Apocalypse Explained #72
72. Verse 16. And having in His right hand seven stars, signifies all knowledges of good and truth from Him. This is evident from the signification of "having in His right hand," as being from Him; for "hand" signifies power, thus it signifies whatever pertains to one, and so also whatever is from him. It is said "right hand," because "right hand" signifies the power of good through truth. (That "hand" signifies power, see Arcana Coelestia, n. Arcana Coelestia 878, 3091, 4931-4937, 6947, 10019; and consequently that it signifies whatever pertains to one, and so also whatever is from him, 9133, 10019, 10405; that the "right hand" signifies the power of good through truth, see n. 9604, 9736, 10061; and that "the right hand of Jehovah" signifies the Lord's Divine power, thus omnipotence, see n. 3387, 4592, 4933, 7518, 7673, 8281, 9133, 10019.) This is evident also from the signification of "stars," as being the knowledges of good and truth, of which more in what follows; and from the signification of "seven," as being all (See above, n. 20, 24).
[2] That "stars" signify the knowledges of good and truth, thus goods and truths, is from the appearance in the spiritual world; for there the Lord appears as a sun, and angels from afar off as stars. Angels appear thus from their reception of light from the Lord as a sun, thus from their reception of Divine truth, which is from the Lord, for this is the light of heaven. From this it is that it is said in Daniel:
The intelligent shall shine as the brightness of the expanse; and they that justify many, as the stars for ever and ever (Daniel 12:3).
The "intelligent" are they that are in truths, and "they that justify" are those that are in good (See the work on Heaven and Hell 346-348).
[3] When it is known to any that the "sun" signifies the Lord in respect to Divine love, thus also Divine love from the Lord, and that "stars" signify the truths of the church and knowledges thereof, these can also know what is signified in the Word where it is said that "the sun shall be darkened," and that "the stars shall not give light," also that they "shall fall from heaven;" and also what "stars" signify when mentioned elsewhere in the Word, as in the following passages. In Isaiah:
I will make the land a waste, and destroy the sinners thereof out of it; the stars of the heaven and the constellations thereof shall not shine forth with their light; the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not make bright her light (Isaiah 13:9-10).
The vastation of the church is here treated of, which is when there is no good of love any more, nor any truths of faith. The "land" that shall be laid waste is the church; the "land" is the church (as may be seen above, n. 29.
[4] In Ezekiel:
When I shall extinguish thee I will cover the heavens, and will make the stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not make her light to shine; all the luminaries of light will I make dark over thee, and I will set darkness upon the land (Ezekiel 32:7-8
"Darkness upon the land" means falsities in the church. In Joel:
The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars withdraw their brightness (Joel 2:10-11; 3:15).
In Matthew:
In the consummation of the age, after the affliction of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken (Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:24).
In Daniel:
From one of the horns of the he-goat went forth a horn, a little one, and it waxed exceeding great towards the south, and towards the east, and towards splendor; and it waxed great towards the host of the heavens; and some of the host and of the stars it cast down and trampled upon them. Yea, it magnified itself even to the Prince of the host (Daniel 8:9-11).
By the "host of the heavens" the goods and truths of the church in the complex are meant (See Arcana Coelestia 3448, 7236, 7988, 8019); in particular, such as combat against falsities (See n. 7277). From this Jehovah is called "Jehovah Zebaoth," that is, Jehovah of Hosts (See n. 3448, 7988).
[5] In Revelation:
The dragon with his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven to the earth (Revelation 12:4).
The "stars" here also are the goods and truths of the church, and the knowledges thereof; the "third part" is the greater part; but what is signified by the "dragon" will be told in what follows. In the same:
The stars of heaven fell unto the earth (Revelation 6:13).
In the same:
A star from heaven is fallen unto the earth (Revelation 9:1).
In the same:
There fell from heaven a great star burning as a torch; it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters (Revelation 8:10).
As "stars" signify the goods and truths of the church and the knowledges thereof, by their "falling from heaven" is signified that these perish. In David:
Jehovah telleth the number of the stars, He calleth them all by names (Psalms 147:4).
In the same:
Praise ye Jehovah, sun and moon; praise Him, all ye stars of light (Psalms 148:3).
In the book of Judges:
The kings came, they fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought (Judges 5:19-20).
Since the angels in the spiritual heaven shine as stars, and since all the truths and goods that are with the angels are from the Lord, therefore the Lord, as He is called an "Angel," is likewise called a "Star," as in Moses:
There shall arise a star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall arise out of Israel (Numbers 24:17).
In Revelation:
Jesus, the bright and morning Star (Revelation 22:16).
From this it can be seen:
Why the wise men from the east saw a star, and followed it, and why it stood where Jesus had been born (Matthew 2:1-2, 9).
From this it can now be known what is signified by the "seven stars" that were in the right hand of the Son of man, who there is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human (See above, n. 63).
Revelation 9
1
And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
2
And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
3
And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
4
And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
5
And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
6
And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
7
And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.
8
And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.
9
And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.
10
And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.
11
And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.
12
One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
13
And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14
Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.
15
And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.
16
And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
17
And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
18
By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.
19
For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.
20
And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
21
Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
