Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 8815

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8815. 'And the voice of a trumpet extremely loud' means a celestial state which was round about. This is clear from the meaning of 'the voice (or sound) of the trumpet' as the truth of celestial good, 'the voice' being truth and 'a trumpet' celestial good, as above in 8802. The reason why a celestial state which was round about is meant is that the Divine in heaven is in the middle or inmost part, that is, the highest part there But heaven as occupied by angels lies round about or outside, that is, below; for what is round about is also outside, and what is outside is also below. God's truth itself in heaven is meant by 'voices and lightnings'; but celestial or angelic truth linked to the Divine, which is the truth below or round about, is meant by 'the voice of a trumpet' Similarly in Zechariah,

Jehovah will appear over them, and His arrow will go forth like lightning; and the Lord Jehovih will sound a blast on the trumpet, and move forward in storms of the south. Zech 9:14.

And in David,

God has gone up with a blast, Jehovah with the voice of a trumpet. Ps 47:5

'A blast' stands for the truth of spiritual good, 'the voice of a trumpet' for the truth of celestial good.

[2] Divine Truth passing through heaven is also meant by the trumpets on which the angels blasted in Rev 8:2, 6-8, 12, 13; 9:14. God's truth from heaven was represented too by the seven trumpets on which the seven priests blasted before the Ark or in front of Jehovah when the walls of the city of Jericho fell down, Joshua 6; and also by the trumpets with which the three hundred men accompanying Gideon made a noise around the camp of Midian, Amalek, and the Sons of the East, Judges 7. The reason why the trumpets achieved that effect was that they represented God's truth passing through the heavens. This truth is such that it perfects the good but destroys the evil. It perfects the good because they receive Divine Good present within Truth, but it destroys the evil because they do not receive Divine Good present there. 'The walls of Jericho' meant the falsities that defended evils, and 'Midian, Amalek, and the Sons of the East', around whose camp Gideon's three hundred men blasted on their trumpets, meant those immersed in evils and in falsities arising from them


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