364. Verse 4. And there went forth another horse that was red, signifies the understanding of the Word destroyed in respect to good. This is evident from the signification of "horse," as being the intellect (of which above, n. 355. Here because the states of those who are of the church where the Word is are treated of, "horse" signifies the intellect of the men of the church in relation to the Word. It is also evident from the signification of "red" [ruber] or "reddish" [rufus], as being of what nature a thing is in relation to good, so here, of what quality the understanding of the Word is in relation to good. That "reddish" [rufus] here signifies this understanding destroyed in respect to good, can be seen from what immediately follows in this verse, for it is said, "to him that sat thereon it was given to take peace from the earth, that they should slay one another, and to him was given a great sword," which signifies a consequent extinction of all truth. Since the horses that John saw were distinguished by colors, for the first appeared "white," the second "red," the third "black," and the fourth "pale," and colors signify the quality of a thing, let something first be said here about colors.

In the heavens colors of every kind appear, and they draw their origin from the light there; and as that light immensely excels in brightness and splendor the light of the world, so also do the colors there; and as the light there is from the sun of heaven, which is the Lord, and is the Divine Proceeding, and as consequently that light is spiritual, so all colors signify things spiritual. And as the Divine Proceeding is Divine good united to Divine truth, and as Divine good in heaven is presented to view by a flamy light, and Divine truth by a bright white light, so there are two colors that are the fundamentals of all colors there, namely, the red color and the white color; the red color has its origin from the flamy light that goes forth from Divine good, and the white color from the bright white light that goes forth from Divine truth; consequently so far as colors are derived from red they signify good, and so far as they are derived from white they signify truth. (But these things can be seen better from what is told about colors, from experience, in the Arcana Coelestia, namely, that most beautiful colors are seen in the heavens, n. 1053, 1624; colors in the heavens are from the light there, and are modifications and variations of light, n. 1042, 1043, 1053, 1624, 3993, 4530, 4742, 4922; thus they are the appearances of truth and good, and signify such things as are of intelligence and wisdom, n. 4530, 4677, 4922, 9466; consequently the precious stones that were of various colors in the breastplate of the ephod, or in the Urim and Thummim, signified all things of truth from good in heaven and in the church, and therefore the breastplate in general signified Divine truth shining forth from the Divine good, n. 9823, 9865, 9868, 9905; and responses were thence given by variegations and resplendences of light, and at the same time by tacit perception, or by a living voice out of heaven, n. 3862, [9905]; colors so far as they are derived from red signify good, and so far as they are from bright white signify truth, n. Arcana Coelestia 9467. Of the Light of Heaven, whence and what it is, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 126-140, 275.)

[2] It is to be known, moreover, that "red" color not only signifies what the quality of a thing is in relation to good, but also what the quality of a thing is in relation to evil; for that color not only exists from the flamy light that is from the sun of heaven, as was said above, but it also exists from something flamy in hell, which is from the fire there, which fire is like a coal fire. Therefore the red in heaven is a wholly different red from the red in hell; the red in heaven is shining and living, while the red in hell is horribly obscure and dead; moreover, the red of heaven gives life, while the red of hell brings death; the reason is that the fire from which red is derived is in its origin love; heavenly fire is from heavenly love, and infernal fire from infernal love; consequently "fire" in the Word signifies love in both senses (See Arcana Coelestia 4906, 5071, 5215, 6314, 6832, 7575, 10747; and in the work on Heaven and Hell n. 134, 566-575); therefore the "red" existing thence signifies the quality of the love in both senses. Moreover, this red, that is, the "red" of this horse is, in the original Greek, from a word that means fire. All this, together with the description of this horse in this verse, makes clear why it is that a "red horse" signifies the understanding of the Word destroyed in respect to good.

That "horse" signifies something connected with the subject can be clearly seen from this, that horses were seen when "the seals were opened," and it was said that "they went forth," for horses could not go forth out of a book, but those things could be manifested which are signified by "horses." That "horse" signifies the intellect, and "color" its quality, has been made familiar to me from experience; for spirits who were meditating from the understanding upon some subject have several times been seen by me to be riding upon horses, and when I asked them whether they were riding, they said that they were not, but that they stood meditating upon some subject; which made clear that riding upon a horse is an appearance representing the operation of their understanding.

[3] There is also a place called the assembly of the intelligent and wise, to which very many resort for meditation, and when anyone is coming to it horses of various colors and variously caparisoned, and also chariots, with some riding and others sitting in the chariots, appear to him; and then also when they are asked whether they are riding upon horses, or are carried in chariots, they say that they are not, but that they are going along meditating; from this also it was clear what is signified by "horses" and by "chariots." (But about this see more in the small work on The White Horse.) From this it can now be seen why John saw horses when the seals of the book were opened, and also what they signify. These horses were seen, because all the spiritual things of the Word are presented in the sense of its letter by means of such things as correspond, that is, as represent and thence signify; and this in order that the Divine may be there in ultimates and consequently in fullness, as has been several times said above.

[4] That "reddish" [rufus] or "red" [ruber] signifies the quality of a thing in relation to good, can be seen also from the following passages in the Word. In Moses:

Who washeth his vesture in wine, and his covering in the blood of the grapes. His eyes are redder than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk (Genesis 49:11-12).

These words are in the prophecy of Israel the father respecting Judah, and "Judah" here means the Lord in relation to the good of love, and in a relative sense the Lord's celestial kingdom. What the particulars here signify in the spiritual sense may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia, where they are explained. Divine wisdom which is from Divine good is signified by "his eyes are redder than wine;" and Divine intelligence which is from Divine truth by "his teeth are whiter than milk."

[5] In Lamentations:

The Nazarites were whiter than snow, they were brighter than milk, their bones were more ruddy than pearls (Lamentations 4:7).

The Nazarites represented the Lord in respect to the Divine Human (See above, n. 66, 196, at the end), therefore they signified also, in a relative sense, the good of celestial love, because this good immediately proceeds from the Lord's Divine Human. The representative of this in the church is thus described, the truth of that good is signified by "they were whiter than snow, and brighter than milk," and the good of truth by "their bones were more ruddy than pearls;" for "bones" signify truths in their ultimate, thus truths in the whole complex, for in ultimates all things are together and in fullness; that these truths are from good, and also are goods, is signified by their being "ruddy."

[6] In Zechariah:

I saw four chariots coming out from between mountains of copper. In the first chariot were red horses; in the second chariot black horses; in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled horses, stout (Zechariah 6:1-3).

That here, too, "red horses" signify the quality of the understanding in the beginning in relation to good, "black horses" the quality of the understanding in the beginning in relation to truth, "white horses" the quality of the understanding afterwards in relation to truth, "grisled horses" what is the quality of the understanding afterwards in relation to truth and good, and "stout" what it is consequently in respect to the power to resist falsities and evils, may be seen above (n. 355b), where the signification of "horse" is treated of. Nearly the like is meant in the same prophet by:

The red horse, upon which a man rode, standing among the myrtle-trees (Zechariah 1:8).

Because "red" [ruber] or "reddish" [rufus] signifies the quality of a thing in relation to good:

Red rams' skins were used for a covering over the tent (Exodus 25:5; 26:14; 35:7).

And therefore also:

The water of separation, used in cleansing, was made from a red heifer burned (Numbers 19:1-10);

"red heifer" signifying the good of the natural man, and the "water of separation" made from it when burned signifying the truth of the natural man; and this was commanded because all cleansing is effected by means of truths; moreover, the particulars of the process of slaying the heifer, and of preparing the water for cleansing by it, involve spiritual things.

[7] Because "red" signifies the quality of a thing in relation to good, those names also and the things that derive their names from this same word in the original tongue signify the good from which they are. The word red in the original is adam, from which is the name Adam, and also the name Edom; from this also man is called adam, the ground adama, and the ruby odam; thus these names and things are from red. "Adam" signifies the Most Ancient Church, a church that was in the good of love; "Man" has a like signification, also "ground" in the spiritual sense when celestial good is treated of. That "Edom" was named from red, see Genesis 25:30; and for this reason it signifies the truth of the good of the natural man. That the ruby is also named from red may be seen in Exodus 28:17; 39:10; Ezekiel 28:13; for this reason "ruby" signifies the truth of celestial good. (That "Adam" signifies the Most Ancient Church, which was a celestial church, or a church in the good of love to the Lord, see Arcana Coelestia 478, 479; that "Man" signifies the church in respect to good, n. 4287, 7424, 7523; that "ground" also has a like signification, n. 566, 10570; that "Edom," because he was named from red, signifies the truth of good of the natural man, n. 3300, 3322; and that "ruby" signifies the truth of celestial good, n. 9865) As "red" signifies the quality of a thing in relation to good, so in a contrary sense it signifies the quality of a thing in relation to evil, which is the opposite to good, consequently good destroyed. In this sense "red" is mentioned in the following passages. In Isaiah:

Although your sins have been as scarlet, they shall become white like snow; although they have been red as purple, they shall be as wool (Isaiah 1:18).

And in Nahum:

The shield of his mighty ones is made red, the men of valor are in crimson; in a fire of torches are his chariots. The chariots raged in the streets, they ran to and fro in the broad ways; the appearance of them ¹ is like torches (Nahum 2:3-4).

In this sense also the dragon is called red (Revelation 12:3, of which in what follows).

Poznámky pod čarou:

3993. 'Removing from it every speckled and spotted member of the flock' means that everything good and true that is meant by 'Laban' and which - when mingled with evil, meant by 'speckled', or mingled with falsity, meant by 'spotted' - will be separated. This is clear from the meaning of 'removing' as separating, and from the meaning of 'member of the flock', in this case she-goats and lambs, as goods and truths, dealt with in 1824, 3519. The fact that these details and those that follow in this chapter hold arcana within them may be recognized from the consideration that for the most part they would not be worth mentioning in the Divine Word if they did not include any deeper arcana than those to be seen in the letter, such as the following: For his wages Jacob asked for the speckled and the spotted among the she-goats and for the black among the lambs; and after this, in the runners he placed rods - which he had peeled down to the white and which were of hazel and of plane - in front of Laban's flocks when these came on heat, and in the case of the lambs he set the faces of the flock towards the variegated and the black in Laban's flock, thereby making himself rich not by the use of a good skill but of an evil one. These details do not seem to hold anything Divine within them, and yet the Word is Divine in every single part, even to the smallest part of a letter. And what is more, knowing all these details does not contribute one tiny bit to a person's salvation, yet being Divine the Word does not contain within itself anything else than such things as lead to salvation and eternal life.

[2] From these details and others like them elsewhere anyone may come to the conclusion that some arcanum is concealed within them, and that although in the literal sense they are the kind of facts that are not worth mentioning, those details - every single one - are pregnant with ideas much more Divine. But what exactly these ideas may be cannot possibly be seen by anyone except from the internal sense, that is, unless he knows the way in which angels perceive these matters; for they perceive the spiritual sense when man sees the historical natural sense. How remote these two senses seem to be from each other when in fact they are closely linked to one another may become quite evident from the historical details explained above and from all other such details. The actual arcanum present within the details here and in those after them in this chapter may, it is true, be known to some extent from what has been stated already about Laban and Jacob - about 'Laban' meaning the kind of good by means of which genuine goods and truths are able to be introduced, while 'Jacob' means the good of truth. Yet few know what natural good corresponding to spiritual good is, even fewer what spiritual good is and that a correspondence ought to exist between the two, and fewer still that a type of good which merely looks like good is the means for introducing genuine goods and truths. This being so, the arcana which describe these matters cannot be explained easily and intelligibly since they fall within the poorly lit parts of the understanding. It is rather like someone talking in a foreign language, in that no matter how clearly the thing is explained in that language the hearer does not understand. Even so, because what is concealed in the internal sense of the Word is to be made known, the actual arcanum within the details here has to be discussed.

[3] In the highest sense the subject at this point is how the Lord made His own Natural Divine, and in the representative sense how the Lord regenerates the natural as it exists with man and brings it into correspondence with his interior man, that is, with that which is going to live after the death of the body. At that point it is called man's spirit which, when released from the body, takes with it every part of the external man except the flesh and bones. If the correspondence of the internal man with the external has not been effected in the temporal state, that is, during a person's life in the body, it is not effected after that. The Lord's joining of the two together through regeneration is the subject in the internal sense here.

[4] Previous sections have dealt with the general truths which a person ought to receive and acknowledge before he can be regenerated, those truths being meant by Jacob's ten sons by Leah and the servant-girls; then they deal - after he has received and acknowledged them - with the joining of the external man to the interior, that is, of the natural man to the spiritual, which was meant by 'Joseph'. Now in the sequence of ideas the subject is the fruitfulness of good and the multiplication of truth which begin to occur once the rational man has been joined to the spiritual, and in the measure that they are so joined. These are the considerations meant by the flock which Jacob acquired to himself by means of Laban's flock. 'Flock' here means good and truth, as it does many times elsewhere in the Word. 'Laban's flock' means the good that is represented by 'Laban', the nature of which has been stated above; 'Jacob's flock' means the genuine good and truth which is acquired by means of that good represented by Laban.

[5] It is the way in which genuine goods and truths are acquired that is described here. Yet this cannot by any means be comprehended unless one knows what is meant in the internal sense by 'speckled', 'spotted', 'black' and 'white', and therefore these must first be dealt with here. That which is speckled or that which is spotted consists of black and of white. In general 'black' means that which is evil, in particular man's proprium since this is nothing but evil. 'Dark' however means that which is false, and in particular false assumptions. 'White' in the internal sense means truth; strictly speaking it means the Lord's Righteousness and Merit, and from this the Lord's righteousness and merit as these exist with man. This whiteness is called bright because it shines from the light that radiates from the Lord. But 'white' in the contrary sense means self-righteousness or one's own merit. Indeed truth devoid of good has such merit within it, for when any good action performed by a person does not stem from the good of truth that person always desires something in return since he acts for the sake of himself. But when good lies behind the truth that a person carries into effect, that truth is enlightened by the light which radiates from the Lord. From this one may see what is meant by 'spotted', namely truth with which falsity has been mingled, and what by 'speckled', namely good with which evil has been mingled.

[6] Actually visible in the next life are colours so beautiful and bright that they defy description, 1053, 1624. They are the product of the variegation of light and shade within white and black. But although it appears before the eyes as light, the light there is unlike the light in the world. The light in heaven includes intelligence and wisdom, for Divine Intelligence and Wisdom from the Lord manifest themselves there as light and also light up the whole of heaven, 2776, 3138, 3167, 3190, 3195, 3222, 3223, 3225, 3339-3341, 3485, 3636, 3643, 3862. Shade likewise in the next life, although it appears as shade, is unlike shade in the world, since the shade in that life is the absence of light and as a consequence the lack of intelligence and wisdom. So because the white and the black are in the next life a product of light which has intelligence and wisdom within it, and a product of the shade which is the lack of these, it is evident that white and black mean such things as have been stated above. Consequently, since colours are the modifications of light and shade within surfaces consisting of white and black, it is the variegations produced by those modifications that are called colours, 1042, 1043, 1053.

[7] From all this one may see what is meant by speckled, or marked and dotted with black and white specks, namely good with which evil has been mingled, and also what is meant by spotted, namely truth with which falsity has been mingled. These are the things that were taken from 'Laban good' to serve in the introducing of genuine goods and truths. But in what way they are able to serve is an arcanum which can indeed be presented clearly to those who see in the light of heaven because this light, as has been stated, holds intelligence within it, but not to those who see in the light of the world unless their light of the world is lit up by the light of heaven, as it is with those who are regenerate. For every regenerate person sees goods and truths within his own natural light from the light of heaven, because the light of heaven brings sight to his understanding even as the inferior light of the world gives him natural sight.

[8] But all this needs to be taken a little further. No pure good, or good with which evil is not mingled, exists with anyone. Neither does any pure truth, or truth with which falsity is not mingled, exist with him. This is because man's will is nothing but evil, from which falsity is constantly passing into his understanding; for as is well known, he possesses by inheritance the evil that has been accumulated consecutively by his forefathers. From this inheritance he brings out evil into his own actions and makes it his own, adding further evil from himself to the inheritance. But the evils residing with man are of various kinds. There are evils with which goods cannot be mingled and there are evils with which they can. And the same applies to falsities. If this were not so nobody could ever have been regenerated. The evils and falsities with which goods and truths cannot be mingled are ones that are contrary to love to God and love towards the neighbour - forms of hatred, revenge, and cruelty, and consequent contempt for others in comparison with oneself, and also consequent false persuasions. But the evils and falsities with which goods and truths can be mingled are ones that are not contrary to love to God and love towards the neighbour.

[9] Take for example anyone who loves himself more than others and because of that love strives to excel others in private life and in public life, to excel them in knowledge and doctrine, and to be promoted to positions of greater importance than others, and also to greater affluence than others. If at the same time he acknowledges and adores the Lord, from the heart performs acts of kindness to the neighbour, and from conscience behaves justly and fairly, the evil that belongs to his self-love is such that good and truth can be mingled with it. For this is an evil which belongs to a person as his own and into which he is born by heredity. And to take that away from him suddenly would be to put out the fire of life that burns in him at first. But in the case of someone who loves himself more than others and because of that love despises others in comparison with himself, hates those who do not hold him in esteem and so to speak adore him, and therefore enjoys the feelings of hatred that are present in revenge and cruelty, the evil of that love is such that good and truth cannot be mingled with it because they are contraries.

[10] Take as another example anyone who believes that he is pure from sins, and so is cleansed like somebody from whom dirt has been washed away by means of much water, once he has repented and carried out the prescribed penances, or after he has made his confession and heard the confessor declare him free from sins, or after he has been to the Holy Supper. If he leads a new life, being stirred by an affection for good and truth, that falsity is such that good can be mingled with it. But if he goes on leading a carnal and worldly life as before, it is in that case a falsity with which good cannot be mingled. Also, with anyone who believes that man is saved by virtue of believing what is good and not of willing it, and yet who does will what is good and therefore does it, that falsity is such that good and truth can be attached to it. But not so if he does not will what is good and therefore does not do it.

[11] Take yet another example. If anyone does not know that man rises again after death and consequently does not believe in the resurrection, or else if anyone who does know but nevertheless doubts or practically denies it, and yet each one leads a life of truth and goodness, good and truth can be mingled with that falsity also. But if a person leads a life of falsity and evil they cannot be mingled with that same falsity because they are contraries. The falsity destroys the truth, and the evil destroys the good.

[12] And still another example. Pretence and shrewdness which have a good end in view, whether the good of the neighbour, or of one's country, or of the Church, constitute prudence. The evils that are mixed up with them can be mingled with good by reason of and for the sake of the end in view. But presence and shrewdness which have an evil end in view do not constitute prudence but trickery and deceit. Good cannot possibly be joined to these, for deceit which goes with an evil end in view brings what is of hell into every single part of a person, sets evil in the middle, and casts good away to the circumferences. This order is the order itself of hell. And so with countless other examples that could be taken.

[13] The fact that there are some evils and falsities to which goods and truths can be attached may be seen merely from the consideration that so many different dogmas and teachings exist, many of them totally heretical, and yet subscribing to each one there are people who are saved. The same may also be seen from the consideration that among gentiles outside of the Church there is another Church that is the Lord's, and that those are saved who lead charitable lives, even though falsities exist with them, 2589 2604. This could by no means be the case if there were no evils with which goods can be mingled, and no falsities with which truths can be mingled. For the evils with which goods are mingled, and the falsities with which truths are mingled, are wonderfully arranged into order by the Lord. For they are not combined with one another, still less are they made into one, but lie adjacent to and touch one another, so that in fact the goods together with the truths occupy the middle, at the central point so to speak, while the evils and falsities occupy positions radiating outwards to the surrounding areas or circumferences. Consequently the evils and falsities receive light from the goods and truths, and are variegated like patches of white and black created by light radiating from the middle or centre. This constitutes heavenly order. These are the things meant in the internal sense by 'speckled' and 'spotted'.