8265. 'The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea' means in that as a result simply of His presence falsities arising from evil have been damned and cast into hell. This is clear from the meaning of 'the horse' as falsities belonging to a perverted understanding, for 'horse' means the power of understanding, see 2761, 2762, 3217, 5321, and in the contrary sense a perverted understanding, which is no understanding at all, and therefore falsity is meant in that contrary sense by 'horse' and false factual knowledge by 'Pharaoh's horse', 6125, 8146, 8148; from the meaning of 'rider' (or 'horseman') as reasonings based on that false knowledge, dealt with in 8146, 8148; and from the meaning of 'throwing into the sea' as damning and casting into hell. 'The sea', the Sea Suph at this point, is the hell where the falsities arising from evil are, the falsities of those belonging to the Church who have upheld separated faith and led a life of evil, see 8099, 8137, 8148, which is why they are called falsities arising from evil. The fact that those falsities were damned and cast into hell as a result simply of the Lord's presence was shown in the previous chapter. The evil cannot at all bear or put up with God's presence. His presence causes them pain, torments them, and so to speak snuffs the life out of them; they behave like those in the throes of death. The reason for this is that what is God's has the totality of power within it; it destroys and wipes out that which is opposed to it, namely falsity and evil. This is why at God's presence the life of those steeped in falsity and evil becomes burdensome and contains, in the measure that He is present, the feeling of hell within it. But in order that those steeped in falsities and evils may not be completely crushed and suffer torment they are shielded by their own falsities and evils, which act like mists. These are by nature such that they diminish, or divert, or smother the flow of what is Divine in the same way that earthly mists or clouds normally do to sunrays.

[2] These things are meant by the following words in John,

They will say to the mountains and rocks, Rush down on us and hide us from the face of Him who is seated on the throne and from the anger of the Lamb. For the great day of His anger has come; who therefore will be able to stand firm? Revelation 6:16-17.

Evils and falsities are meant by 'the mountains and rocks' which they will address, saying that they should rush down on them and hide them. 'The anger of the Lamb' means torment, the appearance being that the Divine would cause the torment because of His anger, but the reality being that the falsities and evils themselves are responsible for it. The words contained in Isaiah 2:10, Hosea 10:8, and Luke 23:30 have a similar meaning. The fact that damnation takes place as a result simply of the Lord's presence is also meant by these words that follow in the song,

You send out Your wrath, it eats them up like stubble. And with the wind of Your nostrils the waters were heaped up, the floods stood as a heap. You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them over; they sought a deep place. You stretched out Your right hand, the earth swallowed them. Verses 7-8, 10, 12.

Words with a similar meaning occur in very many other places in the Word.

2761. That 'a white horse' means an understanding of the Word as regards its interior contents, or what amounts to the same, as regards the internal sense of the Word is clear from the meaning of 'a horse' as the understanding part of the mind. In prophetical parts of the Word 'a horse' and 'a rider' are referred to many times, but up to now nobody has known that 'a horse' means the understanding part of the mind, and 'a rider' one who has intelligence, as in the prophecy of Jacob, who by then was Israel, concerning Dan,

Dan will be a serpent on the road, a darting serpent on the path, biting the horse's heels; and its rider will fall backwards. I am awaiting Your salvation, O Jehovah. Genesis 49:17-18.

'A serpent' means one who reasons about Divine arcana on the basis of sensory evidence and factual knowledge, see 195. 'Road' and 'path' mean truth, 627, 2333, 'heel' means the lowest part of the natural, 259, 'horse' an understanding of the Word, and 'rider' one who teaches. From this it is evident what these prophetical words mean, namely that one who reasons about the truths of faith on the basis of sensory evidence and factual knowledge is interested solely in the lowest things belonging to the natural world and so believes nothing, which is 'falling backwards'. And this is why the words 'I am awaiting Your salvation, O Jehovah' are added.

[2] In Habakkuk,

O God, You ride on Your horses, Your chariots are salvation. You made Your horses to tread in the sea. Habakkuk 3:8, 15.

Here 'horses' stands for Divine Truths that are in the Word, 'chariots' for doctrine drawn from them, 'the sea' for cognitions, 28, 2120. And since these belong to an understanding of the Word from God, it is said, 'You made Your horses to tread in the sea'. Here, as in the quotation above from the Book of Revelation, horses are attributed to God, but this attribution would not be possible if they did not have such a meaning.

[3] In David,

Sing to God, sing praises to His name; exalt Him who rides on the clouds by His name lain. Psalms 68:4.

'Riding on the clouds' stands for an understanding of the Word as regards its interior contents or internal sense; for 'clouds' means the Word in the letter which has the internal sense within it - see the Preface to Genesis 18, where the meaning of 'the Lord's coming in the clouds of heaven with power and glory' is explained.

[4] In the same author,

Jehovah bowed the heavens and came down; and thick darkness was under His feet, and He rode on a cherub. Psalms 18:9-10.

'Thick darkness' here stands for clouds, 'riding on a cherub' for the Lord's providence preventing man's entering of himself into the mysteries of faith that are in the Word, 308. In Zechariah,

On that day there will be on the horse-bells, Holiness to Jehovah. Zechariah 14:20. 'The horse-bells' stands for an understanding of the spiritual things of the Word, which are holy.

[5] In Jeremiah,

There will enter through the gates of this city kings and princes seated on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And this city will be inhabited for ever. Jeremiah 17:25-26; 22:4.

'The city of Jerusalem' stands for the Lord's spiritual kingdom and Church. 'Kings' stands for truths, 1672, 2015, 2069, 'princes' for the first and foremost commandments of truth, 1482, 2089, 'David' for the Lord, 1888, 'men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem' for those in whom there exists good that flows from love, charity, and faith, 2268, 2451, 2712. Thus 'riding in chariots and on horses' stands for being furnished with the doctrine of truth received from an internal understanding of the Word.

[6] In Isaiah, Then will you take delight in Jehovah and I will cause you to ride over the high places of the earth and cause you to eat the heritage of Jacob. Isaiah 58:14.

'Riding over the high places of the earth' stands for intelligence. In David,

A love song. Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, [gird on] your glory and majesty. And in your majesty go on, ride on the word of truth, and of the meekness of righteousness. And your right hand will teach you marvellous things. Psalms 45:1, 3-4.

'Riding on the word of truth' stands plainly for intelligence based on truth, 'on the word of the meekness of righteousness' for wisdom based on good.

[7] In Zechariah,

On that day, said Jehovah, I will strike every horse with panic, and its rider with madness. And on the house of Judah I will open My eyes, and every horse of the peoples I will strike with blindness. Zechariah 12:4.

Here also 'horse' plainly stands for the understanding which was to be 'stricken with panic and blindness', and 'rider' for him with intelligence who was to be 'stricken with madness'. In Hosea,

Take away all iniquity and accept that which is good, and we will render the praises ¹ of our lips. Asshur will not save us, we will not ride on horses, and we will no more say Our God' to the work of our hands. Hosea 14:2-3.

'Asshur' stands for reasoning, 119, 1186, 'horse' for self-intelligence. 'Horse' and 'rider' are referred to in very many other places besides these.

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