567. And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, signifies revelation from the Lord out of the spiritual heaven. This is evident from the signification of "to hear a voice," as being revelation, because what was revealed by this voice follows; also from the signification of "the golden altar which is before God," as being the Divine spiritual (of which presently); also from the signification of "its four horns," as being the Divine spiritual in its ultimates; for the horns were in the ultimates of both altars, both the altar of burnt-offering and the altar of incense which is the golden altar; and as the horns were the ultimates of these altars they signified the Divine in respect to power, for all power is in ultimates; from this it is that "the horns of the altars" signified the Divine in relation to omnipotence (respecting which signification see above, n. 316. That "the altar of burnt-offering" signifies the Divine celestial, which is Divine good, may be seen above (n. 391, 496); while the "altar of incense" (or the golden altar) represented and thence signified the Divine spiritual, which is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, as is evident from its description, which will be found below.

[2] It shall first be told here why the voice was heard "from the four horns of the altar." The "horns" that projected and stood out at the ultimate parts of the above-named altars signified all things belonging to them in respect to power, as can be seen from what has been shown above (n. 346, 417), and also from what has been said and shown respecting ultimates in the Arcana Coelestia, as that interiors flow in successively into externals, even into things extreme or ultimate, and that there they exist and subsist (n. 634, 6239, 6465, 9215, 9216); that they not only flow in successively, but also form in the ultimate what is simultaneous, in what order (n. 5897, 6451, 8603, 10099); that thus strength and power are in ultimates (n. 9836); and that thence responses and revelations were given in ultimates (n. 9905, 10548). Since responses and revelations were made from ultimates, it is evident why "the voice was heard from the four horns of the golden altar," namely, because the "golden altar" signifies the Divine spiritual, which is Divine truth which reveals, and because the "horns" signify its ultimates, through which revelation is made. The "golden altar" upon which incense was offered signifies the Divine spiritual, which is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, because the "incense" that was offered upon the altar signified worship from spiritual good, and the hearing and acceptance of it by the Lord (See above, n. 324, 491, 492, 494).

[3] That "the altar of incense" signified the Divine spiritual, and that "offering incense" upon it signified worship from spiritual good, and the grateful hearing and acceptance of such worship by the Lord, is evident from the construction of that altar, every particular in which represented and signified these things. Its construction is thus described in Moses:

Thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon; of shittim wood shalt thou make it. A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof; foursquare shall it be; and two cubits shall be the height of it; its horns shall be from it. And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, its roof, and its walls round about, and its horns; and thou shall make for it a rim of gold round about. And two rings shalt thou make for it from under its rim, upon the two ribs thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make them; and they shall be for places for the staves with which to bear it. And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. And thou shalt put it before the veil that is over the ark of the Testimony, before the mercy-seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with thee. And Aaron shall burn thereon incense of spices in the morning; in the morning, when dressing the lamps he shall burn it; and when Aaron maketh the lamps to ascend between the evenings he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before Jehovah in your generations. Ye shall make no strange incense to ascend upon it, nor burnt-sacrifice, nor meal-offering; nor shall ye pour drink-offering upon it. And Aaron shall make expiation upon the horns of it once in the year of the blood of the expiations of sin; once in the year shall he make expiation upon it in your generations: this is the holy of holies unto Jehovah (Exodus 30:1-10).

That these particulars respecting that altar signify in the internal sense worship from spiritual good, which is the good of charity towards the neighbor, as also the grateful hearing and acceptance by the Lord, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia (n. Arcana Coelestia 10176), where they are explained in series.

3412. 'All the wells which his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stopped them up' means that people who possessed knowledge of cognitions did not wish to know interior truths that came from the Divine and so effaced them. This is clear from the meaning of 'wells' as truths, dealt with in 2702, 3096, here interior truths coming from the Divine since the wells, which mean truths, are said to have been dug by 'his father's servants in the days of Abraham his father' - 'Abraham' representing the Lord's Divine itself, 2011, 2833, 2836, 3251, 3305 (end); from the meaning of 'stopping up' as not wishing to know and so effacing; and from the representation of 'the Philistines' as people who possess no more than a knowledge of cognitions, dealt with in 1197, 1198.

[2] The subject at this point is the appearances of truth that belong to the lower degree, which are able to exist with those who possess a knowledge of cognitions and whom 'the Philistines' are used to mean here. With regard to the interior truths that come from the Divine and are effaced by those called the Philistines, the position is that in the Ancient Church and after it the name Philistines was used for those who gave little thought to life and very much to doctrine, and who in course of time even rejected matters of life and acknowledged matters of faith - which faith was separated from life - as being the essential element of the Church. As a consequence they attached no importance at all to matters of doctrine concerning charity which in the Ancient Church constituted the all of doctrine, and so they effaced it. Instead they proclaimed matters of doctrine concerning faith and centred the whole of their religion in these. And since in this way they departed from the life of charity, that is, from charity as the sum and substance of life, they more than all others were called 'the uncircumcised'. For by 'the uncircumcised' were meant all in whom charity was not present, no matter how much doctrine they knew, 2049 (end).

[3] Because such people departed from charity they also removed themselves from wisdom and intelligence, for no one can have a wise and intelligent discernment of what truth is unless good, that is, charity, reigns in him. Indeed all truth originates in good and has regard to good, so that anyone who is devoid of good is unable to have an intelligent discernment of truth, and does not even wish to know it. When such people in the next life are far away from heaven, light bright as snow is sometimes seen to be with them. But that light is like the light in wintertime which, being devoid of warmth, is unproductive. This also explains why, when such persons draw near to heaven, their light is converted into utter darkness, and their minds into something akin to that darkness, which is stupidity. From these considerations it may now be seen what is meant by the statement that people who possessed no more than a knowledge of cognitions did not wish to know interior truths that came from the Divine and so effaced them.