707. Verse 16. And he gathered them together into the place called in Hebrew Armageddon, signifies a state of combat of falsities against truths, and a desire to destroy the New Church, springing from the love of dominion and preeminence. "To gather together into a place," here to battle, signifies to excite to combat from falsities against truths. It is the state of combat, because "place" signifies the state of a thing. That it is from the purpose of destroying the New Church, is because combat between the Old Church and the New is meant, and the purpose of the combat is to destroy. What is signified by "Armageddon" will be told below. It has been said before, that:
The dragon went away to make war with the rest of the seed of the woman, that keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ (Rev. 12:17);
Also that:
It was given to the beast out of the sea to make war with the saints (Rev. 13:7).
And in this chapter that:
The spirits of demons that went out of the mouth of the dragon, of the beast, and of the false prophet, went away to the kings of the earth, to gather them together to the war of that great day of God Almighty (Rev. 16:13-14).
Here the battle itself is now treated of, the success of which is not described, but only its state, which is signified by "Armageddon."
[2] By "Armageddon" is signified in heaven the love of honor, of dominion, and of supereminence; and also in the Hebrew language by Aram or Arom loftiness is signified, and love from loftiness is by "Megiddo" in the ancient Hebrew language, as is manifest from its signification in the Arabic language. The same is signified by "Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddo" in Zechariah 12:11. In that chapter the coming of the Lord is also treated of, and the end of the Jewish Church at that time, and the beginning of a New Church to be established by the Lord, and also the collision between those churches; on which account the expression "in that day" so often occurs in that chapter; and by "that day" is signified the Coming of the Lord, as above (n. 704). That it may be seen, I will adduce 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 astonishment and his rider with madness. In that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a furnace of fire in wood. In that day Jehovah will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that those driven out may be among them. In that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem (Zech. 12:3-4, 6, 8-9).
And lastly:
In that day there shall be a wailing in Jerusalem like the wailing in Hadradrimmon in the valley of Megiddo (Zech 12:11).
And in the following chapter:
In that day a fountain shall be 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 garment of hair, that they may deceive (Zech. 13:1, 4).
[3] By "that day" is signified the coming of the Lord and then the end of the Old Church and the beginning of a New Church, as was said above. But what is signified there by "the valley of Megiddo" cannot be seen, unless the series of things in that chapter and the two following in that prophet be disclosed by means of the spiritual sense; which, as it has been disclosed to me, shall be explained, but in a brief summary. In the twelfth chapter of Zechariah it is described in the spiritual sense:
That the Lord is about to form a New Church (Zech. 12:1).
That there will then be nothing of doctrine in the Old Church, and that therefore they will flee from it (Zech. 12:2-3).
That there will no longer be any understanding of truth, only with those who are in the Word, and who are of the New Church (Zech. 12:4).
That these will learn the good of doctrine from the Lord (Zech. 12:5).
That the Lord will then destroy all falsities by the truths of the Word, lest the doctrine of the New Church should teach anything else but the truth (Zech. 12:6-7).
That the church will then be in doctrine concerning the Lord (Zech. 12:8).
That He will destroy all and all things that are contrary to that doctrine (Zech. 12:9);
And that then there will be a New Church from the Lord (Zech. 12:10).
And that then each and everything of the church will be in mourning (Zech. 12:10-14).
These are the contents of chapter 12 in the spiritual sense.
[4] The contents of chapter 13 are these:
That the Word will be for the New Church, and will be opened to them (Zech. 13:1).
That falsities of doctrine and worship will be altogether destroyed (Zech. 13:2-3).
That the old prophetic or doctrinal teaching is to cease, and that there will no longer be falsities of doctrine (Zech. 13:4-5).
That the Lord will be slain by those who are in the Old church, from their intention to disperse them that believe in Him (Zech. 13:6-7).
That they who are of the vastated church will perish, and that those who are of the New Church are to be purified and taught by the Lord (Zech. 13:8-9).
These are the contents of chapter 13 in the spiritual sense.
[5] The contents of chapter 14 are these:
The Lord's combats against the evil, and their dispersion (Zech. 14:1-5).
That then there will be no truth, but there will be Divine truth from the Lord (Zech. 14:6-7).
That the Divine truth will proceed from the Lord (Zech. 14:8-9).
That truth will be multiplied in the New Church, nor will there be any falsity of evil there (Zech. 14:10-11).
That he who combats against those truths, will give himself up to falsities of every kind (Zech. 14:12).
That then will be the destruction of all things of the church (Zech. 14:13-15).
That they will then approach to the worship of the Lord, even from the Gentiles who are external natural (Zech. 14:16-19).
And that then there will be intelligence from the good of charity, from which will be their worship (Zech. 14:20-21).
These are the contents of the three chapters, 12-14 of Zechariah, in the spiritual sense, disclosed because in them also the last state of the Old Church and the first state of the New Church are treated of. And as it is said that "they are to be gathered together into a place called in Hebrew Armageddon," it is evident that the same things were said in this prophet concerning the last state of the church of this day and the first state of the New Church. By "Armageddon" is signified, as was said, the love of honor, of dominion, and of supereminence; for from that is the combat, and from that and on account of it is lamentation which is described there (Zech. 12:11-14). The like is also signified by "Megiddo" (2 Kings 23:29-30; 2 Chron. 35:20-24); but in the spiritual sense.