THREE WOES

 

 

Dee Finney's blog

start date July 20, 2011

today's date April 7, 2014

page 664

TOPIC:  WHEN DOES THE 42 MONTHS START?

APPARENTLY WE ARE VERY CLOSE TO THE END TIMES AND ARE PROBABLY ALREADY IN THEM.  MY DREAMS ARE SHOWING EVENTS IN TERMS OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION AND OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE VERY OFTEN EVEN THOUGH I DON'T READ THEM UNTIL I DREAM THEM.

WE HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT THESE THINGS SO MANY TIMES, IT ALMOST SEEMS POINTLESS TO WRITE ABOUT THEM AGAIN, BUT IF DREAMS KEEP BRINGING THEM UP - IT SEEMS THAT THIS 42 MONTHS IS COMING UPON US CLOSER AND CLOSER AND IT HAS TO BE MENTIONED AGAIN SO WE ARE READY FOR IT.

 

4-7-14 - DREAM - I was in a room with a group of people, and we needed to achieve a goal, and to do this, we needed to rearrange a group of cards that were as large as we were.

My Father came and showed us where to start.

The first card to be moved was number 4200 and the cards needed to be moved in a certain order.

*****

I told this dream to Joe, and he said that 4200 can relate to 42 - such as 42 months which is a biblical number in Gematria.

4200 is mentioned 25 times on our website in a variety of dire ways...

We've written about 42 months - no less than 34 times.

REVELATION 13 

1. And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

If any man have an ear, let him hear.

10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE APOCALYPSE, WE ALWAYS THIINK ABOUT SWEDENBORG AND HIS INTERPRETATION OF THE 42 MONTHS.

Revelation Chapters

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  • Rev 1: Vision of Son of Man
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  • Rev 2-3: To the Churches
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  • Rev 4: Throne in Heaven
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  • Rev 5: Scroll and the Lamb
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  • Rev 6: The Seals
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  • Rev 7: All Sealed
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  • Rev 8-9: Seventh Seal
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  • Rev 10: Little Scroll
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  • Rev 11: Two Witnesses
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  • Rev 12: Woman and the Dragon
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  • Rev 13: Two Beasts
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  • Rev 14: The Lamb
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  • Rev 15: Seven Plagues
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  • Rev 16: Seven Bowls
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  • Rev 17: Woman on the Beast
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  • Rev 18: Fall of Babylon
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  • Rev 19: Hallelujah
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  • Rev 20: Thousand Years
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  • Rev 21: New Jerusalem
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  • Rev 22: River of Life

    Author E. Swedenborg

    Spiritual Meaning of REVELATION 13:5
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    AR 582. Verse 5. And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, signifies that it teaches evils and falsities. By "a mouth speaking" is signified doctrine, preaching, and discourse (n. 452); by "speaking great things and blasphemies," is signified to teach evils and falsities; for "great" is predicated of good, and in the opposite sense of evil (n. 656, 663, 896, 898), and by "blasphemies" are signified the truths of the Word falsified thus falsities; what is here signified by "blasphemies" in particular, may be seen in (n. 571). The reason why it teaches evils is because it removes the works of the law, thus the things which ought to be done, from salvation, and he who does this, is in spiritual evils, which are sins.

    AR 583. And there was given unto him authority to work forty-two months, signifies the ability of teaching and doing the evils and falsities of that doctrine, even to the end of that church, and the beginning of the New. By "authority was given him of working" is signified the authority of speaking great things and blasphemies, that is, of teaching and doing the evils and falsities mentioned in (n. 582); "forty-two months" signify even to the end of the former church and beginning of the New, as in (n. 489); the same as is signified by "three days and a half" (n. 505); and by "a time and times and half a time" (n. 562); and also by "a thousand two hundred and sixty" (n. 491), because forty-two months make three years and a half.


     
    793. Verses 5, 6. And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and there was given unto him authority to work for forty-two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle and them that dwell in heaven. 5. "And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies," signifies the doctrine destroying utterly the goods of the Word and its truths (n. 794); "and there was given unto him authority to work forty-two months," signifies its destruction even until nothing or good and truth remained (n. 796). 6. "And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God," signifies the falsification of Divine truth, thus of the Word, which is from the Lord and which is the Lord (n. 797); "to blaspheme His name," signifies by falsifying all its quality (n. 798); "and His tabernacle" signifies all the doctrine of the church and worship therefrom (n. 799); "and them that dwell in heaven," signifies spiritual goods and truths...
     
    796. ...The doctrine of faith separated destroys the church in respect to all its goods and truths. That this is so has been made abundantly evident to me from the state of such persons after death with whom I have talked. The followers and defenders of faith separate, who have cleansed the outside only of the cup and the platter and not the inside, when they have fulfilled their time reject all things they have said and believed in the world to be of their faith; and they acknowledge as gods either themselves or others who excel in power and in the arts known in hell; and they even laugh at the truths of the Word which in the world they had called holy...
     
    801. Verse 7. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints and to overcome them; and there was given to him authority over every tribe and tongue and nation. 7. "And it was given unto him to make war with the saints and to overcome them," signifies combat with those who are in truths from good...; "and there was given to him authority over every tribe and tongue and nation," signifies domination over all the truths and goods of the church, and over the doctrine of faith and love (n. 803).
     
    803. And there was given to him authority over every tribe and tongue and nation, signifies domination over all the truths and goods of the church, and over the doctrine of faith and love... Most people at this day believe that they will come into heaven if they have faith, live piously, and do goods; and yet they do not turn away from evils because they are sins, consequently they either do them or believe them to be allowable; and those who believe them to be allowable do them when opportunity is given. But let them know that their faith is not faith, that their pious things are not pious, and that their goods are not goods; for they flow from the impurities that lie inwardly concealed with man... This has been proved to me by a thousand examples in the spiritual world. I have there heard that it has been granted to many to recall the actions of their life in the world, and to enumerate the goods they had done; but when their internal was opened it was found to be full of every evil and the falsity therefrom; and it was then disclosed to them that the goods they had enumerated had been done from self, because for the sake of self and the world, and that they were full of evils from their interiors; and on this account they appeared either as if scorched with fire, or as if sooty. [4] But it was otherwise with those who from the Word had abstained from doing evils, and had afterwards shunned them and turned away from them because they were sins and were opposed to love to God and to charity towards the neighbor. Although there was a similar perception to them that their works were done as if from self, yet they were all good, and appeared in the light of heaven like white snow and wool (Isaiah 1:12-18)... Where faith and love are, there is heaven, and where faith and love are not, there is hell...
     
    804. Verses 8, 9. And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If anyone hath an ear let him hear. 8. "And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him," signifies the necessity of acknowledgment by those who have been born within the church (n. 805); "whose names are not written in the book of life," signifies by all who have not become spiritual by regeneration by the Lord (n. 806); "slain from the foundation of the world," signifies whose Divine in His Human has not been acknowledged from the first establishment of this church (n. 807). 9. "If anyone hath an ear let him hear," signifies reception by those who are in the understanding of truth and the consequent perception of good (n. 808).
     
    805. Verse 8. And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, signifies the necessity of acknowledgment by those who have been born within the church... Those that have been born within the church are meant, because everyone adopts the religion of his native land, in the first place because be is educated in it, and is afterwards confirmed in it by preachings, and particularly because there are but few who study the doctrine of the church and the interior meaning of the Word, believing that such things transcend their comprehension, and also that they are not to be seen or understood, but only to be believed. This is the reason for the necessity of acknowledgment by those who have been born within the church, which is signified by "all that dwell on the earth shall worship the beast." ...The learned of the church, when they come after death into the spiritual world, are in so many falsities as scarcely to know a single genuine truth. But it is otherwise with those who have not confirmed these falsities with themselves, and have lived at the same time in some measure the life of faith, which is charity. These can be instructed in the truths of faith, and when they have been instructed can be received among the angels in heaven....

    807. Slain from the foundation of the world, signifies whose Divine in His Human has not been acknowledged from the first establishment of this church...

    808.Verse 9. If anyone hath an ear let him hear, signifies the reception by those who are in the  of truth, and the consequent perception of good...

    809. Verse 10. If anyone shall lead into captivity he shall go into captivity; if anyone shall kill with the sword he must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. 10. "If anyone shall lead into captivity be shall go into captivity," signifies that those who have shut out others from truths are shut out from the Divine truths in the Word (n. 810, 811); "if anyone shall kill with the sword he must be killed with the sword," signifies that those who have imbued others with falsities are imbued with falsities from hell (n. 812). "Here is the patience and the faith of the saints," signifies that through these comes temptation and afterwards the implantation of truth with those who are made spiritual by the Lord (n. 813).

    812. If anyone shall kill with the sword he must be killed with the sword, signifies that those who imbue others with falsities are imbued with falsities from hell... Such are imbued with falsities from hell because they have shut heaven against themselves by falsities; and when heaven is shut against anyone then hell is open to him... For there are various kinds of falsities, for instance, falsities of ignorance, falsities of religion, and falsities from misunderstanding the Word; in a word, the falsities that lead to a life of evil, or that proceed from a life of evil, because they are from hell close heaven... Those who are signified by this "beast," who are such as by reasonings confirm the separation of faith from life [of faith, which is charity,]... imbue others with falsities, and are themselves imbued with falsities from hell, because the dogma of faith alone shuts out all truths and rejects all goods. Faith alone shuts out all truths because such insist that we are saved solely by this, "That the Lord endured the cross for our sins, and thereby took away the condemnation of the law, and that He thus redeemed us." And as they hold that this alone, which they call faith itself, saves, they make no effort to learn truths, although truths are what teach man how he must live... thus the essential goods of love to God and the goods of charity towards the neighbor are made of no account... 

    814. Verse 11. And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 11. "And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth," signifies confirmations from the... letter of the Word in favor of faith separated from life [of faith, which is charity,] and the consequent falsifications of the truth of the church (n. 815); "and he had two horns like a lamb," signifies the power as if from the Lord of persuading that there is... faith separate (n. 816); "and he spake as a dragon," signifies with a similar affection, thought, doctrine, and preaching, as belong to those who separate faith from the life of faith, which is charity (n. 817)... 

    816. And he had two horns like a lamb, signifies a power as if from the Lord, of persuading that there is... faith separate... [2] Such a power of persuading and confirming any heresy whatever from the Word is well known in the Christian world from the many heresies there, everyone of which is confirmed from the sense of the letter of the Word and thus they are persuaded. The reason is that the sense of the letter of the Word is accommodated to the apprehension of the simple, and therefore consists in large part of appearances of truth; and it is the nature of appearances of truth to be capable of being adapted to confirm anything that anyone may adopt as a principle of religion and thence of doctrine, thus even when it is false. Consequently those who place genuine truth itself in the sense of the letter of the Word only, are open to many errors unless they are in enlightenment from the Lord, and in that enlightenment form doctrine for themselves that will serve them as a lamp... Thence it is also evident how dangerous it is to falsify the Word even to the destruction of the Divine truth that is in its spiritual sense; for by so doing heaven is closed to man...

    818. Verse 12. And all the authority of the first beast he exerciseth before him; and he maketh the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose stroke of death was healed. 12. "And all the authority of the first beast he exerciseth before him," signifies the connection of the reasonings from the natural man with... the letter of the Word, by which the religion of faith separate is strengthened (n. 819); "and he maketh the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast," signifies in consequence of which those in the church who are in falsities and in evils therefrom in heart acknowledge the agreement (n. 821); "whose stroke of death was healed," signifies and thus the discordance was removed by devised conjunctions [or connections by reasonings] of works with faith (n. 822). 

    819. Verse 12. And all the authority of the first beast he exerciseth before him, signifies the connection of the reasonings from the natural man with the... letter of the Word, by which the religion of faith separate is strengthened... Faith without works is not spiritual; for it is without its soul, and faith without its soul is a dead faith. (3) It is also a reasoning from the natural man that faith was made the means of salvation because man cannot do good of himself. (4) It is also a reasoning from the natural man that those who are merely in faith are in God and in a state of grace, even so that nothing can condemn them. From this it is believed by many that it is not necessary to live a Christian life, which is according to the Lord's commandments; for they say to themselves, Why should I give any thought to works, when good works do not save and evil works do not condemn? I have faith that the Lord suffered the cross for the sins of the world, and delivered us from the condemnation of the law; what more is necessary?... The natural man, separated from the spiritual, regards only self and the world, and not the Lord and heaven; and thus he is conjoined to hell, which is the source of all falsities; and these can never be dissipated except by the prevalence of heavenly love and by genuine truths which are from that love... 

    823. Verses 13, 14. And he doeth great signs, so that he even maketh fire to come down from heaven unto the earth before men; and he seduceth them that dwell on the earth by reason of the signs that were given him to do before the beast, saying to them that dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast which hath the stroke of the sword and did live. 13. "And he doeth great signs," signifies testifications [or testimony] and persuasions (n. 824); "so that he even maketh fire to come down from heaven unto the earth before men," signifies the love of falsity from evil arising from the pride of self-intelligence as if it were the love of truth from good which is in the church from the heavens (n. 825). 14. "And he seduceth them that dwell on the earth by reason of the signs that were given him to do before the beast," signifies to persuade those who are in the church by testifications [or testimony]  from the Word joined to reasonings from the natural man (n. 826); "saying to them that dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast," signifies an established decree that all in the church should teach and believe nothing whatever except these things (n. 827); "which hath the stroke of the sword and did live," signifies the nature of those natural things by which the things taken from the natural sense of the Word for confirmation were conjoined (n. 829). 

    826. Verse 14. And he seduceth them that dwell on the earth by reason of the signs that were given him to do before the beast, signifies to persuade those who are of the church that these are truths, by testifications [or testimony] from the Word joined to reasonings from the natural man... With one who is not enlightened fallacies prevail, and the reasonings are from fallacies. But one who is enlightened sees from spiritual and from natural light at the same time; and the natural light with him is illumined by the spiritual; but one who is not enlightened sees from natural light only, separated from spiritual light, and such a light is in spiritual things not light but thick darkness. And yet this thick darkness, when falsities have been confirmed, appears to be as it were the light of truth, but it is like the light in the hells, which in the sight of those who are there appears as light; but as soon as light from heaven enters the light there is turned into mere thick darkness, and their thought grows dull... From this it is clear that the light of the confirmation of falsity even to the destruction of the Divine truth which is in heaven, is infernal light. [2] ...All who are in love to the Lord from the Lord are in the third or inmost heaven; and they are such as have truths written in the life, and not, like the angels of the lower heavens, in the memory; and this is why those who are in the third heaven never talk about truths, but only listen to others speaking about them, and reply either that it is so, or that it is somewhat so, or that it is not so. For they see in themselves whether what they hear is true or not... For with them all truths are written on their affections, and these derive their essence from celestial love, which is love to the Lord. Thus with them truths make one with their affections. And as these angels are in love to the Lord from the Lord, their interior life consists of mere affections of good and truth from that love. For this reason they do not speak about truths, but do truths, that is, good works... Those who imbibe the laws of life from the Word and live according to them, and who worship the Lord, become angels of the third heaven. 

    827. Saying to them that dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast, signifies an established decree that all in the church should teach and believe nothing whatever except these things... "To make that image" signifies to make a decree or to determine that they should teach and believe only in this way; also that this has been done in the churches where the doctrine of faith separate has been accepted. This is the signification of the "image," because in the spiritual world all spiritual things may be exhibited by means of images, also by means of idols; and by these the particulars of doctrine may be portrayed, which I have also seen done... With those who belonged to the ancient churches images were made representative of their doctrine and the worship therefrom; but the sons of Israel, on account of the proclivity of their mind to idolatrous worship, were forbidden to make them, as is evident from the Word...

    830. Verse 15. And it was given unto him to give breath to the image of the beast that the image of the beast may both speak and may cause that as many as do not worship the image of the beast be killed. 15. "And it was given unto him to give breath to the image of the beast," signifies that by being conjoined with the Word there was something of spiritual life therein (n. 831); "that the image of the beast may both speak," signifies that consequently an agreement flowed in from heaven into the thought nearest to the speech excited and enkindled by natural love (n. 832); "and may cause that as many as do not worship the image of the beast be killed," signifies threats of eternal death to those that do not believe everything and all things that are so established (n. 833).

    831. Verse 15. And it was given unto him to give breath to the image of the beast, signifies that by being conjoined with the Word there was something of spiritual life therein... [2] As celestial love in which are the angels of the third heaven has been treated of in what precedes, I will now say something about spiritual love, in which are the angels of the second heaven. Spiritual love is the love of truth, and in the highest sense the love of the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; thus it is also love to the Lord, but in a lower degree than that in which the celestial angels are. The celestial angels are in love to the Lord from the reception of Divine good from Him, while the spiritual angels are in love to the Lord from the reception of Divine truth from Him. The difference is like that between love in the will and love in the understanding, or like that between a flame and its light. Moreover light with the angels of the third heaven is derived from what is flaming, while the light of the angels of the second heaven is derived from what is bright white (but for more respecting this see in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140). Their life differs in like manner. The life of the angels of the third heaven consists in the affections of good, and the life of the angels of the second heaven in the affections of truth. The difference is such that they are easily distinguished by their faces and by their speech. As spiritual love is love of truth, and spiritual angels in respect to their life are affections of truth, they speak about the holy things of heaven and the church, unlike the angels of the third heaven, who cannot speak about these things, as has been said above. And as the celestial angels are perfected in wisdom by hearing, there are intermediate angels, who are called celestial-spiritual angels, who preach and teach truths in their temples, which are called houses of God, and are of wood. [3] Spiritual angels, from the spiritual love that constitutes their life, are affections of truth, and not affections of good, because they are reformed and regenerated and become angels in a way different from that of celestial angels. For spiritual angels admit truths first into the memory, and from that into the understanding, which is thus formed by these truths; and then they are perfected so far as they are spiritually affected by Divine truths, that is, on account of them and for the sake of a life according to them. But celestial angels do not first admit truths into the memory, but immediately into the will, and through acts into the life; consequently they are not able to speak about Divine truths, but they simply will and do them; while spiritual angels speak about Divine truths, because with them they are inscribed on the memory; and thought speaks from the memory. [4] And yet spiritual angels admit no truth into the memory and from it into the understanding with themselves unless they see it; for the angels in that heaven see truths from the light of truth, thus by enlightenment from the Lord; for in the heavens truths are spiritual objects, and appear more clearly before the angels there than natural objects do before men in the world; consequently they...  
    831-1  cannot at all comprehend how a faith in anything that is not seen or understood can exist in anyone, for in that case a man does not know whether it be true or false, and faith in what is false is harmful. From this it is clear that with spiritual angels intellectual sight is spiritual sight. These angels are perfected in understanding so far as they are in the love of truth for the sake of life and its genuine uses... Again, the angels of the second heaven, like the angels of the third heaven, dwell in distinct societies, but the societies of the third heaven are above those of the second, because celestial love flows into spiritual love; for spiritual love derives its essence from celestial love by influx mediate and immediate from the Lord. [6] In the spiritual heaven there are magnificent palaces, in which all things within shine with precious stones and decorations in such forms as cannot be equaled by any painting in the world, nor expressed in words... For art there, especially that of architecture, is in its own art. From that heaven many arts in the world derive their laws and harmonies, from which come their forms of beauty. The silver that is found among those who dwell beneath these heavens is given by the Lord from that heaven, but the gold from the third heaven; for silver corresponds to spiritual good, which is in its essence truth; and gold corresponds to celestial good. The spiritual angels are clothed in garments of fine linen and silk, generally in shining garments. And as the spiritual heavens correspond to the eyes, there are paradisiacal scenes, as also in many places rainbow colored appearances and these also are of ineffable beauty. They know nothing there about the sense of the letter of the Word, but only about its spiritual sense, for they have the Word in that sense, which is read by everyone. In that heaven, justice, integrity, verity, chastity, and the other praiseworthy virtues of moral life reign. These heavens constitute the royalty of the Lord, while the higher heavens, where the celestial angels are, constitute the priesthood of the Lord; for His royalty is Divine truth, and His priesthood is Divine good.

    832. That the image of the beast may speak, signifies that consequently an agreement flowed in from heaven into the thought nearest to the speech excited and enkindled by natural love... For all things of the Word and every particular of it communicate with the heavens, and from it there flows a holiness into the person speaking or preaching... And this is why such can speak and preach like those who are spiritual, although they have no spiritual affection, but only natural affection... [2] The sense of the letter of the Word communicates with heaven, because each and every thing therein contains a spiritual sense... I have heard some recite words from the sense of the letter of the Word and have perceived that immediately they had communication with some society of heaven; for the spiritual sense which was in the words then recited from the sense of the letter penetrated to that society. Sometimes this communication is abused by evil spirits to acquire for themselves favor from the heavens... [5] ...Love with man, and his life from it, do not become spiritual by merely knowing and understanding truths unless he also wills and does them. For... an evil man, whose love is infernal, can know and understand truths just as well as a good man whose love is heavenly; therefore the evil believe that because of their knowledges and their understanding of verities they will not only come into heaven but will also be among the intelligent there, of whom it is said that "they shall shine as the stars," and yet, if they do not also love, that is, will to do the truths that they know and understand, they come after death among those who are in hell, from whom all truths are taken away. For after death everyone comes to be his own love... [6] There are three degrees of life with man, the third degree in which are the angels of the third heaven; the second degree in which are the angels of the second heaven; and the first degree in which are the angels of the first... heaven. There is also a lowest degree, which is corporeal and material, which man has while he lives in the world. These degrees are opened with man according to the reception of Divine truth in his life; and Divine truth is received in the life by willing and doing truth according to the knowledge and understanding of it. And as the love and the life of man make one, it follows that there are as many degrees of love as there are of life. The love in which the angels of the third heaven are is called celestial love; the love in which the angels of the second heaven are is called spiritual love; and the love in which the angels of the first heaven are is called spiritual-natural love, also celestial-natural. As their love is, such is their wisdom and intelligence. Those who are in the third degree of love and of wisdom thence live in an atmosphere as it were purely ethereal; those who are in the second degree of love and thence of intelligence live in an atmosphere as it were purely aerial; and those who are in the first degree of love and thence of knowledge live in an atmosphere as it were purely aqueous. And as the purity of their life is in a similar degree as their love, it is evident that those who are in the third heaven and in the love and life of that heaven cannot be approached by those who are in the second and first; for to ascend from the second heaven into the third would be like a bird's flying above its own atmosphere into the ether; and to ascend from the first heaven into the second would be like elevating a fish into the air, in which it would suffocate and suffer direful things...

    833. And may cause that as many as do not worship the image of the beast be killed, signifies threats of eternal death to those who do not believe everything and all things that are so established... It is well known that this is so, for salvation, thus life eternal, is declared to all those who believe in that doctrine, and damnation and eternal death are denounced against those who do not believe.
     
    834. As celestial love and spiritual love have been treated of, it now remains to say something about the spiritual-natural love in which are the angels of the first... heaven. This love is what is properly called charity towards the neighbor. As these angels are nearly alike in respect to the understanding as men in the world are, and as they are natural, their understanding is raised but little above what it was while they were in the world; therefore they do not see truths in the light as the angels of the second heaven do; but they receive, acknowledge, and believe truths from doctrine, in which they are instructed before they are admitted into heaven. For this reason only the more intelligent of them know what charity towards the neighbor is, the simple there believing that every man is the neighbor, and that charity is to assist the needy, and to do good to the poor, the sojourner, and so on. For the most part they consider persons and what they say, and not the interiors which are the source of what they say.

    835. Verses 16, 17. And he causeth all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the bond, that there be given them a mark upon their right hand or upon their foreheads; and that no one be able to buy or to sell if he hath not the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name. 16. "And he causeth all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the bond," signifies the lower and the higher, the wise and the simple, both those who think from themselves and those who think from others (n. 836); "that there be given them a mark upon their right hand and upon their foreheads," signifies an attestation of the acknowledgment that they are of the church, and are in the so-called truths and goods of that faith (n. 838). 17. "And that no one be able to buy or to sell if he hath not the mark of the beast," signifies forbidding anyone to learn or teach anything but what has been acknowledged and thence accepted in doctrine (n. 840); "or the name of the beast or the number of his name," signifies either what is like it in respect to life, or what is like it in respect to faith (n. 841). 

    836. Verse 16. And he causeth all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the bond, signifies the lower and the higher, the wise and the simple, both those who think from themselves and those who think from others. This is evident from the signification of "all, the small and the great," as being the lower and the higher, or the more common and the more eminent; also from the signification of "the rich and the poor," as being the wise and the simple. (That those are called "rich" who possess many knowledges of good and truth... and that those are called "poor" who have no knowledges of good and truth because they do not have the Word... So also from the signification of "the free and the bond," as being those who think from themselves and those who think from others. To think from oneself is to see from oneself whether a thing be true or false, and thus to choose the one and reject the other. These are they who are made spiritual by the Lord, and are thence in the light of heaven, and from the Lord they see and are led; for to think and live from the Lord is freedom; and to think and live from hell is bondage... From this it follows that by "the bond" those are meant who think not from themselves but from others, and who do not see whether a thing is true or false and yet acknowledge it to be true... 

    837. ...(1) Every man after death comes to be his own love, and the spirit of man is nothing but the affection that is of his love; when therefore a man becomes a spirit he thinks and thence speaks from his affection; he also wills and thus acts from his affection; and he desires and imbibes the things that are of his affection or love... And in fact, his face gradually becomes the face of his affection or love, from which he is then known, as he is also known from his speech, the tone of which is the tone of his affection. In a word, a man after death becomes his love or his affection in form; and consequently when anyone speaks against the affection which is of his love, or assaults it, his face is changed, and he himself goes away or suddenly vanishes. As all men after death are the substances and forms of their love, therefore the whole heaven, which consists of angels who have been men, is divided into societies according to the... affections, thus according to all the differences and varieties of the affections. And hell, also, which consists of spirits who have been men, is divided into societies according to the affections opposite to heavenly affections, and according to all the differences and varieties of these in general and in particular. That man after death is his love, or his affection which is of the love, has been heretofore unknown in the world; for the world has believed that affection does nothing and that thought does everything... But whoever is wise can know his affections by his thoughts; for the affections manifest themselves in the thoughts whenever a man is in the freedom of his spirit and is alone with himself; for he then thinks from the affection which belongs to his love. Nor is thought anything else than affection made visible in various forms by the influx of light; therefore if you take away affection the thought immediately perishes, just as light does if you take away the flame. From this it is clear how important it is to acquire for oneself heavenly love or affection. How this is acquired shall be told in what follows. But it is to be known that by affection love in its continuity is meant. (2) [2] That the whole life of man is the life of his love, and that the love and the life make one and are one with man, can be seen from what has been said above, namely, that everyone appears in the spiritual world with a face according to his love, that he speaks according to it, thinks, wills, desires, lusts, rejoices, and is sad, according to it, and these are the things that constitute his life, and that proceed from it. That this is so is clearly evident in the case of spirits and angels, who are all men both in face and in body; for as soon as the love of one of them is assaulted he vanishes with his whole body, even though he were sitting shut up in a room; and this I have frequently seen; and thus it was made clear that an angel or spirit is not only an affection in a human form, but also that his whole life from the head to the sole of the foot, or from cap to shoe, is nothing but affection which is of love; otherwise he could not have wholly vanished from the eyes of those sitting by him. When inquiry was made whether his corporeal form with its members is also affection which is of the love, it was found that each thing and all things of these were so; for the reason that the universal heaven, which... is divided and formed into societies according to all the differences and varieties of the affections, has a relation to one man, and from this all angels and spirits are human forms; therefore as heaven is a complex of all affections, so, too, is an angel and a spirit, who are least forms of heaven. This arcanum was thus made clear to me, and it was also confirmed from heaven, that all things and everything of man, both of his mind and of his body, are forms of love in a wonderful series, and that the organs of the brain and of the face, as also the members and viscera of the body, are perpetual contextures corresponding to those affections of heaven in which its societies are. And from this still another arcanum was made clear to me, namely, that the affections of the mind and the thoughts therefrom spread out and pour themselves forth into all things of the body... For it is similar as with the affections and thoughts therefrom of the angels, in that they pour themselves forth in every direction into heaven and its societies; and according to their extension is the wisdom of the angels. (But on this see further in the work on Heaven and Hell, namely, that all angels are images of heaven, and thus are as it were heavens in the least form, n. 51-58; that the universal heaven has a relation to one man; and that thence angels and spirits are human forms, n. 59-102; that all thought from affection proceeding from angels has extension into the societies of heaven according to the quality of their love and wisdom, n. 200-212.)... Something shall now be said respecting faith. (10) [10] The ancients did not know what faith is; but in place of faith they had truth; for when truth is perceived or is seen in the understanding, and thus acknowledged, it is believed on its own account... This is why the angels of the third heaven, since they perceive truths from good, are unwilling even to mention faith, and in fact, do not know that it exists; and why angels of the second heaven, since they see truths from the light of truth by which their understanding is enlightened, do not acknowledge the word faith. They wonder and laugh when they hear anyone saying that the understanding is to be held captive under obedience to faith, and that one should have faith in what is not perceived and seen; and they say that in this way what is false may be believed... [11] When the world could no longer see truths from the love of them and from their light, because men had become natural and external, then faith began to be mentioned, and everything of faith began to be called truth, although it was not perceived or seen but only asserted by some leader and confirmed by passages of the Word not understood. This is the condition of the churches in the Christian world at this day, in every one of which the doctrinals of their faith are believed to be truths, and this for the sole reason that these are held by the church of their native land... [12] So long as faith was joined with works, and charity was acknowledged in an equal degree with faith, or above it, the church was in truths from the Word, but only in a few, because they did not see them. But as soon as faith was separated from charity the church fell from truths into falsities, and at length into a faith that has destroyed all the truths of the church. This faith is a faith in justification and salvation by the merit of the Lord with the Father. For if man is saved by this faith alone, and this faith also is separated from the goods of life, which are good works, what need is there of truths, which teach the way to heaven and lead to it? Live and believe in any way you wish, and merely hold that faith, and you will be saved. But let me tell you, my reader, that all who live that faith are in natural love separated from spiritual love; and natural love separated from spiritual love is the love of self and the world, and thus the love of all evils and of all falsities from evils... [13] ...From this it is clear that faith without works... is a dead faith, such as reigns in hell.

    838. That there be given them a mark upon their right hand and upon their foreheads, signifies an attestation of the acknowledgment that they are of the church, and are in the so-called truths and goods of that faith. This is evident from the signification of a "mark," as being a sign or attestation of acknowledgment, here that they are of that church; also from the signification of "right hand," as being the truth of faith in its power (see above, n. 298); also from the signification of "forehead," as being the good of love (see also above, n. 427). So here "the right hand and the forehead" signify the so-called truths and goods of that faith, which, nevertheless, are either not truths and goods or are falsities and evils. The acknowledgment of these as truths and goods however is signified by "giving and receiving a mark upon their right hand and upon their foreheads." A "mark" signifies a sign of acknowledgment also in the following passages in Revelation, 14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4. Moreover, a "mark" has a similar meaning as... the "sign" in Moses: Thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might. Thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be for frontlets before thine eyes (Deut. 6:5, 8; 11:18). 

    840. Verse 17. And that no one be able to buy and 
    840-1 to sell if he hath not the mark of the beast, signifies forbidding anyone to learn and teach anything but what has been acknowledged and thence accepted in doctrine... It is evident also from the signification of a "mark," as being an attestation and sign of acknowledgment that those who are in these so-called truths and goods of that faith are of the church (see just above, n. 838). From this it is clear that "to cause that no one be able to buy and to sell save he that hath the mark of the beast" signifies forbidding anyone to learn and to teach anything but what has been acknowledged and also accepted in doctrine... [3] In Matthew: The prudent virgins said to the foolish, Go ye rather to them that sell, and buy oil for yourselves; but while they went away to them to buy the bridegroom came (25:9, 10). "The prudent virgins" signify those in the church with whom faith is conjoined to charity, and "the foolish" signify those in the church with whom faith is separated from charity; for "lamps" signify the truths of faith, and "oil" signifies the good of love; therefore "to go to them that sell and to buy" signifies to those who teach, and to learn or acquire for oneself. But as such had not acquired for themselves the good of love, and vivified by that means the truths of faith, while they lived in the world, but had acquired them afterwards, and as no one can acquire for himself the good of love after death and retain it, so these foolish virgins, by whom all who separate the good of love or the good of charity from the truths of faith are signified, were not admitted to the marriage feast nor received by the bridegroom. "The marriage feast" signifies heaven, and "the bridegroom" the Lord...

    841. Or the name of the beast, or the number of his name, signifies either what is like it in respect to life or what is like it in respect to faith...

    842. ...If a man's works appear good in external form, and yet he is interiorly evil, it follows that he has a faith in falsity, however much he may talk about truth with the mouth, for the truth is contaminated with evil from within; and thus his deeds are according to the description of them by the Lord: They are like the cleansed outside of the cup and the platter, whose inside is full of extortion and excess; and are like unto whited sepulchers which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of the bones of the dead and all uncleanness (Matt. 23:25, 27, 28). 

    843. Verse 18. Here is wisdom. He that hath intelligence let him count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred sixty-six. 18. "Here is wisdom," signifies that this is their doctrine in all its complex, which is thought to be wisdom, although it is insanity (n. 844). "He that hath intelligence let him count the number of the beast," signifies that those who are in enlightenment may inquire into the quality of the faith of that religion (n. 845); "for it is the number of a man," signifies its quality, as if it were from the understanding of truths such as the men of the church must have (n. 846); "and his number is six hundred sixty-six," signifies that its quality, nevertheless, is from all falsities and all evils therefrom in the complex (n. 847).

    844. Verse 18. Here is wisdom, signifies that this is their doctrine in all its complex, which is thought to be wisdom, although it is insanity. This is evident from the signification of "here is wisdom," as being that all those things that have been said of the dragon and his two beasts is the doctrine of those who have separated faith from life, which however is not wisdom, as it is reputed, but insanity. That this is the meaning of "here is wisdom" follows from what precedes, that "no one is able to buy 
    844-1 and sell save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name," which signifies that no one should learn or teach anything else but what had been acknowledged, and thus accepted in doctrine. From this it can be concluded that "wisdom" here means wisdom in their own eyes; which, nevertheless, is insanity appearing to them to be wisdom. Insanity is meant by "wisdom," because those who are in falsities, when they have confirmed their falsities believe themselves to be wiser than others. The evil do the like when they are in their evils and are contriving devices by which they may do evil to the good; they then appear to themselves to be ingenious, yea even wiser than others, and yet before the eyes of angels they appear crazy. And this is why their insanity when they are in falsities is called in the Word "wisdom and intelligence," as in the following passages: O Lord God, Thou hast hid these things from the wise and intelligent, and hast revealed them unto babes (Matt. 11:25; Luke 10:21). Woe to the wise in their own eyes, and the intelligent before their own faces (Isa. 5:21)...

    847. And his number is six hundred sixty-six, signifies that its quality nevertheless is from all falsities and all evils therefrom in the complex [doctrine.] This is evident... from the signification of "six hundred sixty-six" as being all falsities and all evils therefrom in the complex [doctrine.] This is the signification of that number, because "six" signifies all things, and is predicated of truths and of goods therefrom, and in the contrary sense of falsities and of evils therefrom; for that number is composed of the numbers two and three multiplied together, and the number two is predicated of goods, and in the contrary sense of evils; and the number three of truths, and in the contrary sense of falsities; and a composite number has a similar signification as the simple numbers of which it is composed... That all these may be signified to the full, that number is tripled; and by triplication the number 666 arises. For a thing triplicated signifies completeness and fullness from beginning to end; so here it signifies that nothing whatever of truth and good remains. [2] That every number in the Word signifies something pertaining to a thing or state, and that its quality is determined by the numbers added, may be seen above (n. 203, 429, 574, 841). That larger numbers composed of the smaller have a similar signification as the smaller and simple numbers from which they arise by multiplication may be seen above (n. 430)...  From this it is clear that the number "six hundred sixty-six," which is said to be "the number of a man," and "to count" which is said to be a matter of intelligence, signifies the quality of faith separated from good works, that it is composed of all falsities and of all evils therefrom in the complex [doctrine.] Its being said to be a matter of intelligence to count that number does not signify that it is a matter of intelligence to know or find out the signification of that number, but that it is a matter of intelligence to inquire into and see the falsities and evils that make up the quality of faith separated from life [of charity.]...

    SWEDENBORG MENTIONS THAT THERE IS A STORY ABOUT 42 BOYS TORN APART BY TWO BEARS WHICH MEANS THE SAME THING.

    HERE IS THAT SECTION:

    781. And his feet were as those of a bear. This signifies reasonings from natural things which are fallacies, is evident from the signification of feet, as denoting things natural (concerning which see above; n. 69, 600, 632, 666). Also from the signification of a bear, as denoting those who are in power from the natural sense of the Word, both the good and the evil, concerning which we shall speak presently. The reason why by the feet of the beast which, as to the body, was like a leopard, and as to the feet like a bear, are signified fallacies is, because by the leopard are signified reasonings which are discordant, and yet appear to be coherent (concerning which see just above, n. 780). And those reasonings, so far as they are from the ultimate Natural, which is the Sensual, are fallacies, these being signified by the feet of the bear.

    [2] Beasts, both clean and unclean, are frequently mentioned in the Word, and signify various things pertaining either to heaven or hell, the clean and useful beasts signifying such things as pertain to heaven, and the unclean and useless, such as pertain to hell. But what those signify that pertain to heaven and hell cannot be better known than from representatives in the spiritual world, where also beasts appear; all of which are appearances representing the thoughts of angels and spirits arising from their affections, inclinations, appetites, pleasures, and desires. For in the spiritual world these things are set forth before the eyes in various forms, in the form of gardens, forests, fields, plains, and also fountains; also palaces and houses, and chambers therein, in which are various decorations and articles. Tables upon which are various kinds of food there are seen also. Moreover, these things are shown in the forms of animals of the earth, fowls of the heaven, and reptiles, in an infinite variety; and not only forms like those on our earth, but in various composite forms, such as exist nowhere on earth, several of which it has been granted me to see. And when such things appear, it is known immediately from what spiritual origin they are, and thus what they signify. But those animals and fowls immediately disappear, as soon as the spirit or angel ceases from his thought and meditation.

    [3] That such things do appear in the spiritual world, is evident from similar things seen by the prophets; as, for example, the Lord appeared like a lamb; cherubs were seen with faces like a lion, an ox, and an eagle, in Ezekiel; horses were seen going forth out of the book of life, when the Lamb opened its seals; also a white horse, and several white horses, upon which they rode in heaven, in the Apocalypse; and also white, bay, red, black, and grisled horses, in Zechariah; also a red dragon which had several heads and horns was seen; and now here was seen a beast like a leopard, with the feet of a bear, the mouth of a lion, as also another beast which had two horns like a lamb; and afterwards a scarlet beast upon which sat a woman. There also appeared to Daniel four beasts coming up out of the sea, the first of which was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle, the other like a bear, the third like a leopard, which had four wings, and the fourth terrible. It is evident, therefore, not only that such beasts appear in the spiritual world, but also that they are significative. It can therefore be seen that all the beasts, and also all the birds, mentioned in the Word, are significative of such things as are represented by beasts in the spiritual world. The signification of the bear will be shown in what follows.

    [4] But before demonstrating from the Word, we will illustrate by some examples what is meant by the fallacies that are here signified by the feet as those of a bear. Several things are called fallacies which man reasons and forms conclusions about from the natural man without spiritual light, that is, without the light of the understanding enlightened by the Lord. For the natural man takes the ideas of his thought from earthly, corporeal, and worldly objects, which in themselves are material; and when the thought of a man is not raised above these, he thinks materially about things spiritual. And material thought without spiritual light derives all its quality from the loves of the natural man and from their delights, these being contrary to heavenly loves and to their delights. For this reason, conclusions and reasonings from the natural man alone, and his foolish light (lumen), are fallacies. But this shall be illustrated by examples. It is a fallacy that faith which is merely a matter of the thought saves, when, notwithstanding, a man is such as the quality of his life.

    [5] It is a fallacy that faith which is merely a matter of the thought is spiritual, when, notwithstanding, to love the Lord above all things, and the neighbour as oneself, is what is really spiritual; and to love is to will and do. It is a fallacy that faith is also given instantaneously, when, notwithstanding, a man must be purified from evils and from the falsities therefrom, and be regenerated by the Lord, which is a process of long continuance; and in proportion only as he is purified and regenerated does he receive spiritual faith. It is a fallacy that man can receive faith and be saved at the hour of death, whatever his life has been, when, notwithstanding, the life of a man remains, and he is judged according to his deeds and works. It is a fallacy that faith is communicated to children by baptism, when, notwithstanding, faith must be procured by the knowledges of truth and good, and by a life according to them. It is a fallacy that by faith alone the church exists in man, when, notwithstanding, it is by the faith of charity that the church exists in him; and charity pertains to the life, and not to faith separate from the life.

    [6] It is a fallacy that man is justified by faith alone, and that, when he is justified, the Lord's merit is thereby imputed to him, and that afterwards nothing can condemn him, when, notwithstanding, faith without the life of faith, which is charity, is sometimes said to be living without a soul, but which, in itself, is dead; for charity is the soul of faith, because it is the life thereof. Therefore a man is not justified by a dead faith, much less is the Lord's merit thereby imputed and salvation effected; and where there is no salvation, there is condemnation. It is a fallacy that love and charity are implanted in faith alone, when, notwithstanding, love and charity are to will and do; for what a man loves, this he not only thinks, but also wills and does. It is a fallacy that where doing is spoken of in the Word, and where deeds and works are mentioned, is meant thereby to have faith, because these are implanted in faith, when, notwithstanding, they are distinct like thought and will; for a man can think many things which he does not will, whereas what he wills this he thinks when left to himself; and to will is to do. The will also and thought therefrom is the real man, and not the thought separate from the will; and deeds and works belong to the will and thence to the thought but faith alone belongs to the thought, separate from deeds and works, which belong to the will.

    [7] It is a fallacy that faith must be separated from good works because a man cannot do good of himself, and if he does good that he places merit therein, when, notwithstanding, man does not do good from himself, but from the Lord, when he does it from the Word, because the Lord is in the Word, and also is the Word; and a man does not do good of himself when he does it as of himself, and yet believes that it is from the Lord because from the Word. Also because he believes that the good which he does is from the Lord, he cannot place merit in acts.

    [8] It is a fallacy that the understanding must be held captive under obedience to faith, and that faith seen in the understanding is not spiritual faith, when, nevertheless, it is the understanding which is enlightened in the things of faith when the Word is read; and the understanding shut out from enlightenment does not know whether a thing be true or false; consequently faith in such a case does not become a man's own, but the faith of another in him; and this is a mere historical faith, which can see falsities as truths and truths as falsities. Hence comes the faith characterising heresies of all kinds.

    [9] It is a fallacy that the confidence which is called saving faith, conceived without understanding, is spiritual confidence, when, nevertheless, confidence without understanding is the result of persuasion by another, or of confirmation by passages scattered here and there in the Word, which are collected together, and by reasonings from the natural man applied to a false principle. Such confidence is a blind faith, which, because it does not consider whether what it conceives be true or false, is merely natural. Moreover, all truth desires to be seen, because it is of the light of heaven; but the truth which is not seen may be falsified by various means; and truth falsified is falsity.

    [10] Such are the fallacies connected merely with faith separate from good works. There are still various others, which have reference not only to faith, but also to good works, to charity, and to the neighbour; and especially to their conjunctions with faith, which are artfully devised by the learned.

    The reason why such fallacies are signified by the feet of a bear is, that by a bear are signified those who are in power from the natural sense of the Word, as well the upright as the wicked. And because by feet are signified natural things, therefore by the feet of the bear are signified the fallacies from which, by reasonings, they falsify the sense of the letter of the Word, and into which they turn the appearance of truth pertaining to that sense.

    [11] That a bear signifies power from the natural sense of the Word, both with the upright and the wicked, is evident from the following passages. In 2 Kings:

    "When Elisha went up to Bethel, as he was going in the way, there came boys out of the city and mocked him, and said to him, Go up thou bald head, go up thou bald head; and he looked back behind him, and saw them, and cursed them in the name of Jehovah; and there came two bears out of the forest, and tore in pieces forty-two children of them" (ii. 23, 24).

    Why the boys were cursed by Elisha and therefore torn in pieces by two bears, because they called him bald head, cannot be known, unless it be known what Elisha represented, and what a bald head signifies, and also what is signified by the bears. That this was not done by Elisha from immoderate anger and an unjust reason, is evident from this, that he could not be so cruel because the little boys merely said, "Go up thou bald head." It was indeed an insult to the prophet, but not a sufficient reason for them to be torn in pieces by bears. But this occurred because Elisha represented the Lord as to the Word, thus the Word, which is from the Lord. By bald head was signified the Word deprived of the natural sense, which is the sense of the letter; and by the bears out of the wood is signified the power from the natural or literal sense of the Word, as was said above; and by the boys were signified those who blaspheme the Word because its natural sense is such as it is. By forty-two is signified blasphemy. It is now evident, therefore, that by those things was represented, and thence signified, punishment for blaspheming the Word.

    For all the power and sanctity of the Word is contained in the sense of the letter; for if this sense did not exist, there would be no Word; since without it the Word would be like a house without a foundation, which would tremble, fall to pieces, and be destroyed. It would be also like a man without a skin, which covers and keeps the enclosed viscera in their place and order. And because baldness has this signification, and Elisha represented the Word, therefore the children were torn in pieces by bears, by which was signified the power from the natural sense of the Word, which is the sense of the letter, both with the upright and the wicked. From these things also it is evident, that the historical parts of the Word, equally with its prophetical parts, contain a spiritual sense.

    [12] The signification of the bear which David smote is similar, concerning which it is written as follows in 1 Samuel:

    "David said unto Saul, Thy servant was feeding his father's flock, and there came a lion and a bear, and took away a sheep of the flock; I went out after him, and smote him, and when he arose against me, I took hold of his beard and smote him, and slew him; thy servant smote both the lion and the bear; therefore this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, because he hath opprobriously defied the forces of the living God" (xvii. 34-37).

    The reason why power was given to David to smite the lion and the bear which took away the sheep from the flock, was, that David represented the Lord as to Divine truth, by which those who belong to His church are instructed; and by the lion is signified the power of spiritual Divine truth, and in the opposite sense, as in this case, the power of infernal falsity against Divine truth; and by the bear is signified the power of natural Divine truth, and in the opposite sense, the power of falsity against that truth: but by the sheep from the flock are signified those who belong to the Lord's church. And because these things are represented, therefore power was given to David to smite the bear and the lion, in order that by this might be represented and signified the Lord's power of defending His own in the church by means of His Divine truth, from the falsities of evil which are from hell. That David took hold of the beard of the bear, involves a mystery, which may indeed be opened up, but can scarcely be comprehended. The beard signifies Divine truth in the ultimates, in which its very power consists. This truth even the evil, who are in falsities, do indeed confess with their mouth, but they misuse it in order to destroy it; when, however, it is taken away they have no longer any power; hence he slew the bear, and smote the lion. But this will be further explained elsewhere.

    By Goliath, who was a Philistine, and thence uncircumcised, are signified those who are in truths without good; and truths without good are truths falsified, which in themselves are falsities. "Uncircumcised" signifies those who are in unclean corporeal loves; for the foreskin corresponds to those loves. It is evident, therefore, what the victory of David over Goliath represented.

    [13] From these considerations it is evident why David is compared by Hushai to a bear bereaved in the field (2 Sam. xvii. 8).

    In Daniel:

    "Another beast ascending out of the sea, like to a bear, and it raised up itself upon its side, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and they said unto it, Arise, devour much flesh" (vii. 5).

    By the four beasts ascending out of the sea, is described the successive states of the church, even to the devastation which is its end: and by this other beast, which was like a bear, is signified the falsification of the truth of the Word, the power thereof still remaining in the sense of the letter. The desire to falsify its goods is signified by its raising itself up on one side. By the three ribs in the mouth between the teeth, are signified the knowledges of truth from the Word in abundance, which are perverted by reasonings from fallacies; and by eating much flesh, is signified the destruction of good by falsities; also the appropriation of evil.

    [14] In Hosea:

    "I am become to them as a lion, as a leopard will I watch by the way: I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved, and there will I devour as a fierce lion; the wild beast of the field shall rend them" (xiii. 7, 8).

    The signification of "I am become to them as a lion, as a leopard will I watch by the way," was explained in the preceding article. By meeting them as a bear that is bereaved, is signified the falsification of the sense of the letter of the Word. By devouring as a fierce lion, is signified the destruction and devastation of every truth of the Word, and consequently of the church. The wild beast of the field shall rend them, signifies that they will perish by falsities from evil.

    [15] In Lamentations:

    "Although I cry and shout, he obstructeth my prayers, he hath fenced the ways with hewn stone, he hath overturned my paths; a bear lying in wait for me, a lion in secret places, he hath turned aside my ways, he hath made me desolate" (iii. 8-11).

    This is a lamentation from God concerning the desolation of truth in the church. And that they cannot be heard because of falsities is signified by, although I cry and shout, he obstructeth my prayers. That falsities from man's own intelligence turn aside and reject the influx of truth is signified by, he hath fenced about the ways with hewn stone, he hath overturned my paths. By the ways and paths of God are signified truths leading to good, and by hewn stone are signified those things that are from man's own intelligence. Because these things are signified by hewn stone it was forbidden to construct an altar of hewn stones, and similarly with regard to the temple of Jerusalem. A bear lying in wait for me, signifies the natural man perverting the sense of the letter of the Word. A lion in secret places, signifies that the interior natural man, from the evils in him, perverts the entire meaning of the truth of the Word, and consequently of the church; whence come falsities. He hath turned aside my ways, he has made me desolate, signifies the devastation of the truth of the church.

    [16] Again, in Amos:

    "Woe to them that desire the day of Jehovah! What is the day of Jehovah to you? A day of darkness and not of light; as he who fleeth from a lion meeteth a bear, or who cometh to a house and leaneth his hand upon the wall, and a serpent biteth him" (v. 18, 19).

    By the day of Jehovah is meant the Coming of the Lord, who is the Messiah whom they expected. And because they believed that He would deliver them from earthly enemies, and exalt them in glory above all nations, therefore they desired Him. But as the Lord did not come for the sake of any kingdom on earth, but for the sake of a kingdom in heaven; and because the Jewish nation was in the falsities of evil, which were then made manifest, therefore it is said, "Woe to them that desire the day of Jehovah; What is the day of Jehovah to you? A day of darkness, not of light." Darkness and not light denotes the falsities in which they were. As he who fleeth from a lion meeteth a bear, signifies fear on account of the dominion of falsity, in seeking truths from the sense of the letter of the Word, which they cannot but falsify. For he is said to flee from a lion and to meet with a bear, who is interiorly in falsity from evil, and is led to the knowledge of truths from the sense of the letter of the Word, which, because of the interior dominion of falsity from evil, he, in that case, cannot but pervert. He who cometh to a house, and leaneth his hand upon a wall, and a serpent biteth him, signifies that while, being of such a nature, he consults the Word in the sense of the letter, seeking what is good, he does not see that evils pervert it; the bite of the serpent here signifying the falsification which arises from the interior dominion of falsity from evil.

    [17] Again, in Isaiah:

    "The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard with the kid; the calf shall lie down, and the young lion and fatling together, and a little boy shall lead them; and the heifer and the bear shall feed, and their young shall lie down together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox" (xi. 6, 7).

    What is signified by the wolf dwelling with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling lying down together, and a little boy leading them, was explained in the preceding article. By the heifer and the bear feeding, and their young lying down together, is signified that the power and desire of the natural man to falsify the truths of the Word, shall not hurt the good of the natural man and the affection thereof; the heifer denoting the affection of good and truth pertaining to the natural man; and the bear, the power and desire of the natural man to falsify the truths of the sense of the letter of the Word. The lion shall eat straw like an ox, signifies that infernal falsity, which bums to destroy the truths of the church, shall not hurt the affection of good pertaining to the natural man, either in the case of man in himself or of men among each other; and that neither shall it hurt the Word. Straw signifies the Word in the letter, which is perverted by infernal falsity, but cannot be perverted by those who are in truths from good.

    [18] Again in the same prophet:

    "We feel for the wall as the blind, we grope as they that have no eyes; we stumble at noon-day as in the twilight; among the living as dead. We roar as bears, and moaning we moan as doves; we look for judgment but there is none, salvation is far from us; for our prevarications are multiplied before thee, and our sins answer against us" (lix. 10, 11, 12).

    We feel for the wall as the blind, and we grope as they that have no eyes, signifies that there is not any understanding of truth. We stumble at noon-day as in the twilight, signifies a falling into errors, although they are in the church where is the Word, by means of which they might come into the light of truth. Among the living as dead, signifies that they might be in spiritual life by the Word, and yet are not, because they are in falsities. We roar as bears, and moaning we moan as doves, signifies the grief of the natural man, and thence of the spiritual man. We look for judgment but there is none, salvation is far from us, signifies the hope of the enlightenment of the understanding, and thence of salvation, but in vain. Our prevarications before thee, are multiplied, and our sins answer against us, signifies, by reason of falsities from evil.

    [19] From these considerations it is now evident, that by a bear is signified the natural man as to power from the sense of the letter of the Word, in both senses; also as to the desire of falsifying that sense. That such things are signified by a bear, has been made evident to me from bears seen in the spiritual world, in whose forms were represented the thoughts of those who were natural, and who studied the Word, while by knowledge therefrom they desired to prevail. There were also seen bears which had ribs between their teeth, like that described in Daniel; and it was permitted to be understood that by the ribs were represented the knowledges which, while in the world, they drew from the Word. White bears were seen also, which represented the power of the spiritual-natural man through the Word. Moreover, in that world there are seen animals compounded from bears, panthers, wolves, oxen, and also the same furnished with wings, which all are significative of such persons, whilst they pass along in meditation.

     

     

    SIGNIFICATION OF VARIOUS TERMS AND SUBJECTS IN THE WORD


    The Days of Creation

    Arcana Coelestia 6 | Arcana Coelestia 7 | Arcana Coelestia 8 | Arcana Coelestia 9 | Arcana Coelestia 10 | Arcana Coelestia 11 | Arcana Coelestia 12 |Arcana Coelestia 13

    Enoch

    Arcana Coelestia 519 | Arcana Coelestia 521

    The Giants

    Arcana Coelestia 581

    Repentence of the Lord

    Arcana Coelestia 586 | Arcana Coelestia 587 | Arcana Coelestia 588

    The Flood

    Arcana Coelestia 660 | Arcana Coelestia 661 | Arcana Coelestia 662 | Arcana Coelestia 794 | Arcana Coelestia 795 | Arcana Coelestia 796 | Arcana Coelestia 797 | Arcana Coelestia 5275

    The Resting of the Ark upon the Mountains of Ararat

    Arcana Coelestia 850 | Arcana Coelestia 851 | Arcana Coelestia 852 | Arcana Coelestia 853 | Arcana Coelestia 854 | Arcana Coelestia 855

    The Bow in the Cloud

    Arcana Coelestia 1042

    Ham

    Arcana Coelestia 1079 | Arcana Coelestia 1080

    Ishmael

    Arcana Coelestia 1949 | Arcana Coelestia 1950 | Arcana Coelestia 1951

    Laughter

    Arcana Coelestia 2071 | Arcana Coelestia 2072 | Arcana Coelestia 2216

    Borrowing from and Spoiling the Eqyptians

    Arcana Coelestia 6914

    The Anger of the Lord

    Arcana Coelestia 6997 | Arcana Coelestia 1093

    The Frogs of Egypt

    Apocalypse Explained 1000

    Apparent Contradiction as to the Number of Years which the Israelites dwelt in Egypt

    Arcana Coelestia 7985

    Divine Truth, Pacific and Tumultuous

    Arcana Coelestia 8823

    Boring the Ear with an Awl

    Arcana Coelestia 8989 | Arcana Coelestia 8990 | Arcana Coelestia 8991

    The Urim and Thummin

    Apocalypse Explained 431

    The Breaking of the Tables of the Decalogue by Moses, and his hewing out other Tables

    Arcana Coelestia 10453 | Arcana Coelestia 10603

    Signification of the Jewish Sacrifices

    Arcana Coelestia 10042

    Balaam's Ass speaking

    Apocalypse Explained 140

    The Sun and Moon standing still at the command of Joshua

    Apocalypse Explained 401

    Magic, Sorcery, and Enchantments

    Arcana Coelestia 6692 | Apocalypse Explained 590 | Arcana Coelestia 7296 | Arcana Coelestia 7297 | Apocalypse Explained 1191

    Destruction of Children by the Bears

    Apocalypse Explained 781

    Spiritual Drunkeness

    Arcana Coelestia 1072

    Miracles

    Arcana Coelestia 7290 | Arcana Coelestia 2383

    Why Fishermen were chosen to be the Lord's Disciples

    Spiritual Experiences 1216

    Love to Enemies

    Apocalypse Explained 556

    Spiritual Fermentations

    Divine Providence 25

    Prayer and Worship

    Apocalypse Revealed 951 | Arcana Coelestia 2535 | Apocalypse Explained 695 | Apocalypse Explained 325 | Arcana Coelestia 1618 | Arcana Coelestia 2327 | Arcana Coelestia 7884 | Arcana Coelestia 10143 | Arcana Coelestia 10299

    Why it is the Lord's Will to be Worshipped

    Divine Love and Wisdom 335

    The Lord's Prayer

    Arcana Coelestia 8864 | Arcana Coelestia 6619 | Apocalypse Revealed 839

    The Transfiguration, and the Parting of the Lord's Raiment

    Apocalypse Explained 64

    Tears

    Apocalypse Explained 484

    The Dragon

    Apocalypse Explained 714

    The Spiritual Sense of Numbers

    Apocalypse Explained 429 | Apocalypse Explained 430 | Arcana Coelestia 5291 | Arcana Coelestia 7973

    Measures and Weights

    Apocalypse Revealed 313

    Alpha and Omega

    Apocalypse Revealed 29 | Apocalypse Revealed 38

     



     

     

     

     

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