525. 'And Thy wrath is come, and the time of judging the dead' signifies their ruin, and the last judgment upon those not having any spiritual life. By 'Thy wrath' is signified the last judgment (n. 340), thus their ruin. This is signified by the Lord's 'wrath' because it appears to them as if the Lord by reason of wrath casts them down into hell, when yet an evil man casts himself. For it is like a wicked man's attributing to the law his being punished, or to the fire his being burnt if he puts his hand in it, or to a drawn sword in the hand of one defending himself if he is thrust through when he has rushed against its point. So it happens with any one who is against the Lord and in wrath rushes against those whom the Lord is protecting. By 'the dead' who are to be 'judged', in the universal sense are understood the dead [passed] out of the world, but in the proper sense those are understood who do not have any spiritual life, the judgment of these being foretold (John iii 18; v 24, 29). This is because they are said to be 'living' who have spiritual life. Spiritual life is solely with those who approach the Lord and at the same time flee from evils as sins. [2] Those who do not have any spiritual life are understood in these places:-
They joined themselves unto Baalpeor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead Ps. cvi 28.
An enemy is pursuing my soul, he has caused me to sit in darkness as the dead of the world Ps. cxliii 3.
To hear the groaning of the bound, and to open to the sons of death Ps. cii 20 [H.B. 21].
I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, but thou art dead: be watchful and strengthen the things remaining that are dying Rev. iii 1, 2.
Those are understood by 'the dead' because spiritual death is understood, and therefore by 'the slain' are signified those who have suffered extinction by that death (n. 321, 325, and elsewhere). But the dead [passed] out of the world are understood by 'the dead' in these:-
The dead were judged according to the things that were written in the books Rev. xx 12.
The rest of the dead did not live again Rev. xx 5.
This is because by the first 'death' there is understood the natural death that is [a passing] out of the world, and by the second 'death' the spiritual death that is damnation.
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