The Bible

 

Revelation 6

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1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.

2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.

4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.

6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.

8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #382

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382. And he that sat upon him, signifies the Word. This is evident from what has been said and shown above n. 373. Its being said that "his name was Death" does not mean that the Word in itself is death, but only before those who are in evils and falsities therefrom, for such persons see and perceive in the Word nothing of truth and good, thus nothing of spiritual life; consequently before such as these it is according to appearance and perception that his name that sat upon the pale horse is "Death." For the Word appears to everyone according to his quality, as life to those who are in good and truth, but as death to those who are in evils and falsities. It is similar with the Lord Himself, who is the Word; He too appears to everyone according to his quality; to those who are in goods and truths therefrom He appears as a fire and as light vivifying and recreating, but to those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom He appears as a consuming fire and as thick darkness (See Arcana Coelestia 934, 1861 end, 6832, 8814, 8819, 9434, 10551). And for the same reason to those who are in evil and in falsities therefrom the Lord appears to be angry, to punish, to condemn, and to cast into hell, when yet He is never angry, never punishes, or condemns, or casts into hell, but saves so far as man applies himself; for the Lord is good itself and truth itself, He is love itself and mercy itself. The like is true of this passage, where it is said that the name of the one that sat on the pale horse is "Death." (On this more may be seen cited above, n. 373)

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.