794. 'And the voice of a mill shall not be heard in thee any more' signifies that those who are in that form of religion by virtue of its doctrine and a life in accordance therewith do not have any searching into, examination and confirmation of spiritual truth, because the untruth received and confirmed, and thus implanted, stands in the way. By 'the voice of a mill' nothing else is signified but a searching into, examination and confirmation of spiritual truth, especially out of the Word. This is signified by 'the voice of a mill' or by grinding because by the wheat and barley that are ground is signified celestial and spiritual good, and consequently by fine flour and meal is signified the truth derived from that good; for every truth is derived from good, and every truth that is not derived from spiritual good is not spiritual. 'The voice of a mill' is said because throughout the Word spiritual things are denoted by the instrumental things that are the ultimates of nature, just as spiritual truths and goods [are denoted] by cups, phials, bottles, plates and many other vessels, as may be seen above (n. 672). That by 'wheat' is signified the good of the Church out of the Word [may be seen] (n. 315); and that the truth derived from that good is signified by fine flour from wheat (n. 778). [2] That 'a mill' signifies the searching into, examination and confirmation of spiritual truth can be seen from these passages:-
Jesus said, In the consummation of the age two [men] shall be in the field, one shall be taken and the other left; two [women] shall be grinding at the mill, one shall be taken and the other left Matt. xxiv 40, 41.
By 'the consummation of the age' is understood the end of the Church, when there is the last judgment; by 'the field' is signified the Church because the harvest is there; by [the women] 'grinding at the mill' are signified those in the Church who search for truths; by the ones 'taken' are signified those who find and receive them, and by the ones 'left' those who neither search after nor receive them because they are in untruths.
I will take away from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride, the voice of the mill stones and the light of the lamp Jer. xxv 10.
By 'the voice of the millstones' in this passage a similar thing is signified as here in the Apocalypse.
[3] Thou shalt not accept a mill or a millstone as a pledge, for it is accepting the soul as a pledge Deut. xxiv 6.
'A mill' here is called 'the soul' because by 'the soul' is signified the truth of wisdom and faith (n. 681). In the opposite sense by 'a mill' is signified the examination and confirmation of untruth, as is plain from these passages:-
They have led the young men away for grinding and the boys fall down at the wood Lam. v 13.
Sit upon the dust, O daughter of Babel, take the mill and grind meal, uncover thy locks, uncover the thigh, pass over the streams, let thy nakedness be uncovered and let thy shame be seen Isa. xlvii 1-3.
'Take the mill and grind meal' signifies that they may search after and examine untruths in order to confirm them.
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