954. (Verse 7) And one of the four animals gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the anger of God, who liveth unto ages of ages. That this signifies manifestation from the Lord by means of Divine truth, or the Word, of all the falsities of evil which have destroyed the spiritual life of the men of the church, is evident from the signification of the four animals, as denoting the inmost heaven (concerning which see n. 277, 322, 462), and as denoting the Word (n. 717); consequently, the Lord as to heaven and as to the Word; for heaven is heaven from the Lord, and in like manner the Word; and from the signification of the seven angels, as denoting manifestations by Divine truth, or the Word (see above, n. 949); and from the signification of the seven vials as denoting all falsities and evils. For by the seven vials similar things are signified as by the seven plagues (ver. 6), namely, evils and the falsities therefrom, and falsities and the evils therefrom (see above, n. 949). These are said to be full of the anger of God, who liveth unto ages of ages, because they lay waste the church, and destroy the spiritual life of the men of the church. These are the things signified by the anger of God. From these considerations it is evident, that by one of the four animals giving unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the anger of God, who liveth unto ages of ages, is signified, manifestation from the Lord by means of Divine truth, or the Word, of all the falsities of evil that have destroyed the spiritual life of the men of the church. The reason why vials are mentioned instead of plagues is, that vials are things containing, and plagues are things contained; and, in the Word, the things containing are frequently mentioned instead of the things contained, because the things containing are ultimates, in order that the sense of the letter of the Word may be in ultimates; similarly, where cups and chalices are mentioned instead of wine. But we shall speak further upon this subject in the following chapter, where the seven vials and the seven plagues therein are treated of.

Continuation concerning the First Precept:-

[2] So far as a man resists his own two loves, which are the love of ruling from the sole delight of it, and the love of possessing the goods of the world from the delight of mere possession, and thus, so far as he shuns as sins the evils mentioned in the Decalogue, so far there flows in through heaven from the Lord [that which causes him to acknowledge] that there is a God, who is the Creator and Preserver of the universe, and also indeed that God is one. The reason why this then flows in is that when evils are removed, heaven is opened; and when heaven is opened, a man no longer thinks from himself, but by heaven from the Lord. This is the universal [principle] in heaven, embracing all others, that there is a God, and also that God is one. That, man from influx alone knows and, as it were, sees that God is one, is evident from the common confession of all nations, and from repugnance to think that there are several. The interior thought of man, which is the thought of his spirit, is either from hell or from heaven; it is from hell before evils are removed, but from heaven when they are removed. When it is from hell, then a man recognises only nature as God, and considers that the inmost of nature is what is called Divine. Such a man after death, when he becomes a spirit, calls any one a god who prevails in power, and he also seeks for power himself, in order that he may be called a god; all the evil have such madness lurking inwardly in their spirit. But when man thinks from heaven, as is the case when evils are removed, then he sees from the light from heaven that there is a God, and that He is one. Seeing from light from heaven is what is meant by influx.

6917. 'Vessels of silver' means factual knowledge of what is true, 'and vessels of gold' means factual knowledge of what is good. This is clear from the meaning of 'vessels' as known facts, dealt with in 3068, 3079 (known facts are called 'vessels' because they are general and can contain within them countless truths and manifold forms of good); from the meaning of 'silver' as truth, and of 'gold' as good, dealt with in 1551, 1552, 2954, 5658, 'the silver of Egypt' being factual knowledge that held truth in it and was appropriate, see 6112. As regards the vessels of silver and the vessels of gold in the hands of the Egyptians - that they mean factual knowledge of what is true and factual knowledge of what is good, even though here and in what has gone before, as well as in what follows, false factual knowledge is meant by 'the Egyptians - it should be recognized that in themselves known facts are neither true nor false. Rather, they become true in the hands of those who are guided by truths, and false in the hands of those who are steeped in falsities. What use they are put to and then made to serve is what determines which of these they become. The facts a person knows are like the wealth and riches he possesses. Wealth and riches in the hands of those governed by evil are ruinous because they put them to evil kinds of use, whereas wealth and riches in the hands of those governed by good are advantageous because they put them to good kinds of use. Therefore if wealth and riches in the hands of evil people are handed over to those who are good they become good. So too with factual knowledge.

[2] Among the Egyptians, for example, there remained a large number of the representatives that belonged to the Ancient Church, as is clear from their hieroglyphics. But because they applied them to magical practices and therefore made them serve an evil use, these things were for them not true factual knowledge but false. Yet in the Ancient Church the same knowledge had held what was true since people had put it to its correct use - to Divine worship. Take sacrifices on altars as another example. Among the Hebrew nation, and subsequently among the Jewish and Israelite nation, they were ritual acts that were true because they were put to use in the worship of Jehovah. But among the nations in the land of Canaan they were false ritual acts because they were put to use in the worship of their idols. This was why the command was also given to destroy those nations' altars wherever they were. The same holds true with a very large number of other things. For this reason many known facts can be learned from those who are steeped in evils and falsities, and put to good kinds of use, thus becoming good. Similar things were also meant by plundering the nations in the land of Canaan - by the wealth, large cattle, small cattle, houses, and vineyards which the children of Israel plundered there. The same thing is still further evident from the gold and silver plundered from the nations. This too was devoted to a sacred use, as is clear from the second Book of Samuel,

There were in his hand vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of bronze. King David consecrated these also to Jehovah, along with the silver and gold that he had consecrated from all the nations which he had subdued - from the Syrians, [and] from Moab, and from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines, and from Amalek, and from the plunder of Hadad Ezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah. 2 Samuel 8:10-12.

And in Isaiah,

At length the merchandise of Tyre and her harlot's wages will be holy to Jehovah, they will not be hoarded or held back; but her merchandise will be for those that dwell before Jehovah to eat to their satiety and for one covering himself with what is ancient. Isaiah 23:18.

And also the objects which the women of the children of Israel asked of the Egyptians, thereby plundering them, were later on put to use in the making of the Ark, and to many other sacred objects in their worship.