278. (5:7) And the first animal was like a lion. That this signifies the appearance in ultimates of the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord as to power and effect, is evident from the signification of a lion, as being Divine truth proceeding from the Lord as to power and effect, which will be explained in what follows. The reason why it denotes appearance in ultimates is because the cherubim were seen as animals, and the first was like a lion. It is said in ultimates because that appearance was before John when he was in the spirit, and he then saw all things in ultimates, in which celestial and spiritual Divine things are variously represented, sometimes by gardens and parks, sometimes by palaces and temples, sometimes by rivers and waters, sometimes by animals of various descriptions, as by lions, camels, horses, oxen, heifers, sheep, lambs, doves, eagles, and many others. Similar things were seen by the prophets by whom the Word was written, in order that the Word in its ultimates, which are the things contained in the sense of the letter, might consist of such things as are in the world, which were representations and correspondences of celestial and spiritual things, and thus serve for a basis and foundation to the spiritual sense. It was for this heaven also that the cherubim, by which are signified the guardianship and providence of the Lord that the higher heavens may not be approached except by the good of love and of charity, were seen by John, and also by Ezekiel, to have faces like animals. Because it is the Lord who guards and provides, and this by Divine truth and Divine good, thus by His Divine wisdom and intelligence, therefore there were seen four animals, respectively like a lion, a calf, a man and an eagle.

[2] By the lion was represented the power of Divine truth; by the calf, the Divine good as to protection; by the man, the Divine wisdom; and by the eagle, the Divine intelligence. These four are included in the Divine providence of the Lord as to the guardianship of the higher heavens, that they may not be approached except by the good of love and of charity.

That a lion signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord as to power, is evident from the following passages in the Word; as in Moses:

"Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, thou art gone up; he stooped down, he lay down as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?" (Genesis 49:9).

By Judah is here signified the Lord's Celestial Kingdom, where all are in power from the Lord by means of Divine truth; this power is meant by a lion's whelp, and by an old lion. By the prey from which he went up is signified the dissipation of falsities and evils; by stooping down is signified to put himself into power; by lying down is signified to be in security from every falsity and evil; therefore it is said, "who shall rouse him up?" (That by Judah in the Word is signified the Celestial Kingdom, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 3634, 3881, 5603, 5782, 6363. That by prey, when said of that kingdom and concerning the Lord, is signified the dissipation of falsities and evils, and snatching away and deliverance from hell, Arcana Coelestia 6368, 6442; that by stooping, when said of the lion, is signified to put himself into power, n. 6369; and that to lie down, signifies a state of security and tranquillity, n. 3696).

[3] In the same:

"At this time it shall be said to Jacob and to Israel, What hath God wrought? Behold, the people riseth up as an old lion, and lifteth up himself as a young lion; he shall not lie down until he eat of the spoil" (Numbers 23:23, 24).

And in the same:

"He coucheth, he lieth down as an old lion; who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee" (24:9).

The subject here treated of is Jacob and Israel, by whom is signified the Lord's Spiritual Kingdom; their power is described by an old and a young lion rising, lifting himself up, and couching; the dissipation of falsities and evils is signified by eating of the spoil; and a state of security and tranquillity by he lieth down, who shall stir him up? (That by Jacob and Israel in the Word is signified the Lord's Spiritual Kingdom, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 4286, 4570, 5973, 6426, 8805, 9340. What the Lord's Celestial Kingdom is, and what His Spiritual Kingdom, may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 20-28. That to couch denotes to put himself into power, that prey and spoil denote the dissipation of falsities and evils, and that lying down when said of a lion denotes a state of security and tranquillity, see above).

[4] Again in Nahum:

"Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feeding place of the young lions? where walked the lion, the old lion, the lion's whelp, and none making afraid?" (2:11).

By lions here also are signified those who are in power by means of Divine truth; by their dwelling is signified, where there are such in the church; by their feeding place are signified the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good; by their walking and none making afraid is signified their state of security from evils and falsities.

[5] Again, in Micah

"The remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people, as a dew from Jehovah, as the drops upon the herb, as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep; who, if he go through, will tread down, and disperse in pieces, so that none delivereth. Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine enemies, and all thine adversaries shall be cut off" (Micah 5:7-9).

By the remnant of Jacob are signified the truths and goods of the church; by dew from Jehovah is signified spiritual truth; by the drops upon the herb, natural truth. By a lion among the beasts of the forest, and by a young lion among the flocks of sheep, also by treading down and dispersing, so that none delivereth, is signified power over evils and falsities. On account of this signification it is said, "Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine enemies, and all thine adversaries shall be cut off"; for by enemies are signified evils, and by adversaries falsities (as may be seen Arcana Coelestia 2851, 8289, 9314, 10481).

[6] In Isaiah:

"The Lord said, Go, set a watchman, who shall behold and declare. And he saw a chariot, a pair of horsemen, a chariot of an ass, a chariot of a camel, and he hearkened a hearkening; a lion upon the watch tower cried aloud: O Lord! I stand continually in the daytime, and I am set upon my guard all the night; Babylon is fallen, is fallen" (21:6-9).

The subject here treated of is the advent of the Lord, and a new church at that time. By a lion upon the watch tower is signified the guardianship and providence of the Lord; therefore it is said, "I stand continually in the daytime, and I am set upon my guard all the nights." By a chariot and by a pair of horsemen is signified the doctrine of truth from the Word. By hearkening a hearkening is signified a life according to that truth. (That chariot signifies the doctrine of truth, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 2761, 2762, 5321, 8029, 8215: that horseman signifies the Word as to understanding may be seen, n. 2761, 6401, 6534, 7024, 8146, 8148).

[7] In the same:

"Like as a lion and a young lion roareth on his prey when a multitude of shepherds goeth out against him so shall Jehovah of hosts descend to war upon mount Zion, and upon the hill thereof" (31:4).

In this passage Jehovah is compared to a lion roaring, because by a lion is signified the power of leading out from hell, or from evils, and by roaring is signified defence against evils and falsities; therefore it is said, "so shall Jehovah of hosts descend to war upon mount Zion, and upon the hill thereof." Mount Zion and the hill thereof denotes the celestial church and the spiritual church; and the prey upon which the lion and the young lion is said to roar signifies deliverance from evils, which are from hell.

[8] To roar, when said of the lion, has the same signification in Hosea:

"I will not return to destroy Ephraim, they will go after Jehovah as a lion roareth" (11:9, 10).

In Amos:

"The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord Jehovih hath spoken, who will not prophesy?" (3:8).

In the Apocalypse,

"The angel cried with a loud voice, as a lion roareth" (10:3).

And in David:

"The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their food from God. The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together and lie down in their dwellings" (Psalms 104:21, 22).

By these words in David is described the state of the angels of heaven when they are not in a state of intense love and wisdom therefrom; and, when they return into that state, the former state is described by the lions roaring after their prey, and seeking their food from God. The latter state is described by the sun arising, and their gathering themselves together, and lying down in their dwellings. By lions are meant the angels of heaven; by their roaring is meant desire; by prey and food are meant the good of love and the truth of wisdom; by the sun arising is meant the Lord as to love and wisdom thence; by their gathering themselves together, their returning into a celestial state; and by lying down in their dwellings, a state of tranquillity and peace (concerning these two states of the angels of heaven, see in the work, Heaven and Hell 154-161).

[9] Because Jehovah is compared to a lion from Divine truth as to power, therefore the Lord is called a lion in the Apocalypse:

"Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David" (5:5).

And because all power is from the Lord by means of Divine truth, therefore this is also signified by a lion; as in Moses:

"And of Gad he said, Blessed is he who hath given breadth to Gad; as a lion he dwelleth, he seizeth the arm, also the crown of the head" (Deuteronomy 33:20).

By Gad is signified, in the highest sense, omnipotence, and hence in the representative sense the power of truth (as may be seen, Arcana Coelestia, n 3934, 3935). Hence it is said, "Blessed is he who hath given breadth to Gad," for by breadth is signified truth (see Arcana Coelestia 1613, 3433, 3434, 4482, 9487, 10179; that all power is from Divine truth, may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell, in the article concerning the power of the angels of heaven, n. 228-233).

[10] Because by lion is signified power, therefore in the lamentation of David over Saul and Jonathan, it is said,

"Saul and Jonathan were lovely, they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions" (2 Sam. 1:23).

By Saul in this passage, as a king, and by Jonathan, as the son of a king, is meant truth defending the church, the subject treated of being the doctrine of truth and good; for that lamentation was inscribed "to teach the sons of Judah the bow" (ver. 18). By the bow is signified that doctrine (as may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 2686, 2709, 6422).

[11] Because by the kings of Judah and Israel the Lord was represented as to Divine truth, and because by a throne was represented judgment, which is executed from Divine truth, and by lions were represented power, guardianship and defence against falsities and evils, therefore near the two stays of the throne built by Solomon there were two lions, and twelve upon the six steps on the one side and on the other (1 Kings 10:18-20). From these considerations it is evident what is signified by lions in the Word when the subject treated is the Lord, heaven and the church. Lions also, in the Word, in an opposite sense, signify the power of falsity from evil, by which the church is destroyed and devastated; as in Jeremiah:

"The young lions roar against him, they utter their voice, they reduce the earth to wasteness" (2:15).

And in Isaiah:

A nation "whose darts are sharp, and all his bows bent, the hoofs of his horses are accounted as rock, his roaring as of a lion, he roareth as a young lion, he roareth and layeth hold of the prey" (5:28, 29).

Also in many other places, as in Isaiah 11:6; 35:9; Jeremiah 4:7; 5:6; 12:8; 50:17; 51:38; Ezekiel 19:3, 5, 6; Hosea 13:7, 8; Joel 1:6, 7; Psalms 17:12; 22:13; 57:4; 58:6; 91:13.