2833. 'And Abraham went and took the ram' means their release effected by the Lord's Divine Human. This is clear from the representation of 'Abraham' as the Lord, here the Lord as to the Divine Human - for when Jehovah or the angel of Jehovah speaks to Abraham, Jehovah or the angel of Jehovah in that case means the Divine itself, and 'Abraham' the Divine Human; and from the meaning of 'a ram' as those who are spiritual, 2830. From this it is evident that 'Abraham went and took the ram caught in a thicket by its horns' means the release of those who are spiritual effected by the Lord's Divine Human. As regards the fact that but for the Lord's Coming into the world spiritual people could not possibly have been saved, see 2661, 2716, and that their salvation and release was effected by the Lord's Divine Human, 2716.

360. Verses 3, 4. And when He had opened the second seal, I heard the second animal saying, Come and see. And there went forth another horse that was red; and to him that sat upon him, to him it was given to take peace from the earth, that they should slay one another; and there was given unto him a great sword.

3. "And when He had opened the second seal," signifies a manifestation of the succeeding state of those who are of the church, where the Word is (n. 361); "I heard the second animal saying," signifies out of the inmost heaven from the Lord. n. 362); "Come and see," signifies attention and perception (n. 363).

4. "And there went forth another horse that was red," signifies the understanding of the Word destroyed in respect to good n. 364; "and to him that sat upon him, to him it was given to take peace from the earth," signifies the Word consequently not understood, whence there are dissensions in the church n. 365; "that they should slay one another," signifies the falsification and extinction of truths n. 366; "and there was given unto him a great sword," signifies by means of falsities (n. 367).