在《但以理书》第二章中，巴比伦国王尼布甲尼撒做了一个困扰他的梦。但以理在上帝的启示下，是唯一能够解释这个梦的人。从字面意义上讲，这是一个强有力的故事，其属灵意义也很深；它描述了我们每个人如果想在灵性上取得进步就需要采取的一个步骤。

字面文本将这个故事设定在 "第二年"，指的是重生前的冲突状态。一般来说，"二 "意味着结合，特别是善与真的结合。但在这个故事中，婚姻是在邪恶和虚假之间。尼布甲尼撒仍然在巴比伦的宝座上：来自自私的爱的假象试图在生活的每个领域建立统治。

因此，在第二年，"尼布甲尼撒做了梦；他的灵很忧虑，睡意就离了他"。梦是主向古人启示道的方式之一。发现尼布甲尼撒被梦境极大地干扰，以至于 "他的睡意离开了他"，这并不奇怪。睡眠，当梦发生时，描绘了一种朦胧的状态。在尼布甲尼撒的案例中，这种模糊状态的出现是因为他代表了因自私的权力欲望而产生的错误思想。自私遮蔽了真理，因为它使人无法专注于自我之外。

尼布甲尼撒代表了来自自私和支配、控制他人的欲望的虚假性。当这一点占据主导地位时，人们就会变得善于操纵，坚持一切为自己的目的服务。他们愿意扭曲任何事实，甚至破坏事实，为自己的行为辩护。这种状态的危险在于它的吸引力；它可以侵入心灵，建立一个帝国。

这就是我们重生前的状态。然而，神圣的天意规定，为了消除这一点，我们必须意识到我们的尼布甲尼撒状态。这可能很困难，因为反思需要视角，而视角一开始是模糊的--睡着了。尼布甲尼撒无法记住或解释他的梦，于是命令他的魔术师、占卜师、巫师和迦勒底人缓解他的情绪。

当这些智者无法做到时，国王开始杀害他们。在内部意义上，"杀 "意味着把真理变成谬误。但以理和他的同伴也将被包括在这场屠杀中，但他们与其他智者不同，他们代表的是基于自私的滥用或误用真理的假象。但以理和他的朋友们侍奉主。

但以理的名字被改成了 "伯提沙撒"，象征着因爱自己而歪曲了真理。然而在这节经文中，他们寻找'但以理'和他的同伴来杀他们。这显示了隐藏在日常生活中的人性品质。如果尼布甲尼撒代表盲目的自私，为了拯救我们，主必须使真理隐藏在自私的思想流中。当他隐藏的名字被使用时，但以理代表这种隐藏的思想，被保护并准备用来反对自私。

在第一章，但以理拒绝尼布甲尼撒，拒绝吃他的食物。他再一次站在王的对立面，王在不高兴时愿意杀人，显示了他的邪恶。尼布甲尼撒是自我崇拜的缩影，但以理是真正敬拜主的人。

但以理和他的朋友们寻求 "天上的神就这秘密施恩"。尽管他们的身份是 "聪明人"，但他们还是向主谦卑了。这是对良知引导不守规矩的外在自我所必需的顺从的描绘。

但以理被赋予了对堕落的人类的洞察力，即由自私造成的衰退。面对这些洞察力的人往往会逃跑和躲藏。然而，没有自知之明，人们就无法取得任何属灵的进步。通过祝福主，但以理认识到，只有他的神力才能帮助人们把邪恶的东西整理好。没有这一点，精神生活就会结束。

这种感激之情体现了新教会的原则：所有的善和真理都只来自主。人们对邪恶的本质的任何洞察力都必须来自于他。邪恶对自己是盲目的，但真理显示了它的本质。通过感谢主的洞察力，人们可以面对他们的邪恶。

在被杀之前，但以理要求觐见国王。外在的行为可以与善或恶保持一致，因此，尽管尼布甲尼撒的命令，卫队长亚略克还是按照但以理的请求行事。他对国王说的话表明有用的东西可以与真理结盟。所以亚略克为但以理辩护。

在他的恳求中，亚略克强调了但以理的遗产："是犹大被掳之人"。这可能使国王想起他在犹大的战役，甚至想起那个准备为他服务的年轻人，他充满了智慧，身体健康，容光焕发。在内在的意义上，'犹大'代表着与人的教会，最初是通过真理。所以阿利奥克把但以理认定为来自道的真理。尼布甲尼撒认识但以理的巴比伦名字是贝特沙撒：当处于虚假中的人被介绍给真理时，他们把它看作只是供自己使用的信息。这就是为什么一个通奸者认为通奸和婚姻之间没有区别，或者一个说谎者对真理和虚假没有区别。

丹尼尔是良心，它可以被认为是对行为的内疚或悲哀。但就其核心而言，良知是由圣言的真理所引导。要使真理指导我们，我们必须承认其神圣的权威和起源：没有一个智者、占星家、魔术师或占卜师能告诉和解释国王的梦。

在这封信的意义上，但以理可以开始，因为他确定了这个梦是来自神，因此是由神解释的。但以理只是一个传声筒。对我们来说，使我们从自私走向慈善所需的自我意识来自于主。只有他能指导我们的生活，但让我们有自由接受或不接受这个方向。

但以理描述了尼布甲尼撒的梦：伟大的形象，头部是金的，胸部和手臂是银的，腹部和大腿是铜的，腿是铁的，脚部分是铁，部分是泥。即使在这个故事的字面意义上，人们也看到了从珍贵到卑贱再到无价值的稳步下降。

许多学者用政治术语来描述这个梦。他们声称它描述了地球上连续的国家或统治者，从巴比伦人，到希腊人，罗马人，等等。然而，这个词涉及的是灵性的东西，而不是世俗的东西。在某种意义上，这个梦说的是这个世界上存在的不同的精神时代。这被称为 "内部历史 "的意义。在这个层面上，尼布甲尼撒的梦描述了古代教会的兴衰，直到现在。本论述的重点是更深的层次：再生系列，或者说道如何讲述每个人的属灵生命。

尼布甲尼撒的梦象征着让自私支配我们的思想和信仰。巴比伦是一种非常自私的状态，与爱主相反。这是一切罪恶的起源，与虚假携手并进，扭曲和颠覆了真理，使之成为我们欲望的奴隶。梦中描述了这种状态如何获得对人类心灵的掌控。它在自私自利在我们的思想中占据一席之地之前就开始了，并以我们的人性的毁灭而结束。

愿景从头部开始，因为它是人类的最高部分。但这个头的关键是它是金色的，象征着对主的爱。胸部和手臂在生理上比头部低，而银子的价值不如黄金。胸部和手臂代表头脑中的理性部分。银子代表从内在的善意中得到的真理。这种从爱主到从真理思考的变化标志着焦点的变化：善包容所有的人，在互爱和慈善的生活中向对方开放。另一方面，真理更容易被滥用：真理的观念是许多战争和冲突的原因。真理被用来伤害，也被用来培育善良。它是一把双刃剑。

在下一个层次，衰退变得更加明显：从头部到胸部到腹部和大腿--身体的一半。从金到银到铜，贵金属变成了贱金属。腹部和大腿通常描绘的是爱主和爱邻居的善，称为慈善。然而，在这里，它被扭曲成相反的意义：无视他人，以及自己对真理的解释。对处于这种状态的人来说，这些东西显得很好。所以肚子和大腿是用青铜做的，这种合金可以被打磨到像黄金一样闪闪发光，但它不是，也永远不可能被转化。

所以我们被带到了身体的下部：铁腿。取代真理的是虚假的东西。这是由铁描述的，它只是看起来像银。腿之后是精神生活的外部极端：脚。脚是我们身体的最低部分。脚对应于我们生命的最高点，应该是通过我们表达主的仁慈和真理。相反，雕像的脚是一个弱点：是铁和泥的混合物。在这个形象中，我们看到了自私的整个演变--带入我们的行动中--一个没有真正的善或真理的生命，只有一个虚假的形象。

在梦的高潮部分，一块石头击中了这个形象，把它打成碎片。这向我们展示了我们的真实性格和真理的力量，使我们从灾难的边缘回归。这块石头是未经手切割的：它不是来自人类。在这里，神圣的真理与国王咨询他的智者和魔术师的做法形成了对比，后者代表了自私的人类思想。神圣的真理在按照主的意图使用时，会导致所有的善。脱离了人类的合理化，真理得以解放。

这种自由是真理的新视野：石头长成了山。"山 "象征着爱--来自真理的新的爱，它取代了自私和控制欲。山峰充满大地，象征着这种新的真理和爱成为我们生命的中心和焦点。我们被主的真理重新创造。

在非常详细地描述了这个梦之后，但以理解释了它的含义。他以似乎是对尼布甲尼撒的肯定开始；主给了我们对自我的爱！他规定我们应该感受到自己的爱。他规定我们应该感觉到生命是我们自己的，没有感觉到他的生命流入我们。这使我们能够按照自己的理性行事，并在自由中回应主。自私是对主的这份礼物的滥用，国度将其意义从真理变为虚假。

尼布甲尼撒显然把但以理与主混为一谈，并把解梦的能力归于他。但是，当与良心的理想对比时，自私的现实就变得很清楚。如果自私不能反省自己，就需要与真理对峙--而真理显示了邪恶的真正本质，并使其定罪。

尼布甲尼撒将但以理和他的三个朋友提拔到权力的位置。他承认他们的神是万神之神，是万王之主。但他继续承认以前侍奉巴比伦的神。尼布甲尼撒可能将耶和华提升到巴比伦的马杜克神之上，但他既不愿意也不准备抛弃他习惯的神性。

属灵的生活必须从某个地方开始，尼布甲尼撒和但以理之间的这种互动象征着开始。在我们真正重生之前，还有很长的路要走。旧的自私的一面会重新出现，新的争论和争斗会肆虐。然而，尼布甲尼撒梦中的承诺仍然与我们同在。

47. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow. (1:14) This symbolizes the Divine love accompanying Divine wisdom in first things and last.

A person's head symbolizes everything connected with his life, and everything connected with a person's life has some relation to love and wisdom. A head consequently symbolizes both wisdom and love. However, because there is no love without its wisdom, nor wisdom without its love, therefore it is the love accompanying wisdom that is meant by a head; and when describing the Lord, it is the Divine love accompanying Divine wisdom. But on the symbolism of the head in the Word, more will be seen in nos. 538 and 568 below.

Since a head means both love and wisdom in their first forms, it follows accordingly that hair means love and wisdom in their final forms. And because the hair mentioned here describes the Son of Man, who is the Lord in relation to the Word, His hair symbolizes the Divine good connected with love, and the Divine truth connected with wisdom, in the outmost expressions of the Word - the outmost expressions of the Word being those contained in its literal sense.

[2] The idea that the hair of the Son of Man or the Lord symbolizes the Word in this sense may seem absurd, but still it is the truth. This can be seen from passages in the Word that we cited in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding the Sacred Scripture, nos. 35 and 49. We showed there as well that Nazirites in the Israelite Church represented the Lord in relation to the Word in its outmost expressions, which is its literal sense, as a nazir in Hebrew is a hair or head of hair. ¹ That is why the power of Samson, who was a Nazirite from the womb, lay in his hair. The Divine truth similarly has power in the literal sense of the Word, as may be seen in the aforementioned Doctrine Regarding the Sacred Scripture, nos. 37-49.

For the same reason, too, the high priest and his sons were strictly forbidden to shave their heads.

For that reason as well, forty-two of the boys who called Elisha a baldhead were torn apart by two she-bears. Like Elijah, Elisha represented the Lord in relation to the Word. A baldhead symbolizes the Word without its outmost expression, which, as said, is its literal sense, and she-bears symbolize this sense of the Word divorced from its inner meaning. Those who so divorce it, moreover, appear in the spiritual world as bears, though only at a distance. It is apparent from this why what happened to the boys happened as it did.

It was, therefore, also the highest disgrace and a mark of extreme mourning to inflict baldness.

[3] Accordingly, when the Israelite nation had completely perverted the literal sense of the Word, this lamentation over them was composed:

Her Nazirites were whiter than snow, brighter white than milk... Darker than blackness is their form. They go unrecognized in the streets. (Lamentations 4:7-8)

Furthermore:

Every head was made bald, and every shoulder shaved bare. (Ezekiel 29:18)

Shame will be on every face, and baldness on all their heads. (Ezekiel 7:18)

So similarly Isaiah 15:2, Jeremiah 48:37, Amos 8:10.

Because the children of Israel by falsities completely dissipated the literal sense of the Word, therefore the prophet Ezekiel was commanded to represent this by shaving his head with a razor and burning a third part with fire, striking a third part with a sword, and scattering a third part to the wind, and by gathering a small amount in his skirts, to cast it, too, afterward into the fire (Ezekiel 5:1-4).

[4] Therefore it is also said in Micah:

Make yourself bald and cut off your hair, because of your precious children; enlarge your baldness like an eagle, for they have departed from you. (Micah 1:16)

The precious children are the church's genuine truths from the Word.

Moreover, because Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, represented Babylon's falsification of the Word and destruction of every truth there, it accordingly came to pass that his hair grew like eagles' feathers (Daniel 4:33).

Since the hair symbolized that holy component of the Word, therefore it is said of Nazirites that they were not to shave the hair of their head, because it was the consecration of God upon their head (Numbers 6:1-21). And therefore it was decreed that the high priest and his sons were not to shave their heads, lest they die and the whole house of Israel be angered (Leviticus 10:6).

[5] Now, because hair symbolizes Divine truth in its outmost expressions, which in the church is the Word in its literal sense, therefore something similar is said also of the Ancient of Days in Daniel:

I watched till the thrones were thrown down, and the Ancient of Days was seated. His garment was as white as snow, and the hair of His head like pure wool. (Daniel 7:9)

That the Ancient of Days is the Lord is clearly apparent in Micah:

You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from antiquity, from days of old. (Micah 5:2)

And in Isaiah, where He is called Everlasting Father (Isaiah 9:6).

[6] From these passages and many others - too many to cite - it can be seen that the head and hair of the Son of Man, which were like wool, as white as snow, mean the Divine expression of love and wisdom in first things and last. And because the Son of Man means the Lord in relation to the Word, it follows that the Word, too, is meant in its first elements and last. Why else should it be that the Lord here in the book of Revelation and the Ancient of Days in Daniel are described even in respect to their hair?

That hair symbolizes the literal sense of the Word is clearly apparent from people in the spiritual world. Those who have scorned the literal sense of the Word appear bald there, and conversely, those who have loved the literal sense of the Word appear possessed of handsome hair.

The head and hair are described as being like wool and like snow because wool symbolizes goodness in outmost expressions, and snow symbolizes truth in outward expressions - as is the case also in Isaiah 1:18 ² - inasmuch as wool comes from sheep, which symbolize the goodness of charity, and snow comes from water, which symbolizes truths of faith.

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