908. “和你在一起凡有血肉的一切野兽” 表该教会成员里面活过来的一切. 这一点从以下事实清楚可知, 即 “野兽” 论及挪亚, 就是现已重生的该教会成员, 显然也论及接下来的事物, 即 “飞鸟, 牲畜和爬行物”, 因为经上说 “和你在一起凡有血肉的一切野兽, 就是飞鸟, 牲畜和一切爬在地上的爬行物”. 在原文中, 用于 “野兽” 的这个词严格来说表生命或活物; 但在圣言中, 它既用来表活物, 也用来表某种意义上并非活着的事物, 或野兽. 所以, 人若不通晓圣言的内义, 有时就不明白什么意思. 这个词具有双重含义的原因在于, 上古教会成员在主面前谦卑地承认自己不是活的, 甚至不如家畜, 不过是个野兽. 因为他知道, 人在专注于自己, 或处于自我中心时就是这样. 所以, 这同一个词既表活物, 也表野兽.

至于它表活物, 明显可见于诗篇:

你的野兽要住在其中 (神的子民); 神啊, 你必以你的良善使穷乏人强健. (诗篇 68:10)

此处, 由于他要住在神的子民中, 故 “野兽” 无非表重生的人, 因而如此处的情形, 即它表他里面的活物. 又:

因为森林中的一切野兽是我的, 千山上的牲畜也是我的; 山中的飞鸟, 我都知道; 田野的野兽与我同在. (诗篇 50:10, 11)

此处, “田野的野兽与我同在”, 即与神同在, 表重生之人, 因而表他里面的活物. 以西结书:

空中的所有飞鸟都在枝子上搭窝, 田野的一切野兽都在枝条下生产. (以西结书 31:6)

当那日, 我必与田野的野兽和空中的飞鸟立约. (何西阿书 2:18)

这论及即将重生之人, 要与他立约. 事实上, “野兽” 完全表 “活物”, 以致以西结所看到的基路伯或天使被称为 “四个活物” 或 “活物” ( 以西结书 1:5, 13-15, 19; 10:15).

在圣言中, “野兽” 在相反意义上则表非活物, 或凶猛的野兽, 这一点从大量经文清楚可知. 仅引用以下经文证实这一点. 诗篇:

不要将你斑鸠的灵魂交给野兽. (诗篇 74:19)

西番雅书:

这城何竟荒凉, 成为野兽躺卧之处. (西番雅书 2:15)

以西结书:

他们必不再作外邦人的掠物, 地上的野兽也不再吞吃他们. (以西结书 34:28)

又:

空中的飞鸟都要宿在他的废墟上; 田野的一切野兽都要卧在它的枝条下. (以西结书 31:13)

何西阿书:

在那里我必像狮子吞吃他们, 田野的野兽必撕裂他们. (何西阿书 13:8)

以西结书:

我已将你给地上野兽, 空中飞鸟作食物. (以西结书 29:5)

这种用法很常见. 而且, 由于犹太人只局限于字义, 将 “野兽” 理解为一头野兽, 将 “飞鸟” 理解为一只飞鸟, 所以他们并不知道圣言的内在事物, 也不愿承认它们, 从而接受指教. 事实上, 他们本身是如此残忍和野蛮的动物, 以致他们不是以埋葬在战场所杀戮的敌人为乐, 而是以将他们暴尸荒野, 任飞禽和野兽吞吃为乐. 这也表明何为野兽人.

48. And His eyes like a flame of fire. This symbolizes the Divine wisdom accompanying Divine love.

Eyes in the Word mean the intellect, and the sight of the eyes, therefore, intelligence. Consequently, when said in reference to the Lord, they mean Divine wisdom. A flame of fire, moreover, symbolizes spiritual love, which is charity, and consequently, when said in reference to the Lord, it means Divine love. So now, the statement that His eyes were like a flame of fire symbolizes the Divine wisdom accompanying Divine love.

That the eye symbolizes the intellect is because they correspond. For as the eye sees as a result of natural light, so the intellect sees as a result of spiritual light. Consequently seeing is predicated of both.

That the eye in the Word symbolizes the intellect is apparent from the following passages:

Bring out the blind people who have eyes, and the deaf who have ears. (Isaiah 43:8)

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

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

...I will give You... as a light to the Gentiles, to open the eyes of the blind... (Isaiah 42:6-7)

The last is said of the Lord, who, when He comes, will open the intellect in people who are ignorant of the truth.

[2] That this is what is meant by opening the eyes is further apparent from the following passages:

Make the heart of this people fat..., and smear over their eyes, lest they see with their eyes... (Isaiah 6:10, John 12:40)

For Jehovah has poured out on you the spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes; the prophets and your leaders, the seers, He has covered. (Isaiah 29:10, cf. 30:10)

...who shuts his eyes so as not to see evil. (Isaiah 33:15)

Hear this..., O foolish people..., who have eyes and see not... (Jeremiah 5:21)

(The punishment of) the shepherd, who deserts the flock: a sword shall be... against his right eye..., and his right eye shall be totally darkened. (Zechariah 11:17)

...the plague with which Jehovah will strike all the peoples who fought against Jerusalem: ...their eyes shall waste away in their sockets... (Zechariah 14:12)

...I will strike every horse with stupor, and... every horse of the peoples with blindness. (Zechariah 12:4)

A horse in the spiritual sense is an understanding of the Word (no. 298).

...hear me, Jehovah my God; enlighten my eyes, lest (perchance) I sleep the sleep of death. (Psalms 13:3)

Everyone sees that eyes in these places symbolize the intellect.

[3] It is apparent from this what the Lord meant by the eye in the following places:

The lamp of the body is the eye. If... your eye is whole, your entire body will be full of light. If... your eye is bad, your entire body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! (Matthew 6:22-23, cf. Luke 11:34)

If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is better for you... to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. (Matthew 5:29; 18:9)

The eye in these places does not mean an eye, but an understanding of truth.

Since the eye symbolizes an understanding of truth, it was therefore one of the statutes among the children of Israel that a blind man of the posterity of Aaron or one blurry-eyed not approach to offer a sacrifice, nor enter within the veil (Leviticus 21:18, 20, 23), and that nothing blind be offered as a sacrifice (Leviticus 22:22, Malachi 1:8).

[4] It is apparent from this what an eye means when said in reference to a person. It follows then that when said in reference to the Lord, it means His Divine wisdom, and also His omniscience and providence, as in the following passages:

Open Your eyes, Jehovah, and see. (Isaiah 37:17)

I will set My eye on them for good, and... I will build them... (Jeremiah 24:6)

Behold, the eye of Jehovah is on those who fear Him... (Psalms 33:18)

Jehovah is in His holy temple...; His eyes behold, (and) His eyelids test the children of man. (Psalms 11:4)

Inasmuch as cherubim symbolize the Lord's protection and providence to keep the spiritual meaning of the Word from being harmed, therefore it is said of the four living creatures - which were cherubim - that they were full of eyes in front and in back, and that their wings were likewise full of eyes (Revelation 4:6, 8). And it is also said that the wheels on which the cherubim rode were full of eyes all around (Ezekiel 10:12).

[5] "A flame of fire" means the Lord's Divine love, as will be seen in subsequent expositions where flame and fire are mentioned. And because it is said that His eyes were like a flame of fire, it symbolizes the Divine wisdom accompanying Divine love.

The concept that the Lord has in Him Divine love as a property of Divine wisdom, and Divine wisdom as a property of Divine love, thus a reciprocal union of the two, is an arcanum disclosed in Angelic Wisdom Regarding Divine Love and Wisdom, nos. 34-39 and elsewhere.