Commentary - Overview

The Book of Daniel occupies a unique place among the books of the prophets in the Old Testament. It is somewhat like the place held by The Apocalypse of John in the New Testament, being mainly apocalyptic in character. The first six chapters are partly historical, or relate incidents in which Daniel took a prominent part. The latter six chapters contain the account of four visions seen by Daniel. The prophecy is written in two languages, or rather, two dialects. From chapter 2:4 - 7:28, it is in Aramaic, or what is improperly called Chaldee. It is not the language of the Chaldean empire, but a dialect akin to the Hebrew, which in later times became the language of the exiled Jews in Chaldea. The book contains several words of Persian origin, and a few Greek words. Certain other peculiarities are worthy of notice. The familiar prophetic expression "Thus saith the Lord" is not once used. The word "Jehovah" (printed Lord in capital letters in our English Bibles) which occurs on almost every page of the books of the Divine Word, appears only in chapter 0. Other names, such as God of heaven, Son of God, Ancient of Days, etc., are used instead. Daniel does not address the Jews like Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc. He does not upbraid them for their sins. His view of the advent of the Messiah is distinctive. The Messiah is not spoken of as of David's line. The Jews are not to be restored to their own land. The prophet's vision steps beyond the limits of his own race, he sees whole empires rise and fall, and a religion take the place of past religions which is to fill the whole earth. "Instead of a church for the Jews, there is to be a church for all mankind."

We must learn what we can about Daniel from the first chapter. He was a young man, among the first captives taken from Jerusalem. The taking of captives mentioned in Daniel 1:1-2, seems to be the same that is described in 2 Kings 24:1, 10-14. Shinar means the country of Babylon. (Gen. 11:2)

As to the prophet himself, he was apparently of noble blood. (Daniel 1:3-4) He was carried into captivity "in the third year of Jehoiakim king of Judah," that is, the year 606 or 605 B.C. He was young then and was instructed, together with his companions, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, "in the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans."

The names of the young men chosen for special training were changed. Their Hebrew names contained a name of God. Daniel means "God is my judge," "Dan" meaning judge, and "el" meaning God. This is lost in the Babylonian names, which often instead contained the names of heathen gods.

Daniel and his three friends felt that the king's food was unclean and would defile them. It may have been unclean according to the Jewish law in its manner of preparation, and it may have been dedicated to idols. They asked for pulse. This word usually means in English peas, beans, lentils. But the meaning here is vegetable food. They were allowed to try this diet, and after ten days were so well and strong that they were allowed to eat only the vegetable food. When they were brought with others before the king and examined by him, Daniel and his three friends were found better than all the rest and superior to the wise men of Babylon. That Daniel continued to the first year of King Cyrus would mean through all the seventy years that the Jews were captives in Babylon, for it was Cyrus who gave them liberty to return to the Holy Land.

There follow in the book of Daniel chapters that give pictures of the selfish pride of the kings of Babylon and of the courage of Daniel and his friends in remaining faithful to the Lord. These chapters (1 to 6) make the first half of the book. We find here the story of the fiery furnace, and of the lions' den.

Chapters 7 to 12, the second half of the book, record visions of Daniel that have an immediate relation to the history of the times after the captivity and a more spiritual relation to conditions and changes in the Christian Church.

The Prophet Daniel is twice referred to in Ezekiel's prophecy. In the first instance (Ezekiel 14:14, 20), he is associated with Noah and Job as an example of piety; in the second passage (Ezekiel 28:3), he is extolled for his wisdom. It is noteworthy that these two qualities - piety and wisdom - stand out prominently in his book.

The experiences of the prophet in Babylon are sometimes regarded as being in a large degree parallel with those of Joseph in Egypt. Each resists temptation to defilements. Each interprets the dreams of the king. And each is raised to a position of honor in recognition of his wisdom.Commentary - In-Depth

Until recent years, the narratives of Daniel (chapters 1 to 6) were regarded as literal history, but acquaintance with "apocalyptic" literature of the later Jewish days has led to the belief that this type of writing is employed in the book of Daniel. It was characteristic of such writing that the name of the author did not appear, but that the lessons given in historical or prophetic form were associated with some wise leader of the past. It was also characteristic of the apocalyptic writing, as the name implies, that it drew aside the veil to reveal forces of the spiritual world and the fulfillment of Divine promises there which had no fulfillment here. We recognize this in the Revelation, the Apocalypse of the New Testament. This view of the book of Daniel need not affect at all the acceptance of the book as of the Divine Word, and it is definitely recognized as of the Divine Word, in our Lord's reference to it in Matthew 24:15, and in our doctrines. (Arcana Coelestia 10325, 1709) It is of interest to learn what we can of Daniel, the central figure of this Divine book.

Those who read chapters of Daniel as apocalyptic and of later writing believe that the date of writing was in the days of persecution by Antiochus Epiphanes, ruler in Antioch, 175 to 164 B.C. The history of Persian rule in western Asia, which began with Cyrus, and of Greek rule, which began with Alexander's defeat of Persia, belongs to the period between the Old Testament and the New. This history is indicated in the book of Daniel itself as the subject of Daniel's visions (Daniel 8:19-22; 11:2-4) Following this historical application of the visions, they lead up to the oppression of Antiochus and promise then Divine deliverance. If ever there was a time in Jewish history which needed Divine lessons of courage and devotion to the Lord, it was this time, and it may well be that the Lord in those days gave everlasting lessons of courage and devotion. (Arcana Coelestia 1183, 5223)

Scripture itself points us also to an application of the book of Daniel to the Christian Church. See the Lord's reference to Daniel in Matthew 24:15. This reference indicates the conditions and experience of the Christian Church to which the lessons of Daniel apply, for the Lord in that chapter of Matthew is describing in representative language the states of spiritual desolation to be experienced by the Christian Church as it approached its judgment and the founding of a new church by the Lord. The reference to Daniel may be especially to Daniel 9:27 and 12:11.

Swedenborg speaks of it, however, as a reference in a more general sense to all prophecies concerning the coming of the Lord and the condition of the church, especially its condition at His coming. (Arcana Coelestia 3652; Apocalypse Explained 684)

The abomination of desolation in the holy place describes a condition in the Christian Church when the Lord's truth and good are despised and things evil and false have taken the central place. The charge, "Whoso readeth, let him understand," means that such conditions should be well noted by people of the church, who should cling for safety to love to the Lord and charity to the neighbor. The line of application to the Christian Church is followed throughout the interpretation of Daniel in Prophets and Psalms. Babylon is everywhere recognized as the symbol of self-love and the love of rule in the church, even by the profane use of holy things. This is the meaning of Babylon in the Book of Revelation, which in the explanation of that book is shown to have had a special development in the Roman Church. Prophets and Psalms shows in Daniel 1 the desire and effort of the selfish spirit of rule to appropriate for its own use the knowledge and understanding of the church. It shows in Daniel 3 the effort of this same love to claim worship to itself. The attractiveness of such worship is meant by the music at which all should fall down.

Those faithful and loyal to the Lord refuse to worship. Self-love burns as a fiery furnace with hatred and desire to destroy them. The protection of the Lord is so manifest with those loyal to Him, that even those in self-love are constrained to worship.

The summary of the internal sense of the first chapter is thus stated in Prophets and Psalms:

"Verses 1, 2. When the church among the Jewish nation had been destroyed, ‘Babylon' appropriated to herself all things pertaining to it. Verses 3-21. She wished to know all things of the church, and to acquire an understanding of them, and this was the beginning of ‘Babylon.'"

Jerusalem besieged by Babylon represents the church in a state of profanation. The vessels in the house of God taken to the land of Shinar signify that the holy truths of the Word were appropriated by the love of rule. (Arcana Coelestia 1183)

This same spirit also desires to acquire all the knowledges of truth that it may use them to further its own interests. Daniel and his companions were to be educated that they might serve the king of Babylon. The love of rule is a strong incentive to the study of even the spiritual sense of the Word. That is a Babylonic spirit, which is well illustrated in worldly affairs. The love of pre-eminence stimulates people beyond measure to study and to master those knowledges which will insure success. Likewise, when the knowledge of the truths of the church lies in the path of success, no pains are spared to acquire proficiency therein. It is clearly Babylon which has taken hold of people when they study the truth simply to prove that others are wrong and they are right.

Daniel and his companions refused to partake of the king's meat and drink. This suggests the presence of a true spirit in people at war with the evil spirit of dominating over others. This spirit of the Lord in people is ultimately to be their judge and protect them from bondage to evil. It refuses to be defiled with evil and falsity that belong to an unclean lust of the flesh. It is nourished by the truths from the Word, "pulse," or, rather, "seeds." The spiritual life of a person can only prosper when fed by true thoughts drawn from the Word that are capable of being developed so as to produce the fruits of righteousness.

At the end of three years, Daniel and his three companions were found in matters of wisdom and understanding to be ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers in the kingdom. "The magicians were acquainted with such things as are of the spiritual world, which they learnt from the correspondences and representatives of the church; therefore also many of them had communication with spirits and hence learnt illusory arts, whereby they wrought magical miracles." (Arcana Coelestia 5223)

Daniel is called the "chief or master of the magicians." (Daniel 4:9; 5:11)

Doubtless he had his light in spiritual knowledges from above under the Lord's guidance. He prospered for the same reason that Joseph prospered: because the Lord was with him. Light and strength and prosperity accompany all who look to the Lord and trust in Him.

Commentary for Young Students

Daniel was also a prophet of the Lord who was taken to Babylon, as Ezekiel was, among the first captives from Jerusalem. He was a young man at the time, and was one of several princes who were chosen for fine looks and bright minds, to be taught and trained in the palace school in Babylon, so that after three years they could be attendants and advisers to the king. We read their names in verse 6, but their names were changed and they were given other strange names by the king. Hear what Daniel and his three friends did. They would not eat the food nor drink the wine provided for them, which they called unclean, and asked to be given pulse to eat, which means here various fruits and vegetables, and water to drink. The one in charge of caring for the young men was afraid to change their food, lest they should not be as strong and beautiful as the rest. But he let them try it for ten days. And what happened? Daniel and his three friends were better in face and flesh than those who had eaten the king's food. So the keeper took away the king's food and gave them the food they asked. After three years of special care and training, the young men were brought before the king, and Daniel and his three friends were the best. They were ten times better in wisdom and understanding than the wise men of Babylon.

Several grand stories follow in the book of Daniel, which teach us to be brave and faithful to the Lord.

183. These things saith He that hath the seven spirits of God, signifies the Lord from whom are all the truths of heaven and of the church. This may appear from the fact that it is the Lord who is meant, because it is the Son of man who said these things, as well as those said to the angels of the other churches; and the Son of man is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human (See n. 63, 151). By "the seven spirits of God" all the truths of heaven and of the church are meant, because "the Spirit of God" in the Word signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord. "Spirit" is mentioned in many passages in the Word, and "spirit," when used in reference to man, signifies Divine truth received in the life, thus it signifies man's spiritual life; but in reference to the Lord, by "spirit" is meant the Divine that proceeds from Him, which is called by the general term Divine truth. But since few at this day know what is meant by "spirit" in the Word, I will first show by passages from the Word that "spirit," in reference to man, signifies Divine truth received in the life, thus man's spiritual life. But because there are two things that constitute man's spiritual life, namely, the good of love and the truth of faith, in many passages in the Word mention is made of "heart and spirit," and also of "heart and soul;" and by "heart" the good of love is signified, and by "spirit" the truth of faith; the latter is also signified by "soul," for this means in the Word man's spirit.

[2] That "spirit," in reference to man, signifies truth received in the life, is clear from the following passages. In Ezekiel:

Make you a new heart and a new spirit; why will ye die, O house of Israel (Ezekiel 18:31).

In the same:

A new heart will I give you, and a new spirit will I give in the midst of you (Ezekiel 36:26).

And in David:

Create for me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit in the midst of me. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart God doth not despise (Psalms 51:10, 17).

In these passages "heart" signifies the good of love, and "spirit" the truth of faith, from which man has spiritual life; for there are two things that make all of man's life, namely, good and truth; these two when united in man make his spiritual life.

[3] As "heart" signifies good, and "spirit" truth, both received in the life, so "heart," in the contrary sense, signifies evil, and "spirit" falsity; for most expressions in the Word have also a contrary sense. In this sense "heart" and "spirit" are mentioned, in David:

A generation that doth not set its heart aright, neither is its spirit steadfast with God (Psalms 78:8).

And in Ezekiel:

Every heart shall melt, and every spirit shall faint (Ezekiel 21:7).

In Moses:

Jehovah hardened the spirit of the king of Heshbon, and confirmed his heart (Deuteronomy 2:30).

In Isaiah:

Conceive chaff, bring forth stubble; your spirit fire shall devour (Isaiah 33:11).

In Ezekiel:

Woe unto the foolish prophets that go away after their own spirit (Ezekiel 13:3).

In the same:

That which ascendeth upon your spirit shall never come to pass (Ezekiel 20:32).

[4] From this it is clear that the whole of man's life is meant by "heart and spirit;" and as his whole life refers itself to these two, namely, to good and truth, and in a spiritual sense to love and faith, so these two lives of man are meant by "heart and spirit." From this also it is that "heart and spirit" signify the will and the understanding of man; since these two faculties in man make all his life; nowhere else than in these has man life; and for the reason that the will is the receptacle of good and its love, or of evil and its love; and the understanding is the receptacle of truth and ¹ its faith, or of falsity and its faith; and as has been said, all things with man refer themselves to good and truth, or to evil and falsity, and in a spiritual sense to love and faith (See The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 28-35). In reference to man, "spirit" signifies truth or falsity, and man's life from one or the other; because by "spirit" is meant especially the spirit that is in man and that thinks, and it thinks ² either from truths or from falsities. But as was said just above, there are two things that make the life of man, understanding and will; the life of the understanding is to think either from truths or from falsities, and the life of the will is to affect or inflame with love those things that the understanding thinks. These two lives of man correspond to the two lives of his body, which are the life of the respiration of the lungs, and the life of the pulse of the heart; it is by this correspondence that spirit and body with man are united (See above, n. 167); and in the work on Heaven and Hell 446-447).

[5] Because of this correspondence the word that means spirit in the Hebrew, as well as in many other languages, means wind or breath; so also to expire [to breathe out] is expressed by the term "to give up the spirit [breath, or ghost];" and this also in the Word; as in David:

I gathered in ³ their spirit, he expired (Psalms 104:29).

In Ezekiel:

The Lord Jehovih said to the dry bones, Behold I bring spirit into you, that ye may live; and the Lord Jehovih said, From the four winds come, O spirit, and breathe into these slain; and the spirit came into them, and they revived (Ezekiel 37:5, 9-10).

In Revelation:

The two witnesses were slain by the beast that cometh up out of the abyss; but after the three days and a half the spirit of life from God entered into them, so that they stood upon their feet (Revelation 11:7, 11).

In Luke:

Jesus, taking the hand of the dead girl, called, saying, Maiden, arise. Therefore her spirit came again, and she rose up immediately (Luke 8:54-55).

[6] When these passages are understood it can be seen what "spirit" signifies, when predicated of man, in many places in the Word, of which I will cite only these. In John:

Except one be born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh and whither it goeth; so is everyone that is born of the spirit (John 3:5, 8).

The Lord breathed on the disciples, and said, Receive ye the Holy Spirit (John 20:22).

And in the book of Genesis:

Jehovah breathed into man's nostrils the breath of lives (Genesis 2:7);

besides other places.

[7] That "spirit," in the spiritual sense, signifies truth, and man's life therefrom, which is intelligence, is clear from the following passages. In John:

The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth (John 4:23).

In Daniel:

In him was an excellent spirit of knowledge and understanding. I have heard of thee that the spirit of God is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee (Daniel 5:12, 14).

In Moses:

Thou shalt speak to all the wise in heart, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom (Exodus 28:3).

In Luke:

John grew, and waxed strong in spirit (Luke 1:80).

And concerning the Lord:

The child Jesus grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was filled with wisdom (Luke 2:40).

[8] When it is known what "spirit," in reference to man, signifies, it can be known what it signifies when predicated of Jehovah or the Lord, to whom are attributed all things that a man has, as face, eyes, ears, arms, hands, as also heart and soul, and so also a spirit, which in the Word is called "the Spirit of God," "the Spirit of Jehovah," "the Spirit of His nostrils," "the Spirit of His mouth," "the Spirit of truth," "the Spirit of holiness," and "the Holy Spirit." That "spirit" means Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is plain from many passages in the Word. Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is "the Spirit of God," because from it men have all their life; and those who receive that Divine truth in faith and life have heavenly life. That this is "the Spirit of God" the Lord Himself teaches. In John:

The words that I speak unto you are spirit and are life (John 6:63).

In Isaiah:

There went forth ⁴ a shoot out of the stock of Jesse; the spirit of Jehovah shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and intelligence, the spirit of counsel and of might (Isaiah 11:1, 2). In the same:

I have given My spirit unto Him: He shall bring forth judgment to the nations (Isaiah 42:1).

In the same:

He shall come like a flood; the spirit of Jehovah shall lift up a standard against Him (Isaiah 59:19).

In the same:

The spirit of the Lord Jehovih is upon me, therefore Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor (Isaiah 61:1). In John:

He whom the Father hath sent speaketh the words of God, for not by measure hath God given the spirit (John 3:34).

These things are said of the Lord.

[9] That the Holy Spirit is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord can be seen in John:

I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I go away I will send Him unto you. When He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He shall guide you into all truth; He shall not speak from Himself, but He shall take of Mine, and shall declare it unto you (John 16:7, 13, 14).

That "the Comforter (Paraclete)" here is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is plainly evident, for it is said that the Lord Himself spoke to them the "truth," and that, when He should go away, He would send the Comforter, the "Spirit of truth," who should "guide them into all truth," and that He would "not speak from Himself," but from the Lord. It is said "He shall take of Mine," because Divine truth proceeds from the Lord, and what proceeds is called "Mine;" for the Lord Himself is Divine love; and what proceeds from Him is Divine truth, thus it is His (See in the work on Heaven and Hell 139, 140, and the preceding numbers; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 307). "Being sent" and "sending" mean proceeding and going forth (See Arcana Coelestia., n. 2397, 4710, 6831, 10561); the same is meant here by "I will send Him to you." That "the Comforter" is the Holy Spirit is evident in John:

The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, He shall teach you all things (John 14:26).

[10] In the same:

Jesus cried with a great voice, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture saith, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. This He saith of the spirit which they that believe on Him were to receive; the Holy Spirit was not yet, because Jesus was not yet glorified (John 7:37-39).

It is clear from this that the Holy Spirit is Divine truth, proceeding from the Lord, which flows in with man, both immediately from the Lord Himself and mediately through angels and spirits; for the Lord says first, that "he who believes on Him, out of His belly shall flow rivers of living water," and then that "He spake this of the spirit which they were to receive;" for "water" in the spiritual sense, signifies truth, and "rivers of living water," Divine truth from the Lord in abundance; the like is therefore meant by "the spirit which they were to receive." (That "water" signifies truth," and "living water" Divine truth," see above, n. 71.) And as Divine truth proceeds from the glorified Human of the Lord and not immediately from the Divine Itself, for this was glorified in Itself from eternity, so it is here said, "the Holy Spirit was not yet, because Jesus was not yet glorified." That to "glorify" is to make Divine, and that the Lord fully glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine by His last temptation and victory on the cross, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 293-295, 300-306).

[11] It is greatly wondered at in heaven that the man of the church does not know that the Holy Spirit, which is Divine truth, proceeds from the Lord's Human, and not immediately from His Divine, when yet the doctrine received in the whole Christian world teaches that:

As is the Father so also is the Son, uncreate, infinite, eternal, omnipotent, God, Lord; neither of them first or last, nor greatest or least. Christ is God and man: God from the nature of the Father, and man from the nature of the mother; but although He is God and man, yet they are not two, but one Christ; He is one, but not by changing the Divine into the Human but the Divine took the Human to Itself. He is altogether one, not by a mingling of two natures, but He is a single person, because as body and soul are one man, so God and man is one Christ. (This from the Creed of Athanasius).

Now as the Divine and the Human of the Lord are not two, but a single person, and are united as soul and body, it may be known that the Divine which is called the Holy Spirit goes out and proceeds from His Divine through the Human, thus from the Divine Human; for nothing whatever can go forth from the body except from the soul through the body, since all the life of the body is from its soul. And since "As is the Father so is the Son, uncreate, infinite, eternal, omnipotent, God and Lord, and neither of them is first or last, nor greatest nor least," it follows that the proceeding Divine, which is called the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Divine Itself of the Lord through His Human, and not from another Divine that is called the Father; for the Lord teaches that the Father and He are one, and that the Father is in Him and He in the Father (See below, n. 200. But the reason why most of those in the Christian world think otherwise in their hearts, and thence believe otherwise, is, the angels said, because they think of the Lord's Human as separate from His Divine, although this is contrary to the doctrine which teaches that the Divine and the Human of the Lord are not two persons, but a single person, united as soul and body. That this should be the doctrine of the whole Christian world was provided by the Lord, because it is the essential of the church, and the essential of the salvation of all. But they have divided the Divine and the Human of the Lord into two natures, and have said that the Lord is God from the nature of the Father, and man from the nature of the mother, because they do not know that when the Lord fully glorified His Human He put off the human from the mother, and put on a Human from the Father (according to what is shown in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 295. That this distinction was made in a certain council by those who were there, for the pope's sake, that he might be acknowledged as the Lord's vicar, see Arcana Coelestia 4738).

[12] That the "Spirit of God" is Divine truth, and thence spiritual life to the man who receives it, is further evident from these passages. In Micah:

I am full of power with the spirit of Jehovah and of judgment (Micah 3:8).

And in Isaiah:

I will pour out waters upon him that is thirsty, and streams upon the dry ground, and My spirit upon thy seed (Isaiah 44:3).

In that day shall Jehovah Zebaoth be for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for might to them (Isaiah 28:5-6.

In Ezekiel:

And ye shall know that I will put my spirit in you that ye may live (Ezekiel 37:14).

In Joel:

I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh, and upon the menservants and upon the maidservants (Joel 2:28).

In Revelation:

The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10).

Since the "Spirit of God" signifies Divine truth, it is called:

The spirit of the mouth of Jehovah (Psalms 33:6);

The spirit of His lips (Isaiah 11:4);

The breath of God and the spirit of His nostrils (Lamentations 4:20; Psalms 18:16; Job 4:9).

In Matthew:

John said, I baptize you with water unto repentance; but He that cometh after me, He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Matthew 3:11).

In the spiritual sense, "to baptize" signifies to regenerate; the "Holy Spirit" is Divine truth, and "fire" Divine good. (That to "baptize" signifies to regenerate, see above, n. 71; and that "fire" signifies the good of love, n. 68)

[13] From this it can now be seen what is meant by the words of the Lord to His disciples:

Go ye, baptize into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).

Here "the Father" is the Divine Itself, "the Son" is the Divine Human, and "the Holy Spirit" is the proceeding Divine which is Divine truth; thus there is one Divine, and yet there is a trine. That this is so the Lord teaches in John:

Henceforth ye know the Father, and have seen Him. He that seeth Me seeth the Father. I am in the Father, and the Father in Me (John 14:7, 9-10).

[14] Since the proceeding Divine, which is Divine truth, flows in with men immediately, as well as mediately through angels and spirits, it is believed that the Holy Spirit is a third person, distinct from the two called Father and Son. But I can affirm that no one in heaven knows any other Holy Divine than the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord. And since Divine truth is also communicated to men mediately through angels, it is said in David:

Jehovah God maketh His angels spirits (Psalms 104:1, 4).

These passages have been cited that it may be known that "the seven spirits" signify all the truths of heaven and of the church from the Lord. It is made still more manifest that "the seven spirits" are all the truths of heaven and of the church, from these passages in Revelation:

The seven lamps of fire burning before the throne are the seven spirits of God (Revelation 4:5).

And further:

In the midst of the elders a Lamb standing, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth (Revelation 5:6).

It is plain that the spirits here are not spirits, from the fact that the "lamps" and the "eyes of the Lamb" are called spirits. "Lamps" signify Divine truths, and "eyes" the understanding of truth; and when predicated of the Lord, His Divine wisdom and intelligence (See above, n. 152).

Notas de rodapé: