5089. Those who are dragons are able to defend whatever doctrine they wish; they waver among them all. They can be Catholics, they can be Protestants, they can be Lutherans, and they can be Quakers. In a word, it is a question what faith they profess. The reason is that they think nothing that is beyond the perceptions of their outward senses and agrees with them, where nothing is definite and everything is worldly and earthly. They do not allow themselves to be raised into heaven and draw their doctrine from there, for they all love themselves and the world. As result they are exceedingly dangerous, for they are those who are understood by the serpent whose head was trampled upon, but nonetheless injured the heel [Gen. 3:15]; and in David, he who exults the head and drinks from the brook [Ps. 110:7]; and he is the one in the prophecy about Israel, always lying in the way and biting the heel of the horse [Gen. 49:17].

378. (Verse 7) And when he had opened the fourth seal. That this signifies prediction manifested still further, is plain from what was said and shown above (n. 351, 352, 361).