AR 699, 700 - The Sixth Angel Poured Out His Bowl; AR 704 - Going Into Battle

AR 699

Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl 
upon the great river Euphrates. 
(Revelation 16:12)

This symbolizes influx from the Lord 
into the people's interior reasonings 
by which they defend justification by faith alone.

AR 700 [2] 

The subject here is the final period or end 
of the present church 
and the establishment or beginning 
of a new church and its struggles. 
The people of the present church 
caught up in faith alone 
are meant by the dragon, beast, and false prophet, 
spoken of next, 
and their conflicts with people 
who will belong to the New Church 
are meant by 
the gathering of the kings of the earth to do battle. 
Those people who will belong to the New Church, 
on the other hand, 
with whom they will conflict, 
are meant by those for whom 
the water of the river Euphrates was dried up, 
so that the way of the kings 
from the rising of the sun might be made ready.

This involves an occurrence 
similar to one in the introduction 
of the children of Israel into the land of Canaan, 
with the difference that for the Israelites 
the river Jordan was dried up, 
while for the people here it is the river Euphrates. 
It is the river Euphrates for the people here 
because they use interior reasonings 
to carry on the conflict, 
reasonings that must be dried up, that is, removed, 
before the introduction can occur. 
This is also the reason that their interior reasonings 
are being exposed in this book.

AR 704

To go away to gather them to battle means, 
symbolically, to stir those people to fight or attack; 
for war symbolizes a spiritual war, 
which is one of falsity against truth 
and of truth against falsity. 
It is to attack the truths of the New Church 
because it is called 
the battle of that great day of God Almighty, 
and that day symbolizes the Lord's advent 
and a new church then.