Apocalypse Explained # 1041
1041. And ten horns. That this signifies the power of the Word from truths, is evident from the signification of horns, as denoting the power of truth against falsity; and, in the opposite sense, the power of falsity against truth (concerning which see (n. 316, 567, 776). In this case, the power of truth from the Word against falsity, because it is afterwards said:
"The ten horns, which thou sawest, are ten kings; these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall devour her flesh, and burn her with fire; for God hath put into their hearts to give their kingdom unto the beast" (vers. 12, 16, 17).
From this it is clear that by the ten horns which the scarlet beast had, is signified the power of truth, thus of the Word, against falsities; for it is said that they shall hate the whore, and burn her with fire; and by the whore is signified the truth of the Word falsified, which in itself is falsity, and which cannot be hated and burned but by the truth of the Word in its power, thus, by those who are in truths from the Word, and account the Word only as holy, and acknowledge it as Divine truth, without regard to the dictates of the Pope. But upon this subject more will be said in what follows. The reason why there were seen ten horns is, that by ten is signified much, thus, by ten horns, much power.
Heaven and Hell # 34
34. Furthermore, all perfection increases towards interiors and decreases towards exteriors since interiors are nearer to the Divine, and are in themselves purer, while exteriors are more remote from the Divine and are in themselves grosser. 1 Angelic perfection consists in intelligence, wisdom, love and every good, and in the happiness therefrom, but not in happiness without these, for, without them happiness is external and not internal. Because with the angels of the inmost heaven the interiors have been opened in the third degree, their perfection immeasurably surpasses that of the angels in the middle heaven, whose interiors have been opened in the second degree.
In the same way, the perfection of the angels of the middle heaven exceeds the perfection of the angels of the outermost heaven.
Poznámky pod čarou:
1. [Swedenborg's footnote] Interiors are more perfect because nearer to the Divine (Arcana Coelestia 3405, 5146-5147).
In the internal there are thousands and thousands of things that appear in the external as one general thing (Arcana Coelestia 5707).
As far as man is raised from externals towards interiors, so far he comes into light and thus into intelligence and the elevation is like rising out of a cloud into clearness (Arcana Coelestia 4598, 6183, 6313).
