316. Having seven horns, signifies who has omnipotence. This is evident from the signification of a "horn," as being the power of truth against falsity, but in reference to the Lord, as being all power or omnipotence. The Lamb was seen to have horns seven in number, because "seven" signifies all and it is predicated of what is holy (See above, n. 257). A "horn" and "horns" signify power, because the power of horned animals, as of oxen, rams, goats, and others, is in their horns. That "horn" or "horns" signify the power of truth against falsity, and in the highest sense, which treats of the Lord, signify omnipotence, and in a contrary sense the power of falsity against truth, is evident from many passages in the Word; and as it is thus made clear what is signified in the Word by "horns," so often mentioned in Daniel, and also in Revelation; and as they are still employed in the coronation of kings, I will quote the passages here.

[2] In Ezekiel:

In that day I will make a horn to bud forth unto the house of Israel, and I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them; that they may know that I am Jehovah (Ezekiel 29:21).

"To make a horn to bud forth unto the house of Israel" signifies truth in abundance; "the house of Israel" is the church; because this is signified by "horn," and "its budding forth," it is also said, "and I will give thee the opening of the mouth," which means the preaching of truth.

[3] In the first book of Samuel:

My horn hath exalted itself in Jehovah; my mouth is enlarged against mine enemies, because I am glad in Thy salvation. He shall give strength unto His king, ¹ and shall exalt the horn of His anointed (1 Samuel 2:10).

This is a prophetical saying of Hannah. "My horn hath exalted itself in Jehovah" signifies that Divine truth filled her, and made her powerful against falsities; and because this is the meaning, it is said, "my mouth is enlarged against mine enemies;" "enlarging the mouth" is preaching truth with power, and "enemies" are the falsities that disperse Divine truth. "He shall give strength unto His king, and shall exalt the horn of His anointed," signifies the Lord's omnipotence from Divine good by Divine truth, for "strength" in the Word has reference to the power of good, and "horn" to the power of truth; and "the anointed of Jehovah" is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, which has omnipotence (See Arcana Coelestia 3008-3009, 9954).

[4] In David:

Jehovah hath exalted the horn of His people, the praise for all His saints, for the sons of Israel, a people near unto Him (Psalms 148:14).

"He hath exalted the horn of His people" signifies that He hath filled with Divine truths; therefore it is said: praise for His saints, for the sons of Israel, a people near unto Him," for those are called "saints" who are in Divine truths, since Divine truth is what is called holy (See above, n. 204). "Israel" is the church that is in truths, "sons of Israel" are truths, "a people" is also predicated of those who are in truths, and a people conjoined with the Lord by truths is said to be "near."

[5] In the same:

Jehovah God of Hosts, Thou art the splendor of their strength; and by Thy good pleasure Thou shalt exalt our horn (Psalms 89:8, 17).

Here also "to exalt the horn" signifies to fill with Divine truth, and thereby to give power against falsities; therefore it is said, "Jehovah God of Hosts, Thou art the splendor of their strength," "splendor" in the Word is predicated also of the church, and of the doctrine of truth therein.

[6] In the same:

The good man is gracious and lendeth. His righteousness standeth forever; his horn shall be exalted with glory (Psalms 112:5, 9).

That "horn" signifies Divine truth is clear from this, that it is said, "his righteousness standeth forever, and his horn shall be exalted with glory;" "righteousness" in the Word is predicated of good, and "horn" therefore of truth; for in every particular of the Word there is a marriage of good and truth; "splendor" also signifies Divine truth.

[7] In Habakkuk:

The brightness of Jehovah God shall be as the light; He hath horns coming out of His hand; and in them is the hiding of His strength (Habakkuk 3:4).

Because "horns" signify Divine truth with power, it is said, "the brightness of Jehovah God shall be as the light," and "in the horns is the hiding of His strength;" "the brightness of Jehovah" and "light" signify Divine truth; and "the hiding of His strength in the horns" signifies the omnipotence of Divine good through Divine truth, for all power of good is through truth, and in Divine truth lies concealed the omnipotence that is of Divine good.

[8] In David:

I have found David My servant; with the oil of holiness have I anointed Him; with whom My hand shall be established; Mine arm also shall make him mighty. My truth and My mercy shall be with him; and in My name shall his horn be exalted (Psalms 89:20-21, 24).

"David" means the Lord in respect to Divine truth (See above, n. 205); and "his horn shall be exalted" means His Divine power, which He has from Divine good through Divine truth; therefore, it is said, "My truth and My mercy shall be with him;" "mercy" in the Word, in the Word, in reference to Jehovah, or the Lord, signifies the Divine good of the Divine love. Because "David" means the Lord in respect to Divine truth proceeding from His Divine Human, He is called "David, my servant," "servant" meaning, in the Word, not a servant in the usual sense, but whatever serves, and it is predicated of truth because truth serves good for use, here for power.

[9] In the same:

I will make a horn to bud forth unto David; I will set in order a lamp for Mine anointed (Psalms 132:17).

Here by "David," and also by "anointed" the Lord in respect to Divine truth is meant, and "making His horn to bud forth" signifies the multiplication of Divine truth in the heavens and on earth by Him; therefore it is also said, "I will set in order a lamp for Mine anointed," which has a like meaning. That the Lord in respect to Divine truth proceeding from His Divine good, is called a "lamp" see above n. 62.

[10] In the same:

Jehovah my strength, my cliff, my fortress; my God, my rock, in which I confide, my shield and the horn of my salvation (Psalms 18:1-2; 2 Samuel 22:2-3).

"Strength" and "cliff" in reference, as here, to Jehovah or the Lord, signify omnipotence; "fortress" and "rock in which he confides" signify defense; "shield" and "horn of salvation" signify consequent salvation; "strength," "fortress," and "shield," in the Word are predicated of Divine good; "cliff," "rock," and "horn" are predicated of Divine truth; therefore these signify omnipotence, defense, and salvation, which Divine good has through Divine truth.

[11] In Luke:

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited and redeemed His people, and hath raised up a horn of salvation in the house of David; that He might save us from our enemies (Luke 1:68-69, 71).

This is a prophecy of Zechariah respecting the Lord and His coming. "A horn of salvation in the house of David" signifies omnipotence to save by Divine truth from Divine good, "horn" is that omnipotence; "the house of David" is the Lord's church; "the enemies from which He should save" are the falsities of evil, for these are the enemies from which the Lord saves those who receive Him; it is known that there were no other enemies from which the Lord saved those who are here meant by his people.

[12] In Micah:

Rise and thresh, O daughter of Zion, for I will make thy horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass, that thou mayest beat in pieces many peoples (Micah 4:13).

"Rise and thresh, O daughter of Zion" signifies the dispersion of evil with those who are of the church, "to thresh" is to disperse, and "daughter of Zion" is the church that is in the affection of good; "I will make thy horn iron" signifies Divine truth mighty and powerful; "I will make thy hoofs brass" has a like meaning, "hoofs" meaning truths in ultimates; "that thou mayest beat in pieces many peoples" signifies that thou mayest scatter falsities, for "peoples" are predicated of truths, and in a contrary sense, of falsities.

[13] In Zechariah:

I saw, and behold four horns, that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. He showed me four smiths, and He said, These horns that have scattered Judah, so that no man lifteth up his head; these have come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations that lift up the horn against the land of Judah to scatter it (Zechariah 1:18-21).

This describes the vastation of the church, and its subsequent restoration. "Judah," "Israel," and "Jerusalem," signify the church and its doctrine; "the horns that scattered them" signify the falsities of evil that have vastated the church; "smiths" signify the like as iron, namely, truth in ultimates, which is mighty and powerful, thus the like as the "horn of iron;" therefore it is said of them, "these have come to cast down the horns of the nations that lift up the horn against the land of Judah," "the horns of the nations" are the falsities of evil that have vastated the church, and that are to be dispersed that it may be restored.

[14] In Lamentations:

The Lord hath thrown in His fury the strongholds of the daughter of Judah; He hath cast them down to the earth; He hath profaned the kingdom and the princes thereof; He hath cut off in the glowing of His anger every horn of Israel (Lamentations 2:2-3).

Here the total vastation of the church is treated of. The last time when it was laid waste is signified by the glowing of the Lord's anger; and its total vastation is described by "He hath thrown down the strongholds of the daughter of Judah, He hath cast them down to the earth. He hath profaned the kingdom and the princes thereof;" "the daughter of Judah" is the church; "her strongholds" are truths from good; "the kingdom and princes" are its truths of doctrine; whence it is clear what is signified by "He hath cut off every horn of Israel," namely, the cutting off of all the power of truth in the church to resist the falsities of evil.

[15] In Daniel:

Daniel saw in a dream four beasts coming up out of the sea; the fourth exceedingly strong, having teeth of iron; it devoured and broke in pieces; and it had ten horns: and I gave heed, and behold another little horn came up among them, and three of the former horns were plucked up by the roots before it; in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. I saw that this horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; and that it spoke words against the Most High. As to the ten horns, they are ten kings, and it shall humble three kings (Daniel 7:3, 7-8, 21, 23, 25).

Here evidently "horns" means the falsities that destroy the truths of the church, or the power of falsities against truths; "the beast coming up out of the sea" signifies the love of self out of which spring all evils; here the love of ruling over heaven and earth, to which things holy serve as means; it is such a love that is meant by "Babylon" in Revelation. This beast was seen "coming up out of the sea," because the "sea" signifies the natural man separated from the spiritual; for the natural man is then of such a character that he desires nothing so much as to have dominion over all, and to confirm that dominion by the sense of the letter of the Word. "The ten horns" signify falsities of every kind, for "ten" means all; therefore it is further said, that "the ten horns are ten kings," for "kings" signify truths, and in a contrary sense, as here, falsities. "The little horn that came up among them, before which three of the former horns were plucked up by the roots," signifies the complete perversion of the Word by the application of the sense of its letter to confirm the love of dominion. This horn is called "little," because it does not appear that the Word is perverted; and what does not appear before the sight of man's spirit, or before his understanding, is regarded either as nothing, or as little. In the spiritual world such is the appearance of things that are apprehended by a few only. "The three horns that were plucked up by the roots before it," signify the truths of the Word there that have been thus destroyed by falsifications; these truths are also signified by the "three kings" that were humbled by the horn, "three" not meaning three, but what is full, thus that truths were completely destroyed. As that "horn" signifies the perversion of the Word in respect to the sense of its letter, and as this sense appears before the eyes of men, as if it were to be understood thus and not otherwise, and therefore not to be gainsaid by anyone, it is said of this horn, "that in it there were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things," "eyes" signify understanding, and "eyes like the eyes of a man" an understanding as if of truth, and "mouth" signifies thought and speech from that understanding. From this it can now be seen what is meant by all and by each of the particulars here mentioned; as by "the beast coming up out of the sea, that had ten horns and teeth of iron, and devoured and broke in pieces;" by "the little horn that came up among them, before which three of the horns were plucked up by the roots, in which were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things;" also by "it made war with the saints and prevailed against them," and "it spoke words against the Most High;" and "the horns were so many kings."

[16] In the same:

I saw in a vision one ram that had two horns, and the horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher had come up last. It pushed westward, northward, and southward. Then, behold, a he-goat of the goats came from the west over the faces of the whole earth; he had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. He ran upon the ram in the wrath of his strength, and he broke his two horns, and he cast him down to the ground and trampled upon him. But the great horn of the he-goat was broken; and in place of it there came up four toward the four winds of the heavens. Presently out of one of them came forth a little horn, which grew exceedingly towards the south, and towards the east, and towards beauty. And it grew even to the host of the heavens; and it cast down some of the host to the earth, and trampled upon them. Yea, even to the prince of the host it magnified itself, and the dwelling place of his sanctuary was cast down, because it cast down truth to the earth (Daniel 8:2-12, 21, 25).

This describes a second thing that lays waste the church, namely, faith alone. The "ram" signifies the good of charity and faith therefrom, and the "he-goat" faith separate from charity, or faith alone, or, what is the same, those who are in these; their "horns" signify truths from good and falsities from evil, combating; truths from good are meant by the horns of the ram, and falsities from evil by the horns of the he-goat. That the "ram had two high horns, one higher than the other, and the higher came up last" signifies the truth of faith from the good of charity; and this was seen according to the influx of good and truth with man and spirit; for all good is received behind, and all truth in front, as the cerebellum is formed to receive the good, which is of the will, and the cerebrum to receive the truth, which is of the understanding; "westward, northward, and southward, toward which the ram pushed" signify the goods and truths that those receive who are in charity and in faith therefrom, by which they disperse evils and falsities; "the he-goat of the goats that came over the faces of the whole earth" signifies faith separate from charity, springing from evil of life; "the he-goat of the goats" is that faith; the "west" evil of life; and "the earth" the church; "he had a conspicuous horn between the eyes" signifies that this is from self-intelligence; "he ran upon the ram in the wrath of his strength, and brake his two horns, and cast him down to the earth, and trampled upon him" signifies the entire destruction of charity and of faith therefrom, for when charity is destroyed faith also is destroyed, for the latter is from the former; "the great horn of the he-goat was broken, and in place of it there came up four toward the four winds of the heavens" signifies all falsities conjoined with evils therefrom, "horns" signifying the falsities of evil, "four" their conjunction, and "the four winds of the heavens" all, both falsities and evils; "out of one of them came forth a little horn" signifies justification by faith, for this is born of the principle of faith alone; it is said to be "little" because it does not appear as a falsity.

That this horn "grew exceedingly towards the south, and towards the east, and towards beauty, and grew even to the host of the heavens, and cast down some of the host to the earth, and trampled upon them" signifies that it destroyed all the truths and goods of the church; "the south" meaning where truth is in the light, "the east" and "beauty" where good is in clearness through truth, "the host of the heavens" all truths and goods of heaven and the church; "to cast down the host to the earth, and to trample upon them" signifies to destroy utterly; that "even to the prince of the host it magnified itself," and that "the dwelling place of his sanctuary was cast down" signifies the denial of the Lord's Divine Human, and the consequent vastation of the church; "the prince of the host" is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, because from that proceed all the truths and goods that constitute the church; "the dwelling place of the sanctuary" is the church where these are; this plainly means the truths destroyed by falsities, for it is said, "it cast down truth to the earth." That this is the significance of the "ram," and the "he-goat," and "their horns," is clearly manifest from appearances in the spiritual world; for when such as have confirmed themselves in the doctrine of faith alone and of justification by faith, dispute there with those who are in the doctrine of charity and of faith therefrom, there appear to others who stand afar off he-goats, or a he-goat with similar horns, and with like onset and fury against the rams or the ram, and he appears also to tread the stars under his feet. These things have been seen by me also, and at the same time by those standing by, who were thereby confirmed that such things are meant in Daniel; and also that like things are meant by "the sheep on the right hand, and the goats on the left" (Matthew 25:32-46 the end), namely, by "sheep" those who are in the good of charity, and by "goats" those who are in faith alone. From these quotations from Daniel it can be seen in some measure what is signified in Revelation by:

The dragon that was seen having ten horns (Revelation 12:3);

The beast that was seen coming up out of the sea, which also had ten horns (Revelation 13:1).

The woman that was seen sitting upon a scarlet-colored beast, that had seven heads and ten horns; respecting which the angel said, The ten horns that thou sawest are ten kings (Revelation 17:3, 7, 12);

but these things will be explained hereafter.

[17] That the power of falsity against truth is signified by "horn" or "horns" is evident also from the following passages. In Jeremiah:

The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken (Jeremiah 48:25).

"Moab" signifies those who are in spurious goods, and in falsified truths therefrom, which in themselves are falsities. The destruction of these falsities is signified by "The horn of Moab is cut off," and the destruction of these evils by "his arm is broken. "

[18] In Lamentations:

Jehovah hath caused the enemy to be glad over thee; He hath exalted the horn of thine adversaries (Lamentations 2:17).

Evil is meant by "enemy," and the falsities of evil by "adversaries;" "exalting the horn of the adversaries" is falsities prevailing over truths and destroying them.

[19] In Ezekiel:

Ye thrust with side and with shoulder, and push all the sick sheep with your horns till ye have scattered them abroad (Ezekiel 34:21).

"To thrust with side and with shoulder" is with all strength and endeavor; to "push the sick sheep with horns till ye have scattered them abroad" signifies to destroy by falsities the well-disposed, who are not yet in truths from good, and yet desire to be.

[20] In Amos:

In the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel upon him, I will visit upon the altars of Bethel, that the horns of the altar may be cut off, and fall to the earth (Amos 3:14).

"The altars of Bethel" signify worship from evil, and "the horns of the altar" signify the falsities of that evil; and that these are to be destroyed is signified by "the horns shall be cut off and fall to the earth."

[21] In the same:

They who are glad over a thing of nought; who say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength? (Amos 6:13).

"To take horns by our own strength" signifies by the powers of self-intelligence to acquire falsities by which truths will be destroyed.

[22] In David:

I said unto the boastful, Boast not; and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn; Lift not up your horn on high; speak not with a stiff neck. All the horns of the wicked will I cut off; the horns of the righteous shall be exalted (Psalms 75:4-5, 10).

"Lifting up the horn on high" signifies to defend vigorously falsity against truth; therefore it is also said, "speak not with a stiff neck." "To cut off their horns" signifies to destroy their falsities; and "to exalt the horns of the righteous" signifies to make powerful and strong the truths of good.

[23] Because "making high and exalting the horns" signifies to fill with truths, and to make them powerful and strong against falsities, therefore those truths are also called "the horns of a unicorn," because these are high. As in Moses:

The firstborn of his ox, honor is his, and his horns are the horns of a unicorn; with them he shall push the peoples together to the uttermost parts of the earth; and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Mannaseh (Deuteronomy 33:17).

This is said of Joseph, who in the highest sense represents the Lord in respect to the Divine spiritual, or in respect to Divine truth in heaven; from this "Joseph" signifies also those who are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom (See Arcana Coelestia 3969, 3971, 4669, 6417). "The firstborn of the ox, honor is his," signifies the good of spiritual love; "his horns are the horns of a unicorn" signifies truths in their fullness, and in their power therefrom; "to push the peoples to the uttermost parts of the earth" signifies to instruct in truths all who are of the church, and to scatter falsities by means of truths; "the ten thousands of Ephraim and the thousands of Manasseh" signify the plenty and abundance of truth and of wisdom therefrom and the plenty and abundance of good and of love therefrom; "Ephraim," in the Word, signifying the intellectual of the church, which is of truth, and "Manasseh" the voluntary of the church which is of good (See Arcana Coelestia 3969, 5354, 6222, 6234, 6238, 6267, 6296); and "ten thousands" and "thousands" signifying very many, thus plenty and abundance.

[24] In David:

Save me from the lion's mouth; and from the horns of the unicorn hear me (Psalms 22:21);

"lion" signifying falsity vehemently destroying truth; and "horns of unicorns" truths that prevail against falsities.

[25] In the same:

My horn like the horn of a unicorn (Psalms 92:10);

"like the horn of a unicorn" signifying truth in its fullness and power.

[26] In Revelation:

And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God (Revelation 9:13).

The altar of incense, which was called also "the golden altar," was a representative of the hearing and reception of all things of worship that are from love and charity from the Lord, thus a representative of such things of worship as are elevated by the Lord; "the horns of the altar" represented truths proceeding from the good of love; this makes clear why a voice was heard from the four horns of the altar, for it is through truths that good acts and speaks.

[27] Altars had horns for the reason that altars represented the worship of the Lord from the good of love, and all worship that is truly worship is offered from the good of love by truths. That the altar of incense had horns is seen in Moses:

Thou shalt make four horns upon the altar of incense; they shall be from it. And thou shalt overlay them with gold (Exodus 30:2-3, 10; Exodus 37:25-26);

and the altar of burnt-offering elsewhere in the same:

Thou shalt make horns upon the four corners of the altar of burnt-offering; its horns shall be from it (Exodus 27:2; 38:2).

That the horns were from the altar itself signified that the truths, which the horns represented, must proceed from the good of love, which the altar itself represented, for all truth is from good. That there were four horns, one at each corner, signified that they were for the four quarters in heaven, by which all things of truth from good are signified.

[28] Since all expiations and purifications are effected by truths from good, expiation was made upon the horns of the altars:

Upon the horns of the altar of incense (Exodus 30:10; Leviticus 4:7);

And upon the horns of the altar of burnt-offering (Leviticus 4:25, 30, 34; 8:15; 9:9; 16:18).

And as all Divine protection is by truths from good:

Those who committed evils and were in fear of death caught hold of the horns of the altar and were thus protected (1 Kings 1:50, 51, 53).

When those who purposely and willfully committed evil were not so protected (1 Kings 2:28-31).

Moreover, because "horns" signified truths from good, therefore when kings were anointed this was done by oil out of a horn:

That David was so anointed (1 Samuel 16:1, 13); and Solomon (1 Kings 1:39);

the "oil" signifying the good of love. From this signification of horns, which was known to the ancients, it was customary to make horns budding forth and fragrant; from this came the word "cornucopia."

Poznámky pod čarou:

6997. 'And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Moses' means leniency. This is clear from the meaning of 'the anger of Jehovah' as not anger but the opposite of anger, which is mercy or in this instance leniency. The absence of any anger in Jehovah is evident from the consideration that He is love itself, goodness itself, and mercy itself, while anger is the opposite and is also a failing, which is inapplicable to God. For this reason when anger in the Word is attributed to Jehovah or the Lord, the angels do not discern anger but either mercy or the removal of the wicked from heaven. Here they discern leniency because what is said is addressed to Moses, who represents the Lord when He was in the world in respect of Divine Truth.

[2] The Word attributes anger to Jehovah or the Lord because of the very general truth that all things come from God, thus the bad as well as the good. But this very general truth, which young children, older ones, and simple people need to have, must at a later stage be clarified. That is to say, it must be shown that bad things are assignable to man, though they may seem to be assignable to God, and have been declared to be so to the end that people may learn to fear God, so as not to be destroyed by wicked things they themselves do, and may then come to love Him. Fear must come before love in order that love may have holy fear within it; for when fear is instilled into love that fear is made holy by the holiness of love. Once it is made holy it is not a fear that the Lord will be angry and punish them, but a fear that they may act contrary to Goodness itself; for to do that will torment their conscience.

[3] Furthermore it was by means of punishments that the Israelites and the Jews were compelled to fulfill the external and formal requirements of religious laws and commands. This led them to think that Jehovah was angry and punished them, when in fact they themselves through their idolatrous behaviour were the ones who brought such things upon themselves and cut themselves off from heaven. Their own behaviour brought about their punishments, as it also says in Isaiah,

Your iniquities cause division between you and your God; and your sins hide [His] face from you. Isaiah 59:1.

And since the Israelites and the Jews were confined to the fulfillment of external requirements and knew nothing internal they continued to believe that Jehovah was angry and punished them. For people who concern themselves only with things of an external nature but not with anything internal do everything out of fear and nothing out of love.

[4] From all this one may now see what 'the anger' and 'the wrath' of Jehovah are used to mean in the Word, namely punishments, as in Isaiah,

Behold, the name of Jehovah comes from afar, burning with His anger, and the heaviness of the burden. His lips are full of indignation, and His tongue like a burning fire. Isaiah 30:27.

'Anger' stands for reproof, and for a warning in order that evils may not destroy them. In the same prophet,

In an overflowing of anger I hid My face from you for a moment. Isaiah 54:8.

'An overflowing of anger' stands for temptation, during which evils bring pain and torment. In Jeremiah,

I Myself will fight with you with an outstretched hand and a strong arm, and in anger, and in fury, and in great indignation. Lest My fury go forth like fire, and burn so that there is none to quench it because of the wickedness of your works. Jeremiah 21:5, 12.

In the same prophet,

. . . to fill those places with the corpses of people whom I smote in My anger and in My wrath. Jeremiah 33:5.

In Zephaniah,

I will pour out onto them My indignation, all My fierce anger, ¹ for in the fire of My zeal the whole earth will be devoured. Zephaniah 3:8.

In David,

He let loose on them His fierce anger, ² indignation, fury, distress, and a mission of evil angels. Psalms 78:49.

[5] In addition to these there are many other places in which, as in these, 'anger , 'wrath', 'fury', and 'fire' are used to mean states of punishment or damnation into which a person casts himself when he enters into evil ways. For it is in keeping with Divine order that rewards should go with ways that are good, and therefore that punishments should go with those that are evil, so much so that they are bound up in one another. Punishment and damnation are also meant by the day of Jehovah's anger in Isaiah 13:9, 17; Lamentations 2:1; Zephaniah 2:3; Revelation 6:17; 11:18; also by the wine of God's anger and the cup of God's anger in Jeremiah 25:15, 28; Revelation 14:10; 16:19; as well as by the winepress of God's anger and fury in Revelation 14:19; 19:15.

[6] The fact that punishment and damnation are meant by 'anger' is also evident in Matthew,

Brood of vipers, who has shown you to flee from the anger to come? Matthew 3:7.

In John,

He who does not believe in the Son will not see life, but the anger of God rests upon him. John 3:36.

In Luke,

In the final period there will be great distress over the earth, and anger on that people. Luke 21:23.

From these places it is evident that 'the anger of Jehovah' means forms of punishment and damnation. The reason why 'anger' is used to mean leniency and mercy is that all forms of punishment that the evil suffer arise because of the Lord's mercy shown towards the good to protect them from harm done by the evil. Yet the Lord does not inflict punishments on the evil; rather, it is they who inflict them on themselves since evils and forms of punishment in the next life are bound up with one another. The evil especially inflict punishments on themselves when the Lord acts mercifully towards the good, for at such times the evils and the resulting punishments are on the increase in them. This explains why instead of 'the anger of Jehovah', which means forms of punishment suffered by the evil, angels understand mercy.

[7] From all this one may recognize what the Word in the sense of the letter is like and also what God's truth in its most general form is like - that it presents matters in ways that accord with outward appearances. The reason for this is that man is by nature such that he believes what he can see and apprehend with his senses, but does not believe and for that reason does not accept what he cannot see or apprehend with his senses. This is why the Word in the sense of the letter presents matters in accordance with outward appearances; nevertheless it has genuine truths concealed in its more internal recesses, while in its inmost recesses it conceals God's truth itself going forth directly from the Lord, and so Divine Good, which is the Lord Himself.

Poznámky pod čarou: