336. 'And every mountain and island were moved out of their places' signifies that every good of love and truth of faith receded. No one is able to see that the latter things are signified by the former except by means of the spiritual sense. They are signified because by 'mountains' are understood those who are in the good of love, for angels dwell upon mountains; those who are in a love directed to the Lord [dwell] upon the loftier mountains and those who are in a love towards the neighbour upon the less lofty; and therefore by 'every mountain' is signified every good of love. That those more remote from the worship of God are understood by 'islands' may be seen above (n. 34). Here those are understood who are in faith and not so much in the good of love, consequently in the abstract sense 'every island' signifies every truth of faith. By 'moved out of their places' is signified to recede. It is therefore in consequence of angels' dwellings being upon mountains and hills that by 'mountains' and 'hills' in the Word is signified heaven and the Church, where there is love directed to the Lord and love towards the neighbour, and in the opposite sense hell, where there is love of self and love of the world. [2] That heaven and the Church, where love directed to the Lord and love towards the neighbour are, and thus where the Lord is, are signified by 'mountains' and 'hills' is plain from the following passages:-
Lift up the eyes to the mountains, from whence comes help Ps. cxxi 1
Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that publishes peace Nahum i 15 [H.B. ii 1]; Isa. lii 7.
Praise Jehovah, O mountains and hills Ps. cxlviii 9.
The mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan, a mountain of hills is the mountain of Bashan. Wherefore do you leap O mountains, O hills of the mountain? Jehovah desires to dwell therein, yea, Jehovah will dwell in it for ever Ps. lxviii 15, 16 [H.B. 16, 17].
The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like sons of the flock; in the presence of the Lord, thou art in travail, O land Ps. cxiv 4-7.
I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of My mountains, so that Mine elect may possess them, and My servants dwell there Isa. lxv 9.
In the consummation of the age; then let those in Judah flee into the mountains Matt. xxiv 16.
Jehovah, Thy justice is as the mountains of God Ps. xxxvi 6 [H.B. 7].
Jehovah shall go forth and fight, His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives before the faces of Jerusalem from the east Zech. xiv 3, 4.
[3] Since 'the mount of Olives' used to signify Divine love, therefore:-
The Lord daily preached in the temple, but nightly going out, He spent the night upon the mount of Olives Luke xxi 37; xxii 39; John viii 1.
And therefore upon that mountain the Lord spoke with the disciples of His coming and of the consummation of the age Matt. xxiv 3; Mark xiii 3 seq.
And also He went from thence to Jerusalem and suffered Matt. xxi 1; xxvi 30; Mark xi 1; xiv 26; Luke xix 29, 37; xxi 37; xxii 39.
Since a 'mountain' used to signify heaven and love, Jehovah descended therefrom upon the top of Mount Sinai, and promulgated the law (Exod. xix 20; xxiv 17). And therefore the Lord was transformed before Peter, James and John upon a high mountain (Matt. xvii 1). Also Zion was upon a mountain, and Jerusalem also, and each is called the mountain of Jehovah and the mountain of holiness in many places in the Word. Similar things are signified by 'mountains' and 'hills' in other places, as Isa. vii 25; xxx 25; xl 9; xliv 23; xlix 11, 13; lv 12; Jer. xvi 15, 16; Ezek. xxxv 18; Joel iii 17, 18 [H.B. iv. 17, 18]; Amos iv 1, 13; ix 13, 14; Ps. lxv 6 [H.B. 7]; Ps. lxxx 8, 10 [H.B. 9, 11]; Ps. civ 5-10, 13. [4] That 'mountains' and 'hills' signify those loves can be still more manifestly established from their opposite sense in which they signify the infernal loves, love of self and love of the world, as is plain from these passages:-
The day of Jehovah shall come upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills [that are] lifted up Isa. ii 12, 14.
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low Isa. xl 3-5.
The mountains shall be overthrown, and the steep places shall fall Ezek. xxxviii 20, 21.
Behold I am against thee, O mountain destroying the whole land, I will make thee into a mountain of burning Jer. li 25.
I have seen the mountains, and behold they are being shaken, and all the hills are being overthrown Jer. iv 23-25.
A fire is kindled in Mine anger, and shall set on fire the foundations of the mountains Deut. xxxii 22.
I will lay waste mountains and hills Isa. xlii 15.
Behold, O Jacob, I will make thee like a threshing instrument, that thou mayest thresh and grind the mountains, and make the hills as chaff, that the wind may carry them away Isa. xli 15, 16.
Give glory to Jehovah, before your feet stumble upon the mountains of twilight Jer. xiii 16.
Nor is anything else understood by the 'seven mountains' upon which sat the woman who was Babylon (Rev. xvii 9); besides elsewhere, as Isa. xiv 13; Jer. l 6; ix 10; Ezek. vi 13, 14; xxxiv 6; Micah vi 1, 2; Nahum i 5, 6; Ps. xlvi 2, 3 [H.B. 3, 4]. It can now be established from these things what is understood by 'every mountain and island were moved out of their place', also what is understood in the things following by [the statement] that:-
Every island fled away, and the mountains were not found Rev. xvi 20, n. 714 [a].
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