7545. 'For now I could stretch out My hand' means that [all] communication could be taken away. This is clear from the meaning of 'hand' as power, dealt with in 4931-4937, 6292, 6947, 7188, 7189, 7518, and 'the hand of Jehovah' as almighty power, 878, 3387, 7518. Consequently 'stretching out the hand' means demonstrating power, and doing so by an almighty power. That almighty power is described when Jehovah says that it would be possible for Him to send all the plagues onto Pharaoh's heart, his servants, and his people, meaning that the evils could rush in all together, and so communication or contact with the things of heaven could be taken away. Such a demonstration of power is what is meant by the words that appear here. The situation with that communication has been spoken of previously. That is to say, it was shown previously that those who molest the upright in the next life are those who in the world were part of the Church, read the Word, knew the teachings of the faith of their Church, and also claimed to believe them, yet led an evil life. In the next life as long as they keep possession of those matters of faith they remain in contact with heaven and cannot be cast down into hell. Therefore those things are taken away from them in stages; and when they have been taken away those people no longer have anything to hold them up. Like weights without supports or like birds with their wings cut off they then fall straight down into the abyss. All this shows what is meant by the explanation that communication could be taken away from them.