2. B

Babel and Babylon [Babel et Babylon]. See Papists.

Balaam [Bileam]. Balaam was a hypocrite and a diviner or soothsayer, and that through his counsel given to Balak he sought to destroy the children of Israel by eating things offered to idols, shown n. 114.

Balances or Scales [lances, statera]. See Measure.

Bald [calvus. ] It signifies those who are without truths from the Word, illustrated and shown n. 47.

Baptism [baptismus]. What the papists teach concerning baptism may be seen in what is set forth concerning their doctrine, n. 1. Baptism is a sacrament of repentance and an introduction into the church, illustrated n. 224, and at n. 531 toward the end 776. What the Reformed teach concerning baptism, see what is set forth concerning their doctrines at n. 7. Baptism is for a sign before angels, and for a memorial before men, n. 776. The reason of John’s baptism, n. 776. Baptism represents and thence signifies a cleansing and purification from evils and falsities, and consequently reformation and regeneration, the like was formerly signified by washing, shown n. 378.

Barley [hordeum, vide triticum]. See Wheat.

Bear [ursus]. Bears signify those who read the Word and do not understand it, whereby they involve themselves in fallacies, illustrated and shown n. 573. In the spiritual world there appear bears that are hurtful and bears that are harmless, n. 573.

Bear Witness, to [testari]. See Testimony.

Beast [bestia]. Beast signifies various things with men and angels, which are of their will or affection and their understanding and thought, illustrated and shown n. 290. Beasts signify men as to their natural affections and lusts, illustrated and shown n. 567. Affections and lusts appear in the spiritual world as beasts, concerning which see n. 601. Beasts, birds, and fish, in general termed creatures signify affections, perceptions, and thoughts with men, and consequently men as to such things, illustrated and shown n. 405. Man and beasts signify man as to spiritual affection and as to natural affection, shown n. 567. What is signified by the four beasts rising out of the sea in Daniel, chap. vii. and that nearly the same is signified by the beast from the sea in Rev. 13, illustrated n. 574. By the beast from the sea in Rev. 13, are signified the men of the external church, who are called the laity, who are in faith separate from charity, n. 594, By the beast from the earth, which is also called the false prophet, are meant the men of the church on earth, who are called clergy, and are in faith separate from charity shown n. 594. By the throne of the beast is signified where the falsity of faith reigns n. 694. By the beast, his image, his mark, and the number of his name, is signified faith alone, its doctrine, its acknowledgment, and the falsification of the Word, n. 660, 679. By the scarlet beast is signified the Word, illustrated and shown n. 723, 733–735, 739–741, 746, 749. What is signified by the four animals, see Cherubim.

Bed [lectus]. Bed signifies doctrine, illustrated from beds in the spiritual world, and shown n. 137. Inasmuch as in the Word Jacob signifies the doctrine of the church, when any one thinks profoundly concerning him, there appears a man above toward the right, as it were lying on a bed, n. 137 Benjamin [Benjamin]. Benjamin signifies a life of truth from good, shown 361.

Bind, to [vincire, vide vinctus]. See Bound.

Bird [avis]. See Fowl.

Birth [nativitas]. By births and conceptions in the Word are meant spiritual births and conceptions, which relate to the good of love and the truth of faith; inasmuch as they are procreated from the marriage of good and truth, illustrated n. 139, illustrated n. 543. The members of generation in both sexes correspond with celestial love, n. 213. See To Bring Forth.

Bishops [episcopi]. Some particulars relative to certain English bishops in the spiritual world, contained in the relations at the end of some chapters, n. 241, 675, 716.

Bitter [amarum]. It signifies falsified truth, illustrated and shown n. 411. See Wormwood.

Black, Blackness [nigrum, nigredo] There are two kinds of blackness; one in opposition to white, and the other in opposition to red, concerning which see n. 231, illustrated and shown n. 312. Blackness also signifies ignorance, n. 915.

Blasphemy [blasphemia]. It is a denial of the Divine of the Lord, and the holiness of the Word, illustrated and shown n. 571. It is also profanation, illustrated n. 723.

Blessed, Happy [beatus]. The blessed or the happy signifies those who have the felicity of eternal life, n. 639, 816, 944, 951.

Blind [caecus]. The blind signifies those who do not know truth, and those who do not understand truth, shown n. 210.

Blood [sanguis]. The blood of the Lamb signifies the Divine truth of the Lord in him and from him, illustrated and shown n. 379, for this reason, because the Lord is the Word, and the Divine truth therein is meant by his blood, and the Divine good therein by his flesh, likewise by his body, illustrated n. 555, 684. Blood in the opposite sense signifies violence offered to the Word, consequently to the Lord, shown n. 825. In the opposite sense, it signifies the Divine truth falsified, adulterated, and profaned, shown n. 379, 404, 687, 688. Blood as of one dead signifies infernal falsity, illustrated n. 681.

Book [liber]. Books signify the interiors of the mind of man, because in them are written all things appertaining to his life, n. 867. The book of life is the Lord considered as the Word, consequently the Word, n. 958. To be written in the book of life, and to be judged therefrom, signifies from the Divine truth of the Word, and from the Lord thereby, shown n. 256. To open the book, and to loose the seals thereof signifies to know the states of all and to judge every one according to his state, illustrated n. 259, 295. No one can look in the book signifies that no one but the Lord alone is able to know it in the least, n. 262. See Seal. To be written in the book of life signifies he who believes in the Lord, and lives according to his commandments, shown n. 874. Not to be written in the book of life signifies on the contrary, n. 874. By the little book open in the hand of the angel is meant that essential of the new church, that the Lord, even as to his human, is the God of heaven and earth, n. 469. What was written in that little book may be seen, n. 472. To depart as a book or scroll rolled together signifies that good and truth, which is in the Word, would recede and become hidden in the church, n. 335. It is said that the book was rolled together, because books were then made of skins, and were rolled up, n. 335.

Bottle [uter]. A bottle or pitcher signifies the same as its contents, shown n. 672.

Bottomless Pit [abyssus]. See Abyss.

Bound, to Bind [vinctus, vincire]. To be bound in prison and in custody signifies to be infected by evils and falsities, shown n. 99. See Captive.

Bow [arcus]. A bow signifies doctrine combating from truths against falsities, and from falsities against truths, illustrated and shown n. 299. Therefore arrows and shafts signify truths or falsities, n. 299.

Brass [aes]. Brass signifies natural good, illustrated and shown n. 775.

Bread [panis]. There are bread and wine in the holy supper, because bread there signifies the holy of love, and wine the holy of faith; and because the material bread and the heavenly bread mutually correspond therein, also the material wine and the heavenly wine, illustrated n. 224. Bread from flour of wheat was offered up together with the sacrifices upon the altar, which was called a cake or meal offering, shown n. 778. The bread of faces upon the table in the tabernacle was also made of fine flour of wheat, shown n. 778; because wheat signifies the good of the church from the Word fine flour its truth thence derived, illustrated shown 315.

Breadth [latitudo]. Breadth signifies the truth of the church, and length the good of the church, illustrated and shown n. 906, 907.

Breast [mamma, mamilla]. See Paps.

Breast Plate [thorax, vide arma]. See Arms.

Bridegroom, Bride [sponsus, sponsa]. From the marriage of the Lord with the church, the Lord is called the bridegroom, and the church the bride, n. 797, 881. The new church, which is the new Jerusalem, is called the bride, the lamb’s wife, shown n. 813, 955. That the church is called the bride while it is being established, and that it is called the wife when it is established, n. 895 toward the end. At the end of Revelation the bride bridegroom speak, that is, the {w219} the church as if it were during the betrothal 960.

Bridle of a Horse [fraenum equi]. The bridle of a horse signifies that by which the understanding is guided, shown n. 653.

Brimstone. See Sulphur.

Bring Forth, to Travail in Birth, Birth [parere, parturire, partus]. To bring forth and to travail in birth signifies to conceive and bring forth those things which appertain to spiritual life, shown n. 535. See also Birth.

Brother [frater]. A man-brother is spoken of charity, and a companion of faith, shown n. 32. The Lord calls those who from him are in charity, brothers, illustrated and shown n. 32. But that it is not written, neither is it becoming, that they, on the other hand, should call the Lord brother, n. 32.

Building [structura]. Building or structure signifies every subject to which it relates, because the all of it is in the building, n. 911.

Bury, Burial, Monument [sepelire, sepultura, sepulchrum]. To be buried signifies to rise again, and to continue life, because all earthly and impure things are rejected, n. 506. Not to be buried signifies to continue in things earthly and unclean, and for that reason to be rejected as condemned, shown n. 506.

Buy, to [emere]. By buying and selling is signified to acquire knowledges of good and truth, or truths, and to teach them, shown n. 606. See To Trade. By the bought of the Lord are signified the redeemed, that is, the regenerate, n. 619.

787. 18:18 "Stood at a distance and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What other city may be compared to this great city?'" This symbolizes their mourning in a state apart over the damnation of the Roman Catholic religion, which they believed to be preeminent over every other religion in the world.

The merchants' standing at a distance symbolizes a time when they were as yet in a state apart from a state of damnation, and yet were afraid of being punished (nos. 769, 783). Their crying out symbolizes their mourning. The smoke of the city's burning symbolizes a state of damnation because of its adulteration and profanation of the Word (nos. 766, 767). Their saying, "What other city may be compared to this great city," means symbolically that they believed that religion to be preeminent over every other religion in the world. That great city symbolizes the Roman Catholic religion, here as a number of times above.

Everyone knows that Roman Catholics believe their religion to be preeminent over every other religion, and that their church is the mother, queen and mistress of them all. Everyone knows, too, that their believing so is continually instilled in them by canons and monks, and people attentive to it know also that the canons and monks are moved to do this by a fire to achieve dominion and material gain. And yet because of the power of their domination Roman Catholics cannot separate themselves from all the external practices of that religion; but they can nevertheless separate themselves from its internal constituents, since everyone's will and intellect, and so affection and thought, have been left, and continue to be left, in complete freedom.

574. And its mouth like the mouth of a lion. This symbolizes their reasonings based on falsities as though on truths.

A mouth symbolizes doctrine, preaching and discourse (no. 454), here reasoning based on doctrinal falsities, because the head containing the mouth symbolizes irrationality resulting from absolute falsities (no. 568). A lion symbolizes Divine truth in its power (nos. 241, 471), but here falsities in their power appearing as truth as a result of reasonings (no. 573). Consequently its mouth like the mouth of a lion symbolizes reasonings based on falsities as though on truths.

That the symbolic meanings of a leopard, bear and lion are as stated can be seen from the similar beasts that Daniel saw, which are described as follows:

Four great beasts came up from the sea... The first was like a lion, but had eagle's wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on its feet like a man, and a man's heart was given to it. ...a second beast (was) like a bear, and it raised itself up on one side, had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth, and was told, "Arise, devour much flesh!" ...(the third beast was) like a leopard, which had on its back four wings, like those of a bird, and the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it. ...a fourth beast (was) dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong, which had... iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet. (Daniel 7:3-7)

[2] These four beasts describe succeeding states of the church, from its first state to its last, until it was completely desolate of any good or truth of the Word prior to the Lord's advent. The lion symbolizes the Divine truth of the Word in the first state, by which the church was established. This is what is meant by its being lifted up from the earth and made to stand on its feet like a man, and its being given a man's heart.

The bear describes the church's second state, a state in which the Word is indeed read, but not understood. The three ribs between its teeth symbolize appearances and misconceptions, and much flesh symbolizes the literal sense of the Word in its totality.

The church's third state is described by the leopard, which symbolizes the Word falsified in respect to its truths. The four wings on its back, like those of a bird, symbolize affirmations of falsities.

The fourth and last state of the church is described by the beast which was dreadful and terrible, which symbolizes the destruction of any goodness or truth. That is why we are told that it broke in pieces and devoured, and trampled the residue with its feet.

Finally the Lord's advent is described, and the destruction of the church at that time and the establishment of a new one, from verse 9 to the end of the chapter.

[3] Daniel saw these four beasts come up from the sea one after another, but John saw the aforementioned three beasts, also from the sea, united in a single body. That is because in Daniel they describe succeeding states of the church, whereas in the book of Revelation here they describe the last state, in which all the prior states are present concurrently. Moreover, because this beast was seen to have a body like a leopard, feet like a bear, and a mouth like a lion, the leopard and bear mentioned in the one place and the other have the same symbolism. However, the mouth like that of a lion symbolizes reasonings based on falsities, because we are later told that the beast used its mouth to speak blasphemies (verses 5, 6), and because its heads symbolize irrationality resulting from absolute falsities.