10182. Out of it shall be its horns. That this signifies the powers of truth from the good of love and of charity, is evident from the signification of “horns,” as being the powers of truth (see n. 2832, 9719-9721). That it signifies from the good of love and of charity is because all the power of truth is from this source. Therefore also the horns were continued on from the altar itself, or were “out of it;” for this altar was a representative of the hearing and reception by the Lord of all things of the worship that is from love and charity (n. 10177).

[2] That all the power of truth is from the good of love cannot be apprehended by those who have only a material idea of power and therefore how the case herein is must be told. In the heavens all power is from the Divine truth that proceeds from the Lord’s Divine good; from this the angels have power, for the angels are receptions of the Divine truth from the the Lord, n. 1752, 4295, 8192). By the power which they have from this they protect man by removing the hells from him; for one angel prevails against a thousand spirits from the hells. This power is what is meant by the keys of Peter, but by Peter who is there called a “rock” is meant the Lord as to the truth of faith from the good of love (see the preface to Genesis 22, and n. 3750, 4738, 6000, 6073, 6344, 10087); and that a “rock” denotes the Lord as to the truth of faith (n. 8581).

[3] The power of Divine truth is meant also by “the voice of Jehovah” in David:

The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters. The voice of Jehovah is in power. The voice of Jehovah breaketh the cedars. The voice of Jehovah cleaveth the flame of fire. The voice of Jehovah maketh the wilderness to tremble. The voice of Jehovah strippeth the forests; Jehovah giveth strength to His people (Psalms 29:3-11);

(that “the voice of Jehovah” denotes the Divine truth proceeding from His Divine good, see n. 9926).

[4] The power of Divine truth is meant also by “the Word” in John:

All things were made by the Word, and without Him was not anything made that was made (John 1:3).

That “the Word” denotes the Divine truth that proceeds from the Divine good, see above (n. 9987); wherefore also the Lord when in the world first made Himself Divine truth, which is also meant by “the Word was made flesh” (verse 14). The reason why the Lord then made Himself Divine truth, was in order that He might fight against all the hells and subjugate them, and thus reduce into order all things there, and at the same time all things in the heavens (see n. 9715, 9809, 10019, 10052).

[5] That truths from good have all power, and that on the contrary falsities from evil have no power, is very well known in the other life. For this reason it is that the evil who come there from the world are deprived of persuasive faith, and likewise of all knowledge of truth, and are thus left to the falsities of their evil.

[6] That truths from good have such power cannot be apprehended by those who have the idea that truth and its faith are mere thought; when yet man’s thought from his will produces all the strength of his body, and if it were inspired by the Lord through His Divine truth, man would have the strength of Samson. But it is the Lord’s good pleasure that in respect to the things of his spirit, and that conduce to eternal salvation, man should have strength through faith from love. From this it can be seen what is meant by the power of truth from good, which is signified by “the horns of the altars” both of burning offering and of incense.

[7] That “horns” signify this power is evident from the passages in the Word where “horns” are mentioned, as in Ezekiel:

In that day will I make a horn to grow for the house of Israel (Ezekiel 29:21).

Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength? (Amos 6:13).

Jehovah will give strength to His king, and will exalt the horn of His anointed (1 Samuel 2:10).

Jehovah hath exalted the horn of His people (Psalms 148:14).

All the horns of the wicked will I cut off; but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted (Psalms 75:10).

The Lord hath cut off in the wrath of His anger all the horn of Israel, and hath exalted the horn of thine adversaries (Lam. 2:3, 17).

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

I saw four horns. The angel said, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. The smiths are come to cast down the horns of the nations, who lift up their horn against the land of Judah (Zech. 1:18-21).

His horns are the horns of the unicorn; with them shall he strike the peoples all together to the ends of the earth (Deuteronomy 33:17).

That in these passages by “horns” is signified power, is evident, and indeed power in both senses, namely, the power of truth against falsity, and of falsity against truth; for in the internal sense the state of the church is everywhere treated of.

[8] In Amos:

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

by “the altars of Bethel,” and by its “horns,” are signified evils and falsities destroying the good and truth of the church, of which it is said that they “shall be cut off.”

[9] From all this it can be seen what is meant by the “horns,” of which such frequent mention is made in Daniel, and by John in Revelation, as in Ezekiel:

The beast had ten horns, and also a horn speaking to it (Daniel 7:8, 11, 20).

The horn made war with the saints and prevailed until the Son of man came (Daniel 7:21-22);

Concerning the horns of the ram and the horns of the he-goat, by which they made war with each other (Daniel 8:3-21).

The dragon had ten horns (Revelation 12:3).

In like manner the beast that came up out of the sea (Revelation 13:1).

And also the scarlet beast (Revelation 17:3).

The horns are ten kings (Revelation 17:12-13; see also in Daniel 7:24).

(That by “kings” in the Word are signified truths, and in the opposite sense falsities, see n. 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 5068, 6148.)

[10] As by a “horn” is signified truth in its power, and in the opposite sense falsity destroying truth, therefore speech is attributed to a horn (Revelation 9:13; Daniel 7:8; Psalms 22:21).

[11] That kings were anointed with oil from a horn (1 Samuel 16:1, 13; 1 Kings 1:39) represented truth from good in its power, for “horns” denote truths in their power; “oil” denotes good; and “kings” denote those who are in truths from good. (That “oil” denotes good, see n. 886, 9780; and “kings,” those who are in truths from good, thus abstractedly, truths from good, n. 6148) From this also it is that a horn is said “to sprout forth” (Psalms 132:17), because all spiritual growth belongs to truth from good; thus also in old times they made sprouting horns. (That good has all power through truth, or what is the same, that all power belongs to truth from good, see the places cited in n. 10019)

9327. I will send My terror before thee. That this signifies the terror of those who are in the evils of falsity, on account of the truths of good, is evident from the signification of “terror,” as being the terror of those who are in the evils of falsity; and from the signification of “the sons of Israel,” before whom the terror was to be sent, as being those who are in spiritual good, that is, in the truth of good (see n. 5803, 5806, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5820, 5833, 7957, 8234, 8805). (That the nations of the land of Canaan to whom terror was sent on account of the sons of Israel, signify the evils of falsity and the falsities of evil, see n. 1413, 1437, 1607, 1573, 1574, 1868, 4517, 6306, 8065, 8317.) Therefore by the words, “I will send My terror before thee” is signified the terror of those who are in the evils of falsity on account of the truths of good.

[2] The case herein is this. All power in the spiritual world is from the truths which are from good, thus from the truths which proceed from the Lord. This can be plainly seen from the fact that the Lord disposes all things in heaven, and all things in hell, and also all things in the world, by means of the truths which are from Himself; for the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is that very thing through which all things have come into existence, and through which all things subsist. That this is so is not comprehended by those who think solely from what is material, as those think who ascribe the origin and maintenance of all things to nature. These can have no idea about truths except that they are devoid of power, being matters of mere thought, concerning which they perceive nothing essential, and still less anything substantial; although they know that the thought directs the whole body, and excites its parts to motion, precisely in accordance with its own quality; likewise that there is nothing in the universe that does not bear relation to the truth which is from good. (That it is truth which has all power, and which is the veriest essential, see n. 8200.) From all this it is evident that the angels have power from the truth Divine which is from the Lord, and that from this they are called “powers.” The nature of the power possessed by truths from good, that is, truths from the Lord, may be seen from the experience recorded concerning the arm, which corresponds to such truth, in n. 4932-4935.

[3] Seeing that truth has all power, it follows that falsity from evil has no power whatever, because it is the privation of truth from good, thus the privation of power. Consequently they who are in hell-all there being in falsities from evil-have no power whatever; and therefore thousands of them can be driven away, cast down, and dispersed by one angel of heaven, much as a mote in the air is driven away by the breath of the mouth. From all this it can be seen why those who are in the evils of falsity feel terror on account of the truths of good. This terror is called “the terror of God” (Genesis 35:5; Job 13:21). And in Ezekiel:

I will put My terror in the land of the living; when he shall be made to lie down in the midst of the uncircumcised, with them that are slain by the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude (Ezekiel 32:32).

If he shall reject My statutes, and if your soul shall abhor My judgments, so that ye will not do all My commandments, I will send dismay into their hearts, that the sound of a driven leaf may chase them; and they may flee as one fleeth from the sword; and may fall when none pursueth (Leviticus 26:15, 36);

here is described the terror of those who are in the evils of falsity, and in the falsities of evil. It is said that “the sound of a leaf shall chase them, and they shall flee as one fleeth from the sword” because “leaf” signifies truth (n. 885), and “sword” signifies truth fighting against the falsity of evil (n. 2799, 6353, 8294). That such have no power whatever against truth, is signified by “they shall fall when none pursueth.”