At face value, the Ten Commandments can seem intense and unforgiving. But Emanuel Swedenborg’s understanding of the internal sense of the Bible—spiritual meanings that lie beneath the literal words—can give us a new perspective on these familiar rules.

In this episode of their Swedenborg and Life web series, hosts Curtis Childs and Jonathan Rose study the inner meaning of the first commandment.

(References: Apocalypse Revealed 950; Arcana Coelestia 8864, 8865, 8868, 8869, 8875, 8878, 8879, 8880, 8881)

533. CHAPTER 9.

1. AND the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven fallen unto the earth; and to him was given the key of the well of the abyss.

2. And he opened the well of the abyss; and there arose a smoke out of the well, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the well.

3. And out of the smoke came forth locusts upon the earth; and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

4. And it was said to them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but those men only who have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

5. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should torment them five months; and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when it striketh a man.

6. And in those days men shall seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

7. And the likenesses of the locusts were like unto horses prepared for war; and on their heads as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.

8. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.

9. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron and the voice of their wings was as the voice of chariots of many horses running to battle.

10. And they had tails like unto scorpions; and there were stings in their tails; and their power was to hurt men five months.

11. And they had a king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he hath the name Apollyon.

12. One woe is past; behold there come yet two woes after these.

13. And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard one voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,

14. Saying to the sixth angel, who had the trumpet, Loose the four angels that are bound at the great river Euphrates.

15. And the four angels were loosed, who were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, that they should slay the third part of men.

16. And the number of the armies of the horsemen was two myriads of myriads; and I heard the number of them.

17. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them having breastplates fiery, and purple, and sulphurous; and the heads of the horses as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths went forth fire, smoke, and brimstone.

18. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which went forth out of their mouths.

19. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails; for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.

20. And the rest of men who were not killed in these plagues, yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not adore demons, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and wood, which can neither see, hear, nor walk.

21. And they repented not of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornications, nor of their thefts.

EXPLANATION.

Verses 1, 2. AND the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven fallen unto the earth; and to him was given the key of the well of the abyss. And he opened the well of the abyss; and there arose a smoke out of the well, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the well.- "And the fifth angel sounded," signifies influx out of heaven manifesting that the state of the church was altogether changed; "and I saw a star from heaven fallen unto the earth," signifies the cognitions of truth falsified, and thus turned into falsities; "and to him was given the key of the well of the abyss," signifies communication and conjunction with the hells; "and he opened the well of the abyss," signifies communication and conjunction with the hells, where and whence such falsities are; "and there arose a smoke out of the well, as the smoke of a great furnace," signifies dense falsities thence from the evils of earthly and corporeal loves; "and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the well," signifies that the light of truth from the Lord became thick darkness by means of infernal falsities.