1384. Wat de eerste soort betreft, die de engelen eigen is, en daarin bestaat, dat zij innerlijk gewaarworden, wat waar en goed is, en gewaarworden wat van de Heer komt, en wat van henzelf, en verder ook van waar en hoedanig datgene is wat zij denken, spreken en doen, wanneer het uit henzelf komt. Het werd mij gegeven met de zonen van de Oudste Kerk te spreken over hun innerlijke gewaarwording; zij zeiden dat zij niets uit zichzelf denken of denken kunnen, en niets uit zichzelf willen, maar dat zij bij alles, wat zij in het algemeen en in het bijzonder denken en willen en gewaarworden, wat van de Heer en wat van elders komt, en dat zij niet alleen gewaarworden, hoeveel van de Heer en hoeveel als van henzelf komt, maar ook, wanneer iets als van henzelf komt, waar het dan vandaan komt, van welke engelen, en verder van welke aard die engelen zijn, van welke aard hun gedachten, met alle verscheidenheid, en zo dus welke invloed het is, en ontelbare andere dingen meer. De innerlijke gewaarwording van deze soort zijn van een grote verscheidenheid; bij de hemelse engelen, die in de liefde tot de Heer zijn, bestaat een innerlijke gewaarwording van het goede en vandaar van al wat tot het ware behoort, en omdat zij uit het goede het ware gewaarworden, laten zij niet toe dat er gesproken, nog minder dat er geredeneerd wordt over het ware, maar zij zeggen: zo is het of zo is het niet. De geestelijke engelen echter, die ook innerlijke gewaarwording hebben, maar niet van dien aard als de hemelse engelen, spreken over het ware en het goede; niettemin worden zij het ware en het goede gewaar, maar met onderscheid, want de verscheidenheden van deze innerlijke gewaarwording zijn ontelbaar. De verscheidenheden rusten hierop, dat zij gewaarworden of iets komt van de wil van de Heer, of dat Hij het vergunt, of dat Hij het toelaat, waartussen een scherp onderscheid ligt.

4626. When any spirit is approaching, even though still a long way off and out of sight, his presence is detected, as often as the Lord allows it to be, from a certain kind of spiritual sphere. From that sphere one recognizes what his life is like, what his affection is like, and what his faith is like. Angelic spirits with keener perception know from his sphere countless things about the state of his life and faith, as has been demonstrated to me many times. When it pleases the Lord these spheres are also converted into odours; one smells quite distinctly an actual odour. The reason those spheres are converted into odours is that odour corresponds to perception and that perception is so to speak spiritual odour, from which also [natural] odour descends. But see what has been brought forward already on these matters - regarding spheres, in 1048, 1053, 1316, 1504-1519, 1695, 2401, 2489, 4464; perception, in 483, 495, 503, 521, 536, 1383, 1384, 1388, 1391, 1397, 1398, 1504, 1640; and odours produced by these, in 1514, 1517-1519, 1631, 3577.

5268. 'And the seven thin and bad cows coming up after them are seven years' means a state when falsity attacking the interior natural is multiplied. This is clear from the meaning of 'cows' in the genuine sense as truths within the interior natural, dealt with in 5198, 5265, but in the contrary sense as falsities there, dealt with in 5202, so that the former are called 'good cows', but the latter 'thin and bad'; from the meaning of 'coming up' as an advance made towards things that are interior, dealt with in 5202; and from the meaning of 'years' as states, dealt with just above in 5265. Even as 'seven' means that which is holy, so in the contrary sense it means that which is unholy. For most things in the Word have a contrary meaning as well, the reason for this being that when the selfsame things as come into being in heaven pass downwards in the direction of hell, they are converted into things of an opposite nature and become in actual fact their opposites. Consequently things that are holy, meant by 'seven', are made in that place into those that are unholy.

[2] Let references to the number seven found solely in the Book of Revelation serve to prove that 'seven' is used to mean both holy things and unholy ones. The following are places where holy things are meant,

John to the seven Churches: Grace and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before His throne. Revelation 1:4.

These things says He who has the seven spirits and the seven stars. Revelation 3:1.

From the throne there were coming seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God. Revelation 4:5.

I saw on the right hand of Him sitting on the throne a book written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Revelation 5:1.

I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne, a Lamb standing as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Revelation 5:6.

To the seven angels were given seven trumpets. Revelation 8:1.

In the days of the voice of the seventh angel the mystery of God was to be fulfilled. Revelation 10:7.

Out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, clothed in linen, white and splendid, and girded around their breasts with golden girdles. Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls. Revelation 15:6-7.

[3] The fact that 'seven' in the contrary sense means things that are unholy is evident from the following places, also in the Book of Revelation,

Behold, a great fiery-red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven jewels. Revelation 12:3.

I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, which had seven heads and ten horns, and on its horns ten jewels, but on its heads a blasphemous name. Revelation 13:1.

I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names; and it had seven heads and ten horns. Here is the understanding of this - if anyone has the wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; and they are seven kings. The beast which was, and is not, he is the eighth king, and is of the seven, and is going away into perdition. Revelation 17:3, 7, 9-11.