Dieser Eröffnungsvers der Prophezeiungen Daniels hat eine durchschlagende Ähnlichkeit mit den Eröffnungsversen der meisten vorangegangenen Kapitel des Buches Daniel. Wie diese stellt er die Vision in einen Kontext, er zeigt uns den Zeitpunkt unserer Regeneration, auf den uns der Herr hinweist: das erste Jahr von Belsazar, dem König von Babylon.

Im inneren Sinn ist die Zeit ein Hinweis auf den Zustand. Das bedeutet, dass die Ereignisse und Prophezeiungen Daniels nicht in einer strengen chronologischen Reihenfolge ablaufen, sondern sich auf verschiedenen Ebenen gleichzeitig ereignen. Während Nebukadnezar König von Babylon ist und den Egoismus in unserem Inneren repräsentiert, regiert Belsazar unser Äußeres. Die Arbeit an der Überwindung egoistischer Motive muss Hand in Hand gehen mit der Beseitigung eben dieses Egoismus in unserem Äußeren - andernfalls ist die Übung rein intellektuell. Daniels Visionen in den letzten sechs Kapiteln des Buches weisen auf den Prozess hin, durch den wir uns der Auswirkungen der Selbstsucht in unserem täglichen Leben bewusst werden: wenn Belsazar König ist.

In der spirituellen Entwicklung machen wir uns manchmal vor, dass Veränderung ohne Verzögerung auf Anstrengung folgt. Nichts könnte weiter von der Wahrheit entfernt sein. Unsere Gewohnheiten sind sehr mächtig - oft sind wir uns nicht einmal bewusst, dass wir sie haben. Doch "Regeneration" bedeutet wörtlich "Wiedergeburt", was bedeutet, dass wir jedes einzelne Hindernis auf dem Weg unserer geistigen Entwicklung aus dem Weg räumen müssen. Dies kann nur geschehen, indem wir die äußeren Motive in unserem Leben untersuchen und den Wurzeln unseres Verhaltens auf den Grund gehen.

Daniels Vision zeichnet diese Erkundung für uns nach. Jedes der vier Tiere, die er aus dem Meer aufsteigen sah, stellt die Zustände eines bösen Lebens in uns dar, mit der zusätzlichen Wendung, dass sie in Beziehung zu den religiösen Grundsätzen stehen, die eine Person vorgibt zu vertreten. Jedes dieser Tiere muss geprüft und abgelehnt werden. Jedes Detail der Vision ist daher wichtig.

Wie alle Zahlen im Wort Gottes hat auch die Zahl "vier" eine besondere Bedeutung, die für die Darstellung von entscheidender Bedeutung ist. "Vier" steht für ein Zusammenfügen und hat damit die gleiche Bedeutung wie die Zahl "zwei" (Himmlischen Geheimnissen 1686, 9103, 9601), was offensichtlich ist, da "vier" das Ergebnis von zwei multipliziert mit sich selbst ist.

Im allgemeinen Sinne bedeutet der Begriff "vier Winde", wenn er im Wort erwähnt wird, "alles, was gut und wahr ist, also alles, was vom Himmel und von der Kirche ist" (Arcana Coelestia 9642:10), der in eine Person einfließt, denn "Wind" bedeutet den Zustrom von Leben vom Herrn (Enthüllte Offenbarung 343). So hauchte der Herr Adam im Garten Eden Leben ein, und ebenso seinen Jüngern, indem er sie mit dem Heiligen Geist erfüllte. Im Idealfall zeigt die Gegenwart des Herrn in unserem Willen und in unserem Verstand gleichermaßen einen Zustand der Regeneration an. In diesem Zustand sind wir so "vierkantig" wie das neue Jerusalem.

Wie in so vielen Fällen im Buch Daniel muss die Symbolik umgedreht werden, um ihre volle Bedeutung zu erkennen. Daniel ist in Babylon, ein Diener des Königs, und so wird alles, was normalerweise mit dem Herrn zu tun hat, in Bezug auf den König von Babylon umgedreht, als Selbstsucht: das Gegenteil von Liebe zum Herrn.

Der Zustrom ist also nicht das Gute und die Wahrheit, sondern das Böse und die Falschheit, insbesondere die Selbstliebe und die Kontrolle über andere. Das "Meer" in dieser Vision stellt die große unruhige Flut der Selbstsucht dar, die unser äußeres Wesen kontrolliert. Das Buch Daniel zeichnet das Bild eines Menschen, dessen Gewissen sich auf Gedanken und Gefühle beschränkt, dessen Verhalten, Einstellungen und Gewohnheiten aber noch die alten Zustände der Selbstsucht widerspiegeln (Die Offenbarung Erklärt 316). Babylon regiert. In der folgenden Vision werden die Staaten und ihre Auswirkungen offenbart.

Die Vision von den vier Tieren, die aus dem Meer aufsteigen, erzählt unsere Geschichte, wenn wir die Wahrheit zynisch missbrauchen, um selbstsüchtig zu leben, bis das Böse vollständig die Oberhand gewinnt und uns zerstören will (Die Offenbarung Erklärt 556, Enthüllte Offenbarung 574). Das Böse wird Erfolg haben, es sei denn, die Kraft der Wahrheit in unserem Gewissen überwindet das Böse und erlaubt uns, es abzulehnen.

Das erste dieser Tiere war wie ein Löwe mit Adlerflügeln. Löwen werden im Wort Gottes oft erwähnt und beschreiben gewöhnlich die Macht der Wahrheit, Falschheit und Böses zu zerstören (Die Offenbarung Erklärt 556). Aber in dieser Vision, die Babylon beschreibt, nimmt der Löwe die entgegengesetzte Bedeutung an: der Löwe repräsentiert die Macht der Selbstliebe (Arcana Coelestia 6367) und die Macht der Falschheit, Wahrheiten zu zerstören.

Die Flügel des Adlers, die für die menschliche Vernunft stehen, wurden dem Löwen genommen, und er wurde dazu gebracht, auf seinen zwei Füßen wie ein Mensch zu stehen, und es wurde ihm das Herz eines Menschen gegeben. Ein Mensch, der in Selbstsucht verstrickt ist, verliert seine Fähigkeit, Religion zu schätzen, und wird von seinen eigenen gegensätzlichen Gedanken niedergedrückt und von der Wahrheit entfremdet.

Als nächstes sah Daniel einen Bären, der auf einer Seite aufgerichtet war. Diese Haltung deutet auf unseren Eifer hin, das Wort so zu interpretieren, dass es unseren eigenen Vorstellungen entspricht (Himmlischen Geheimnissen 781). Dies ist eine Vision des menschlichen Zustands, wenn Selbstliebe (Nebukadnezar) unser inneres Wesen beherrscht und der Ausdruck dieses Egoismus (Belsazar) unser tägliches Handeln kontrolliert. Der Bär ist das Vergnügen, das Böse mit unserer eigenen "überlegenen" Argumentation zu rechtfertigen.

Es ist leicht, freundlich zu sein, während wir andere Menschen zu unserem eigenen Vorteil manipulieren. Es ist leicht, sich als spirituelles Wesen darzustellen, um andere Menschen zu täuschen. In einem solchen Leben ist die Nächstenliebe eine tote Form. So hatte der Bär drei Rippen, die aus seinem Maul hingen.

Daniel sagt nicht, wer dem Bären befohlen hat, sich zu erheben und noch mehr Fleisch zu fressen", aber vielleicht kommt das Drängen aus tieferen Zuständen der Selbstsucht, die unsere äußeren Handlungen kontrollieren. Was auch immer der Ursprung sein mag, diese Worte geben dem Herzen eines Menschen Ausdruck, der das Wort zu seinem eigenen Vorteil missbraucht.

Ein Leopard ist "ein wildes Tier", das es liebt, "harmlose Tiere zu töten". Schon sein Aussehen, schwarze Flecken auf weißem Grund, veranschaulicht die Wirkung der Falschheit auf die Wahrheit (Enthüllte Offenbarung 57). Aber auch der Leopard in Daniel hatte vier Flügel wie ein Vogel. Wie bei dem Löwen, der die Flügel eines Adlers hatte, bedeuten die Flügel auch hier, dass unser Verstand die Wahrheit zerstört. Die vier Flügel des Leoparden stellen "Bestätigungen des Falschen" dar (Enthüllte Offenbarung 574).

Der Leopard hatte nicht nur vier Schwingen, sondern auch vier Köpfe. Dies ist ein Bild für die menschliche Erniedrigung, wenn die Falschheit regiert. Es ist ein Zustand geistigen Wahnsinns, denn wenn ein egoistisches Inneres mit einem verfälschten Äußeren agiert, gibt es nichts, was einen Menschen davon abhalten könnte, alle Arten von Bösem zu begehen (Arcana Coelestia 1944:3). In diesem Zustand ist das Gewissen versklavt und machtlos, den Wahnsinn zu stoppen.

Das vierte Tier, dessen Aussehen nicht beschrieben wird, steht für die "Zerstörung des Wahren und Guten" (Enthüllte Offenbarung 574). Sobald eine Person diesen Zustand der Degeneration erreicht hat, schreckt sie vor nichts zurück, um alle einschränkenden Einflüsse zu zerstören. Die Unwahrheit wird benutzt, um die Wahrheit zu zerstören, indem sie geleugnet oder verdreht wird, damit sie den eigenen Zielen entspricht. Dieser Prozess wird als "Zähne wie Eisen" beschrieben, die die Wahrheit verschlingen und in Stücke brechen (siehe ¹ Erklärung von Daniel 2 für eine Beschreibung von 'Eisen')(Enthüllte Offenbarung 556).

Ein Horn" ist normalerweise ein Symbol für Macht, und zwar im höchsten Sinne für die Macht der Wahrheit gegenüber der Falschheit. Aber auch in dieser Geschichte gilt der umgekehrte Sinn, und die Macht ist hier die der Falschheit gegen das Böse (Die Offenbarung Erklärt 316). Diese zehn Hörner zeigen die vollständige Macht, die die Falschheit über unser Handeln hat.

Die ganze abscheuliche Beschreibung der vier Tiere gipfelt in einem kleinen Horn. Es ist die vollständige Pervertierung alles Guten und Wahren aus dem Wort und stellt somit die endgültige Entweihung dar. Wenn es kein ausgleichendes Gewissen gäbe, wäre der Mensch unwiderruflich in der Hölle.

Das Ausstoßen der drei Hörner stellt die Macht des Bösen und der Falschheit dar, die Wahrheiten des Wortes zu zerstören und zu entfernen (Die Offenbarung Erklärt 316). Die Zahl "drei" steht für Fülle oder Vollständigkeit und damit für die Macht des Bösen, wenn es in Aktion tritt und alle Wahrheiten zerstört. Daher bekommt das alte Sprichwort "Wenn du eines der Gebote brichst, brichst du sie alle" eine noch stärkere Bedeutung.

Das nächste Bild ändert sich: Wir sehen die Throne, die "umgeworfen" werden und die Unwahrheiten bedeuten (Himmlischen Geheimnissen 8215) von den Tieren, die durch die Wahrheiten des Wortes, das unser Gewissen formt, beurteilt werden. Jedes Gericht beginnt mit der Wahrheit, denn die Wahrheit liefert die Waage, an der unser Leben gemessen wird.

Bei dem Bild von Gottes Thron, der das Gericht symbolisiert, ist es wichtig, sich daran zu erinnern, dass sein Gericht immer ein Produkt der Liebe und des Erbarmens ist. Aber die Liebe des Herrn sollte nicht mit einem Freibrief verwechselt werden: Nur weil er die Menschen liebt, individuell und kollektiv, bedeutet das nicht, dass das Böse erlaubt ist. Das Böse behindert den Empfang des Herrn durch den Menschen und stellt eine Barriere zwischen ihn und uns. In den meisten Fällen lässt der Herr das Böse zu, aber er will es nicht, denn es ist nützlich, um uns daran zu erinnern, uns von ihm abzuwenden (Die göttliche Vorsehung 275, 278). Dennoch gibt es Zeiten, in denen der Mensch über das Ziel hinausschießt.

Das Urteil in diesem Kapitel muss in seinem Kontext gesehen werden, der in der Regierungszeit von Belsazar liegt. Es ist die Geschichte von den Tieren und der Tatsache, dass Belsazar in der Waage gewogen, für unzulänglich befunden und von Darius getötet wurde. Das ist im Wesentlichen ein Urteil über die Äußerlichkeiten unseres Lebens, über unser Verhalten und unsere Einstellungen, die ihren Ursprung in den nebukadnezarischen Zuständen unseres inneren Wesens haben.

Hier sehen wir jedoch den Ursprung der Wahrheit als den "Alten der Tage", der auf dem Thron des Gerichts sitzt und die Zerstörung eines Zustands und den Beginn eines anderen ankündigt (Enthüllte Offenbarung 574). Der "Alte der Tage" ist ein Bild für die Liebe des Herrn (Himmlischen Geheimnissen 9470) und ist in gewissem Sinne das göttliche Gegenstück zu der Liebe, zu der wir durch die Wahrheit geführt werden. Das Ziel aller Wahrheit ist es, den Menschen zur Gottes- und Nächstenliebe und zu einem Leben zu führen, das beides zum Ausdruck bringt. Unsere Liebe zu Gott ist ein Spiegelbild Seiner Liebe zu uns.

Im Wort entspricht ein Gewand der Wahrheit, die man kennt und die Teil des Geistes eines Menschen ist. So steht das Gewand des Alten der Tage für die Wahrheit, die das göttliche Gut verhüllt. Diese Wahrheit ist die Wahrheit in unserem Verstand, in unserem bewussten Verstand (Himmlischen Geheimnissen 9470, Die Offenbarung Erklärt 67). Diese Gewänder waren so weiß wie Schnee, um uns die Qualität der Intelligenz und Weisheit zu zeigen, die wir vom Herrn erhalten können (Apokalypse Erklärt 195:18).

Mit "Haaren" sind die äußersten Teile unseres Lebens gemeint - die natürlichen Gedanken und Gefühle, die wir haben und die uns zum Handeln veranlassen, und zwar ganz bewusst. Solange wir in dieser Welt sind, scheint gerade dieser äußere Teil von uns lebenswichtig zu sein, aber in Wirklichkeit wird er nur von den inneren Dingen angetrieben. Wenn diese vom Herrn sind, dann wird auch unser Äußeres wie Schurwolle erscheinen.

Das Feuer des Throns ist die Erscheinung der Liebe des Herrn. Die Räder stehen für die Weisheit und Intelligenz, die wir vom Herrn haben, die voller Liebe sind und deshalb als "brennend" beschrieben werden.

Alles Gericht wird durch den Herrn vollzogen. Die Geburt des Herrn in Bethlehem war der Beginn eines letzten Gerichts über die alten Kirchen, und dieses Gericht aus der Liebe mittels der Weisheit kam durch das Leben und den Tod Jesu Christi, des göttlichen Menschen des Herrn, zustande.

In Daniels Vision gibt es eine ähnliche Beziehung zwischen dem Alten der Tage, der auf seinem Thron sitzt, und dem Menschensohn, dem alle Macht gegeben wurde. Der Alte der Tage stellt den Herrn dar, und in jener Vision sahen wir die Einheit der göttlichen Liebe und der göttlichen Weisheit in dem feurigen Thron, auf dem er saß.

Wenn die Gegenwart des Herrn durch den Sturz des Bösen und der Falschheit in uns etabliert ist, werden wir uns weiter in Güte und Wahrheit entwickeln. Dieses geistliche Wachstum wird mit den Worten beschrieben, dass "dem Menschensohn eine ewige Herrschaft gegeben wurde", ein Thema, das in den Versen 18 und 27 wiederholt wird. Das Reich des Menschensohns erstreckte sich über "alle Völker, Nationen und Sprachen", was für die verschiedenen Zustände des menschlichen Geistes steht, die der Wahrheit des Wortes unterworfen sein werden. "Völker" sind die Wahrheiten der Lehre - in diesem Fall die falschen Vorstellungen, die unser Verhalten beeinflussen und die mit der Wahrheit verglichen werden müssen, die das Gewissen in unseren Verstand einführt. "Nationen" bedeuten die Übel des Lebens, die im Prozess des Gerichts überwunden werden (Enthüllte Offenbarung 483, Die Offenbarung Erklärt 175, 455). Im Prozess des Gerichts werden also sowohl unsere gewohnheitsmäßigen Gedanken als auch unsere Gefühle mit der Wahrheit konfrontiert und durch Gefühle ersetzt, die aus der Güte und Wahrheit des Herrn stammen. Die "Zungen" schließlich bezeichnen die Handlungen, die aus bösen Gefühlen und falschen Gedanken entstehen - auch sie werden in unserem persönlichen "letzten Gericht" zu Fall gebracht werden.

Die "Zeit, Zeiten und eine halbe Zeit" sind die Phasen der Versuchung und des Kampfes, die wir durchlaufen müssen, um uns zu regenerieren. Doch jede Minute dieses Kampfes ist eine Versuchung, und die Versuchung findet nur im Rahmen der Wiedergeburt statt. Wer also versucht wird und dem Bösen widersteht, sitzt über das Böse zu Gericht und wird durch die Kraft des Herrn schließlich über es siegen.

Diese letzten Verse sind eine Vision der Dinge, die noch kommen werden. Dies ist vor unserem Eintritt in das Reich des Herrn, bevor die Macht der Falschheit gebrochen ist. Wir müssen noch wachsen. Es gibt noch Zustände, denen wir uns stellen und die wir überwinden müssen. Trotz dieser wunderbaren Verheißung des endgültigen Sieges stellte Daniel fest, dass seine Gedanken ihn immer noch beunruhigten.

Poznámky pod čarou:

817. And he spake as a dragon, signifies with a similar affection, thought, doctrine, and preaching, as belong to those who separate faith from the life of faith, which is charity. This is evident from the signification of "speaking," as being affection, thought, doctrine, and preaching. This is the signification of "speaking" because all the speech of man is from affection and the consequent thought. The affection itself is expressed by the sound of the speech, and the thought by its words. The affection and the thought are both of them in the speech, as everyone who reflects can see. The affection alone by itself cannot speak, it can only make a sound and sing; nor can thought alone by itself speak otherwise than as an automaton without life, since it is the affection that gives life to every expression of speech; and this is why a man is regarded by others according to the affection of his speech and not according to the words he utters. "To speak" signifies also to preach from doctrine, thus doctrine and preaching therefrom, because it is said that the beast "spake as a dragon;" and a "dragon" means those who are in faith separated from charity both in doctrine and in life (See above, n. 711, 714); and this beast means confirmations from the sense of the letter of the Word in favor of the separation of faith from life, and the resulting falsifications of the Word; consequently "to speak as a dragon" signifies that kind of religion in respect to doctrine and preaching.

[2] As faith separate from charity and the resulting falsification of the Word are described by the dragon and its two beasts, I will show in this article that a like heresy is depicted in the Word by "Cain," by "Reuben," and by the "Philistines," and the like is meant also by the "he-goat" in Daniel. For there have been several churches on this earth, namely, the Most Ancient, which was before the flood; the Ancient, which was after the flood; the Jewish, which followed the Ancient; and lastly the Christian Church. All of these churches degenerated in process of time into two enormous errors, into one which adulterated all the goods of the church, and into the other which falsified all its truths. The church that adulterated all the goods of the church is described in the Word by the "Babylonians and Chaldeans;" and the church that falsified all the truths of the church is described by "Cain," by "Reuben," and by the "Philistines," and by the "he-goat" in Daniel which fought with the ram and overcame it. The adulteration of the good of the church, which is described by the "Babylonians and Chaldeans," will be spoken of hereafter where "Babylon" is treated of in Revelation; but now the falsification of truth shall be treated of, which is described here in Revelation by "the dragon and his two beasts," and was also described by "Cain," and by the others above mentioned.

[3] That those who separate the knowledges of truth and good from a life according to them, and who believe that they may be saved by these alone, were represented by "Cain," has been briefly shown in the Arcana Coelestia where Cain and Abel are treated of; to which this shall be added. It is written of Cain:

That he was the firstborn of Adam, and that he tilled the ground, and brought of the fruit of the ground an offering to Jehovah; and that Abel was a shepherd of the flock, and brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof; also that Jehovah had respect unto the offering of Abel and not unto the offering of Cain, that therefore Cain's anger was kindled and he slew his brother; and that Cain was therefore accursed and rejected from the ground, and became a wanderer and fugitive in the earth; and that Jehovah set a sign upon Cain lest he should be slain, and decreed that whoever should slay him should have vengeance taken on him sevenfold (See Genesis 4).

It is to be known that all names of persons and places in the Word signify things and states of the church, especially the names in the first chapters of Genesis, because the stories in those chapters are made-up histories containing the deepest arcana of heaven, and yet they are most holy in the sense of the letter, because in every least word there is a spiritual sense that conjoins the heavens with the men of the church. What these stories involve in the spiritual sense and what the names of the persons there signify has been explained in the Arcana Coelestia. "Cain" signifies the knowledges of truth and good separated from a life according to them, thus from heavenly love, and "Abel" signifies heavenly love; or what is the same, "Cain" signifies truth separated from good, and "Abel" good conjoined with truth. And as truth is the first thing of the church, since every church is formed by means of truths, because every church begins from truths or from the knowledges of truth and good, therefore Cain was the firstborn, and was named "man" [vir] of Jehovah," "man of Jehovah" signifying in the Word the truth of heaven and the church; and the "ground" which Cain tilled signifies the church. The separation of truth from good is signified by the murder of Abel by Cain; for when everything of the church is placed in truths or in knowledges, and not in goods or in the affection of living according to truths, good with its affections is slain. And as everything of the church perishes when truth is separated from good, so Cain "was cast forth from the ground," which, as has been said, signifies the church. But because truths are the first things of the church, for life must be learned from truths, "a sign was set on Cain, lest someone should slay him; and it was decreed that if anyone should slay him he should be avenged seven-fold." And because truth without good is carried hither and thither, having nothing to lead it, and consequently falls successively into falsities, and departs from the way that leads to heaven, so Cain "was cast forth from the face of Jehovah, and became a wanderer and fugitive." The like is true of faith and charity, since faith is of truth and charity is of good; so when faith is separated from charity what is said of Cain takes place, namely, that "it kills Abel its brother," which is charity, and in consequence the church perishes, which is signified by "being cast forth from the ground, and becoming a wanderer and fugitive," for when faith is separated from charity truth is successively turned into falsity and falls away.

[4] It has been shown above n. 434, that "Reuben," the firstborn of Jacob, signified the light of truth and thence the understanding of the Word, and thus truth from good or faith from charity, as did the apostle Peter; and that conversely, "Reuben" represented truth separated from good, or faith separated from charity, and that this faith is signified by his adultery with Bilhah his father's concubine, in consequence of which the birthright was taken away from him and given to Joseph. To this may be added, that all heresies, so far as they are adulterations and falsifications of the Word, correspond to adulteries and whoredoms of various kinds, and these because of this correspondence are actually perceived in the spiritual world from those who are in heresies. The reason of this is that marriages as they exist in the heavens derive their spiritual origin from the conjunction of good and truth; and conversely, adulteries derive their origin from the conjunction of evil and falsity; and this is why heaven is compared in the Word to a marriage, and hell to adultery. And as there is in the hells the conjunction of evil and falsity, so there continually exhales therefrom a sphere of adultery. It is for this reason that "adulteries and whoredoms" signify in the Word the adulterations of the good of the church and the falsifications of its truth (See above, n. 141, 161).

[5] In respect to faith separated from charity, this is perceived in the spiritual world as the adultery of a son with a mother as also with a step-mother. This is so because that faith shuts out the good of charity; and when this is shut out the evil of the love of self and of the world takes its place, and that faith conjoins itself with that love. For every kind of faith must necessarily conjoin itself with some love; therefore when spiritual love, which is charity, is separated, faith then conjoins itself with the love of self or with the love of the world, which are the loves that are dominant in the natural man; and this is why so heinous an adultery results from faith separated from charity. From this then it is clear what is signified by the adultery of Reuben with Bilhah his father's concubine, and why he was rejected for this reason from the right of the primogeniture. This is also meant by the prophecy of Israel his father respecting Reuben:

Reuben my firstborn, thou art my power and the beginning of my vigor; excelling in exaltation and excelling in strength; light as water, thou shalt not excel, because thou wentest up to thy father's bed, then thou didst profane it, he went up to my couch (Gen. 49:3, 4).

These words may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 6341-6350). That such adultery is perceived in the spiritual world from faith separated from charity has been made evident to me from correspondences in that world. For whenever I have perceived afar off the sphere of adultery with a mother or stepmother, I have known at once that those who had confirmed themselves in faith alone both in doctrine and in life were near, and they were also then discovered; and when they had been explored they were found to have been such in the world.

[6] So much respecting Reuben; we will now speak of the Philistines; these also in the Word represent faith separated from love. It was for this reason that they were called the "uncircumcised;" for "one uncircumcised" signifies one who is destitute of spiritual love, and is solely in natural love, and with that love alone no religious principle can be conjoined, much less anything of the church; for every religious principle and everything of the church has regard to the Divine, to heaven, and to spiritual life; and these cannot be conjoined with any other than a spiritual love; but not with a natural love separated from a spiritual love; since natural love separated from spiritual love is man's own [proprium], and this, regarded in itself, is nothing but evil. All the wars that the sons of Israel waged against the Philistines represented the combats of the spiritual man with the natural man, and thence also the combats of truth conjoined with good against truth separated from good, which in itself is not truth but falsity. For truth separated from good is falsified in the idea of the thought respecting it, and for the reason that there is nothing spiritual present in the thought to enlighten it. For the same reason those who are in faith separated from charity have no truth, except merely in their speech or in their preaching from the Word, the idea of truth instantly perishing as soon as truth is thought about.

[7] Because this religion exists in the churches with all who love to live a natural life, so in the land of Canaan the Philistines were not subjugated, as the other nations of that land were, and consequently there were many battles with them. For all the historical things of the Word are representative of such things as pertain to the church; and all the nations of the land of Canaan represented things heretical confirming either the falsities of faith or the evils of the love; while the sons of Israel represented the truths of faith and the goods of love, and thus the church. But what was represented by the wars that the inhabitants of the land of Canaan carried on will be told in its place and time; here it shall merely be shown that the Philistines represented a religious principle separated from spiritual good, such as is the religious principle of faith alone separated from its life, which is charity. This is why the sons of Israel whenever they fell away from the worship of Jehovah to the worship of other gods were given over to their enemies, or were conquered by them:

Thus they were given over to the Philistines, and served them eighteen years, and afterwards forty years (Judges 10;Judges 13).

This represented their departure from the worship from the good of love and the truths of faith to worship from the evils of love and the falsities of faith. Likewise:

The sons of Israel were conquered and distressed by the Philistines (1 Samuel 4; 13; 28; 29; 31).

But when the sons of Israel returned to the worship of Jehovah, which was the worship from the good of love and the truths of faith, they conquered the Philistines (1 Samuel 7, 1 Samuel 14; 2 Samuel 5; 2 Samuel 8; 21; 23; 2 Kings 18). That these historical things involve such things can be seen only from the series of things there described when viewed in the internal sense, to present which here would occupy too much time; therefore one passage only from the prophetical parts of the Word shall be cited, from which it will be manifest that such things as pertain to the church were represented by the Philistines in these narratives.

[8] Thus in Isaiah:

Rejoice not, O Philistea, all of thee, because the rod that smiteth thee is broken; for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a basilisk, whose fruit shall be a fiery-flying serpent. Then the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety; and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant. Howl, O gate; cry out, O city; thou whole Philistea art dissolved; for from the north cometh a smoke, and none shall be alone in thy assemblies. What then shall one answer, ye messengers of the nation? That Jehovah hath founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of His people shall hope (Isaiah 14:29-32).

This describes Philistea, which signifies the church, or those in the church who indeed are in truths from the sense of the letter of the Word or from some other revelation, and yet are in filthy loves, consequently their truths are not living truths; and truths not living are turned into falsities when they are brought from exterior thought, which is the thought next to the speech, into interior thought, which belongs to the understanding, also when this thought considers truths in their origin, which those who are meant by "the Philistines" do not see. They do not see for the reason that while every man, even an evil man, has a faculty to understand, he has no good of the will, which is the good of life; for this good springs from love to God and from love to the neighbor, and it is these loves that cause that faculty to communicate with heaven and receive enlightenment therefrom.

[9] This chapter in Isaiah describes those who are in truths without good, and shows that with such all truths are turned into falsities. This, therefore, is the spiritual sense of these words: "Rejoice not, O Philistea, all of thee, because the rod that smiteth thee is broken," signifies that they should not rejoice because they are permitted to remain in their heresy by reason of the fewness of those who are in truths from good; "for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a basilisk" signifies that out of the sensual man a dogma destructive of all truth will arise; "the serpent's root" being the sensual, which is the ultimate of man's life, and "the basilisk" being the destruction of all truth. "Whose fruit shall be a fiery-flying serpent" signifies from which there will spring faith separated from charity; this faith is meant by "a fiery-flying serpent" because it flies upwards by means of reasonings and confirmations from things revealed that are not understood, and thus it kills the things that are living. In like manner "the basilisk" has a similar signification as "the dragon," which is also called "a serpent;" and "the fiery-flying serpent" has a similar signification as "the beast coming up out of the sea and the beast out of the earth," in this chapter of Revelation. "Then the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety," signifies that when that dogma is received by those who are natural and sensual men, and who believe themselves to be wiser than others, truths from good with those who desire what is true and will what is good, will become living; "the firstborn" in the Word signify truths born from good; the "poor" those who are not in truths but who still desire them, and the "needy" those who are not in goods but who in heart will them. "And I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant," signifies that all truths, from the first of them to the last, will be destroyed by falsities. "Howl, O gate; cry out, O city," signifies that no entrance will be granted to any truth, and that doctrine will be made up of mere falsities, "gate" signifying entrance to the truths of doctrine, and "city" doctrine. "Thou whole Philistea art dissolved" signifies the destruction of that church by mere falsities. "For from the north cometh a smoke" signifies that every falsity from evil will break in from hell, "the north" meaning hell, and "smoke" the falsity of evil. "And none shall be alone in thy assemblies" signifies that there shall not remain a single truth among their knowledges. "What then shall one answer, ye messengers of the nation?" signifies the enlightenment of those who are in the good of life from love to the Lord. "That Jehovah hath founded Zion" signifies that a church shall be established from them; "and in her the afflicted of His people shall hope" signifies that those who are not in wisdom from self, and who conquer in temptations against such falsities, shall have intelligence and salvation.

[10] The vastation of truth by falsities with those who are meant by "the Philistines" is also described by Jeremiah 47:1-7; likewise in Ezekiel 25:15, 16; in Joel 3:4-6; in Amos 1:8. That such falsify truths is meant by "the daughters of the Philistines," mentioned in Ezekiel 16:27, 57; also in 2 Samuel 1:20; "the daughters of the Philistines" there meaning the affections of falsity. Their religious principle was also represented by their idol called Dagon, which was set up in Ashdod, and which, according to their description, was formed like a man from the head to the navel, and like a fish from the navel downwards; its being like a man from the head to the navel represented the understanding derived from truths; and like a fish from the navel downwards represented the natural destitute of the good of love; for the lower part down to the knees corresponds to celestial love, and a "fish" signifies the natural man which is without spiritual good. (That "man" [homo] signifies the affection of truth, may be seen above, n. 280; that his "head" signifies the understanding of truth and intelligence therefrom, n. 553; that a "fish" signifies the natural man, n. 513; and that the generative organs signify from correspondence celestial love, see Arcana Coelestia 5050-5062. Moreover, the "emerods" with which the Philistines were smitten when the ark of God was held captive by them, signified truths defiled by evils of life; but these and other things related about them in 1 Samuel 5 may be seen explained above, n. 700)

[11] Truth defiled by evil of life is signified also by "the uncircumcised" (2 Samuel 1:20; Ezekiel 28:10; 31:18; 32:18, 19; 44:9). For the foreskin corresponds to corporeal love, because the member which it covers corresponds to spiritual and celestial love. And because "the Philistines" represented those who are in knowledge (scientia) and cognitions of truth without any spiritual and celestial good, they were called "uncircumcised." And as the sons of Israel were also actually of the same character, in order that they might nevertheless represent the church which is in spiritual and celestial good and in truths therefrom, it was commanded that they should be circumcised. From this it can be seen that the religious principle at this day that separates charity from faith is in the representative sense Philistea.

[12] So much respecting the Philistines. Something shall now be said about the goats and sheep, upon which judgment will be executed, according to the Lord's words in Matthew (Matthew 25:31-46 end). The common opinion is that the "goats" there mean all the evil, and it has not been known heretofore that the "goats" there mean those who are in faith separated from charity, and the "sheep" those who are in faith from charity. In a good sense "goats" mean those who are in natural good and in truths therefrom, which truths are called the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good from the natural sense of the Word. Such as these, or such good and such truth therefrom, are signified by the goats that were sacrificed. That there were also sacrifices of goats is evident from Leviticus 4:23; 9:2-4, 8-23; 16:2-20; 23:18, 19; Numbers 15:22-29; 28:11-15, 28:18-31; 29:1; and elsewhere. For all the beasts that were offered as sacrifices signified such things as pertain to the church, all of which have reference to goods and truths. The celestial goods and the truths therefrom in which are the angels in the third heaven were signified by "lambs," while the spiritual goods and truths in which are the angels in the middle heaven were signified by "rams," and the natural goods and truths therefrom, in which are the angels who are in the lowest heaven, were signified by "goats." Celestial goods and truths are with those who are in love to the Lord; but spiritual goods and truths are with those who are in love towards the neighbor; and natural goods and truths with those who live well according to truths from natural affection. This is the signification of these three kinds of beasts in various parts of the Word (as in Ezekiel 27:21; Deuteronomy 32:14).

[13] But as most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so "goats" signify in that sense those who are in faith separated from charity, for the reason that they are more lascivious than other animals, and that they signify in the genuine sense those who are in natural good and the truth thence, and all who are in faith separated from charity both in doctrine and in life are merely natural. That such are meant in the Word by "goats" has been shown me to the life in the spiritual world. There various beasts are seen; but they are not such beasts as exist in our world, that is, not beasts that have been born, but they are correspondences of the affections and of the thoughts therefrom of spirits and angels; consequently as soon as those affections and the thoughts therefrom vary and cease, these beasts vanish out of sight. That I might know that those who are in faith separated from charity, or rather the affections and thoughts of such from their faith, are represented by "goats," it was granted me to see some of those spirits; and they appeared before my eyes and the eyes of many others altogether as goats with horns. Moreover, when rams and sheep were sent among them these goats being kindled with anger rushed upon them, and strove to throw them down, but in vain. For in the spiritual world goats have no power against the rams or sheep, therefore the goats were overcome. Afterwards it was granted me to see the same as men; and this was a proof that the goats were identical with those who had lived in the world in faith separated from charity.

[14] From this what is signified by the "ram" and the "he-goat," and "the battle between them," in the eighth chapter of Daniel can be seen, namely, that the "ram" there means those who are in faith from charity, and the "he-goat" those who are in faith separated from charity. Thus the future state of the church is there described, namely, that faith separate would dissipate all charity, which is the good of life, and falsity therefrom would have rule in the Christian world. To illustrate this, I will present a summary of what is related in Daniel respecting the ram and the he-goat, as follows:

Daniel saw in vision a ram that had two horns, one higher than the other, but the higher came up last; and he made himself great. But then a he-goat of the goats came from the west over the faces of all the earth; and he charged upon the ram and smote him, and broke his two horns; and he cast the ram down to the earth, and trampled upon him. The he-goat had a horn between his eyes, and when this was broken there came up four horns in its place towards the four winds of the heavens; and out of one of them came forth one horn which grew exceedingly, even to the host of the heavens, and cast down some of the host and of the stars to the earth and trampled upon them. Yea, it exalted itself even to the prince of the host, and the continual burnt-offering was taken away from him, and the dwelling-place of his sanctuary was cast down; and it cast down the truth to the earth (Daniel 8:1-14, seq.).

That the "ram" here means those who are in faith from charity, and the "he-goat" those who are in faith separated from charity, may be seen above (n. 316 and n. 573, where the same things are explained; therefore I pass by any further explanation.

[15] Again that "he-goats" mean those who are in faith separated from charity, and "rams" those who are in faith from charity, is evident also in Ezekiel:

And as for you, O my flock, behold I judge between cattle and cattle, and between rams and he-goats (Ezekiel 34:17).

Likewise in Zechariah:

Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I will visit upon the he-goats (Zechariah 10:3).

From this it can be seen that the goats and the sheep in Matthew (25:31-46 to the end) have the same meaning; consequently works of charity only are there enumerated which were done by the sheep, and were not done by the goats. That such are there meant by the "goats" was proved also when the Last Judgment was accomplished upon those who belonged to the Christian Church; for then all those who were in faith separated from charity both in doctrine and life were cast into hell; and all who were in faith from charity were kept safe.