Matthew 24:37-42 One shall be taken the other left

³⁷ But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
³⁸ For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
³⁹ And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
⁴⁰ Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
⁴¹ Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
⁴² Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
-  Matthew 24:37-42 King James Version (KJV)

Arcana Coelestia, by Emanuel Swedenborg, [1749-56], tr. by John F. Potts [1905-10], at sacred-texts.com

368.

That a "field" signifies doctrine, and consequently whatever belongs to the doctrine of faith and charity, is evident from the Word... The Lord... in His prediction concerning the consummation of the age calls the doctrine of faith a "field:" Then shall two be in the field, the one shall be taken and the other left (Matt. 24:40; Luke 17:36), where by a "field" is meant the doctrine of faith, both true and false. As a "field" signifies doctrine, whoever receives a seed of faith, whether a man, the church, or the world, is also called a "field."...

4058

In the foregoing verses of this chapter of Matthew there is described the successive vastation [the process of purifying something, typically violently or drastically] of the church; namely, that first they began not to know what good and truth are, but disputed about them; next that they treated them with contempt; in the third place that they did not acknowledge them at heart; and fourthly, that they profaned them. These states are described from the third to the twenty-second verse; and as the truth of faith and the good of charity were still to remain in the midst (that is, with some who are called the "elect") the quality of the state of the truth of faith at that time is described in verses 23 to 28; and in the following verses, now to be explained, there is described the state of the good that is of charity and of love; and also the beginning of a New Church.

4059.

From the particulars contained in these verses it is very manifest that they have an internal sense, and that unless this sense is understood, it is impossible to know what they involve-as that the sun shall be darkened, that the moon shall not give her light, that the stars shall fall from heaven, and that the powers of the heavens shall be shaken; and then that the Lord shall appear in the clouds of heaven, that His angels shall sound with a trumpet, and shall gather together His elect. He who knows not the internal sense of these words, must believe that such things are to come to pass; nay, that the world is to perish, with everything we behold in the universe. And yet that by the Last Judgment there is not meant any destruction of the world, but the consummation or vastation of the church in respect to charity and faith, may be seen above (n. 3353); and is plainly manifest from the words which follow in this same chapter of Matthew: Then shall two men be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left; two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left (Matt. 24:40-41).

4060.

Therefore that by the words now before us there is signified the state of the church at that time in respect to good (that is, as to charity toward the neighbor and love to the Lord), is evident from their internal sense, which is as follows: But immediately after the affliction of those days; signifies the state of the church in respect to the truth of faith (concerning which just above). In the Word the desolation of truth in various places is called "affliction." (That "days" are states may be seen above, n. 23, 487, 488, 493, 893, 2788, 3462, 3785.) From this it is manifest that by these words is signified that after there is no longer any faith, there will be no charity. For faith leads to charity, because it teaches what charity is, and charity receives its quality from the truths of faith; but the truths of faith receive their essence and their life from charity, as has been repeatedly shown in the preceding volumes... [7] And they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of the heavens with power and great glory; signifies that the Word [or Bible] will then be revealed as to its internal sense, in which the Lord is; the "Son of man" is the Divine truth therein (n. 2803, 2813, 3704); the "cloud" is the literal sense [of the Word or Bible;] "power" is predicated of the good, and "glory" of the truth, therein... This is [what] the "coming of the Lord" here meant, and not that He will literally appear in the clouds. Now follows the subject of the setting up of a New Church, which takes place when the old one is vastated and rejected. [8] He shall send forth His angels with a trumpet and a great voice; signifies election, not by visible angels, still less by trumpets, and by great voices; but by the influx of holy good and holy truth from the Lord through angels; and therefore by "angels" in the Word there is signified something of the Lord (n. 1925, 2821, 3039); here, there are signified things that are from the Lord and concerning the Lord. By the "trumpet" and the "great voice" there is signified evangelization, as elsewhere in the Word. [9] And they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from the end of the heavens even to the end thereof; signifies the setting up of a New Church. The "elect" are those who are in the good of love and of faith (n. 3755-3900); the "four winds" from which they shall be gathered together, are all states of good and truth (n. 3708); "from the end of the heavens to the end of them" denotes the internals and the externals of the church. Such therefore are the things signified by these words of the Lord.

Spiritual Experiences Minor by Emanuel Swedenborg (Odhner)

4673. What is meant by grinding, or millers

In the other life those seem to themselves to be grinding who assiduously pursue many studies, write, and instruct themselves, without a useful purpose in view, only for the sake of their own pleasure and enjoyment.

 

Apocalypse Explained, by Emanuel Swedenborg, [1757-9], tr. by John Whitehead [1911], at sacred-texts.com

 

[³ And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. -Revelation 8:1-3 King James Version (KJV)]

493.

That he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which is before the throne, signifies the conjunction of the heavens with those who are to be separated from the evil and saved. This is evident from the signification of "offering incense with prayers," as being to conjoin the good of the higher heavens by means of truths with those who are in worship from spiritual good...; also from the signification of "all the saints," as being those who are in good by means of truths, thus who are in spiritual good; that these are called "saints" may be seen above (n. 204); again, from the signification of "the golden altar," as being the heaven where there is spiritual good, for the altar upon which incense was offered was called "the golden altar;" again, from the signification of "before the throne," as being conjunction with heaven, "to be before the throne" signifies that conjunction, as may be seen above (n. 462, 477, 489). [2] That these words signify the conjunction of the heavens with those who are to be separated from the evil and saved, can be seen from the series of things in the internal sense, and from the connection of what goes before with what is now said and with what follows, and also from the signification of the words in the internal sense. For this and the following chapters treat of the last state of the church, or its state when its end has come and the judgment is at hand; but before this state is described, the separation of those who were to be saved is treated of, who are all such as are meant by "those sealed on their foreheads," and by "those clothed in white robes" who were treated of in the preceding chapter. Because these were at that time associated in societies with those who were to be damned, in this chapter the means by which they were separated and saved are described, namely, that the higher heavens were first closely conjoined with the Lord by Divine influx into celestial good, and through that into spiritual good, and afterwards by Divine influx through these goods, conjoined into one, into the lower regions where those who were to be saved and those who were to be damned were together in societies. This influx of the Lord out of the higher heavens was received by those who in the world had lived in good, for that good continued with them, therefore by means of that good they were conjoined [or joined together] to the higher heavens, and thus separated from those who were unable to receive the influx, because they had not lived in good but in evil while they were in the world. [3] This also is what is meant by the Lord's words in the Gospels: Then shall two men be in the field, one shall be taken, the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding, one shall be taken, the other shall be left (Matt. 24:40, 41; Luke 17:34-36). This is the series of things in the internal sense, and the connection of those that precede with what is now said and with what follows (respecting which see more above, n. 413, 418, 419, 426, 489). From this it can now be seen what the spiritual sense is of these words, "that he should offer the incense with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which is before the throne," namely, the conjunction of the higher heavens with those who were to be separated from the evil and saved...