The dragon went away to wage war with the remnant of the seed of the woman, keeping the commandments of God, and having the testimony of Jesus Christ Rev. xii 17;

also that:-

To the beast out of the sea it was given to make war with the saints Rev. xiii 7;

and in this chapter that:-

The spirits of the demons going out of the mouth of the dragon, of the beast and of the false prophet, went away to the kings of the land to gather them together to the war of that great day of God Omnipotent (vers. 13, 14).

Here now it treats of the battle itself. The progress of this is not described, but only the state, which is signified by 'Armageddon'. [2] By 'Armageddon' is signified in heaven the love of honour, of dominion, and of supereminence. Moreover in the Hebrew language by 'Aram' or 'Arom' is signified loftiness, and in very old Hebrew by 'Megiddon' a love derived from loftiness, as is plain from its signification in the Arabic language. A similar thing is signified in Zechariah xii 11 by 'Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon'. In that chapter also it treats of the Lord's coming, and of the end of the Jewish Church at that time and of the beginning of a New one to be set up by the Lord, and also of the clash between those Churches. For this reason it is said so many times in that chapter In that day, and by 'that day' is signified the Lord's coming, as above (n. 704). That it may be seen I will quote the passages:-

In that day I will make Jerusalem a stone of burden unto all peoples. In that day I will smite every horse with numbness and the rider with madness. In that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a furnace of fire among the firewood. In that day Jehovah shall protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that outcasts may be among them. In that day I will seek to destroy all the nations coming against Jerusalem. (And lastly) In that day there shall be a wailing in Jerusalem, as the wailing in Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon Vers. 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11;

and in the following chapter:-

In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. In that day the prophets shall be ashamed, and shall put on a tunic of hair that they may deceive [Zech.] xiii 1, 4.

[3] By 'that day' is signified the Lord's coming and the end of the old Church at that time and the beginning of a New Church, as was said above. But what is signified there by 'the valley of Megiddon' cannot be seen unless the series of things in that chapter and in the following two in that Prophet be disclosed by means of the spiritual sense. And because this has been disclosed to me it will be stated, but in a short summary. In chap. xii in Zechariah there is described in the spiritual sense:-

That the Lord is going to form a New Church (verse 1).

That there will not then be anything of doctrine in the Old Church, and that therefore they are going to flee from it (2, 3).

That [there will be] no longer any understanding of truth, except with those who are in the Word, and who belong to the New Church (4).

That these will learn the good of doctrine from the Lord (5).

That then the Lord by means of the truths of the Word will destroy all untruths, lest the doctrine of the New Church should teach anything other than what is true (6, 7).

That then the Church will be in the doctrine concerning the Lord (8).

That He is going to destroy all persons and things that are against that doctrine (9).

And that then [there will be] a New Church from the Lord (10).

And that then all things of the Church collectively and separately will be in mourning (10-14).

These are the contents of chap. xii in the spiritual sense. [4] The contents of the following chap. xiii are these:-

That for the New Church there will be a Word, and this will be opened to them (verse 1).

That untruths of doctrine and worship will be destroyed absolutely (2, 3).

That what is prophetical or doctrinal of long standing is going to fall into disuse; and untruths of doctrine will no longer exist (4, 5).

That by those who are in the Old Church the Lord will be slain with the intention of scattering those who believe in Him (6, 7).

That those who belong to the devastated Church are going to perish, and that those who belong to the New Church are to be purified and taught by the Lord (8, 9).

These are the contents of chap. xiii in the spiritual sense. [5] The contents of chap. xiv are these:-

Concerning the Lord's combats against the evil, and concerning their dispersion (vers. 1-5).

That then [there will be] nothing true, but from the Lord [will be] Divine Truth (6, 7).

That Divine Truth will proceed from the Lord (8, 9).

That the Truth in the New Church will be multiplied, and there will not be untruth of evil there (10, 11).

That he who fights against those truths will give himself up to untruths of every kind (12).

That then [will be] the destruction of all things of the Church (13-15).

That then they are going to draw near to the worship of the Lord, even from the nations that are external natural (16-19).

And that then [there will be] intelligence derived from the good of charity out of which the worship [will be] (20, 21).

These are the contents of the three chaps. xii, xiii, xiv of Zechariah in the spiritual sense, disclosed because in them also it treats of the last state of the Old Church and the first state of the New Church. And because it is said that they are 'to be gathered together into the place termed in Hebrew Armageddon' it is established that in that Prophet the same things were said concerning the last state of the present Church and concerning the first state of the New Church. By 'Armageddon' is signified, as was said, the love of honour, of dominion and of supereminence, for the combat results from this, and from it and on account of it there is the mourning that is described there (verses 11-14, chap. xii). A similar thing is signified by 'Megiddon' (2 Kings xxiii 29, 30; 2 Chron. xxxv 20-24), but in the spiritual sense.