大流士是巴比伦的国王。这意味着他的书信与尼布甲尼撒和伯沙撒属于同一类别。正如我们多次看到的那样，巴比伦描述了从对自我的爱出发，对其他人进行统治的爱。尼布甲尼撒代表了对道的篡改和对真理的破坏(破解啟示錄47)，它的力量来自对自我无节制的爱。随着他的故事的展开，我们看到了真理对自我之爱的影响，使其进入秩序，以及对主和他的话语的认可。在前四章中，尼布甲尼撒的地位下降，而但以理的地位上升。

第五章的最后一节告诉我们，大流士登上巴比伦的宝座时已经62岁了。年龄在圣经中总是表示状态，而岁数是该特定状态的品质。因此，这个年龄是对这个新国王的性格的一种洞察。

正如我们在第三章中所看到的，六代表一种不完整的状态，与 "二 "有相同的含义。天国的秘密900)--原因相同：它比表示完整的数字少一个。二在三之前，如同六在七之前。三 "和 "七 "都代表完整，例如，主在坟墓里呆了三天，或者圣父、圣子和圣灵三位一体。数字 "七 "也是类似的：在创造之后，主在第七天休息，在十诫中，我们被指示要遵守那一天，保持它的圣洁。"六 "与这种完美的代表相差无几，所以说明了一种不完美的状态。

大流士的图画开始出现，作为奠定信仰和善的基础工作的状态，因为我们把伯沙撒所描绘的公开的邪恶搁置起来。最初这些状态是软弱的，因为它们属于我们早期的重生。不应忘记软弱的根本原因。大流士通过杀死伯沙撒成为巴比伦的国王，从而代表我们对自我的爱。

但他与他的前辈们不同。尼布甲尼撒在对主的能力的理解和欣赏上有了进步，伯沙撒却没有。大流士完成了尼布甲尼撒的故事，即对自我的爱受到了责罚。自私在大流士身上得到了谦卑：他把但以理放在他政府的首位，仅次于自己。这一赞誉的含义不应该被忽视：既然自私只有被良心制服，那么良心就需要成为我们感情、思想和行动的主要动力。

"智者 "和 "治理者 "是但以理书前半部分的一个主题。虽然通常是失败的，但这些人是国王们最先寻求建议的人。他们代表了我们在中心自私下的习惯性思维（智者）和爱（管理者）。在这一章中，大流士将他的王国分为一百二十个省，每个省由一个 "萨特普 "或总督统治。

在内部意义上，这些官员代表了从中心或统治的爱中产生的思想和情感。大流士，就像他之前的尼布甲尼撒和伯沙撒一样，是巴比伦的国王，因此代表了我们对自我的爱，但是是在控制下的自我爱。所以萨特拉代表从这种爱中产生的情感。

数字 "一百二十 "是另一个复合数字，描述了萨特拉所代表的情感。在一个完美的正方形中，如数字一百，长度和宽度完全相等。因此，善良和真理的质量是相同的。十代表遗体的状态，或由主植入人类心灵的善与真的状态。十乘以十，使这一意义加倍--遗体的丰满(AC 1988 [2]).

对于 "一百二十"，我们必须加上最后的二十。二十是十乘以二。正如我们前面所看到的，二代表完整之前的状态，是实现这一完整的必要动荡(天国的秘密900).然而，数字 "二 "也描述了结合的状态，即通过生活中的考验和诱惑，使善与真达到和谐。

因此，一百二十个萨特拉象征着即将到来的再生状态，在那里，对自我的爱已经在一定程度上净化了伯沙撒所代表的亵渎。他们标志着人类重生的进展。但以理所代表的我们所学的真理在日常生活中得到更充分的表达。

大流士的统治是一个充满希望的统治，这一点得到了进一步的发展：在这一百二十个沙陀之上，大流士任命了三位 "总统"，但以理是其中的第一位。但以理将控制这块土地，沙陀们将向他报告，他将作为巴比伦的实际统治者进行统治。这与被俘的男孩被带出耶路撒冷有很长的路要走--从良知的第一次骚动，到我们的生活被牢牢置于良知的指导和控制之下，有很长的路要走。但以理被任命为这一权威职位是对真理在我们心中胜利的明确承诺，如果我们愿意听从它的引导，让它谦卑和审判我们，就像尼布甲尼撒和伯沙撒被谦卑和审判一样。

官员们看到但以理的地位崇高，就密谋反对他。当他们找不到他个人的问题时，他们计划利用他对主的奉献来破坏他。这就是我们的良心和我们对自我的爱之间的基本冲突点。即使自我的爱已经被制服，它仍然保留着一种自我抬高的倾向。在我们身上有一些东西使我们深情地回顾我们与自私作斗争之前的日子，这种记忆可能是转瞬即逝的，但却很有力。正是在那个时刻，我们很容易受到诱惑。这种软弱让来自自私的想法和态度重新抬头。我们又回到了自己的老路上。

在这种情况下，虽然当时看起来不是这样，但我们把自己置于上帝之上--我们说服自己，我们的需要、我们的愿望、我们的欲望比其他任何东西都重要。在后来看来可能是灵性疯狂的时刻，我们把良心放在一边，接受了我们知道是错误的概念、态度和行动。像大流士一样，我们被骄傲所诱惑。

在试探中，我们的爱给了我们安慰。如果我们爱善良、真理和做正确的事，那么这些爱就不能被诱惑所破坏。爱构成了我们精神生活的基础，如果它是好的，那么它就能为我们提供心灵的宁静和精神的力量，以战胜诱惑。因此，但以理的家，即他面对大流士的无理要求而逃离的地方，是我们爱的形象。

如果房子代表我们的爱，那么房子里的房间就是这些爱所产生的美好事物(天国的秘密3900).我们不能把好的思想、感情和活动与我们的爱分开，因为一旦我们重生，爱就会渗透到我们的整个生命中。在诱惑中，我们在这些方面得到安慰，我们必须提醒自己，我们已经取得了进步，主在他的怜悯中给了我们能力，使我们能够背弃那些几乎毁灭我们的纯粹的自私。

所以但以理面对耶路撒冷，他的家乡，跪下来，这代表了我们身上的教会：谦卑和顺服于主的能力。跪下是谦卑和崇拜的标志。它包含了对主在我们生命中的能力的认可。

但是，我们的自私很容易对我们提出荒谬的要求，这些要求会束缚良心，使其失去效力，这些要求与我们对真理的概念背道而驰。在为我们的良心设下这个陷阱之后，我们就开始指出它的不合规之处。我们经常告诉自己应该做这个或那个，尽管我们知道这是错的。当我们的良心刺痛我们，提醒我们真相的时候，我们就转身离开。

我们很容易只看到对我们自己的直接和积极的好处，就像大流士一定感到非常高兴，没有人愿意向任何男人或神明要求帮助，除了他自己。在一个有成千上万个家庭神的国家，这将是权力的缩影。它持续了多长时间？任何邪恶能持续多久？许多恶行在其影响开始显现之前，只给人以短暂的快乐。通奸、谋杀、偷窃、仇恨和报复只持续到发泄的时候。然后我们要面对的伤害是：内疚、恐惧、失去威望或尊敬、失去爱、失去朋友。

但以理在狮子坑里的故事是圣经中最著名的故事之一。从表面上看，它讲述的是勇气、解救和击败骄傲的故事。在内部意义上，它讲述了自私和良知之间的最后斗争。每个细节都有意义。

在圣经中，狮子的形象被用于与主的关系。他是犹大支派的狮子，能够打开《启示录》中密封的书卷。祂是吼叫的狮子，因为祂来为锡安山作战(以赛亚书31:4).因此，作为狮子的主说明了他的大爱，与侵扰人类的邪恶作斗争，并保护我们免受其害。

在这种情况下，狮子的含义从与邪恶和虚假斗争的美丽力量，从主的力量，到从强烈的自爱产生的 "绝望的胆量"。由于自爱得到了虚假推理的支持和支撑，所以用一块大石头封住了这个洞穴。

国王在绝望中度过的那一夜代表着蒙昧，这是诱惑的一个重要部分(天国的秘密1787, 2694, 7166).诱惑的特点是怀疑主的存在，以及重生是否真的可能(天国的秘密2334).这种怀疑开始时很温和，但随着时间的推移而增加。

正如哭泣的妇女发现主的坟墓是空的，有天使看守，所以大流士发现但以理在狮子中间活得很好。这是某种意义上的复活，因为但以理不应该在这场磨难中幸存下来，如果不是有天使堵住狮子的嘴，他也不会幸存下来。

在所有的试探中，主都在我们身边。他保护我们美好的爱情，我们的良心，我们对重生的渴望。神圣的天意总是努力引导我们走出诱惑，进入主的国度的充实和喜悦。这只有在我们愿意接受诱惑的情况下才能发生。这些从来不是为了它们本身而发生的，而是为了我们的灵性发展。

一旦我们作出决定顺服于主，就像夜里的大流士一样，他使我们从试探的束缚中得到自由。当大流士发现但以理是安全的，就命令把他从狮子坑里带出来。然后，那些炮制和操纵这场近乎悲剧的官员被扔进了狮子洞。这一行动，表面上很残酷，反映了我们最后自私的爱被抛弃。

良心的目的是让我们认识到上帝是王。这是一个胜利的故事。我们需要了解我们生命中最卑微的一面，当自私自利横行的时候。除非我们知道自己是谁，否则我们无法改变。知识给予改变的力量。来自圣经的知识在我们的头脑中形成一个平面，主可以流入其中。他的存在使我们的行为和反应、思考和感觉发生了变化。我们性格中的但以理一面是我们得救的手段，正如主保护历史上的但以理一样，他也保护和守卫我们的精神良知，确保它足够强大，能够在自私的问题上挑战我们，并有足够的力量带领我们进入属于他的王国的幸福和和平的状态。

2576. 'Behold, it is for you a covering of the eyes for all who are with you' means that rational truths are like a covering or garment for spiritual truths. This is clear from the meaning of 'a covering', to be dealt with immediately below, and from the meaning of 'the eyes' as things of the understanding, as is evident from very many places in the Word, and also from the meaning of 'seeing' as understanding, 2150, 2325. Anyone may see that each detail in this verse holds arcana within it which cannot be brought to light except by some interior sense - such as the detail that it is said 'he gave a thousand pieces of silver to her brother' not 'to her husband'; or the details that it was 'a covering of the eyes', and that it was 'for her and all who were with her', also 'with all'; or the detail 'so she was vindicated'. Many historical inferences might indeed be drawn from the sense of the letter, but none of these would have anything spiritual in them, still less anything Divine. Such is the nature of the Word.

[2] As regards rational truths being like a covering or garment for spiritual truths, the position is that the inmost parts of man's being belong to his soul, while the more exterior belong to his body. Man's inmost parts consist in goods and truths from which the soul has its life, or else the soul would not be a soul. Those which are more exterior however derive their life from the soul, and each one of them is like a body, or what amounts to the same, a covering or garment. This becomes clear in particular from the things that are seen in the next life, for example, from angels when these are presented to view. The interior parts of their beings shine from their faces, while the exterior are represented both in their bodies and in the clothes they are wearing, so completely that anyone there may recognize the character of those angels simply from the clothes they are wearing; for every angel consists of real substance and so is an essence given outward form. It is similar in the case of angels who have been seen and whose faces and clothing are described in the Word, such as those seen in the Lord's tomb, Matthew 28:3; Mark 16:5; and the twenty-four elders around the throne, Revelation 4:4; and others. Nor does this apply only to angels but also to everything else, even inanimate objects, mentioned in the Word. Their exteriors are a covering or garment as with the Ark of the Covenant and the tent surrounding it. 'The Ark' there, which was inmost, represented the Lord Himself, for the Testimony belonged there, while 'the tent' outside of it represented the Lord's kingdom. Every single one of 'the coverings' there, that is, the veils and screens, represented the exterior celestial and spiritual things within the Lord's kingdom, that is to say, within the three heavens. This becomes clear from the plan of it that was shown to Moses on Mount Sinai, Exodus 25:9; 26:30. It was this that gave it its holiness, not the gold and silver and the carvings that were in it.

[3] Since the matter of rational truths being like a covering or garment to spiritual truths is being discussed here, and since in Moses a description of the Tent is given - of its coverings or of its screens, and also of its veils in front of places of entry - let an explanation be given, for the sake of illustration, of what specifically was meant by the veils. (But what was meant by the enveloping covers will in the Lord's Divine mercy be stated elsewhere.) The Tabernacle had three veils, the first, which made a division between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies; the second, which is called a screen serving as a door into the tent; the third, which is called a screen serving as a gate into the court.

[4] The first of these, the veil itself, which was a screen in front of the Ark, is referred to in Moses,

You shall make a veil of violet and purple and twice-dyed scarlet and fine-twined linen. The work of a designer, ¹ you shall make it with cherubs on it. And you shall hang it on four pillars of shittim, overlaid with gold, and their hooks shall be of gold; [they shall stand] on four bases of silver. And you shall hang the veil under the clasps. And you shall bring in, within the veil, the Ark of the Testimony, and the veil shall divide for you the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. Exodus 26:31-34; 36:35-36.

This veil represented the most immediate and inmost appearances of rational good and truth, which occur among the angels of the third heaven. These appearances are described by the violet, purple, twice-dyed scarlet, and fine-twined linen, the red of which represented the goods that belong to love, and the white its truths. Also, the gold and silver with which the pillars were overlaid, and of which the hooks and bases were made had a similar representation. As regards colours being representative, see 1042, 1043, 1053, 1624; and as regards 'gold' meaning the good of love, 113, 1551, 1552, and 'silver' truth, 1551, 2048.

[5] This shows what is meant by the veil of the temple being torn in two, Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45 - namely that once all appearances had been dispelled the Lord entered into the Divine Itself, and at the same time He opened a means of access to the Divine Itself through His Human that had been made Divine.

[6] The second veil, or screen serving as a door to the tent, is referred to in Moses as follows,

You shall make a screen for a door of the tent, of violet and purple and twice-dyed scarlet and fine-twined linen, the work of an embroiderer. And you shall make for the screen five pillars of shittim and overlay them with gold, and their hooks shall be of gold; and you shall cast for them five bases of bronze. Exodus 26:36-37; 36:37-38

This screen represented the appearances of good and truth which are lower and more exterior than those mentioned already; that is, they are the middle appearances that belong to the rational, which occur among the angels of the second heaven. The description given to these appearances is virtually the same, the difference being that this screen had five pillars and five bases, by which number is meant something relatively small, for these appearances are not so unified or heavenly as the appearances belonging to the inmost or third heaven. Regarding the number 'five' meaning that which is small, see 649, 1686. And because these appearances look to natural things, it was commanded that the bases should be cast of bronze; for bronze represented and meant natural good, 425, 1551.

[7] The third veil, or screen serving as a gate into the court, is referred to in Moses as follows,

The screen for a gate of the court shall be twenty cubits [long], of violet and purple and twice-dyed scarlet and fine-twined linen, the work of an embroiderer; the pillars of it shall be four and the bases of these four. All the pillars of the surrounding court shall be fastened with silver; their hooks shall be of silver but their bases of bronze. Exodus 27:16-17; 38:18-19

This screen represented the still lower and more exterior appearances of good and truth, which are the lowest appearances belonging to the rational, and which occur among the angels of the first heaven. Because these appearances correspond to those that are more interior the description given to them is also much the same, the differences being that the pillars were not overlaid with gold but were fastened together with silver, while the hooks were made of silver - all of which mean rational truths such as have their origin immediately in factual knowledge - and the bases were made of bronze which mean natural goods. All these considerations show that there was nothing in the Tent which was not representative of the celestial and spiritual things of the Lord's kingdom; that is, they show that all those things were made so as to provide every type or imprint of the celestial and spiritual things that exist in the three heavens. And they also show that the coverings or screens meant things which, like a body or clothing, surround or are outside of that which is inmost.

[8] In addition to all this, the fact that coverings, screens, and a garment or clothes mean relatively lower truths becomes clear from many places in the Word, as in Ezekiel,

Fine linen with embroidered work from Egypt was your sail, violet and purple from the islands of Elishah was your covering. ² Ezekiel 27:7.

This refers to 'Tyre', which means interior cognitions of celestial and spiritual things, and therefore those who possess those cognitions, 1201. 'Embroidered work from Egypt' stands for factual knowledge - 'Egypt' meaning factual knowledge, 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462. 'Violet and purple from the islands of Elishah as a covering' stands for forms of ritual corresponding to internal worship, 1156.

[9] In the same prophet,

All the princes of the sea will step down from upon their thrones, and will remove their robes and will strip off their embroidered clothes. They will clothe themselves with tremblings; they will sit on the ground. Ezekiel 26:16.

This too refers to 'Tyre'. 'Robes' and 'embroidered clothes' stand for cognitions formed out of factual knowledge, and so stand for lower truths.

[10] In the same prophet,

I clothed you with embroidered cloth and shod you with badger, and I swathed you in fine linen and covered you with silk, and I adorned you with adornments and put bracelets on your hands and a chain on your neck. You took some of your garments and made for yourself gaily-decked high places and committed whoredom on them. You took your embroidered clothes and covered them. Ezekiel 16:10-11, 16, 18.

This describes 'Jerusalem', which is the spiritual Church, as it had been in early times and as it was subsequently when perverted. Its lower spiritual things and its matters of doctrine are the embroidered clothes, fine linen, and silk.

[11] In Isaiah,

The Lord, Jehovah Zebaoth, is taking away from Jerusalem and from Judah the whole staff of bread and staff of water. At that time a man will take hold of his brother, of his father's house, [saying,] You have clothing, you will be leader for us. On that day he will speak out, saying, I will not be a binder up; and in my house there is neither bread nor clothing. You shall not make me leader of the people. The Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion. And on that day the Lord will take away the finery of the anklets, and of the networks, and of the crescents, and of the necklaces, and of the chainlets, and of the bracts; ³ and the tiaras, and the garters, and the sashes, and the perfume boxes, ⁴ and the earrings; the rings, and the nose-jewels, the changes of clothes, and the robes, and the veils, and the pin-cases, and the mirrors, and the muslin, and the turbans, and the mantles. Isaiah 3:1, 6-7, 17-24.

'Jerusalem' stands for the spiritual Church, 'Judah' for the celestial Church, 'the staff of bread and the staff of water which will be taken away' for good and truth. 'The clothing which the leader will have' stands for the truths that make up doctrine. The various articles of clothing and adornments that are listed belonging to the daughters of Zion mean every single genus and species of good and truth which were to be taken away from them. Unless each item that is mentioned meant some specific detail of the Church they would not be part of the Word, every expression of which has what is Divine within it. 'The daughters of Zion' who are said to possess all these articles means those things that constitute the Church; see 2362.

[12] In the same prophet,

Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion, put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; no more may there come in to you the uncircumcised and the unclean. Isaiah 52:1-2.

'Zion' stands for the celestial Church, 'Jerusalem' for the spiritual, 'beautiful garments' for the sacred things of faith. In the same prophet,

Their webs do not become clothing, neither are they covered in their works. Their works are works of iniquity. Isaiah 59:6.

'Webs' stands for made-up truths which do not become clothing. 'Clothing' stands for exterior truths of doctrine and worship, hence the statement 'neither are they covered in their works'.

[13] In the same prophet,

I will greatly rejoice in Jehovah, my soul will exult in my God, for He will clothe me with the clothes of salvation, with the robe of righteousness has He covered me. Isaiah 61:10.

'The clothes of salvation' stands for truths of faith, 'the robe of righteousness' for the good that flows from charity. In John,

You have a few names also in Sardis, who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who conquers will be clad in white garments. Revelation 3:4-5.

In the same book,

Blessed is he who is awake and keeps his garments, so that he may not walk naked. Revelation 16:15.

In the same book,

On the thrones I saw twenty-four elders seated, clad in white garments. Revelation 4:4.

Here it is evident that 'garments' do not mean garments but spiritual things, which are forms of truth.

[14] The same may be seen in what the Lord said when speaking about the close of the age. When He said that people were not to turn back and fetch their garments, Matthew 24:18; Mark 13:16, truths were meant by 'garments', see 2454, as they also are in His reference to the man who was not wearing a wedding garment, Matthew 22:11-12, and in His reference to John,

What did you go out to see. A man clad in fine garments? Those who wear fine garments are in kings' houses. Matthew 11:8; Luke 7:25.

This means that they did not care about the external things of doctrine and worship but about the internal, and this is why He adds,

What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. Matthew 11:9.

'A prophet' here stands for the external things of doctrine and worship.

[15] As 'clothes' meant truths of every kind the children of Israel were commanded when leaving Egypt to ask from their neighbour for gold and silver, and for clothes, and to place them on their children, Exodus 3:22; 12:35-36.

[16] They were also commanded not to wear clothes made from different kinds of stuff, or to wear mixed ones, Leviticus 19:19; Deuteronomy 22:11; and were commanded to make tassels for the hems of their clothes, to put a violet cord there, and when they saw it were to recollect the commandments and carry them out, Numbers 15:38-40. In former times they also rent their clothes, as is evident in Joshua 7:6; Judges 11:35; 1 Samuel 4:12; 2 Samuel 1:2, 11-12; 3:31; 13:30-31; 15:32; 1 Kings 21:27; 2 Kings 5:7-8; 6:30; 22:11, 14, 19; Isaiah 36:22; 37:1. This action meant a zealous regard for doctrine and truth which had in a similar way been torn to shreds, and also a humble recognition that nothing existed with them, which is meant by the adornment of clothing.

[17] That veils, screens, garments, or clothes mean such things is also evident with the prophecy of Jacob, who by now was Israel,

He will bind his colt to the vine, and the foal of his ass to a choice vine. He will wash his clothing in wine, and his garment in the blood of grapes. Genesis 49:11.

What these words mean nobody can know except from the internal sense, that is to say, what is meant by 'a vine', 'a choice vine', 'a colt', 'the foal of an ass', 'wine', 'the blood of grapes', 'clothing', and 'garment'. That it is a reference to the Lord who in that prophecy is called 'Shiloh' is self-evident. The reference at this point is to Judah who represents the Lord's Divine celestial. 'The clothing he was to wash in wine' and 'the garment in the blood of grapes' mean His Rational and Natural which He was to make Divine.

[18] Similarly in Isaiah,

Who is this coming from Edom, with dyed clothes from Bozra, he that is glorious in his apparel, marching in the vast numbers of his strength? Why are you red as to your clothing, and your clothes like his that treads the winepress? And I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me. Their victory has been sprinkled on my clothes, and I have stained all my raiment. Isaiah 63:1-3.

Here also 'clothes' and 'raiment' stand for the Lord's Human which, by means of the conflicts brought about by temptations and by means of victories, He made Divine by His own power; hence the statement, 'I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me'. The reference to 'Isaac smelling the smell of Esau's clothes, and so blessing him' implies much the same, Genesis 27:27.

[19] The Holiness itself of the Lord's Divine Human was also a garment which was seen as light and as something dazzling white when He was transfigured, described in Matthew as follows,

When Jesus was transfigured His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became [white] as the light. Matthew 17:2.

In Luke,

When Jesus was praying the appearance of His face was altered; His clothing became dazzling white. Luke 9:29.

And in Mark,

When Jesus was transfigured His clothes became glistening, intensely white like snow, as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Mark 9:3.

The sacred vestments worn by Aaron when he went inside the veil, which were made of linen, were similarly representative, Leviticus 16:2, 4, and so were the sacred vestments 'for glory and adornment' when he ministered, which are described in Exodus 28:2-end; 39:1-end. Not a detail of those vestments failed to be representative.

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