399. 'And hail and fire mingled with blood was produced' signifies untruth derived from infernal love destroying good and truth, and falsifying the Word. By 'hail' is signified untruth destroying good and truth, by 'fire' is signified infernal love, and by 'blood' is signified the falsification of truth. That 'hail' signifies untruth destroying good and truth will be seen below; that 'fire' is love in both a heavenly and an infernal sense may be seen (n. 468); that 'blood' is the Lord's Divine Truth, which is also the Word, and in the opposite sense the Word falsified (n. 379). As a result of the combination of these into one sense it is plain that by 'hail and fire mingled with blood was produced' is signified untruth derived from infernal love destroying good and truth and falsifying the Word. These things are signified because such things appear in the spiritual world when the sphere of the Lord's Divine Love and Wisdom glides down out of heaven into the societies below, where there are untruths derived from infernal love and the Word is being falsified thereby. [2] Similar things are signified by 'hail' and 'fire' together in the following passages:-
At the brightness before Him the clouds passed by, hail and coals of fire;
the Most High gave voice, hail and coals of fire; and He hurled His many darts and dispersed them Ps. xviii 12-14 [H.B. 13-15].
And I will plead with pestilence and blood, and I will make to rain upon them hailstones, fire, and sulphur Ezek. xxxviii 22.
Then Jehovah shall cause His voice to be heard, in the flame of devouring fire, and the hailstone Isa. xxx 30, 31.
He gave hail for their rains, a fire of flames in their land, and broke the tree of their boundary Ps. cv 32, 33.
He smote their vine with hail, and the sycamores with heavy hail, and their herd with burning coals; in the growing wrath of His anger He sent an incursion of evil angels Ps. lxxviii 47-49.
These things [are said] of Egypt. Concerning them it is thus said in Moses:-
Moses stretched forth the rod, and Jehovah gave voices and hail; and there was hail and fire together walking in the midst of heavy hail: and the hail smote every herb of the field, and broke every tree of the field Exod. ix 23-35.
All the miracles done in Egypt were signifying the evils and untruths derived from infernal love that were with the Egyptians; each miracle signifying some evil and untruth; for with them there had been a representative Church, as in many kingdoms of Asia, but it had become idolatrous and magical. By the Red Sea (Mare Suph) is signified hell, in which at length they perished. [3] Something similar [is signified] by:-
The hailstones by which more of the enemy perished than by the sword Josh. x 11.
The like also is signified by 'hail' in the following places:-
Woe to the crown of pride! the Lord is firm, like an inundation of hail: the hail overturns the refuge of falsehood Isa. xxviii 1, 2, 17.
It shall hail, until the forest will let itself down Isa. xxxii 19.
And the temple of God in heaven was opened, and lightnings, voices, thunders, and an earthquake, and great hail, were produced Rev. xi 19.
And there came down from heaven upon men a great hail a talent in weight Rev. xvi 21.
Hast thou seen the treasures of hail that are kept back unto the day of battle and war? Job xxxviii 22, 23.
Say unto those plastering what is unsuitable, that it will fall, there shall be an inundating rain, in which you, O hailstones, shall fall Ezek. xiii 11.
'To plaster what is unsuitable' is to confirm what is untrue so that it appears true, and therefore those who do this are called 'hailstones'.
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