281. And the fourth animal was like a flying eagle, signifies the appearance in ultimates of the Divine guard and providence in respect to intelligence and as to circumspection on every side. This is evident from the signification of "eagle," as being intelligence; here Divine intelligence which is that of the Lord's guard and providence. "Eagle" means intelligence because intelligence is in the light of heaven, and the eagle flies high that he may be there and may look about on every side; this is why this face of the cherub appeared "like a flying eagle;" for "to fly" signifies presence and clear vision on every side, and in reference to the Divine it signifies omnipresence. "Eagle" signifies intelligence for this reason also, that the "birds of heaven" signify in a good sense things intellectual and rational, and the eagle especially, because it not only flies high but also has keen vision. (That "the birds of heaven" signify things intellectual and rational, in both senses, seeArcana Coelestia 745, 776, 866, 988, 991, 3219, 5149, 7441)

[2] That "eagle" signifies intelligence is evident from the following passages in the Word. In Ezekiel:

A great eagle, great in wings, long in pinions, full of feathers, which had divers colors [embroidery], came upon Lebanon, and took a twig of cedar; he plucked off the head of its shoots, and carried it into a land of traffic; and set it in the city of spice dealers. He took of the seed of the land, and placed it in a field of sowing; he took it to great waters, and placed it carefully; and it sprouted and became a luxuriant vine of low stature, so that its branches looked to it, and the roots thereof were under it; so it became a vine that produced shoots and sent out boughs. And there was another great eagle, great in wings and full of feathers; and behold, this vine did bend its roots toward it and sent forth its branches toward it to water it from the beds of its plantation; it was planted in a good field by many waters, to make the bough and to bear fruit, that it might be a vine of magnificence (Ezekiel 17:1-8).

The establishment of a spiritual church by the Lord is here treated of, and in the internal sense the process of its establishment or of the regeneration of the man of that church from beginning to end is described. By the first eagle the process of regeneration of the natural or external man by means of knowledges [scientifica] and cognitions from the Word is described; and by the other eagle the process of regeneration of the spiritual or internal man by means of truths from good is described; therefore the first eagle signifies the intelligence of the natural man, and the second the intelligence of the spiritual man. Let it be also explained briefly what these particulars signify. The first eagle is said to have been "great in wings, long in pinions, full of feathers," and this signifies an abundance of the knowledges and cognitions [scientiarum et cognitionum] of truth and good, from which comes the first intelligence, which is the intelligence of the natural man; it is therefore said that "it had divers colors" [embroidery], for by "divers colors" is signified what relates to knowledge and cognition [scientificum et cognitivum] (See Arcana Coelestia 9688). "It came upon Lebanon, and took a twig of cedar," signifies the reception of some knowledges of truth from the doctrine of the church which is from the Word; for "Lebanon" signifies that doctrine, and "the twig of cedar" knowledges. "He plucked off the head of its shoots, and carried it into a land of traffic," signifies primary knowledges from that doctrine to which knowledges [scientiae] were applied; "the head of the shoots" signifying primary knowledges, and "the land of traffic" the natural man, to which things known belong. "He set it in the city of spice dealers" signifies among truths from good in the natural man; "spices" signifying truths which are agreeable because from good (See Arcana Coelestia 4748, 5621, 9474, 9475, 10199, 10254). "He took of the seed of the land, and placed it in the field of sowing; he took it to great waters, and placed it carefully," signifies multiplication; "the seed of the land" meaning the truth of the church; "the field of sowing," the good from which it grows; "great waters," the knowledges of truth and good; "to place carefully," separation from falsities; "and it sprouted and became a luxuriant vine, so that its branches looked to it [the eagle] and the roots thereof were under it," signifies the church coming to the birth through the arrangement of the knowledges of truth, and from their application to use. "So it became a vine that produced shoots and sent out boughs," signifies the beginning of the spiritual church, and the continual increase of truths. (That "vine" is the spiritual church, see Arcana Coelestia 1069, 6375, 9277.) Thus far the beginning of the church with man, which takes place in the natural or external man, has been described; its establishment which takes place in the spiritual or internal man is now described by the other eagle; because this signifies spiritual intelligence, it said that "the vine did bend its roots toward it, that is, the eagle, and send forth its branches toward it;" for "roots" signify knowledges [scientiae], and "branches" the cognitions of truth and good, which are all applied to the truths which are in the spiritual or internal man; without their spiritual application man does not become wise at all. The multiplication and fructification of truth from good, thus the increase of intelligence, is described by "the vine was planted in a good field, by many waters, to make the bough and to bear fruit, that it might be a vine of magnificence;" "a good field" is the church in respect to the good of charity; "many waters" are the knowledges of good and truth; "to form the bough" is to multiply truths; "to bear fruit" is to bring forth goods, which are uses; "a vine of magnificence" is the spiritual church, both internal and external. (But these things, since they are arcana of regeneration and of the establishment of the church with man, can be better understood from what is (New Jerusalem and Heavenly Doctrine51) (New Jerusalem and Heavenly Doctrine 183) brought together in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, from the Arcana Coelestia, On Knowledges [scientiis] and Cognitions, n. 51; and On Regeneration, n. 183.)

[3] That "eagle" signifies intelligence can also be seen in Isaiah:

They that wait upon Jehovah shall renew the strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles (Isaiah 40:31).

"To mount up with wings as eagles" is ascent into the light of heaven, thus into intelligence.

[4] In David:

Jehovah, who satisfieth thy mouth, so that thou shalt be renewed like an eagle (Psalms 103:5).

"To be renewed like an eagle" is to be renewed in respect to intelligence.

[5] In Moses:

Ye have seen how I bare you as on eagles' wings, and brought you unto Myself (Exodus 19:4).

"To bear as on eagles' wings, and to bring," also means into intelligence, because into heaven and its light.

[6] In the same:

Jehovah found him in the land of the wilderness. He led him about, He instructed him, He preserved him as the pupil of His eye. As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young; it spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh him, beareth him on her pinions, so Jehovah alone led him (Deuteronomy 32:10-12). This treats of the establishment of the Ancient Church, and the first reformation of those who were of that church; their first state is meant by "the land of the wilderness in which Jehovah found them;" "the land of the wilderness," is where there is no good because there is no truth; their instruction in truths, guarding them from falsities, and the opening of the interiors of their mind, that they may come into the light of heaven, and thus into the understanding of truth and good, which is intelligence, is described by "the eagle," its "nest on high," "it fluttereth over the young, and beareth them on the pinions;" comparison is made with the eagle, because "eagle" signifies intelligence.

[7] In the second book of Samuel:

Saul and Jonathan, swifter than eagles, and stronger than lions (2 Samuel 1:23).

"Saul" as a king, and "Jonathan" as a king's son, signify the truth of the church; and because intelligence is from truth, and also power, it is said that they were "swifter than eagles, and stronger than lions;" "swiftness" in the Word, in reference to intelligence, signifying the affection of truth. For David wrote his lamentation over Saul and Jonathan "to teach the sons of Judah the bow;" and "the sons of Judah" signify the truths of the church, and the "bow" means the doctrine of truth combating against falsities.

[8] In Job:

By thy intelligence doth the hawk fly, and spread her wings toward the south? At thy command doth the eagle mount up and make high her nest? In the rock she dwelleth and lodgeth; thence she searcheth her food; her eyes behold afar off; and where the slain are there is she (Job 39:26-30.)

Here intelligence is treated of, that no one can procure it from himself or from what is his own [ex proprio]; therefore it is said, "By thy intelligence doth the hawk fly, and spread her wings towards the south?" referring to man's leading himself into the light of intelligence (signified by the "south"), and here, that this is not possible. Intelligence itself, which is of the spiritual man, is described by "the eagle doth mount up, make high her nest, dwell and lodge in the rock, thence searching her food, and her eyes behold afar off." That no one has such intelligence from himself is signified by "Doth the eagle do this at thy command?" But that nothing but falsities can come from self-intelligence is signified by "where the slain are there is she;" "the slain" in the Word signify those with whom truths have been extinguished by falsities (See Arcana Coelestia, n. 4503).

[9] From this it can be seen what is signified by the Lord's words when the disciples asked Him where the Last Judgment would be, in Luke:

The disciples said, Where, Lord? He said unto them, Where the body is, there will the eagles be gathered together (Luke 17:37).

The "body" here means the spiritual world, where all men are together, both the evil and the good; and "eagles" signify those who are in truths, and also those who are in falsities, thus those who are in true intelligence and those who are in false intelligence. False intelligence is from what is man's own [ex proprio], but true intelligence is from the Lord through the Word.

[10] The falsities that are from self-intelligence are also described by "eagles" in the following passages in the Word. In Jeremiah:

Behold he ascendeth as the clouds, and his chariot as the storm, his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us, for we are devastated (Jeremiah 4:13).

The desolation of truth in the church is here treated of, and the "cloud" that ascends signifies falsities; "the chariot which is as the storm" signifies the doctrine of falsity; their avidity for reasoning against truths and destroying them, and pleasure in it, is signified by "their horses are swifter than eagles," for "swiftness" and "haste" in the Word signify being stirred by affection and lust (See Arcana Coelestia 7695, 7866); and "horses" signify the understanding of truth, and in a contrary sense, the understanding of falsity or the reasoning from falsities against truth (Arcana Coelestia 2760-2762, 3217, 5321, 6125, 6400, 6534, 7024, 8146, 8148, 8381); and because "horses" signify this, and "eagles" intelligence, here self-intelligence which is reasoning from falsities, therefore it is said, "their horses are swifter than eagles."

[11] In Lamentations:

Our pursuers were swifter than the eagles of the heavens (Lamentations 4:19).

And in Habakkuk:

His horses are nimbler than leopards, and are fiercer than the evening wolves, that his horsemen may spread themselves; whence his horsemen come from far, they fly as an eagle that hasteth to eat. He cometh all for violence (Habakkuk 1:8-9);

here too, "eagle" stands for the reasoning from falsities against truths, which is from self-intelligence.

5321. 'And he made him ride in the second chariot' means an outward sign that the celestial of the spiritual was the source of all the teaching about goodness and truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'the chariot' as teaching which has reference to goodness and truth, dealt with below, so that 'making him ride in the chariot' is a sign denoting that the celestial of the spiritual was the source of that teaching. This particular matter is connected with what Pharaoh has stated previously, in verse 40,

You shall be over my house, and all my people shall kiss you on the mouth; only in the throne will I be great, more than you.

The reason why teaching that has reference to goodness and truth is meant by 'Joseph' is that 'Joseph' represents the Lord's Divine Spiritual, 3971, 4669, and so Divine Truth going forth from the Lord's Divine Human, 4723, 4727, the celestial of the spiritual being an extension of that Divine Truth. The reason why all the teaching about goodness and truth is derived from the celestial of the spiritual is that in a real sense the Lord is that teaching since every detail of it comes forth from Him and every detail of it has reference to Him. For all that teaching has reference to the good of love and the truth of faith; and since the Lord is the source of these, He is not merely present within them but in a real sense is both of them. From this it is clear that teaching which has reference to goodness and truth has reference to the Lord alone, and that such goes forth from His Divine Human.

[2] No doctrine at all can possibly go forth from the Divine itself except through the Divine Human, that is, through the Word, which in the highest sense is Divine Truth coming from the Lord's Divine Human. That which goes forth directly from the Divine itself cannot be understood even by angels in the inmost heaven. The reason for this is that it is infinite and so surpasses all understanding, even that of angels. But that which goes forth from the Lord's Divine Human is capable of being understood, for such truth refers to God as Divine Man, of whom some idea can be formed from His Human. No matter what kind of idea has been formed about that Human, it is an acceptable one if only the good of innocence has been inspired into it and the good of charity is present within it. This is the meaning of the Lord's words in John,

Nobody has ever seen God; the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known. John 1:18.

In the same gospel,

You have never heard the Father's voice nor seen His shape. John 5:37.

And in Matthew,

No one knows the Father except the Son, and he to whom the Son wishes to reveal Him. Matthew 11:27.

[3] Chariots are mentioned in very many places in the Word, yet scarcely anyone knows that matters of doctrine concerning goodness and truth, and also factual knowledge attached to those matters of doctrine, are meant by 'chariots'. The reason for such lack of knowledge is that nothing spiritual, only what is natural and historical, enters their thinking when 'a chariot' is mentioned, or similarly when the horses in front of a chariot are mentioned. But in the Word the powers of the understanding are meant by 'horses', 2760-2762, 3117, and therefore 'a chariot' means matters of doctrine and associated factual knowledge.

[4] It has become clear to me from the chariots which I have seen so many times in the next life that 'chariots' means the matters of doctrine and also the factual knowledge which the Church possesses. There is also a place over on the right, around the lower earth, where chariots and horses, together with rows of stables, appear. In that place people who in the world were considered learned, and who thought that life was the end in view of learning, stroll and converse with one another. The origin of such chariots and horses seen by them lies with the angels in higher heavens; when these angels' conversation turns to intellectual concepts, and to matters of doctrine and to known facts, those chariots and horses are seen by the spirits around the lower earth.

[5] The fact that such things are meant by 'chariots and horses' is perfectly plain from the occasion when Elijah was seen riding into heaven in a chariot of fire with horses of fire, and from what both he and Elisha were called - 'the chariot of Israel and its horsemen'. The two of them are spoken of in the second Book of Kings as follows,

Behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire came between them, and Elijah went up in a whirlwind into heaven; Elisha saw this and cried out, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen. 2 Kings 2:11-12.

And in a reference to Elisha in the same book,

When Elisha was sick with the illness from which he died, Joash the king of Israel came down to him and wept before his face and said, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen. 2 Kings 13:14.

The reason they were called this is that both of them - Elijah and Elisha - represented the Lord as to the Word, see Preface to Genesis 18, and 2762, 5247 (end). The Word itself is primarily doctrinal teaching about what is good and true, for the Word is the source of all doctrinal teaching. It was for the same reason that Elisha's servant, whose eyes had been opened by Jehovah, saw around Elisha,

A mountain full of horses and chariots of fire. 2 Kings 6:17.

[6] The fact that 'chariot' means matters of doctrine and 'horse' intellectual concepts is also clear from other places in the Word, as in Ezekiel,

You will be filled at My table with horse and chariot, with mighty man and every man of war. Thus will I bring My glory to the nations. Ezekiel 39:20, 11; Revelation 19:18.

This refers to the Lord's Coming. Anyone can see that here 'horse and chariot' does not mean horse and chariot, for people are not going to be filled with these at the Lord's table but with such things as are meant spiritually by 'horse and chariot', which are intellectual concepts and matters of doctrine regarding what is good and true.

[7] Much the same is meant by 'horses' and 'chariots' in the following places: In David,

The chariots of God are myriad on myriad, ¹ thousands of peacemakers; the Lord is within them, Sinai is within the sanctuary. Psalms 68:17.

In the same author,

Jehovah covers Himself with light as with a garment; He stretches out the heavens like a curtain, laying the beams for His upper chambers ² on the waters; He makes the clouds His chariots; He walks on the wings of the wind. Psalms 104:2-3.

In Isaiah,

The prophecy of the wilderness of the sea. Thus said the Lord to me, Set a watchman; let him announce what he sees. He therefore saw a chariot, a pair of horsemen, a chariot of asses, a chariot of camels, and he listened diligently, with great care. For a lion cried out on the watchtower, O Lord, I am standing continually during the daytime, and at my post I have been set every night. Now behold, a chariot of men, a pair of horsemen. And he said, Fallen, fallen has Babylon. Isaiah 21:1, 6-9.

[8] In the same prophet,

At that time they will bring all your brothers in all nations as an offering to Jehovah, on horses, and in chariots, and in covered waggons, and on mules, and on fast runners, to My holy mountain, Jerusalem. Isaiah 66:20.

In the same prophet,

Behold, Jehovah will come in fire, and His chariots will be like a whirlwind. Isaiah 66:15.

In Habakkuk,

Has Jehovah been displeased with the rivers? Has Your anger turned against the rivers, has Your wrath turned against the sea, that You ride on Your horses, Your chariots being salvation? Habakkuk 3:8.

In Zechariah,

I lifted up my eyes and saw, and behold, four chariots coming out from between two mountains; but the mountains were mountains of bronze. The horses coupled to the first chariot were reddish, the horses coupled to the second chariot were black, the horses coupled to the third chariot were white, and the horses coupled to the fourth chariot were mottled. Zechariah 6:1-3.

[9] And in Jeremiah,

There will enter through the gates of this city kings and princes seated on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And this city will be inhabited for ever. Jeremiah 17:25; 12:4.

'The city that will be inhabited for ever' is not Jerusalem but the Lord's Church meant by 'Jerusalem', 402, 2117, 3654. The kings who will enter through the gates of that city are not kings but truths known to the Church, 1672, 1728, 2015, 2069, 3009, 3670, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 5068. Thus 'princes' are not princes but the first and foremost aspects of truth, 1482, 2089, 5044. Those 'seated on the throne of David' are Divine Truths which go forth from the Lord, 5313; and those 'riding in chariots and on horses' are consequently intellectual concepts and matters of doctrine. Chariots are also mentioned many times in historical descriptions in the Word; and since historical events are representative of, and the words used to describe them mean, the kinds of things that exist in the Lord's kingdom and in the Church, 'chariots' have a similar meaning there also.

[10] Since most things in the Word also have a contrary meaning, so too does 'chariots'. In that contrary sense matters of doctrine maintaining what is evil and false, also factual knowledge used to lend support to these, are meant by 'chariots', as in the following places: In Isaiah,

Woe to those who go down into Egypt for help and rely on horses and trust in chariots because they are many, and on horsemen because they are extremely strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 31:1.

In the same prophet,

By the hand of your ³ servants you have spoken ill of the Lord and have said, By the multitude of my chariots I have gone up [to] the height of the mountains, the sides of Lebanon, where I will cut down the tallness of its cedars, the choice of its fir trees. Isaiah 37:24.

This is a prophecy delivered in response to the haughty words spoken by the Rabshakeh, a leader serving the king of Assyria. In Jeremiah,

Behold, waters rising out of the north which will become a deluging stream, and they will deluge the land and all that fills it, the city and those who dwell in it. And every inhabitant of the land will wail at the sound of the beat of the hoofs of the horses his mighty ones, at the noise of his chariot, the rumble of its wheels. Jeremiah 47:2-3.

[11] In Ezekiel,

By reason of the abundance of his horses their dust will cover you; by reason of the noise of horsemen, and wheels, and chariots, your walls will be shaken, when he comes into your gates, like the entry into a city that has been breached. By means of the hoofs of his horses he will trample all your streets. Ezekiel 26:10-11.

In Haggai,

I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations. I will also overthrow the chariots and those riding in them; the horses and their riders will come down. Haggai 2:22.

In Zechariah,

I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, I will cut off the battle bow. On the other hand He will speak peace to the nations. Zechariah 9:10.

In Jeremiah,

Egypt comes up like the river, like the rivers his waters are tossed about. For he said, I will go up, I will cover the earth, I will destroy the city and those who dwell in it. Go up, O horses; rage, O chariots. Jeremiah 46:8-9.

[12] The horses and chariots with which the Egyptians pursued the children of Israel and with which Pharaoh entered the Sea Suph, when the wheels of the chariots were made to come off, and much else regarding the horses and chariots which forms the major part of the description - Exodus 14:6-7, 9, 17, 23, 25-26; 15:4, 19 - mean intellectual concepts, matters of doctrine, and known facts which maintain what is false. They also mean therefore reasonings which pervert and destroy the truths known to the Church. The destruction and death of such reasonings is described there.

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