116. There are many passages in the Word which prove that, when the Lord was in the world, He fought against the hells, overcame and conquered them and thus made them obedient to Him; I will quote only these few. In Isaiah:
Who is this coming from Edom, with stained clothes from Bozrah? A fine figure he is in his clothing, striding out in the excess of his strength. It is I who speak in righteousness, I who am mighty to save. Why are your clothes ruddy, like the clothing of one who treads the wine-vat? I have trodden the wine-vat alone, and of the people there was not a man with me. Therefore I trod them down in my anger, and I trampled them in my wrath. Hence their victory is sprinkled over my clothing. For the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed has come. My arm was my salvation, I brought their victory down to the ground. He said, Behold, they are my people, my sons. Therefore he became a saviour for them. For his love and tenderness he redeemed them. Isa. 63:1-9.
This is a description of the Lord's battle against the hells. The clothing which is ruddy and in which He is a fine figure, means the Word, to which the Jewish people offered violence. The actual battle with the hells and His victory over them is described by His treading them down in His anger and trampling them in His wrath. His fighting alone and by His own power is described by the words 'of the people there was not a man with me, my arm was my salvation, I brought their victory down to the ground.' His saving and redeeming is described thus: 'Therefore he became a saviour for them, for his love and tenderness he redeemed them.' This was the reason for His coming, as is meant by 'the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed has come.'
[2] In another passage of Isaiah:
He saw that there was no one, and was amazed that there was none to intercede, Therefore his arm was his salvation and righteousness raised him up. So he put on righteousness as a breast-plate, and the helmet of salvation on his head, and he put on the clothing of vengeance, and covered himself with jealous anger like a cloak. Then the Redeemer came to Zion. Isa. 59:16, 17, 20.
In Jeremiah:
They were broken, their brave men were bruised. They fled away and did not look back. That is the day of the Lord Jehovih Zebaoth, a day of revenge, that He may take vengeance on his enemies; let the sword devour and be sated. Jer. 46:5, 10.
Both of these passages describe the Lord's battle against the hells and His victory over them. In the Psalms of David:
Gird your sword on your thigh, o mighty one. Sharp are your arrows, the peoples will fall before you, the enemies of the king will lose heart. Your throne is for ever, eternal; you loved righteousness, therefore has God anointed You. Ps. 45:3-7.
There are many other passages besides.
[3] Since the Lord conquered the hells alone with no help from any angel, He is therefore called 'Hero and Man of War' (Isa. 42:13; 9:6), 'the King of glory, Jehovah the strong, the hero of war' (Ps. 24:8, 10), the strong one of Jacob (Ps. 132:2) and in many places 'Jehovah Zebaoth', that is, 'Jehovah of hosts.' His coming is called 'the day of Jehovah, terrible, cruel, the day of indignation, of anger, of wrath, of vengeance, of ruin, of war, of the trumpet, of sounding off, of uproar, etc.' In the Gospels we read:
Now is the judgment of the world; the prince of this world shall be cast out. John 12:31. The prince of this world has been judged. John 16:11. Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world, John 16:33. I saw Satan falling from heaven like a thunderbolt. Luke 10:18
The world, the prince of the world, Satan and the devil all mean hell.
[4] Apart from these passages, the whole of Revelation from beginning to end describes the present state of the Christian church, and prophesies the Lord's second coming, His conquest of the hells, the creation of a new heaven of angels and then the establishment of a new church on earth. All these things were there foretold, but they have not been revealed before the present time. The reason is that Revelation, like all the prophetical parts of the Word, was written purely in correspondences, and if these had not been revealed by the Lord, hardly anyone could have correctly understood a single verse. Now for the sake of the new church all its contents have been revealed in my book THE APOCALYPSE REVEALED (published at Amsterdam, 1766). Those will see this who believe the Lord's words in Matthew, chapter 24, about the state of the church to-day and about His coming. But this is only a flickering faith so far with those who have, so deeply that it cannot be extirpated, imprinted on their hearts the faith of the present-day church about a Trinity of Divine Persons from eternity, and about Christ's passion as being the real act of redemption. But these people are (as was said above in the experience related in 113) like leather skins filled with iron filings and powdered sulphur; if water is poured in, heat is first produced, then flame which makes the skins burst. It is the same with those who hear something about living water, which is the genuine truth of the Word, and this enters through their eyes or ears; they become hot and inflamed with anger, and they reject it as something which would burst their heads.