AC 2441 - The Sun, Moon and Stars

AC 2441 [5]

Immediately after the affliction of those days
the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light,
and the stars will fall from heaven.
(Matthew 24: 29)

'The sun' is not used to mean the sun,
nor 'the moon' the moon,
nor 'stars' the stars,
but 'the sun' is used to mean love and charity,
'the moon' faith derived from these,
and 'the stars' knowledges of good and truth,
which are said to have been darkened,
to lose their light,
and to fall from heaven
when the acknowledgement of the Lord,
and love to Him and charity towards the neighbor,
cease to exist any longer.
And when these have become non-existent
self-love together with falsities deriving from it
take possession of man;
for the one thing results
as a consequence of the other.