being among a nation of falsities (AE 242 [12]). "Selling" signifies the desire to have personal gain from holy things.
• Removing the people "far" from their borders is an effort to diminish the memory-knowledges of truths stored up from the Word. To carry people "far from their borders" is to trivialize the things of the Word learned from childhood. AE 518 [17] drew me to the possibility of applying this meaning to the passage.

P&P focuses our reflection on the heart of the problem in these verses. "…knowledges alone and faith alone" are what destroyed the truths of the Word and the doctrine drawn from the Word. Aloneness fosters separation of the will and understanding instead of a balanced conjunction. It dissolves the conjugial principle within what the Lord intended to be united.

Did the frequent use of the word "retaliation" come to your attention? In the passages we are considering, the word "retaliation" occurs three times. The dictionary defines retaliation as "To return like for like; to return evil for evil."

Why did the fallen church feel it had to retaliate? What led them to decide they must give the Lord "like for like" or "evil for evil"? The Lord does no evil. He only seeks to do good to all of His children. Could the anger they felt stem from their belief that the Lord hindered them from doing what they wanted to do? Was their anger a form of displaced hostility? When self-love is out of control, it favors no one except self. Anyone or anything that gets in the way of self-love is attacked. We know from many teachings in the Writings that hell burns to blot out the name of the Lord. They long to destroy the Lord and all those who love Him. Hell enjoys attacking good and truth.

The Lord introduces us to an important "law of order." He shows us the results of the spirit of retaliation. Those who wish harm on others will have a like harm return to them. Those who wish good to a friend or neighbor will have a like good return to them. The fallen church was in for a sad end. "Swiftly and speedily," their retaliation would "be upon [their] own head."

But we should not end on this retaliatory note. The Lord promises to restore and return His "prized possessions" to the temple. He will return those who were held captive by self-love and bring them into the presence of the gold and silver in the temple. The good of love (gold) and the good of truth (silver) will once again be the conjunctive means to restore a balanced worship of the Lord. The bleak aloneness will be removed. "Knowledge alone and faith alone" will no longer be present in the hearts and minds of His people. The conjugial principle will thrive in the church. The great gate of conjunction will be open wide, inviting all to enter into the warmth and protective fellowship of the Lord’s new church.

Read the selection from P&P.

Read Joel 3:4-8.

1. Can you recall a time when you wanted something strongly and no warning advice against getting it was allowed in the pursuit of your goal? What happened?

2. Did you feel antagonism toward the person speaking against your goal? Sometimes, our persistence is for something good. But think now of a time when you insisted on getting your own way and the situation ended sadly. Why do we sometimes fail to listen to the advice offered to us?

3. What about the "law of order" regarding retaliation? Do you see it being so? Did it worry you? What are the fruits of getting even with someone?

4. I hope we will be able to recall the positive aspect of the "law of order." Our good wishes for others also return to us.

5. Do you see the danger of "aloneness"? Separating the will and the understanding brings sad results. Hell wants to get us arguing about which is most important, Good (affections) or Truth (understanding). The Jacob and Esau story in the Word illustrates in many ways the strife between the will and understanding. What illustrations of this point can you think of?

6. Have you ever participated in a debate about the importance of "feelings" over the rational approach to problem-solving?

7. The gold and silver stolen away have quite a rich application to life. Please note the Writings say that these "prized possessions" of the church were taken away by "the craftiness" and purpose of those who "contrive evil against others." We are taught that these crafty ones are those who are in the love of ruling. Any ideas of how we may see this application to our lives and times?

8. One last suggested question: Do we sense that there is a conjugial principle in all things created? If that principle is ignored, hated, or separated, do you see the ramifications of how the spiritual church within us dies and becomes antagonistic to the Lord? Aloneness is a cold and lifeless way of existing.

• "Combat of good and truth against evils and falsities at that time."

• "…‘doing judgments’ denotes to judge either to death, which is damnation; or to life, which is salvation. Salvation or damnation is also signified by ‘judgment,’…Where the office of a judge is treated of…" Joel 3:12 is cited as an example.

• "In Joel…3:12, 13…This chapter treats of the falsification of the truth in the Word, and the devastation of the church by it; and this verse treats of the last state of the church, when judgment takes place…That judgment then takes place is plainly declared, ‘the valley of Jehoshaphat,’ where judgment is executed, signifying the falsification of the Word."

• AC 10412 explains that to "proclaim" signifies that the true Divine is shown as the essential of the church, and it is to be announced that this Divine is to be perpetually worshipped. In AE 302, "proclaim" signifies that an exploration is to be made. The influx of the Lord will make known the states of life of everyone in heaven and on earth.
• "Nations" signifies the evils of the will, or lusts, whereas "people" signifies the falsities of the understanding, or persuasions (AC 622).
• "Prepare" signifies making ready to receive truth (AC 3142 [2]). "Prepare" signifies to make one ready to live according to divine order (TCR 110 [5]). To "make ready" signifies that the church was to be conjoined with the Lord through the Word (AR 881).
• "War" signifies spiritual fighting against the lusts of evil and the persuasions of falsity (AC 1663, 1664). "War" signifies the combats of the Lord with the hells (AE 817 [7]).

• "Wake" signifies a clear and alert state (AC 5210). "Wake" signifies a state in which people begin to know that they do not live from themselves. Thus, they "wake up." See AC 147.
• "Mighty men" or mighty warriors signify those who are strong in faith (AC 1179). "Mighty ones" signify those who love good (AE 922 [2]). In the opposite sense, "mighty men" signify those who live falsities because of self-love (AC 8317). Mighty warriors signify those consumed by self love (AC 583).
• To "draw near" signifies receiving influx to be conjoined to the Lord through love (AC 8159).

• To "beat" signifies the arrangement and disposal of truths in their order and series (AC 10303 [2]). To "beat" or hammer signifies to make good solid (AC 9550). The rain and wind beating on the house built on the rock signifies to form the person of the church so that he or she does not fall but conquers (AE 411 [11]).
• "Ploughshares" signify the goods of the church that cultivate truths (AE 734 [3]).
• In AC 2799, "swords" are described as signifying the truth of faith combating. A "sword" in the internal sense signifies the truth of faith combating and also the vastation of truth. In the opposite sense, a "sword" is falsity combating truth, and the punishment of falsity. AE contains at least eight passages stating that a "sword" signifies falsity destroying truth and good.
• "Pruning hooks" signify doctrinal truths and also signify perceptions and knowledges of truths (AE 734 [2]).
• "Spears" signify truths of use in spiritual warfare, which, with regeneration, become preparatory to the reception of truths from good (AC 1664 [3] and AC 5895).
• Before passing on to other derived doctrine, please note that Isaiah 2:4 and Micah 4:3 reverse this command from the Lord. These two passages command the Israelites to "beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks."

• "Weak" signifies being without supporting truths (AC 6344). "Weak" signifies that the affections of external truth have a feeble and wavering understanding (AC 3820).
• AE 922 [5] has an explanation about strength that seems to apply to the words "I am strong." "As all strength in the Word is in the letter, it is said (in Isaiah 63:1) ‘walking in the multitude of His strength.’" In other words, we need to know and feel the strength of the Word and walk in the ways of truth, which "cannot be resisted" (AC 426 [3]).
• "Let" means to allow or permit. "Allow" signifies to have or obtain spiritual food regularly to become freed from sins (AC 2165).

• AC 6338 explains that "assemble" signifies to set goods and truths in order, for goods and truths cannot be assembled if they are not in order.
• "Come and see" signifies giving attention to and having a degree of perception (AE 354).
• "All you nations" possibly represents the gathering of those in the Lord’s kingdom. See AC 1416 [5]. The indication here is that the natural, spiritual, and celestial of the Lord’s kingdom have a divine calling to gather. There was to be a combined and unified mobilization of heavenly forces to oust the hells from the church.
• "Gather together all around." "Gather" signifies to excite the truths in the memory for combat (AR 707). All in the same goods and truths gather to meet and organize forces (AC 6451). Please note the call to gather "all around." The Divine circle. The total or complete protection for the day of the battle.

• The word "cause" seems to imply "make," "send," "direct," or "command." "Your mighty ones." There is another important word to focus on: "Your" mighty ones. This battle is being waged from the Lord’s resources and not humanity’s. When the battle occurs and victory is secured, human prudence has no claim to the victory. The Lord’s mighty ones assured the victory.

• "Awaken" signifies enlightenment. To be asleep signifies to be in an obscure state (AC 3715).
• "Come up" signifies to progress from what is external to what is internal (AC 5202).
• The "Valley of Jehoshaphat" signifies the falsification of the Word (AE 911 [8]). In other words, the Lord was directing His mighty ones to the source of all the spiritual problems. Listen now to the closing portion of this verse.

• To "sit" signifies a state of thought (AC 2684).
• To "judge" denotes the Lord opening the doctrine of His truth (AC 2231). When He opens His truth, all veneers will melt away. All pretenses will be uncovered. True motives will be seen. Things misjudged or improperly learned will be straightened out. "The crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth; the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together." (Isaiah 40:4-5)
• "All surrounding nations" will see and witness the eradication of falsity. The Word will be restored to its Holy place in the hearts and mind of the church.

P&P summarizes these verses with an announcement from the Lord of a combat against evils and falsities. The literal sense of the Word boldly declares, "Prepare for war!" The internal sense declares what must be done to prepare for war:

• We must live according to divine order.
• The church must be conjoined with the Lord and the Word.
• We must be awake, be alert, and realize that we cannot live from ourselves alone.
• Ploughshares must be beaten into swords, meaning that good must be made solid and firm, and then it must put truths in order.
• The sword of faith must combat evil.
• Instead of calling our efforts weak, we need to trust the Lord and believe that with His guidance, "I am strong." The hells flee from us when they see that we believe this truth because the Lord told us to say it.

The day of the Lord’s judgment is at hand. The pretense and false front of the hells will be exposed and removed by the Lord and His mighty ones. The Lord will sit in judgment in the valley of Jehoshaphat—the falsification of the Word—and He will return the Word to His people and His New Church. All of the nations, all of the heavens, will sit and witness this magnificent restoration of good and truth. The crooked will be made straight, and the rough places will be made smooth. There will be a new highway built by the Lord, and He will guide His people to the eternal Promised Land through the process of regeneration.

So let us "Gather together all around." Let us share the exciting news from the Lord with confidence and feel the surge of power from heaven so we can say in unison: "I am strong!"

Read the selection from P&P.

Read Joel 3:9-12.

1. Did you find this section spiritually invigorating? The Lord minced no words. There was going to be combat. There was going to be order and arrangement of resources. There was going to be a hardening up of good and truth. There was a call to be awake. What do you make of all these preparations by the Lord?

2. Did you feel like you wanted to be part of the winning army? Isn’t it comforting to know that hell will not win despite its defense?

3. How may we practice the "I am strong!" speech to ourselves?

4. Why would the quotes from Isaiah and Micah about ploughshares and spears be different?

• "Then evil is consummated."

• "In Joel…3:13…By ‘the harvest’ is signified the consummation of the age, or the last state of the devastated church."

• "‘A winepress’ signifies exploration, because, in presses, must is pressed out from clusters…" Joel 3:13 is cited.

• "In Joel…3:12, 13…This chapter treats of the falsification of the truth in the Word, and the devastation of the church by it; and this verse treats of the last state of the church, when judgment takes place; and this state is described…by ‘sending forth the sickle, for the harvest is ripe,’ the ‘harvest’ being that last state; also by ‘the wine-press is full and the vats overflow,’…That judgment then takes place is plainly declared, ‘the valley of Jehoshaphat,’ where judgment is executed, signifying the falsification of the Word."

• "In Joel…3:13…The devastation of the church as to good and as to truth is thus described; and ‘the wine-press is full and the vats have overflowed’ signifies that there was nothing except falsities from evil."

• "In most passages, where ‘vintage’ and ‘winepress’ are mentioned, the ‘harvest’ [signifies] the good of celestial love, which is love to the Lord; and…‘wine-press,’…[signifies] the good of spiritual love, which is love towards the neighbor; for these two loves make one, like an efficient cause and its effect." Joel 3:13 is cited as an example.

• "…the ‘sun’ does not mean the sun, nor the ‘moon’ the moon, nor the ‘stars’ the stars; but that the ‘sun’ signifies love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor; the ‘moon’ the faith of love and charity; and the ‘stars’ the knowledges of good and truth…so that by these words of the Lord there is signified that in the consummation of the age (or last period of the church) there will no longer be any love, or charity, nor therefore any faith. That this is the meaning is evident from similar words of the Lord in the Prophets, as in…Joel 3:14, 15…"

• "…by the ‘sun and moon’ are signified love and charity, or good and truth, and by the ‘stars’ knowledges may be seen…And because the last day or the last state of the church is here treated of, by ‘the sun being darkened and the moon not giving her light’ is signified that then the good of love and of charity will perish; and by ‘the stars falling from heaven,’ that the knowledges of good and of truth will also perish. That these things are signified, is evident from the prophetic parts of the Word, in which similar things are said of the last state of the church, as in…Joel 3:14, 15…"

• "…the Lord appears as a sun in heaven before the angels…‘The sun’…also signifies love and wisdom from the Lord…Joel 3:14, 15…In these passages by ‘sun’ is not meant the sun of this world, but the sun of the angelic heaven, which is the Divine love and the Divine wisdom of the Lord; these are said to be ‘obscured,’ ‘darkened,’ ‘covered,’ and ‘blackened’ when there are evils and falsities with man. Hence it is evident, that similar things are meant by the Lord’s words, where He speaks of the consummation of the age, which is the last time of the church…"

• "It is clear…That in these passages ‘the sun and moon made black and darkened’ means that there was no longer any good or any truth…" Joel 3:14-15 is cited.

• "In Joel…3:14, 15…This is said of the last time of the church, when there is no longer any spiritual good or truth, or the good and truth of heaven and the church, but evil and falsity. That the goods and truths of the church, which are called the goods of love and the truths of faith are changed into evils and falsities, is signified by ‘the sun and moon shall be obscured and darkened, and the stars shall not give their light;’ the Last Judgment that then follows is meant by ‘the day of Jehovah great and terrible;’ and as this comes when the church is in darkness and in thick darkness, that day is also called ‘a day of darkness and thick darkness,’ and also ‘a day of cloud and obscurity’…"

• "Every one can see that by ‘the stars’ and ‘constellations’ here are not meant the stars and constellations, but things true and good; and by ‘the sun,’ love; and by ‘the moon,’ faith; for the evils of falsities which cause darkness are treated of." Joel 3:15 is cited.

• "In these passages [Joel 3:15 is cited] the ‘sun’ signifies love, and the ‘moon’ faith, and the ‘stars’ knowledges of good and truth. These are said to be darkened, to lose their light, and to fall from heaven, when they are no more."

• "That there is not meant a darkening of the sun and moon, nor a falling of the stars to the earth, is very evident from the Prophets, in which like things are said about the state of the church when the Lord should come into the world."

• "…that by ‘stars’ are signified the knowledges of good and truth from the Word…may appear from these passages…" Joel 3:15 is cited.

• "That ‘black’ in the Word, is spoken of falsity, may appear from these passages…" Joel 3:15 is cited.

• "…in the spiritual sense ‘the sun’ that shall be darkened means love to the Lord; ‘the moon’ that shall not give her light means faith in the Lord; ‘the stars’ that shall fall from heaven mean knowledges of what is true and good…That this does not mean the darkening of the sun and moon and the falling of the stars to earth, is very clear from like statements in the prophets respecting the state of the church, when the Lord was about to come into the world; as in…Joel…3:15…"

• Joel 3:15 is cited. "…darkness would be upon the earth…It would be the same with man without truths, which send out light from themselves; for the sun from which the light of truths flows forth is the Lord in the spiritual world. If spiritual light did not flow therefrom into human minds, the church would be in mere darkness, or in shadow from a perpetual eclipse."

• "‘Darkness upon the land’ means falsities in the church. In Joel…3:15…"

• "…by ‘I will make the stars thereof dark,’ ‘stars’ meaning knowledges of truth… ‘and the moon shall not make her light to shine,’ ‘sun’ signifying the good of love, and ‘moon’ the truth of faith." Joel 3:15 is cited as an example.

• A "sickle" signifies "the Divine truth of the Word…because by a ‘harvest’ is signified the state of the church as to Divine truth, here its last state; therefore by ‘reaping,’ which is done with a sickle, is here signified to put an end to the state of the church, and to execute judgment…" (AR 643).
• A "harvest" signifies the last state of the church preceding the Last Judgment when everyone is explored by the Lord and there is a separation of the evil from the good (AE 908).
• "Ripe" has some interesting meanings. AC 5117 describes its meaning as the progress of rebirth or regeneration. In the "unripe" state, truth predominates. But when good has the primacy, the "ripe" state exists. AR 645 defines "ripe" as the last state of the old church. AE 911 says "ripe" signifies the time to collect the good and to separate them from the evil.

• To "go down" signifies to move toward the exterior or lower natural and earthly things (AC 5406). To "come down" when said of the Lord signifies judgment (AC 1311).
• A "winepress" signifies in the negative sense violence offered to divine truth (AE 922 [5]). AR 651 teaches that a winepress signifies an examination of the quality of works, and the quality is determined by the products (uses).
• "The ‘vats’ overflow—for their wickedness is great": we need some lead-in to achieve a glimpse of the spiritual sense of this phrase. AE 644 [15] develops a series of positive things that have a "vat overflow." It speaks of the Lord’s continual influx intro truths with the good of love. From this influx, a person has a good love towards a brother or companion, and from this they have the truth and good of love to the Lord. AE 695 [23] explores the negative sense of "vats" overflowing, noting that "The floor and the wine shall not feed them" signifies failure to draw from the Word the good things of charity and love. The wine vat signifies the Word in respect to the goods of love, and the "vat" means they were so full of themselves that they had no room for the good of charity and love. AE 922 [3] teaches that the "vats" overflowing signifies that there was nothing except falsities from evils. And what were the results of this? They separated faith from charity and made faith without works "the law of saving."
• "Wickedness" needs a moment of reflection so we can clearly define it and know more accurately what effect wickedness has on our lives. What is at the heart of wickedness? Consider this quote from AE 257 [7]: wickedness signifies "all the falsities of evil committed to the complete destruction of good and truth in a person."

• AE 750 [10] has this explanation for "multitudes." "Multitudes" (hordes) signify the false beliefs and wrong opinions of those who array themselves against the truths and goods of the church.
• When the word "multitude" is used twice, it is not for effect or emphasis. When one word is repeated, it speaks of a heavenly marriage in the positive sense. In the negative sense, it represents the effort of evil to destroy the conjugial principle of the will and understanding.
• "The valley of decision" needs to be looked at from two vantages. A "valley" represents the natural portions of the mind where battles occur between truth and falsity. A "valley" signifies what is external in worship "wherein is what is profane." (AC 1292) "Decision" is identified with a church that has come to "its old age, or its winter, or its night; and its time and state then are called ‘decision,’ and ‘fulfillment.’" (AC 2905)

• "Day of the Lord" signifies vastation and the last time and state of the church (AC 488 [3] and AC 1839 [5]).

P&P summarizes this section as "Then evil is consummated." The word "consummated" means to bring to completion, to sum up, or to carry to the utmost extent.

The consummation of the external church did not take place on the mountain of the Lord. It took place in the "valley of decision." Therefore, we are looking at the last days of the external church. The Lord was coming to the harvest of that church. His "sickle" had to sort things out from the "harvest." Judgment in the Word is often depicted as a man sitting down on the shore to separate good fish from bad fish. Or it is presented as the sheep being separated from the goats. Such a day of decision was crucial. The Word had, for many years, been falsified. Errors, misdeeds, and falsity during that long period of time had gained credence within the church. Falsity was accepted as truth, and truth was being accepted as falsity. Vastation came to the church so that "spiritual things" could be emptied out and freed from the smothering effects of the hells. Truth was to be ousted. Falsity was to be removed and banished from the church.

Is it any wonder then that the Writings gave us many quotes regarding the meaning of the sun, moon, and stars losing their light? Falsity was blocking out the Lord who is our "sun of heaven." Falsity was causing the "moon of faith" to lose its reflection of the light of the sun. Falsity caused the "stars" of knowledge to fall from the heavens.

Exploration came from the Lord so that violence to the Word would end. "Multitudes" and "multitudes" of false beliefs and wrong opinions had arrayed themselves against the Lord, but their day, their end, was at hand. The external church, a church in a state of "old age," a church in a "winter" state, a church in a state of "night" was being called into the valley of decision.

Who did the calling? It was the Lord, the sun of heaven, who is true and mighty. What will this day of decision be like? Isaiah 60:4-5, in a prophecy of the advent of the Lord, captures this day of enlightenment with these words:

"Lift up your eyes all around, and see…you shall see and become radiant, and your heart shall swell with joy…"

Read the selection from P&P.

Read Joel 3:13-15.

1. The process of the sun, moon, and stars losing their light is a theme found in many prophesies of the Old Testament and in the New Testament. Have you, by now, pictured the meaning and the process of this happening to the previous churches?

2. Will this same thing happen to the organized New Church on earth?

3. Isaiah 60:20 promises that the spiritual New Church will not experience the loss of the sun, moon, and stars. Listen to that prophecy: "Your sun shall no longer go down, nor shall your moon withdraw itself; for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be ended."

4. Isn’t this a wonderful state to look forward to?

5. Can you picture the Lord with His sickle harvesting the field of the "old," "tired," "winter" state of the consummated church?

• "This is from the Lord, whom they will then also acknowledge, and from whom is the church."

• "In Joel…3:…16…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."

• "…that ‘the voice’ in this passage denotes Divine truth, consequently the Word of the Lord, is manifest." Joel 3:16 is cited.

• "…‘voice’ signifies the Divine truth from the Lord..." Joel 3:16 is cited.

• "…‘His roaring as a lion,’ for a lion roars when he sees his enemies and is assaulted by them…so does the Lord, comparatively, when He sees His church taken away from Him by devils. That this is what is signified by ‘roaring as a lion,’ may appear from these passages…" Joel 3:16 is cited.

• "‘The voice of Jehovah’…is the Divine proceeding, or Divine truth, from which is all intelligence and wisdom…" Joel 3:16 is cited.

• "In Joel…3:16…The protection of the faithful by the Lord by means of Divine truth is described by ‘Jehovah shall roar out of Zion, and shall give forth His voice from Jerusalem;’ the vehement power of Divine truth, and consequent terror, are described by ‘the heavens and the earth shall quake;’ and salvation and protection by ‘Jehovah shall be a shelter for His people, and a stronghold for the sons of Israel;’ ‘the people of Jehovah’ and ‘the sons of Israel’ being the faithful who are of the church."

• "Hence by ‘Zion’ and ‘Jerusalem’ are signified the inmost things of the church…but by ‘Zion’ the church as to love, and by ‘Jerusalem’ the church as to doctrine from love. It is called ‘mount Zion’ because by ‘a mountain’ is signified love…That by ‘mount Zion’ is signified heaven and the church where the Lord alone is worshiped, may appear from the following passages…" Joel 3:16, 17, and 21 are cited.

• "In Joel…3:16, 17, 21…‘To roar,’ and the ‘roaring of a lion,’ when predicated of Jehovah, signify an ardent zeal for protecting heaven and the church, and for saving those who are therein by the Divine truth and its power, which is done by destroying the evils and falsities that rise up out of hell…and as ‘Zion’ signifies heaven where the Lord reigns by the Divine truth, and ‘Jerusalem’ signifies doctrine therefrom, it is clear what is signified by ‘Jehovah shall roar out of Zion, and shall utter His voice from Jerusalem.’ That the Lord is present where He reigns by His Divine truth, both with the angels of heaven and with the men of the church, is signified by ‘ye shall know that I am Jehovah, dwelling in Zion, the mountain of My holiness.’ That there shall be no falsities of evil there is signified by ‘no strangers shall pass through her,’ ‘strangers’ being the falsities of evil."

• "And in Joel…3:17…‘Jerusalem’ denotes the church, but that in which the Lord is acknowledged, men live in good, and believe in the truths which are from the Lord; that ‘strangers shall not pass through her any more’ denotes that the evils and falsities of evil which are from hell shall not enter."

• "…Jerusalem is called ‘the mountain of holiness’…[because this signifies] spiritual good, which in its essence is truth from good, as can be seen from the following passages." Joel 3:17 is cited.

• "…a mountain signified heaven and love…And for the same reason the Lord was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, upon a high mountain…And on this account Zion was upon a mountain, and also Jerusalem, and they are called ‘the mountain of Jehovah,’ and ‘the mountain of Holiness,’ in many parts of the Word." Joel 3:17-18 is cited.

• "‘Jerusalem’ means a church from the Lord…which was to be set up anew by the Lord, and which actually was set up anew by Him, and not the Jerusalem in the land of Canaan that was inhabited by the Jews…" Joel 3:17-20 is cited as an example text.

• "By ‘Jerusalem’ is also meant the church from the Lord in the following passages…" Joel 3:17, 18, and 20 are cited.

• "That by ‘Jerusalem’ is meant the church, is very clear from the prophecies in the Old Testament concerning a New Church to be established by the Lord, wherein it is called ‘Jerusalem.’" Joel 3:17-20 is among the many passages cited.

• "That ‘Jerusalem’ means the church can be clearly seen from the prophecies in the Old Testament respecting the new church to be established by the Lord, in that it is there called ‘Jerusalem.’" Joel 3:17-21 is cited.

• "…other prophets have made many predictions respecting this church, what its character would be, a few of which shall be cited…" Joel 3:17-21 is cited.

• "That by ‘Judah’ is not meant Judah; but, as already said, in the internal sense the Lord’s celestial kingdom…may also be clearly seen from the following passages…" Joel 3:17, 18, and 20 are cited.

• The Lord’s first advent reordered all of the heavens and the earth. "The ‘heavens’ are the celestial and spiritual things (thus the inmost things) of both the Lord’s kingdom in the heavens, and the Lord’s kingdom on the earth, that is in the church, and also in every man…the ‘earth’ is all lower things…as the lower rational and natural things…" (AC 2162)
• To "shake" signifies to divest the heart and mind of unclean things (AC 1748). To "shake" signifies to get rid of evil lest what is damned should adhere (AE 365 [8]).

• The word "shelter" has no correspondential explanation in The Swedenborg Concordance. There is a suggestion made by Alice Sechrist, in A Dictionary of Bible Imagery, to look at the correspondence of "shade," "shadow," or "cloud" when considering the word "shelter." Let’s see if the explanation of a "cloud" offers any meanings that could apply to "shelter" as well.
• A "cloud" signifies "…the ultimate of the Word, which is therefore relatively obscure…That this is ‘the cloud’ is because the Divine truth which is from the Lord cannot possibly appear in the very brightness in which it is, for man would thereby perish, because his understanding would be totally blinded by the light of truth, and his will would be wholly extinguished by the fire of good; thus all his life would be annihilated. Hence it is that Divine truth is accommodated to each person’s apprehension, and as it were veiled with a cloud…" (AC 9433)
• The strength, the fortification, of the Lord is His truth, which cannot be resisted (AC 426 [3]). The Lord’s strength is the Divine good and truth in the church (AE 288 [4]).

• To be able to "know" and "name" the Lord is an important part of the process of making that which is invisible visible. To "name" signifies to know the essence or quality of all the affections of the Lord that are to be worshiped (AC 2724).
• "You shall know" is both a positive and encouraging idea to hold within the heart during this period of "shaking" the heavens and earth, this vastation of the dead church.

"This is from the Lord…" P&P teaches that the new church will come to acknowledge the Lord and will know that the church is from Him.

The Lord as a "roaring lion" is not a reference to the sound of anger. Instead, the roar of the Lord is filled with a loving zeal to protect His beloved. The Lord "roars" when He sees His church being carried away by devils. He roars when He sees His enemies assaulting the faithful within the church. His mighty roar strikes terror in the heart of the hells.

His roar is not all noise signifying nothing. He steadily saw to the reordering of the heavens and earth. He caused His truth to bring about a spiritual shaking to rid the church of unclean things. The shaking helped to rid the new church of the "dust" of falsity so that it wouldn’t adhere to the mind and heart of the new church. While the hells were being consummated, the Lord spoke words of comfort to the faithful.

• "I will be your shelter and I will be the strength, or fortification, of My people."
• "You will know Me. You will know that I am the Lord your God."
• "The church will be holy."
• "Aliens, evils and falsities which are from hell, shall not enter or pass through the New Church again."
• The Lord assures us that the church will live in good and will believe in the truths which are from Him.

Read the selection from P&P.

Read Joel 3:16-17.

1. When you read the Word, do you hear the comforting "roaring" of the Lord?

2. Can you imagine the great trembling that hell goes through when we listen to the leading of the Word?

3. What was your impression of the meaning of "cloud" in place of the word "shelter"? Does it seem to communicate what the word "shelter" might mean in the spiritual sense?

4. That teaching about aliens not coming into the Church ever again had my heart crying out "How long O Lord?" I would love to see the evils and falsities of the world gone. I would love for the pretentious shams to leave us alone. What are your wishes for the day when truth will be truth, falsity will be falsity, and never will the two be mistaken for one another?

5. The Lord promises that the church will live in good and believe in the truths that are from Him. This is from the Lord. Does hell want us to doubt the validity of His promise? Why?

• "The Lord will then teach them the Word, and falsifications of the Word will be removed."

• "In Joel…3:18…Speaking of the Lord’s kingdom; ‘milk’ denotes the celestial spiritual. In the Word the land of Canaan also (by which the Lord’s kingdom is represented and signified) is called a ‘land flowing with milk and honey’…and in these passages nothing else is meant by ‘milk’ than an abundance of celestial spiritual things, and by ‘honey’ an abundance of the derivative happinesses; the ‘land’ is the celestial itself of the kingdom, from which those things come."

• "That a ‘fountain’ is the Word, or doctrine from it is plain also in Joel…3:18…where ‘waters’ denote truths; and a ‘fountain out of the house of Jehovah,’ the Lord’s Word."

• This passage refers to Joel 3:18, "…where the Lord’s kingdom is treated of; and by ‘sweet wine,’ by ‘milk,’ and by ‘waters,’ are signified spiritual things whose abundance is thus described."

• In Joel 3:18 "…the goods of celestial love are signified by ‘mountains;’ and likewise by ‘hills,’ but in a lower degree."

• "That ‘oil’ signifies the good of love will be seen…but that ‘wine’ signifies truth from that good is evident from the following passages…" Joel 3:18 is cited among other passages.

• "That ‘rivers’ signify truths in abundance may be evident from the following passages…" Joel 3:18 is cited.

• "In Joel…3:18…This treats of the Lord’s coming, and of the new heaven and the new church from Him. It is well known that the mountains in the land of Canaan, or in Judea, did not then drop down sweet wine, nor the hills flow with milk, nor the water-courses of Judah flow with waters more than before, therefore these words must mean something else than new wine, milk, and waters, or than mountains, hills, and water-courses, namely, ‘that the mountains shall drop down sweet wine…’ or wine…means that from the good of love to the Lord there shall be genuine truth; ‘the hills shall flow with milk’ means that from the good of charity towards the neighbor there shall be spiritual life; and ‘all the water-courses of Judah shall flow with waters’ means that from the particulars of the Word there shall be truths. (For ‘Judah’ signifies the Lord’s celestial kingdom, and also the Word, see A.C., n. 3881, 6363; therefore ‘its water-courses’ signify the particulars of the Word; that ‘mountains’ signify the good of love to the Lord…And ‘hills’ the good of charity towards the neighbor…and this because in heaven those who are in the good of love to the Lord dwell upon mountains, and those who are in the good of charity towards the neighbor dwell upon hills…)"

• "In Joel…3:18…This treats of the Lord’s coming and of the new heaven and new earth at that time; ‘the mountains shall drop down sweet wine’ means that all truth shall be from the good of love to the Lord; ‘the hills shall flow with milk’ means that there shall be spiritual life from the good of charity towards the neighbor; and ‘all the water-courses of Judah shall flow with waters’ means that there shall be truths from the particulars of the Word, through which there is intelligence."

• "In Joel…3:18…What is signified by ‘the mountains shall drop down must [sweet wine], and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the water-courses of Judah shall flow with waters,’ may be seen explained above (n. 433c); and that ‘a fountain shall go forth out of the house of Jehovah and shall water the brook of Shittim’ signifies that there shall be truth out of heaven from the Lord illustrating the knowledges and cognitions that are in the natural man."

• "In Joel…3:18…‘The fountain that shall go forth out of the house of Jehovah’ signifies the truth of doctrine out of heaven from the Lord; and ‘the brook of Shittim that it shall water,’ signifies the illustration of the understanding."

• "So in Joel…3:18, 20…from all the particulars in this passage also it is manifest that by ‘Judah’ is not meant Judah, nor by ‘Jerusalem,’ Jerusalem, but those who are in the holy of love and of charity; for these ‘shall abide forever, and to generation and generation.’"

• "He who reads the Word without doctrine does not see the consistency of what is said in the Prophets about the Jewish nation and Jerusalem—that the church with that nation, and its seat in that city, will remain to eternity; as in the following passages…Joel 3:18-20…In these passages the Lord’s advent is treated of, and that this [establishment of the Jews] will then come to pass."

• "In Joel…3:18-20…Here, too, the Lord’s coming and a new heaven and a new earth at that time are treated of. ‘The mountains shall drop down must [sweet wine]’ signifies that all truth will be from the good of love (that ‘mountains’ signify the good of love see above, n 405a-f; and that ‘wine’ and ‘must’ signify truth see also above, n. 376a-f). ‘The hills shall flow with milk’ signifies that spiritual life will be from the good of charity towards the neighbor; and ‘all the water-courses of Judah shall flow with waters’ signifies that from the particulars of the Word there will be truths, through which there will be intelligence; ‘a fountain shall go forth out of the house of Jehovah, and shall water the brook of Shittim,’ signifies that out of heaven from the Lord there will be truth of doctrine that will illustrate those who are in cognitions and knowledges; ‘Egypt shall be a waste, and Edom shall be a waste wilderness’ signifies that false principles, and the evils of the love of self, both from the natural man, will be destroyed; ‘because of the violence to the sons of Judah, whose innocent blood they have shed in their land,’ signifies because of the truths of the Word falsified and its goods adulterated, which they have corrupted and destroyed; ‘Judah shall sit to eternity, and Jerusalem to generation and generation,’ signifies that the Word and the doctrine of genuine truth therefrom will remain to eternity with those who are in love to the Lord. This makes clear that ‘Judah’ does not here mean Judah, nor ‘Jerusalem’ Jerusalem."

• A ‘man of violence’ denotes those who destroy the truths of faith and the goods of charity; their fighting against these truths and goods…" Joel 3:19 is cited.

• "In the proximate sense ‘the innocent’ signifies one who is without guilt and without evil…" Joel 3:19 is cited.

• "‘Egypt,’ in the opposite sense, signifies the natural man separated from the spiritual, and then the pride of his own intelligence, and thence insanity in spiritual things, in these passages…Joel 3:19…"

• "That by ‘wilderness’ is signified the church devastated, or in which all the truths of the Word are falsified, such as it was among the Jews in the Lord’s time, appears from these passages…Joel 3:19…"

• "In Joel…3:19…‘Egypt shall be a waste’ signifies that the natural man will be without truths, and thus in mere falsities; ‘and Edom a waste wilderness’ signifies that the natural man will be without goods and thence in mere evils; ‘because of the violence to the sons of Judah, whose innocent blood they have shed,’ signifies because they have offered violence to the truths and goods of the Word, which they have perverted."

• "In Joel…3:19…‘Egypt’ and ‘Edom’ signify the natural man that has perverted the truths and goods of the Word; that it is to be so destroyed as to see only such things as serve for confirmation is signified by ‘Egypt shall be a waste, and Edom a waste wilderness;’ that this will be because of the adulteration of every good and truth in the Word is signified by ‘because of the violence to the sons of Judah, whose innocent blood they have shed;’ ‘violence to the sons of Judah’ signifying the adulteration of the Word in respect to good, and ‘shedding innocent blood’ the adulteration of the Word in respect to its truths. (That ‘Judah’ signifies the celestial church, and also the Word…and that ‘shedding innocent blood’ signifies to do violence to Divine truth, thus to adulterate the truth of the Word…) The adulteration of the Word is effected by the knowledges (scientifica) of the natural man when these are applied to confirm falsities and evils, and the natural man becomes a ‘waste’ and a ‘wilderness’ when his knowledges are used to confirm falsity and evil; ‘Egypt’ signifies such knowledges, and ‘Edom’ the pride that falsifies by means of these."

With twenty direct quotes from the Writings, there is little need for us to use derived doctrine this time.

P&P summarizes these passages this way: "The Lord will teach them the Word, and falsifications of the Word will be removed."

And how will the Lord do this? Let’s look at the steps outlined in our text:

1. The Lord will cause spiritual forces to "come to pass." His Divine influx will organize and put into place new beginnings, a fresh start with the states of the new heavens and the new church.
2. The good of love to the Lord (genuine truths) and the good of charity toward the neighbor will become the centerpiece of the church’s spiritual life.
3. The Lord will open the Word so that the particular truths from the Word will be illustrated. Knowledges and cognitions will be highlighted to the natural side of each person.
4. The particulars from the Word will be like an abundant fountain flowing into the heart and mind, bringing inspiration and great happiness.
5. The former sadness of Egypt and Edom will be no more. What was the sadness of Egypt and Edom? Egypt was the pride of intelligence, and Edom was the pride of self-love. What did these two bring to the church? The slaughter of innocence and the falsification of the Word.
6. The Lord, with His coming, will show what desolation and waste these two attitudes had while seeming to be in charge of the church.
7. The mountains will drip with "new wine." The hills will flow with "milk." The brooks of Judah shall be flooded with "water," and "a fountain shall flow from the house of the Lord." Is there any doubt as to what these things signify regarding the restoration of the Word and the Lord’s church with the new church?

The Lord will teach [us] the Word, and the falsification of the Word will be removed.

Read the selection from P&P.

Read Joel 3:18-19.

1. Can we put some examples before us that represent Egypt’s love of self-intelligence and Edom’s love of self?

2. Are any of the examples you picked examples of acts that do harm to the church and kill the innocent?

3. Think for a minute about some verse, chapter, or lesson from the Word that illustrates some special truth for you. What were your feelings when this part of the Word opened up for you? Do the Writings give us that feeling of illustrating the truth? Do the Writings help us love the Lord and love the neighbor on a deeper level? How?

4. Once again, we have the positive voice of optimism and good winning out over evil. The Lord is taking away the falsity of hell, instructing us in the way of order. Isn’t it refreshing to read this message again and again?

• "Then the church will be the Lord’s and from the Word."

• "And in Joel…3:20…‘eternity’ is here predicated of Judah, because by Judah is represented the celestial church…and ‘generation and generation’ is predicated of Jerusalem, because by ‘Jerusalem’ is signified the spiritual church…"

• "…Joel 3:20…Where by ‘Judah’ is signified the celestial church, of which it is therefore said, ‘according to the days of an age,’ is signified the spiritual church, of which it is said …‘to generation and generation.’"

• "…by ‘the tribe of Judah’ is signified celestial love, which is love to the Lord; but because they were such as to the Word, and as to the Lord, therefore by ‘the tribe of Judah’ is also signified the opposite love, which is the love of self, properly the love of dominion from the love of self, which love is called diabolical love. That by ‘Judah’ and his tribe is signified the celestial kingdom and its love, which is love to the Lord, is evident from these passages…Joel 3:20…"

• The word "abide" in the New English Bible has been translated as "to remain united." This addition of the word "forever" certainly enhances the meaning. The celestial church (Judah) will remain forever united with the Lord.

• The word "acquit" means to clear, purge, discharge as a debt, to pronounce as not guilty, or to exculpate. Does the word "forgive" seem to apply as well?
• "Guilt" involves rejecting good and truth (AC 5469).
• "To shed blood" signifies offering violence to good (AC 3400).
• We have little help with "whom I had not acquitted." Does this mean that some people were not acquitted for all things of which they were guilty? Does this indicate that some responsibility for allowing themselves to be led away from the Lord had yet to be cleared up?
• The promise is that the Lord will forgive (acquit) where there is a spirit of repentance.

• This is the closing statement of this prophecy; we must look here for the summation of all that preceded it. AE 594 [15] teaches that "‘The dwelling place of Mount Zion’ signifies the good of the celestial church…"
• "Zion" signifies heaven and the church where the Lord alone is worshipped (AR 612). "Zion" signifies the advent of the Lord, and the establishment of the church by Him among those who are in the good of love (AE 433 [8]).

The prophecy of Joel began with the declaration that the Word had been devastated by the falsities of "the sensual man and afterwards evil therefrom," which "consumed all things of the church." The plague of the locusts dramatically illustrated this for us.

The last verse of Joel’s prophecy ends with an affirmation that all has been made right. Evil, the falsification of the Word, the power of self-intelligence, the power of self-love will not prevail against the Lord’s celestial church. The conjugial principle of Divine Love and Divine Truth will forever "abide" in the Lord’s New Church. With the Lord dwelling in Zion forever, the heavens and the church can rejoice and feel safe again.

The P&P summary of this closing verse triumphantly heralds the Lord’s message:

"Then the church will be the Lord’s and from the Word."

The closing statement, as outlined above, seems to pull things together. Forgiveness; acquittal; a returning of the faithful to a church where the Lord is at the center; the cleansing of the Word from all of the falsities the dead church had surrounded it with—these themes make quite a closing statement. The Lord is in His Heavens, and all is right with His people and His church.

Read the selection from P&P.

Read Joel 3:20-21.

1. These verses talk about acquittal for those who did violence to the Word. Does this strike you as an answer to those who try to portray the Lord as a hard and stern taskmaster? Isn’t there a sense of forgiveness that is needed when we err in our spiritual thoughts?

2. How will you go about reviewing the three chapters of Joel? Do you think you will use the Epilogue section to do this? The Epilogue can’t do it all for you, but it can form an outline for your review.

3. Do you think you might go back over some of the notes to pick out your favorite points? For instance, there is the section where the army of hell leaps up the walls and breaks in through the windows. For all of their bravado and appearance of being in step, what was their end?

4. Or you might revisit that chapter where remains are defined in a way that I don’t recall ever hearing about in a class or lecture. Look at page 97. Read AC 5897 [5 & 6]. Why is this a passage worth remembering?

5. What will you remember about the positive progression of this prophecy? Out of hellish disorder, the Lord’s Church rises with a sense of victory and joy. How can we retain that feeling of hope in our daily battles against hell?

6. I hope you have gained much from this study. I also hope it will inspire you to continue with the whole series of twelve study guides on the Minor Prophets. Our need is to study daily the Word of the Lord. Is this method helping you to achieve that reflection time with the Word?