179. Internal Meaning of Daniel, Chapter 8

Prediction concerning the church in respect to charity and in respect to faith. (11, 11)

1-3 The church which is in faith and in charity, and its power. (11)

4 It will increase in truths and goods. (11)

5 Faith alone will wholly destroy charity. (2)

6-10 It will prevail through reasonings, by which it will dissipate the truths of doctrine that are derived from the Word. (2)

11-12 It will destroy the worship of the Lord, together with Divine truths. (2)

13-14 This will go on until the Coming of the Lord. (1)

15-19 It is further explained, that this will be when the Lord comes. (2, 1, 15)

20-25 Faith alone will destroy the church, and despise the Lord. (3, 4)

26 This is the end of the church. (3)

27 It is a sad time. (3)

Vision is the innermost revelation, which is of perception. Visions are according to the state of humankind. The visions of people whose interiors are closed, are totally different from what is shown to people whose interiors are open. For example, when the Lord appeared to the whole congregation on Mount Sinai, His appearance was a vision varying according to the states of the witnesses, appearing differently to the people than for Aaron, and differently from Aaron as to Moses. So also, the vision was totally different as exhibited to Moses and to the prophets. There are several kinds of visions, and they are more perfect, in proportion to how interior a person is. For the Lord it was the most perfect, because He had a perception of everything in the world of spirits, and in the heavens, and had immediate communication with Jehovah. This communication is described in the internal sense by 'the vision' in which Jehovah appeared to Abram in Genesis 15:1.

'Vision' in Zechariah 13:4 signifies falsities.

(Odkazy: Arcana Coelestia 1786)