'Wilderness' signifies something with little life in it, as described in the internal sense in Luke 1:80 'Wilderness' signifies somewhere there is no good because there is no truth. 'Wilderness,' as in Jeremiah 23:10, signifies the Word when it is adulterated.

(Odkazy: Arcana Coelestia 1927)

362. I heard the second animal saying, signifies out of the inmost heaven from the Lord. This is evident from what was said above n. 353; for by the animals are meant cherubim, and "cherubim," in the highest sense, signify the Lord in relation to providence and guard that He be not approached except through the good of love; and in a relative sense, the inmost heaven (See above, n. 152, 277, 313, 322). "Cherubim" signify also the inmost heaven because this heaven is in the good of love to the Lord, and the Lord cannot be approached except through the heavens, and into the inmost or third heaven there is nothing admitted that does not savor of the good of that heaven. There were four animals or cherubim, because "four" signifies conjunction into one, and such is the conjunction with those who are there; for the Lord thus conjoins them by means of love to Him from Him. For this reason four were seen. From this also it is clear that the second animal here has a similar significance as the first, and similar as the third and fourth in what follows. (That "four" signifies conjunction, see Arcana Coelestia 1686, 8877, 9601, 9674)