645. Crying with a great voice to Him that sat on the cloud, send Thy sickle and reap; for the hour has come for Thee to reap, for the harvest of the earth is dried up, signifies the supplication of the angels of heaven to the Lord, that He would make an end, and execute judgment, because now is the last state of the church. By "crying with a great voice to Him that sat on the cloud," is signified the supplication of the angels of heaven to the Lord, because there was not anything corresponding on the earth; for the church on earth is to the angelic heaven, as a foundation is to a house which rests upon it, or as the feet upon which a man stands, and by which he walks; wherefore, when the church on earth is destroyed, the angels lament, and make supplication to the Lord. They supplicate that He would make an end of the church, and raise up a new one. Hence it is, that by "the angel cried with a great voice to Him that sat on the cloud," is signified the supplication of the angels of heaven to the Lord. That by "Him that sat on the cloud" is signified the Lord as to the Word, see above (n. 642); that "to send His sickle and reap" signifies to make an end and execute judgment, see above (n. 642, 643). By "for the hour is come to reap" is signified that it is the end of the church. "For the harvest is dried up" signifies that it is the last state of the church; by "harvest" is signified the state of the church as to the Divine truth; the reason is, because from the harvest grain is procured, from which bread is made, and by "grain" and "bread" is signified the good of the church, this being procured by truths.
[2] That this is the signification of this passage, may be seen more clearly from those places in the Word where "harvest," "reaping" and "sickle" are mentioned, as in the following:
I will sit to judge all the nations; put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe; for their wickedness is great (Joel 3:12-13).
Cut ye off the sower, and him that taketh the sickle in the time of harvest (Jer. 50:16).
The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing-floor; yet a little while, and the time of harvest will come (Jer. 51:33).
It shall come to pass when the standing corn of the harvest is gathered, and his arm reapeth the ears; in the morning thy seed flourisheth, the harvest shall be a heap in the day of possession, and desperate sorrow (Isa. 17:5, 11).
The husbandmen were ashamed, because the harvest of the field perished (Joel 1:11).
Jesus said to the disciples, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white already to harvest. I sent you to reap (John 4:35-38).
Jesus said to the disciples, The harvest is plenteous, but the laborers are few; pray ye the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest (Matt. 9:37, 38; Luke 10:2).
In these passages, and also in Isa. 16:9; Jer. 5:17; 8:20, the church as to the Divine truth is signified by "harvest."
[3] But all the things which are contained in these verses in this chapter, and also in the two chapters which follow, were foretold by the Lord in the parable concerning the sower and the gathering of the harvest; which, because it teaches and illustrates what they signify, shall be adduced:
Jesus said, The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a man that sowed good seed in his field, but an enemy came and sowed tares; when the blade was sprung up, then appeared the tares also. The servants said, Wilt thou that we gather them up? but He said, Nay, lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them; let both grow together until the harvest, and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn; but gather the wheat into My barn. And the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Explain unto us the parable. Jesus said, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man (or the Lord); the field is the world (the church); the seed are the sons of the kingdom (the truths of the church); the tares are the sons of the wicked one (falsities from hell); the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the consummation of the age (the end of the church); the reapers are the angels (the Divine truths): as therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the consummation of the age (at the end of the church) (Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43).