276. Verses 6-8. And in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four animals full of eyes before and behind. And the first animal was like a lion, and the second animal like a calf, and the third animal had a face as a man, and the fourth animal was like a flying eagle. And the four animals had each by itself six wings roundabout; and they were full of eyes within, and they had no rest day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come.

"And in the midst of the throne and round about the throne were four animals full of eyes before and behind," signifies the guardianship and providence of the Lord to prevent the interior heavens being approached, except by the good of love and of charity, that lower things thence depending may be in order.

"And the first animal was like a lion," signifies the appearance in ultimates of Divine truth proceeding from the Lord as to the power and effect; "and the second animal like a calf," signifies the appearance in ultimates of Divine good as to defence; "and the third animal had a face as a man," signifies the appearance in ultimates of the Lord's Divine guardianship and providence as to wisdom; "and the fourth animal was like a flying eagle," signifies the appearance in ultimates of the Divine guardianship and providence as to intelligence, and as to circumspection in every direction.

"And the four animals had, each by itself six wings roundabout," signifies the appearance of the Divine spiritual in every direction around the Divine celestial; "and they were full of eyes within," signifies the Divine providence and guardianship; "and they had no rest day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy," signifies what is most holy proceeding from the Lord; "Lord God Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come," signifies who is infinite and eternal.

9874. 'Enclosed in gold shall they be in their settings' means that all of them in general and each in particular must emanate from the good belonging to the love that is received from the Lord and shown to the Lord. This is clear from the meaning of 'gold' as the good of love, dealt with in 113, 1551, 1552, 5658, 6914, 6917, 8932, 9490, 9510; and from the meaning of 'being enclosed in it in their settings' as emanating from that good. For every single stone was surrounded by and so enclosed in gold, and since 'gold' means the good of love what is enclosed means that which exists or emanates from that good. The like is meant in verse 11 of the present chapter by the sockets of gold which surrounded the two shoham stones placed on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod.

[2] The implications of all this are that the breastplate and its twelve stones represented every good and truth in the heavens and so represented all heaven, as shown above. Moreover not only the heavens but also every community in the heavens, indeed each angel within a community, is surrounded by a Divine sphere, which consists of Divine Good and Truth emanating from the Lord, see where this is dealt with in 9490-9492, 9498, 9499, 9534. And since the good and truth of this sphere is received by the angels, so also every single thing present with them emanates from there; for each angel is heaven in the smallest form it takes. The actual good emanating from the Lord is what the gold around the stones and enclosing them represents.

[3] The truth that this good is the good of love that is received from the Lord and shown to the Lord may be recognized from the consideration that all good belongs to love, for what a person loves he calls good and also feels to be such. From this it is evident that heavenly good is the good of love to the Lord, for this love is what joins angel and man to the Lord; through this love they are brought to Him and enjoy all the good of heaven. It is well known in the Church that this good comes from the Lord, for the teaching of the Church is that all good originates in God and none at all in oneself. From this it is evident that the good of love shown to the Lord must come from the Lord, and that good from any other source is not good.