601. And cried with a great voice, as a lion roareth.- That this signifies testification of grievous lamentation on account of the desolation of Divine Truth in the church, is evident from the signification of crying with a great voice, as denoting testification of grievous lamentation, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of as a lion roareth, as denoting, on account of the desolation of Divine Truth in the church. For a lion signifies Divine Truth in its power, as may be seen above (n. 278), and roaring signifies the effect of grief, on account of the desolation thereof.

[2] That this is the signification of crying with a great voice as a lion roareth, is also evident from that which follows in this chapter, in which the desolation of Divine Truth in the church is treated of. For the strong angel coming down out of heaven, means the Lord as to the Word, which is Divine Truth, and it is afterwards said of him that he lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by Him that liveth unto the ages of the ages, that there should be time no longer. By there being time no longer is signified, that there should be no longer any understanding of Divine Truth, nor, consequently, any state of the church.

[3] And it is afterwards said, "In the days of the voice of the seventh angel, the mystery of God shall be consummated," which signifies the last judgment, which takes place when there is no longer any faith of Divine Truth, because there is not any good of charity. It is evident from these things, that by crying with a loud voice as when a lion roareth, signifies testification of grievous lamentation on account of the desolation of Divine Truth in the church.

[4] Moreover, in the Word, mention is frequently made of a lion; and a lion, in the highest sense, signifies the Lord as to Divine Truth, and also heaven and the church as to the same from the Lord, whence a lion also signifies the Divine Truth as to power. Concerning this signification of lion, see above (n. 278). It is therefore evident, that roaring, or the roaring of a lion, signifies ardent affection to defend heaven and the church, and thus save the angels of heaven and the men of the church, which is effected by destroying the falsities of evil by means of Divine Truth and its power. But in the opposite sense roaring, and the roaring of a lion, signify burning desire to destroy and devastate the church, which is effected by destroying Divine Truth by means of the falsities of evil. These things are signified by the roaring of a lion, because a lion roars when it is hungry and seeks its prey, and also when it is enraged against its enemies.

[5] That such things are signified in the Word by to roar and roaring, is evident from the following passages.

In Isaiah:

"Thus hath Jehovah spoken unto me, Like as the lion roareth and the young lion over his prey, when a multitude of shepherds runneth forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them; so shall Jehovah of hosts come down to fight upon mount Zion, and upon the hill thereof" (31:4).

Jehovah is compared to a lion roaring, because a lion signifies the Lord as to Divine Truth and its power, and roaring signifies the ardour of defending the church against evils and falsities, wherefore it is said, "so shall Jehovah of hosts come down to fight upon mount Zion, and upon the hill thereof." Mount Zion denotes the celestial church, and the hill thereof, or Jerusalem, the spiritual church; the prey over which the lion roareth, signifies deliverance from hell.

[6] So in Joel:

"Jehovah shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall tremble; but Jehovah will be a refuge for his people, and a defence of the sons of Israel" (3:16).

The defence of the faithful by the Lord, by means of Divine Truth, is described by Jehovah roaring out of Zion, and uttering His voice from Jerusalem. The vehement power of Divine Truth, and the terror arising therefrom, are described by the heavens and earth trembling; while salvation and defence are described by Jehovah being a refuge for His people, and a defence to the sons of Israel; the people of Jehovah and the sons of Israel denote the faithful who are of the church.

[7] And in Hosea:

"I will not return to destroy Ephraim. They shall go after Jehovah; he shall roar like a lion, because he shall roar, and with honour shall the sons from the sea draw near, with honour shall they come as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Assyria; and I will cause them to dwell upon their houses, saith Jehovah" (11:9-11).

Ephraim signifies the church as to the understanding of truth, concerning which what follows is therefore said. To walk after Jehovah signifies to worship the Lord, and to live from Him. He shall roar like a lion, because he shall roar, signifies their defence by Divine Truth. With honour shall the sons from the sea draw near, signifies that those who are in natural good shall draw near to the church; with honour shall they come as a bird out of Egypt, signifies their natural thought from scientific truths (ex scientificis veris), a bird denoting thought, and Egypt what is scientific, which is natural truth. And as a dove out of the land of Assyria, signifies that they shall have rational good and truth, a dove denoting rational good, and the land of Assyria, the church as to rational truth. For with man there are both natural and rational good and truth; the Natural is lower or exterior, and looks to the world, the Rational is higher or interior, conjoining the Natural with the Spiritual. The Natural is signified by Egypt, the Rational by Assyria, and the Spiritual by Israel. And I will cause them to dwell upon their houses, signifies life from the will of good and from the understanding of truth; the human mind, which consists of these, is meant by house, and to live is signified by dwelling.

[8] Again, in Amos:

"The Lord Jehovih will not do a word without revealing his secret unto his servants the prophets. The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord Jehovih hath spoken, who will not prophesy?" (3:7, 8).

Here by the Lord Jehovih not doing a word without revealing His secret to His servants the prophets, is signified, that the Lord opens the interior things of the Word and of doctrine to those who are in truths from good. By revealing His secret is signified to enlighten and to open the interior things of the Word; His servants the prophets signify those who are in the truths of doctrine and who receive. "The lion hath roared, who will not fear?" signifies a powerful revelation and manifestation of Divine Truth. "The Lord Jehovih hath spoken, who will not prophesy?" signifies the reception thereof, and manifestation. The Lord is called Lord Jehovih, when good is treated of.

[9] Again, in Zechariah:

"The voice of the howling of the shepherds because their magnificence is laid waste; a voice of the roaring of [young] lions because the pride of Jordan is laid waste" (11:3).

The voice of the howling of the shepherds because their magnificence is laid waste, signifies the grief of those who teach, because the good of the church has perished. Those who teach truth and by means of it lead to good of life, are called shepherds, and magnificence denotes the good of the church. The voice of the roaring of the young lions because the pride of Jordan is laid waste, signifies grief on account of the desolation of Divine Truth in the church. Those who are in Divine truths are called lions; roaring signifies grief; the pride of Jordan which is laid waste, signifies the church as to the Divine Truth introducing.

[10] Thus also in Job:

God "roareth with his voice, he thundereth with the voice of his majesty; nor yet doth he overthrow when his voice is heard. God thundereth marvellously with his voice" (37:4, 5).

By roaring and thundering with the voice is signified the power and efficacy of Divine Truth or the Word.

[11] In the passages quoted, roaring, in an extended sense, signifies the ardent affection to defend heaven and the church, or the angels of heaven and the men of the church which is effected by destroying the falsities of evil by means of Divine Truth, and its power. But by roaring, in the opposite sense, is signified the burning desire to ruin and destroy the church, which is done by destroying Divine Truth by means of the falsities of evil. In this sense "to roar" is mentioned in the following passages.

Thus in Jeremiah:

"Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling-place of dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing. They shall roar together like lions; they shall growl as lions' whelps; when they have become warm I will set their feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may exult, and may sleep the sleep of an age, and not awake" (51:37, 38, 39).

The destruction of Babylon, so that truth or good shall be no longer found in her, is signified by, Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling-place of dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing. Babylon signifies those who abuse holy things for the purpose of ruling by them. Their burning desire to destroy Divine Truth by means of the falsities of evil, is signified by, they shall roar together like lions; they shall growl as lions' whelps. The ardour of those banded together to effect this wickedness is signified by the words "when they have become warm I will set their feasts"; that such shall become insane from the falsities of evil is signified by, I will make them drunken that they may exult. That they will never understand any truth, and therefore will not see life, is signified by, that they may sleep the sleep of an age, and not awake.

[12] Again, in the same prophet:

"Is Israel a servant? Is he born of the house? Why has he become a prey? The young lions roar against him, they utter their voice, and make his land waste; his cities are burned, so that there is no inhabitant" (2:14, 15).

Is Israel a servant? Is he born of the house, signifies, the church which had been in truths and goods, and that hitherto it is not. Israel signifies the church; a servant, those who are in truths, and born of the house, those who are in goods. Why has he become a prey? signifies the devastation thereof. The young lions roar against him, and utter their voice, signifies the desolation of Divine Truth in the church by the falsities of evil; they make his land waste, signifies the destruction of the church itself by evils. His cities are burned so that there is no inhabitant, signifies the destruction of its doctrinals also by evils, so that no good of the church remains.

[13] And in Ezekiel:

"One of the cubs, a lioness, rose up; it became a young lion, but it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men, defiled widows, and laid waste the cities, and the land was laid waste, and the fulness thereof, by the voice of his roaring" (19:3, 7).

These things are said of the Jewish church, which is here meant by the mother of lions. The young lion signifies the falsity of evil eager to destroy the truth of the church. By catching the prey, is signified the destruction of the truth and good of the church. It devoured men, and defiled widows, and devastated the cities, signifies the destruction of all understanding of truth, and of good that desires truth, and also of doctrinals. Men signify the understanding of truth, widows, good desirous of truth, and cities, doctrinals. The land was laid waste and the fulness thereof, by the voice of his roaring, signifies the devastation of the church, and the extinction of all truth from the Word by the falsity of evil; land denoting the church, fulness denoting the truths thereof from the Word, and the voice of roaring denoting the destroying falsity of evil.

[14] Again, in Jeremiah:

"I call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth. Therefore say unto them, Jehovah shall roar from on high and utter his voice from the habitation of his holiness; in roaring he shall roar against their dwellings. A tumult shall come even to the end of the earth; for the strife of Jehovah is against the nations, judgment shall enter with all flesh; he will give the wicked to the sword" (25:29-31).

Here the vastation of the church is attributed to Jehovah, although men themselves are the cause of it. I call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, signifies falsity destroying every truth in the whole church. Jehovah shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from the habitation of his holiness, signifies testification of grief in heaven on account of the vastation of Divine Truth. In roaring he shall roar against their dwellings, signifies grievous sorrow and lamentation over all things of the church. A tumult shall come even to the end of the earth, signifies the disturbance of all things of the church from primaries to its ultimates. For the strife of Jehovah is against the nations, judgment shall enter with all flesh, signifies visitation and judgment upon all who are in evils. He will give the wicked to the sword, signifies their destruction from falsities.

[15] And in Amos:

"Jehovah will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; so that the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither" (1:2).

By roaring from Zion, is signified grievous sorrow, and a voice from Jerusalem signifies lamentation. The mourning of the habitations of the shepherds, and the withering of the top of Carmel, signifies on account of the vastation of all the goods and truths of the church, the habitations of the shepherds signify all the goods of the church, the top of Carmel signifies all the truths thereof, and the mourning and withering denote vastation. The reason why the top of Carmel signifies the truths of the church is, that there were vineyards on Carmel, and the truth of the church is signified by wine (vinum).

[16] Again, in Isaiah:

"The anger of Jehovah is kindled against his people. He hath lifted up an ensign to the nations from far, and hath hissed unto them from the end of the earth. His roaring is like that of a lion, he roareth as the young lions; yea, he rageth and layeth hold of the prey, he seizeth and none taketh from him; and he rageth against them like the raging of the sea; and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and anxiety, and the light is darkened in the ruins thereof" (5:25-30).

Here also His roar like that of a lion, and as of young lions, signifies grief and lamentation over the vastation of Divine Truth in the church by the falsities of evil. By laying hold of the prey and none taking it from Him, is signified the liberation and salvation of those who are in truths from good. The vastation itself is described by, Behold darkness and anxiety, and the light is darkened in the ruins thereof. Darkness denotes falsities, anxiety evil, the darkening of the light denotes the disappearance of Divine Truth, and ruins signify total subversion.

[17] So in David:

"The enemy hath destroyed everything in the sanctuary. Enemies roared in the midst of the feast" (Psalm 74:3, 4).

Enemy signifies evil from hell, the sanctuary signifies the church, and the feast, worship. The signification of these words in a series is therefore evident. That roaring signifies grievous lamentation from grief of heart, is clear from these passages in David:

When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long (Psalm 32:3).

And again:

"I am feeble and sore broken; I have roared by reason of the roaring of my heart" (Psalm 38:8).

And in Job:

"My sighing cometh before my bread, and my roarings are poured out like the waters" (3:24).

152. Who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire. That this signifies Divine providence from His Divine love, and Divine wisdom and intelligence communicated to those who are in love to and thence in faith towards Him is evident from what was said above (n. 68), where it was shown, that eyes like unto a flame of fire, when said of the Lord, signify His Divine providence from His Divine love. The reason why by this are also denoted Divine wisdom and intelligence communicated to those who are in love to and thence in faith towards Him is, that by eyes, in the Word, when said of man, is signified the understanding of truth, and the understanding of truth is intelligence and wisdom; hence by eyes, when said of the Lord, are signified Divine wisdom and intelligence proceeding from Him, and what proceeds from Him is communicated to angels and to men who are in love to, and thence in faith towards Him. All wisdom and intelligence also, pertaining to angels and men, are not of themselves, but of the Lord with them. This is also well known in the church; for it is there known that all the good of love, and all the truth of faith are from God, and nothing of them from man; and truths interiorly seen and acknowledged, constitute intelligence, and being united with goods interiorly perceived, and thence seen, they constitute wisdom. Hence then it is, that by having his eyes like unto a flame of fire, is also signified the Divine wisdom and intelligence of the Lord communicated to those who are in the goods of love, and thence in faith towards Him.

[2] The reason why eyes signify the understanding is, that all the sight of the eyes with men and angels is therefrom. That all the sight of the eyes is from the understanding, seems like a paradox to those who do not know the interior causes of things, from which effects are manifested in the body. Those who are ignorant of those causes believe simply that the eye sees of itself, that the ear hears of itself, that the tongue tastes of itself, and that the body feels of itself, when, nevertheless, the interior life of man, which is the life of his spirit, this being the life of his understanding and will, or of his thought and affection, feels by the organs of the body the things that are in the world, and thus perceives them naturally. The whole body, with all its sensories, is only an instrument of its soul or spirit. This also is the reason why, when the spirit of man is separated from his body, the latter is altogether without sensation, but the former afterwards sensates as before. (That a man's spirit sees, hears and feels, after it is freed from the body, just as it did before in the body, may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 461-469. Concerning the correspondence of the understanding with the sight of the eye, see Arcana Coelestia 4403-4421, 4523-4534.) With beasts also, their interior life, which is also called their soul, sensates in a similar manner by means of the external organs of their body, but with this difference, that a beast does not sensate rationally like man, thus does not think from understanding and will, as man does (as may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 108; and in the work, The Last Judgment 25).

[3] This then is why eye in the Word signifies the understanding of truth or intelligence and wisdom, as may be seen from the following passages:

"Say to this people, hear ye in hearing, but understand not; and see ye in seeing, and know not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and smear their eyes, lest they see with their eyes" (Isaiah 6:9, 10; John 12:40).

To smear the eyes lest they see with their eyes, is to darken their understanding lest they should understand.

[4] In the same:

"Jehovah hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes; the prophets and your heads, the seers, hath he covered" (29:10).

Here closing the eyes, covering the prophets, and the heads and the seers hath He covered denotes the [covering] of the understanding of truth. By prophets are meant those who teach truths; these are also called heads, because the head signifies intelligence; and they are also called seers, from the revelation of Divine truth with them.

[5] In the same:

"The eyes of them that see shall not blink, and the ears of them that hear shall harken" (32:3).

The eyes of them that see denote those who understand truths. In the same:

"Who shutteth his eyes lest they may see evil. Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty" (33:15, 17).

To shut the eyes lest they may see evil denotes not to admit evil into the thought; that their eyes should see the king in his beauty denotes that they should understand truth in its own light with pleasantness; for by the king in this passage, is not meant a king, but truth (as may be seen above, n. 31).

[6] In Jeremiah:

"Hear this, O foolish people, who are without heart who have eyes, and see not; who have ears, and hear not " (5:21; Ezekiel 12:2).

In Lamentations:

"The crown of our head hath fallen; for this our heart is become faint, and for this our eyes are dim" (5:17).

By the crown of the head is denoted wisdom (as may be seen above, n. 126); the heart being faint denotes that the will of good is no more. (That the heart denotes the will and love, may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 95.) The eyes denote the understanding of truth, and are said to grow dim when truth is no more understood.

[7] In Zechariah:

"The punishment of the shepherd deserting the flock, a sword upon his right eye; and his right eye in darkening shall be darkened" (11:17).

By the sword upon the right eye, and the right eye in darkening shall be darkened, is meant that all truth in the understanding should perish by falsity. (That sword denotes the destruction of truth by falsity, may be seen above, n. 131.)

[8] Again:

"The plague wherewith Jehovah will smite all peoples who shall fight against Jerusalem; their eyes shall consume away in their sockets" (14:12).

The peoples who shall fight against Jerusalem denote those who fight against the church: Jerusalem is the church; that their eye should consume away denotes that all intelligence should perish, because they fight from falsities against truths.

[9] Again, in Zechariah:

"I will smite every horse with astonishment, and every horse of the peoples with blindness" (12:4).

The vastation of the church is there treated of; by horse is signified the Intellectual, wherefore by the horse being smitten with astonishment and blindness is denoted the stupidity and blindness of the understanding. (That horse signifies the Intellectual, may be seen in the small work, The White Horse 1-5.)

[10] In David:

"Hear me, O Jehovah, my God! enlighten mine eyes lest I sleep death" (Psalm 13:3).

Here eyes denote the understanding. In Moses:

"Thou shalt not take a gift, for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise" (Deuteronomy 16:19).

To blind the eyes of the wise denotes to prevent them from seeing or understanding the truth.

[11] In Matthew:

"The lamp of the body is the eye; if thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness" (6:22, 23; Luke 11:34).

By eye in this passage is not meant eye, but the understanding; by a single eye, the understanding of truth; by an evil eye, the understanding of falsity; darkness denotes falsities, the whole body denotes the whole spirit, for this is wholly of such a quality as the will and the understanding therefrom.

If man's spirit has the understanding of truth from the will of good, it is then an angel of light, but if it has only the understanding of falsity, it is a spirit of darkness. In the above passage is described the reformation of man by the understanding of truth; hence it is clear, that he who knows what the eye signifies, may know the arcanum contained in those words. (That man is reformed by means of truths received in the understanding, may be seen above, 112, 126.)

[12] In Matthew:

"If thy right hand offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee; for it is good to enter into life one-eyed, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the gehenna of fire" (5:29; 18:9; Mark 9:47).

By eye in these passages is not meant eye, but the understanding thinking; by the right eye offending, the understanding thinking evil; to pluck it out, and cast it away, denotes not to admit such evil, but to reject it; one-eyed, denotes the understanding not thinking evil, but truth only; for the understanding can think truth: if it thinks evil, it is from the will of evil. The reason why the right eye is mentioned, is, that the right eye signifies the understanding of good, and the left eye the understanding of truth (see Arcana Coelestia 4410, 6923).

[13] In Isaiah:

"In that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness" (29:18).

In the same:

"Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf" (35:5).

In the same:

Again:

"I will give thee for a light of the nations; to open the eyes of the blind, to lead him that is bound out of the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house" (42:6, 7).

Again:

"Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears" (43:8).

To open the eyes of the blind is to instruct those who as yet are ignorant of truths, but who, yet, desire them; these are signified by the nations. Similar things are signified by the

Lord's healing the blind (Matthew 9:27-29; 20:30 to the end; 21:14; Mark 8:23, 25; Luke 18:35 to the end; John 9:1-21).

For all the miracles of the Lord involve those things that belong to the church and heaven, and therefore they were all Divine (as may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 7337, 8364, 9031).

[14] Because the eye signified the understanding, it was commanded among the statutes given to the sons of Israel,

That no one of the seed of Aaron who was blind, or had a blemish in the eye, should approach to offer the sacrifice, nor enter within the veil (Leviticus 21:17-23);

That what was blind should not be offered for a sacrifice (Leviticus 22:22; Mal. 1:8):

hence also it was among the curses,

That a fever should consume the eyes (Leviticus 26:16).

From these considerations it may now be known that, by the eyes of the Son of man which were as a flame of fire is signified the Divine wisdom and intelligence communicated to those who are in love and thence in faith towards the Lord.

[15] That His Divine providence is also hereby signified, is evident from what was shown above (n. 68), to which may be added what was said of the cherubim in Ezekiel, and of the four animals about the throne mentioned in the Apocalypse, by which is also signified the Divine providence, and specifically a guard that the Lord should not be approached except by means of good. In Ezekiel:

"I looked, behold four wheels near the cherubim: their whole flesh, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels were full of eyes round about" (10:9, 12).

And in the Apocalypse:

"About the throne were four animals full of eyes, before and behind; each one had wings about him, and they were full of eyes within" (4:6, 8).

These four animals also were cherubim, for the description given of them is almost similar to that of the cherubim in Ezekiel. So many eyes are ascribed to them because the Divine providence of the Lord, which is signified by cherubim, is His government of all things in the heavens and in the earths from Divine wisdom; for the Lord from His Divine providence sees all things, disposes all things, and foresees all things. (That by cherubim is signified the Divine providence of the Lord, and specifically a guard that the Lord should not be approached except by means of good, may be seen, n. 9277, 9509, 9673.)