Apocalypse Explained #572
572. That they should slay the third part of men.- That this signifies of depriving themselves of all understanding of truth, and thence of spiritual life, is evident from the signification of slaying as denoting to deprive of spiritual life, concerning which, see above (n. 547); and from the signification of men, as denoting the understanding of truth (see also above, n. 546, 547). That the third part, when used in reference to truths, denotes all, may be seen above (n. 506). Here, therefore, by slaying the third part of men, is signified deprivation of all understanding of truth. It is said that they deprive themselves, because those who have become sensual through evils of life and falsities of doctrine by reasonings from fallacies, deprive themselves of the understanding of truth, but not others, except those who are also sensual. The reason why they thence deprive themselves of spiritual life, is, that man acquires spiritual life through the understanding, for in the measure that the understanding is opened by truths, and suffers itself to be enlightened, in the same measure, man becomes spiritual. But the understanding is opened by means of truths from good, but not by means of truths without good; for so far as man lives in the good of love and of charity, so far he thinks truths; for truth is the form of good, and all good with man pertains to his will, and all truth pertains to his understanding, therefore the good of the will manifests its form in the understanding; the form itself is thought from the understanding originating in the will.
Heaven and Hell #122
122. The sun of the world appears to the angels as a dense darkness from being opposite to the Sun of heaven, and the moon as a darkness from being opposite to the Moon of heaven, and this constantly. The reason is that the world's fieriness corresponds to the love of self, and the illumination from it corresponds to what is false from that love. The love of self is the direct opposite of the Divine love, what is false from that love is the direct opposite of the Divine truth, and the opposite of the Divine love and the Divine truth is, to the angels, dense darkness. Therefore, in the Word, to worship the sun and moon of this world and bow down to them, signifies to love self and the falsities that are from the love of self, and such will be cut off.
(Deuteronomy 4:19; 17:3-5, Jeremiah 8:1-2, Ezekiel 8:15-16, 18, Revelation 16:8, Matthew 13:6) 1 .
Footnotes:
1. [Swedenborg's footnote] The sun of the world is not visible to the angels, but, in its place, something dark at the back, opposite to the Sun of heaven, which is the Lord (Arcana Coelestia 7078, 9755).
The sun in the opposite sense signifies the love of self (Arcana Coelestia 2441); in which sense, by adoring the sun, is signified to worship those things that are contrary to heavenly love, or to the Lord (Arcana Coelestia 2441, 10584).
To those who are in the hells, the Sun of heaven is thick darkness (Arcana Coelestia 2441).
