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Revelation 6 : The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

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1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.

2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.

4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.

6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.

8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

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Apocalypse Explained #370

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370. I heard the third animal saying. That this signifies out of the inmost heaven from the Lord, is manifest from what has been said above (n. 353 and 362), where the same words are explained. The reason that the four animals, or four cherubim, spoke one after another is, because what they said corresponds from its opposite; for the first cherub was like a lion, the second like a calf, the third as to its face as a man, and the fourth was like a flying eagle; and by a lion is signified power (see above, n. 278), by a calf is signified good (n. 279), by a man wisdom (n. 280), and by an eagle intelligence (n. 281). Therefore, when the first animal, which was like a lion, spoke, the first state of those who belong to the church is described, that there would be therein combat from Divine truth (as may be seen above, n. 355-359), for by a lion is signified the power which belongs to Divine truth. When the second animal spoke, which was like a calf, the second state of those who belong to the church is described, namely, that good was then destroyed (see n. 361-367), for by a calf is signified the good of the church. When the third animal spoke, which was as to its face as a man, the third state of those who belong to the church is described, which was, that there was no longer any truth because there was no good, consequently, that there was no longer any wisdom; for all wisdom is of truth from good, and wisdom is signified by a man. And when the fourth animal spoke, which was like a flying eagle, the fourth state of those who belong to the church is described, namely, that they were in evils and the falsities thence, thus not in any intelligence, for by an eagle is signified intelligence. From these considerations it is evident, that the four animals spoke in order according to correspondences from what was opposite.

  
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Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.