401. And the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood. That this signifies that all good of love was separated, and thence that all truth of faith was falsified, is plain from the signification of the sun, as denoting, in the highest sense, the Lord as to Divine love, and thence with man the good of love to the Lord from the Lord, of which we shall speak presently; from the signification of black as sackcloth of hair, as denoting separated; black being said of darkness, thus of what does not appear from any light. It is said, "as sackcloth of hair," because the Sensual of man is meant, which is the lowest part of the natural, and, consequently, around the interiors, in which it induces darkness. There are two minds in man, (a spiritual and a natural; the spiritual mind thinks and perceives from the light [luce] of heaven, but the natural mind thinks and perceives from the light [luce] of the world; from the latter, man has a light [lumen], which is called natural light [lumen]. It is the latter mind that is called the natural man, but the former is called the spiritual man. Because the natural mind is below or outside the spiritual mind, it is, consequently, also around it, for it encloses it on every side, therefore, it is called sackcloth of hair; for when the spiritual mind, which is the higher and more interior mind, is shut, then the natural mind, which is lower and more exterior, is in darkness as to all things of heaven and the church, for all the light possessed by the natural mind, and constituting the intelligence thereof, is from the light of his spiritual mind, which light is the light of heaven. The Sensual, which is the ultimate of the Natural, appears also as hairy in the light of heaven; hence it is that hair signifies the ultimate of the natural man, which is his Sensual (see n. 3301, 5247, 5569-5573).

[2] These things are mentioned in order that it may be known why it is said that the sun became black as sackcloth of hair; from the signification of the moon, as denoting spiritual truth, which is called the truth of faith, concerning which we shall treat presently; and from the signification of its becoming as blood, as denoting that truth was falsified; for blood, in the genuine sense, signifies Divine truth, and, in the opposite, violence offered to it, thus Divine truth falsified (that blood in the Word signifies these things, see above, n. 329); hence it is evident what the moon becoming as blood signifies. The reason why the sun signifies the Lord as to Divine love, and thence with man the good of love to the Lord from the Lord, and that the moon signifies spiritual truth, is, that the Lord in the heaven where the celestial angels are, appears as a Sun, and in the heaven where the spiritual angels are, as a moon. His appearance as a Sun is from His Divine love; for the Divine love appears as fire, whence the angels in the heavens have their heat; consequently, by celestial and spiritual fire, in the Word, is meant love. The Lord's appearance as a moon is from the light of that sun, for the moon derives her light (lumen) from that sun, and the light (lux) in heaven is Divine truth, consequently, by light in the Word is signified Divine truth. But concerning the sun and moon in the heavens, and concerning the heat and light thence, see what is shown in the work, Heaven and Hell 116-125, 126-140.

[3] That by sun in the Word is signified the Lord as to Divine love, and with man the good of love to the Lord, and by moon the Lord as to Divine truth spiritual, is plain from the following passages. In Matthew:

When Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, "his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment became as the light" (17:1, 2).

Because the Lord was then seen in His Divine, as to His face He appeared as the Sun, and as to His raiment, as the light, for the face corresponds to love, and garments correspond to truths; and because the Divine love was in Him, therefore, His face shone as the sun, and because the Divine truth was from Him, therefore His raiment became as the light; the light also in heaven is the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord as a Sun. (That the face, when said of the Lord, denotes love and every good, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 5585, 9306, 9546, 9888; and that raiment, when said of the Lord, signifies Divine truth, may be seen above, n. 64, 195.) The Lord appears in like manner in heaven before the angels, when He appears present to them, but then He appears outside the sun. Therefore He was also seen in like manner by John when he was in the spirit; as is clear in the Apocalypse, where it is said that

The face of the Son of Man "was seen as the sun shineth in his strength" (1:16).

That it was the Lord who was seen is evident (see above, n. 63).

[4] Similarly, when the Lord was seen by John as an angel, it is written,

"And I saw a strong angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud; and a rainbow was around his head, and his face was as the sun" (Apoc. 10:1).

For by angels, in the Word, in its spiritual sense, are not meant angels, but something Divine from the Lord, because the Divine that appears from them is not of them, but of the Lord with them. Similarly, the Divine truth which they speak, and which is full of wisdom, they do not speak from themselves, but from the Lord; for they have been men, and men derive all wisdom and intelligence from the Lord. Hence it is evident that by an angel in the Word is meant the Lord, who also on this occasion appeared as a Sun. (That by an angel in the Word is meant something Divine from the Lord, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 1925, 2821, 3039, 4085, 6280, 8192; that on this account angels in the Word are called gods, n. 4295, 4402, 7268, 7873, 8301, 8192.

[5] Hence when the church was represented as a woman, the sun then appeared round about her; concerning which it is thus written in the Apocalypse:

"A great wonder was seen in heaven; a woman encompassed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars" (12:1).

That by the woman here is signified the church, will be seen in the explanation to be given in the following pages. (That a woman signifies the church may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 252, 253, 749, 770.) And because the church is from the Lord, therefore, she was seen encompassed with the sun. What is signified by the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars, will also be shown in that explanation.

[6] Hence it is said by David:

"The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, a morning without clouds, by clear shining after rain" (2 Sam. 23:3, 4).

By the God of Israel, and by the Rock of Israel, is here meant the Lord as to the church, and as to Divine truth therein; by the God of Israel, as to the church, and by the Rock of Israel, as to Divine truth therein; and because the Lord is the sun of the angelic heaven, and the Divine truth proceeding from Him is the light of that heaven, it is therefore said of the Divine that He spoke, which is Divine truth, as the light of the morning when the sun riseth; because this is pure, and proceeds from His Divine love, it is therefore added, "a morning without clouds, by clear shining after rain," for the shining of the light, or of the Divine truth proceeding from Him, is from the Divine love; after rain signifies after communication and reception, for its shining then is with angels and men to whom it is communicated, and by whom it is received. (That the Rock and the Stone of Israel denote the Lord as to Divine truth, may be seen, n. 6426, 8581, 10580; and that light denotes the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord as a Sun, thus from His Divine love, in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 126-140.)

[7] Similarly it is said, in the book of Judges, respecting those who love Jehovah:

"Let them that love him be as the sun arising in his might" (5:31).

(That Jehovah, in the Word, denotes the Lord as to the Divine good of Divine love, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 1736, 2921, 3035, 5041, 6303, 6281, 8864, 9315, 9373, 10146.) Concerning those who love Him, it is said, "as the sun arising in his might," by which is signified the Lord's Divine love in them. Respecting them it is also said in Matthew that they shall shine as the sun:

"The just shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of my Father" (13:43).

In the Word, those are called just who love the Lord, that is, from love do His commandments; and they shine as to the face with an effulgence like that of the sun, because the Lord's Divine love is communicated to them and received by them, by virtue of which the Lord is in their midst, that is, in their interiors, which manifest themselves in the face. That those are called just who are in the good of love towards the Lord, may be seen above, n. 204.

[8] In David:

"His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in the clouds" (Psalms 89:36, 37).

These things are said concerning the Lord, and concerning His heaven and church, for by David, who is there treated of in the sense of the letter, is meant the Lord (as may be seen above, n. 205). By his seed which shall endure for ever, is signified the Divine truth, and those also are signified, who receive it. By his throne which [shall endure] as the sun before Me, are signified His heaven and church, which are in celestial good, which is the good of love. By the throne which shall be established for ever as the moon, is signified heaven and the church, which are in spiritual good, which is Divine truth. By a faithful witness in the clouds, is signified the Word in the sense of the letter, which is called a witness because it testifies, the clouds denoting the sense of the letter of the Word.

[9] In the same:

"They shall fear thee with the sun, and before the moon, a generation of generations. In his day shall the just flourish; and much peace until the moon is not. His name shall endure for ever, before the sun shall the name of the Son be held: and all nations shall be blest in him" (Psalms 72:5, 7, 17).

These things also are said of the Lord, for this Psalm treats of Him; and because the Lord appears in heaven to those who are in His celestial kingdom as a Sun, and to those who are in His spiritual kingdom as a moon, therefore it is said, "They shall fear thee with the sun, and before the moon, a generation of generations; that the just shall flourish in that day; and much peace until the moon is not," signifies, that those who are in love to the Lord, shall continue in truths from that good, because truths with those who are in the celestial kingdom, or who are in love to the Lord, are implanted in them, for those are called just who are in the good of love, and peace is said of that good. But that it may be known how this is to be understood, namely, until the moon is not, it shall be told. The light proceeding from the Lord as a Sun, differs from the light which proceeds from the Lord as a moon in the heavens, as much as the light of the sun in the world by day differs from the light of the moon in the world by night; similarly, the intelligence of those who are in the light of the sun of heaven, [differs] from the intelligence of those who are in the light of the moon there; therefore, those who are the light of the sun there, are in pure Divine truth; but those who are in the light of the moon there, are not in pure Divine truth, for they are in many falsities, which they have derived from not understanding the Word in the sense of the letter; these falsities still appear to them as truths. From these things it is evident that by "until the moon is not" is signified until there is [no] falsity with them, which appears as truth, but pure truth which makes one with the good of love. It should, however, be known that the falsities of those who are in the light of the moon in the heavens, are falsities in which there is no evil, and that, therefore, such [falsities] are accepted by the Lord as if they were truths (concerning which falsities, see the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 21). This, therefore, is what is signified by "until the moon is not," namely, with those who are meant by the just, in whom there is much peace. But, in the highest sense, by those words are meant the Lord as to His Divine Human, that this shall become the Divine good of the Divine love, therefore it is also added, "before the sun shall the name of the Son be held." By the Son is meant the Lord's Divine Human; and because by the nations are meant all those who are in good, or who receive the good of love from the Lord, it is therefore said, "and all nations shall be blessed in Him." That by nations are signified those who are in good, and by peoples those who are in truths, may be seen above, n. 331.

[10] In Isaiah:

"There shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every lofty hill, brooks and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers shall fall. And the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days" (30:25, 26).

These things are said concerning the Last Judgment, which is meant by the day of the great slaughter, when the towers shall fall. By the towers which shall fall are meant those who are in evils and the falsities thence, specifically those who are in the love of ruling by the holy things of the church (as may be seen in the work concerning the Last Judgment 56, 58). That it shall then be granted to those who are in love to the Lord and in charity towards the neighbour, to understand truths, is signified by, "There shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every lofty hill, brooks and streams of waters." Those who are upon a high mountain, are those who are in the good of love to the Lord, a high mountain signifying that good; those who are upon a lofty hill, are those who are in the good of charity towards the neighbour, a hill signifying that good, brooks and streams of waters signifying intelligence from truths. That then there shall be truth in the Lord's spiritual kingdom, as there was formerly truth in the celestial kingdom, and that then the truth in the celestial kingdom shall become the good of love, is meant by, "The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days"; for by light is meant the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; by the light of the moon, the Divine truth in the spiritual kingdom, and by the light of the sun, the Divine truth in the celestial kingdom; by sevenfold is signified full and perfect, and truth is then full and perfect when it becomes good, or is good in form. It is evident that the sun and moon in the earths are not meant, but the sun and moon in the heavens. It should be known, that when the Last Judgment takes place, the Lord appears in the heavens in much greater effulgence and splendour than at other times, and this because the angels there must then be more powerfully defended; for lower things, with which the exteriors of the angels have communication, are in a state of disturbance. This is why, when the Last Judgment is here treated of, it is said, "The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days"; and therefore it is also said that there shall then be brooks and streams of waters upon every high mountain, and upon every lofty hill, by which [is signified] abundance of intelligence with those who are upon the higher mountains and higher hills, for the lower mountains and hills are those upon which judgment takes place. (That the Lord appears to those who are in His celestial kingdom as a Sun, and to those who are in His spiritual kingdom as a moon, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 116-127; and that the light from them is the Divine truth, n. 127-140.)

[11] In the same:

"Thy sun shall no more go down, and thy moon shall not withdraw itself: for Jehovah shall be for a light of eternity unto thee, and the days of thy mourning shall be fulfilled" (60:20).

The Lord is here treated of, and the new heaven and the new earth, that is, the church to be established by Him. That the good of love to the Lord and the good of charity towards the neighbour should not perish with those who are in that church, is meant by, "Thy sun shall no more go down, and thy moon shall not withdraw itself"; for, to those who are in the good of love to Him, the Lord appears as a Sun, and to those who are in truths from the good of charity towards the neighbour, as a moon; hence by thy sun is signified the good of love to the Lord, and by thy moon the good of charity, which, in its essence, is truth from good. That they shall continue to eternity in truths from the good of love, and in truths from the good of charity, is meant by, "Jehovah shall be for a light of eternity unto thee, and the days of thy mourning shall be fulfilled." A light of eternity is said of those who are in the good of love to the Lord, and the fulfilling of the days of mourning, of those who are in the good of charity towards the neighbour, or in truths from good; for mourning, with those who belonged to the ancient churches, represented grief on account of the loss or destruction of truth and good; that they shall be fulfilled, signifies that they shall be ended, and so that they shall be in truths from good. From these things it is evident what is signified by the sun becoming as sackcloth of hair, and the moon becoming as blood, namely, that the good of love to the Lord is separated, and, consequently, truth is falsified.

[12] Things almost similar are signified in the following passages. In Isaiah:

"Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh, cruel with indignation and the wrath of anger, to lay the land waste; and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of the heavens and the constellations thereof shine not with their light; the sun shall be darkened in his rising, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. I will visit their wickedness upon the world, and upon the impious their iniquity" (13:9-11).

By the day of Jehovah, cruel with indignation and the wrath of anger, is signified the day of the Last Judgment; by the stars of the heavens and the constellations thereof not shining with their light, the sun being darkened in his rising, and the moon not making her light to shine, is signified, that the knowledges (cognitions) of good and truth have perished, also the good of love to the Lord, and the good of charity towards the neighbour, and consequently, the truth which is called the truth of faith; for by stars are signified the knowledges of good; by constellations, the knowledges of truth; by the sun, the good of love to the Lord; and by the moon, the good of charity towards the neighbour, which, in its essence, is truth from good, and is called the truth of faith. The sun is said to be darkened in his rising, and the moon not to make her light to shine; not that the sun and moon in the angelic heavens are darkened, for the sun there is always in its effulgence, and the moon in its splendour; but before those who were in evils and the falsities thence, goods and truths are thus [obscured]; therefore it is thus said according to the appearance, for those who are in evils and the falsities thence, turn themselves away from the good of love and charity, consequently, from the Lord, and then they will nothing but evil, and think nothing but falsity, and those who will and think nothing else, see nothing but thick darkness and darkness (caliginem et tenebras) in the things that pertain to heaven and the church. Because such persons are meant, with whom the sun is darkened and the moon does not make her light to shine, therefore it is said, "to lay the land waste, and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it," and afterwards, "I will visit their wickedness upon the world, and their iniquity upon the impious." By the land and the world is signified the church; by laying it waste, is signified that there is no longer any good; and by visiting upon the world their wickedness, and upon the impious their iniquity, is signified the Last Judgment.

[13] In Ezekiel:

"When I shall extinguish thee, I will cover the heavens, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. All the luminaries of light in the heavens will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land" (32:7, 8).

These things are said concerning Pharaoh king of Egypt, by whom the natural man separate from the spiritual is there signified. This, when separated, is entirely in thick darkness and in darkness as to all things of heaven and the church, and as far as it is separated it denies them; for the natural man sees nothing in such things from itself, but through the spiritual man from the Lord, for the natural man is in the heat and light of the world, whereas the spiritual is only in the heat and light of heaven. From these things it is evident what is meant by the details here, namely, that by, "When I shall extinguish thee, I will cover the heavens," are signified the interiors, which are in the light of heaven; by, "I will make the stars thereof dark," are signified the knowledges of good and truth; by, "I will cover the sun with a cloud," is signified the good of love to the Lord; by, "the moon shall not cause her light to shine," is signified the good of charity towards the neighbour and the truth of faith thence; by, "All the luminaries of light will I make dark over thee," are signified all truths; and by, "I will set darkness upon thy land," are signified falsities.

[14] In Joel:

The day of Jehovah cometh. A day of darkness and of thick darkness, a day of cloud and obscurity. Before him the earth is moved; the sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining (2:1, 2, 10).

In the same:

"The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh" (2:31).

In the same:

"The day of Jehovah is near in the valley cut off. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars have withdrawn their shining" (3:14, 15).

In the Evangelists:

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven" (Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:24, 25).

In the Apocalypse:

"The fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; and the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise" (8:12).

And elsewhere:

"There arose a smoke out of the pit of the abyss, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke" (9:2).

That in these passages, by the sun and the moon being darkened (tenebratos) is meant that there were no longer any good and truth, is plain from what has been said above; therefore they are no further explained.

[15] Because such things are signified by the sun being darkened, therefore the sun was darkened when the Lord was upon the cross, because He was entirely rejected by the church, which was then among the Jews, and they were, consequently, in dense darkness or in falsities. Concerning this [it is] thus [written] in Luke:

"At the sixth hour darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour, for the sun was darkened" (23:44, 45).

This was done for a sign and a token that the Lord was denied, and that hence there was no good and truth among those who belonged to the church; for all signs from the heavens, among them, represented and signified such things as pertain to the church, because the church with them was a representative church, or consisted of such things in externals as represented, and thence signified, the internal things of the church. That darkness came over the whole land, signified that, with those who belonged to the church, there was nothing but falsities of evil, the whole land denoting the whole church, and darkness signifying falsities. That it continued for three hours, namely, from the sixth to the ninth hour, signified that [there remained] utter falsity, and no truth whatever; for the number three signifies full, whole, and entirely, and six and nine signify all things in the aggregate, here falsities and evils. And inasmuch as falsities and evils were with them because the Lord was denied, it is therefore said, and darkness came, and the sun was darkened. By the sun which was obscured the Lord is meant, who is said to be obscured when falsities so prevail in the church that He is not acknowledged, and evils so [prevail] that He is crucified. (That all things in general and particular recorded in the Word concerning the Lord's passion, are significative, may be seen above, n. 64, 83, 195 at the end.)

[16] In Micah:

"Jehovah said against the prophets that seduce the people, Night shall be unto you, instead of a vision; and darkness shall rise upon you, instead of divination; and the sun shall set over the prophets, and the day shall grow black over them" (3:5, 6).

What these words signify in the spiritual sense, may be seen above (n. 372), where they are explained.

In Amos:

"It shall come to pass in that day, that I will cause the sun to set at mid-day, and I will darken the earth in the day of light" (8:9).

By these words is signified that in the church, where the Word is, from which good and truth can be known, there is nevertheless nothing but evil and falsity. To cause the sun to set, and to darken the earth, signify evil of the life, and falsity of doctrine in the church; for by the rising of the sun is signified the good of love, which is the good of life, and by the setting of the sun is signified evil of the love, which is evil of the life; and by the darkening of the earth is signified the falsity of doctrine thence, darkness signifying falsities, and the earth the church. By, at mid-day, and, in the day of light, is signified, when knowledges of good and truth may be there, because they have the Word; mid-day signifying, where there are knowledges of good, and the day of light, where there are knowledges of truth. That they are from the Word is, because the latter are said of the church where the Word is.

[17] In Habakkuk:

"The mountains were moved; the overflowing of the waters passed by. The sun and moon stood in [their] place; for light thine arrows go forth, for splendour the lightning of thy spear" (3:10, 11).

In this chapter the Lord's advent and the Last Judgment then [accomplished] by Him, are treated of. By the mountains being moved, and the overflowing of the waters passing by, is signified that those are rejected who are in the love of self and of the world, through the falsities of evil into which they are let. Mountains signify the loves of self and of the world; and the overflowing of the waters signifies immersion in the falsities thence; waters denoting falsities, and overflowing denoting immersion. That genuine truths and goods do not then appear to them, but instead thereof imaginary truths and goods, which in themselves are falsities and evils, is signified by, "for light thine arrows go forth, for splendour the lightning of [thy] spear"; arrows or lightnings (fulgura) signifying imaginary truths, which in themselves are falsities, and the lightning (fulmen) of the spear signifying imaginary goods, which in themselves are evils of falsity. For such signs appear in the spiritual world, with those who are in falsities from the loves of self and the world, when the Last Judgment takes place, and such are rejected.

[18] Because in this prophet it is said, "The sun and moon stood still in their place," it shall also be explained what is signified by the sun resting in Gibeon, and the moon in the valley of Ajalon; concerning which it is thus written in Joshua:

"Then spake Joshua to Jehovah, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, rest thou in Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun rested, and the moon stayed, until the nation was avenged upon its enemies. Is not this written in the book of the Upright (Recti)? And the sun stood in the midst of the heaven, neither hasted to go down about a whole day" (10:12, 13).

That it is said that the sun stood in Gibeon, and the moon in the valley of Ajalon, signified that the church was entirely vastated as to all good and truth; for [a battle] was then fought against the king of Jerusalem and the kings of the Amorites; and by the king of Jerusalem is signified the truth of the church entirely vastated by falsities, and by the kings of the Amorites is signified the good of the church vastated by evils; therefore those kings were smitten with hailstones, by which were signified the dire falsities of evil. It is said that the sun rested and the moon stayed in [their] place, namely, before the sons of Israel, that they might see their enemies; but this is prophetical, although it is historically related, as is evident from the fact of its being said, "Is not this written in the book of the Upright?" which was a prophetical book from which they were taken; therefore from the same book it is also said, "Until the nation was avenged upon its enemies," and not, "Until the sons of Israel were avenged upon their enemies," nation being used prophetically. The same is also evident from this, that this miracle, if it had thus taken place, would have inverted the whole order of the world; the rest of the miracles in the Word would not do this. In order, therefore, that it might be known that this was said prophetically, it is added, "Is not this written in the book of the Upright? But nevertheless, that there was a light given to them from heaven, as the light of the sun in Gibeon, and as the light of the moon in the valley of Ajalon, is not to be doubted.

[19] In Jeremiah:

"She that hath borne seven shall languish; she shall breathe out her soul; her sun shall set while it is yet day; it shall be ashamed and blush; and the remains of them will I deliver to the sword before their enemies" (15:9).

By, "She that hath borne seven shall languish; she shall breathe out her soul," is signified the church to which the Word and thereby all truths are given. To bear seven denotes, to be gifted with all the truths of the church, as in the first book of Samuel (2:5), as may be seen above (n. 257). By, "her sun shall set while it is yet day," is signified that the good of the church would perish, although it possessed the Word, and by it might have been in light. "It shall be ashamed and blush" - that is, the sun - signifies because good and truth are not received, but evil and falsity, as is also evident from the passage immediately following from Isaiah. "The remains of them will I deliver to the sword before their enemies," signifies that all the remaining good and truth shall perish by falsity from evil, remains denoting all that is left; to be delivered to the sword denoting, to perish by falsities; [and] enemies denoting evils.

[20] In Isaiah:

"Jehovah will visit upon the host of the height in the height, and upon the kings of the earth upon the earth. Then the moon shall blush, and the sun be ashamed" (24:21, 23).

To visit signifies to destroy, because visitation precedes judgment, when those who are in evils and the falsities thence are destroyed. By the host of the height in the height are signified all the evils from the love of self. By the host are signified all evils; by the kings of the earth, falsities of every kind; and by the earth, the church. It is hence evident what is signified by, "Jehovah will visit upon the host of the height in the height, and upon the kings of the earth upon the earth." The reason why it is said, upon the host of the height in the height, is, that those who are in the love of self, in the spiritual world seek high places. By, "Then the moon shall blush, and the sun be ashamed," is signified that there is no longer any reception of Divine truth and Divine good, the moon and the sun signifying the truth of faith and the good of love, which are said to blush and be ashamed when they are no longer received, but instead thereof falsity and evil.

[21] In David:

"Jehovah, who made the heavens by his intelligence, hath stretched out the earth upon the waters. He hath made great luminaries; the sun to rule by day; the moon and stars to rule by night. He hath smitten Egypt in their first-born; and hath brought out Israel from their midst" (Psalms 136:5-11).

He who knows nothing of the spiritual sense of the Word, must hold that these words involve nothing but what appears in the sense of the letter; but yet each particular involves such things as relate to angelic wisdom, these being all things Divine, celestial, and spiritual. The new creation or regeneration of the men of the church, of whom the church [is formed] is thereby described. By the heavens which [Jehovah] hath made by His intelligence, are signified the internal things of the men of the church, which, in one expression, are called the spiritual man, where intelligence resides, and where their heaven is. By the earth which He hath stretched out upon the waters, is signified the external of the church, which, in one expression, is called the natural man. It is here said to be stretched out upon the waters, because therein are the truths by which he is regenerated, waters denoting truths. By the great luminaries, the sun, the moon, and the stars, are signified the good of love, the truth from that good, and the knowledges of good and truth - by the sun, the good of love; by the moon, the truth from that good; and by the stars, the knowledges (cognitions) of good and truth. The reason why it is said that the sun was made to rule by day, is that the day signifies the light of the spiritual man, for it has enlightenment and perception from the good of love; and the reason why it is said that the moon and the stars were made to rule by night, is that the night signifies the light of the natural man, for the light of this is to the light of the spiritual man, comparatively as the light of the night from the moon and the stars, to the light of the day from the sun. Because the regeneration of the men of the church is treated of, it also follows, "He hath smitten Egypt in their first-born; and brought out Israel from their midst," for by Egypt is signified the natural man, such as he is from birth, namely, in absolute falsities from evil; the first-born thereof denote primary things, and the destruction of these while man is being regenerated, is meant by, "He hath smitten Egypt in their first-born." By Israel is signified the spiritual man, and by bringing him out from their midst, is signified to open, and thus to regenerate it; for the man of the church is regenerated from the Lord by the dissipation of the falsities from evils, in the natural man, and by the opening of the spiritual man, which is effected from the Lord by means of spiritual light, which is Divine truth.

[22] Similar things are signified by these words in Genesis:

"God made two great luminaries; the great luminary to rule by day, and the lesser luminary to rule by night, and the stars" (1:16).

The subject treated of in this chapter is the new creation or the regeneration of the men of whom the Most Ancient Church [was constituted], which is described in the sense of the letter, by the creation of heaven and earth. Similar things also are signified by these words in Jeremiah:

"Thus said the Lord Jehovih, who giveth the sun for the light of the day, and the ordinances of the moon and the stars for the light of the night" (31:35).

By the ordinances of the moon and the stars, are signified all things that are effected in the natural man according to the laws of order.

[23] In David:

"Praise ye Jehovah, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts; praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all ye stars of light; praise him, ye heaven of heavens" ([Ps.] 148:1-4).

By praising Jehovah is signified to worship Him. By the angels are signified those who are in Divine truths from the good of love, for such are angels. By all the hosts are signified goods and truths in their whole compass. By the sun and moon are signified the good of love and the truth from that good. By the stars of light are signified the knowledges of truth from good. By the heavens of heavens are signified goods and truths both internal and external. Because man worships the Lord from those things that he has from the Lord, thus from the goods and truths which he has, and because man also is a man from them, it is therefore said to them, namely, to the sun, moon, and stars, by which are signified goods and truths, that they shall praise, that is, worship Jehovah. Who does not know that the sun, moon, and stars do not praise, that is, worship?

[24] In Moses:

Of Joseph he said, blessed of Jehovah be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, for the deep that also lieth beneath, and for the precious things of the produce of the sun, and for the precious things brought forth of the months" (Deuteronomy 33:13, 14).

These words [occur] in the blessing of the children of Israel by Moses; because by Joseph are meant the Spiritual-Celestial, who are those who are the highest in the spiritual kingdom, and thence communicate first of all with those who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom. By his land is signified that spiritual kingdom, also the church formed of those. By the precious things of heaven, the dew, and the deep that also lieth beneath, are signified things spiritual-celestial in the internal and external man. By the precious things of the produce of the sun, and the precious things brought forth of the months, are signified all things that proceed from the Lord's celestial kingdom, and all things that proceed from His spiritual kingdom, thus the goods and truths thence. For by the sun is signified the good of love to the Lord from the Lord, which is the good those possess who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom; by the produce thereof are signified all the things that proceed thence. By the things brought forth of the months, are signified all the things that proceed from the Lord's spiritual kingdom; here months signify the same things as [are stated] of the moon, namely, truths from good, for the same word is used for both in the original tongue. But he who knows nothing of the two kingdoms of heaven, the celestial and the spiritual, and of their conjunction by intermediates, will be in obscurity respecting those things that have now been said. (But respecting those kingdoms and respecting the intermediates, see what is adduced in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 20-28.)

[25] In Isaiah:

"I will make thy suns a ruby, and thy gates into stones of carbuncle, and all thy border into stones of desire" (54:12).

These things are said of the Gentiles outside the church, from whom a new church was to be established by the Lord. By, "I will make thy suns a ruby," is signified, that goods [shall be] brilliant from the fire of love, suns there denoting the goods of love, and the ruby denoting a brilliance as from fire. By, "I will make thy gates into stones of carbuncle," is signified, that truths [shall be] resplendent from good, gates denoting the introductory truths, specifically the doctrinals that are from good. For all genuine truths of doctrine proceed from good, and are goods; and carbuncle stones signify their brightness from good, all precious stones signifying truths from good, [and] the colour, brightness, and fire thereof, indicating the quality of truth from good. By, "I will make all their border into stones of desire," is signified, that the scientific truths which pertain to the natural man, shall be pleasant and delightful from good; for by a border is meant the same as by a foundation, and this is the natural man, because in the things there the goods and truths of the spiritual man are terminated, and stones of desire denote truths pleasant and delightful from good. By these are meant the goods and truths of the Word which those have who belong to the New Church, [and] which will be of such a nature. That the sun signifies the good of love, is also evident from the fact of their being called suns in the plural number.

[26] In Job:

"If I rejoiced that my wealth was great, and that my hand had found much; if I beheld the light that it shone, and the moon that it walked clearly; and my heart hath secretly misled itself, and my hand hath kissed my mouth" (31:25-28).

By these words in the spiritual sense is meant that he had not acquired to himself intelligence from the proprium, and that he had taken no merit to himself, nor gloried in it; for, "If I rejoiced that my wealth was great, and that my hand had found much," signifies, had he gloried that he had intelligence, and that he had acquired it to himself from the proprium? wealth denoting the knowledges of good and truth, by which intelligence [is attained]; and "that my hand had found much," denoting what he acquired from the proprium. "If I beheld the light that it shone, and the moon that it walked clearly," signifies the spiritual truths that constitute intelligence; the sun and the moon signifying spiritual truths. "And my heart hath secretly misled itself, and my hand hath kissed my mouth," signifies, have I thence gloried inwardly? and have I claimed them to myself?

[27] In Matthew:

"That ye may be the sons of your Father which is in the heavens; for he maketh his sun to arise upon the evil and the good, and sendeth rain upon the just and the unjust" (5:45).

Charity towards the neighbour is here treated of, as is evident from what precedes and follows here, and specifically concerning the Jews, who accounted the Gentiles as enemies, and their own [countrymen] as friends. That they ought to love the former just as with the latter, is illustrated by the Lord by this comparison. But because all comparisons in the Word are from correspondences, and thence signify, as do other things that are not said comparatively, therefore this comparison also [corresponds]; and by, the Father in the heavens maketh His sun to rise upon the evil and the good, and sendeth rain upon the just and the unjust, is signified that the Lord flows in from heaven with the Divine good of love and with the Divine truth, equally with those who are outside the Jewish Church, as with those who are within it, the sun also there signifying the good of love, and the rain the Divine truth. The evil and the unjust signify, in the internal sense, those who belonged to the Jewish Church, because they did not receive; and the good and the just signify those who were outside that church, and did receive. In general, all the evil and good, and the just and unjust, are those who are here meant, for the Lord flows in with good and truth equally with all, but all do not equally receive.

[28] Because the sun signifies the Lord as to Divine love, therefore He is called the Sun of justice in Malachi ( 3:20); and a Sun and Shield in David (Psalms 84:11). Because the sun signifies the good of love to the Lord with man, hence [by], from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof, are signified all those who are in the good of love to the Lord, from the first to the last, from the rising of the sun [denoting] from the first, and to the going down of the sun [denoting] to the last, as in the following passages. In Malachi:

"From the rising of the sun even unto the going down [thereof], my name shall be great among the nations" (1:11).

In David:

"From the rising of the sun unto the going down [thereof], the name of Jehovah [is to be] praised" (Psalms 113:3).

In the same:

"God, Jehovah God, speaketh, and shall call the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof" (50:1).

In Isaiah:

That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the setting, that there is none beside me (45:6).

In the same:

From the setting of the sun shall they fear the name of Jehovah (Ex. 19).

In the same:

"I will stir up [one] that shall come from the north, and [one] that shall invoke my name from the rising of the sun" (41:25).

The reason why, from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof, signifies all those, from the first to the last, who are in the good of love to the Lord, is that all dwell in heaven according to quarters. Those who are in the good of love to the Lord dwell from the east to the west; in the east, those who are in the clear good of love, and in the west those who are in the obscure good of love. Hence it is that, from the rising of the sun to the going down thereof, are signified all those from the first to the last who are in the good of love. Its being said in Isaiah, I will stir up [one] that shall come from the north and from the rising of the sun, signifies those who are outside the church and those who are within it. For the north signifies an obscurity of truth, thus those who are outside the church, because they are in obscurity as to truths, since they have not the Word, and, consequently, know nothing concerning the Lord; and the rising of the sun signifies those who are within the church, because they have the Word in which the Lord is always present, and so in His rising. (That by the east, or the rising of the sun, and by the west, or the setting of the sun, is meant the good of love in clearness, and the good of love in obscurity, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 141, 148-150); and that by the north is meant truth in obscurity, in the same chapter (n. 148-150), for there the four quarters in the spiritual world are treated of.) By the setting of the sun is also signified the state of the church when it is in ignorance, which is its first state; and by the rising of the sun is signified its state when it is in light. By the setting of the sun is also signified the state of the church when it is in evils and the falsities thence; and by the rising of the sun, when it is in goods and the truths thence.

[29] The first state of the church, when it is still in ignorance, is signified by the commencement of the passover in the evening when the sun was set; according to these words of Moses:

"Thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the stated time of thy going forth out of Egypt" (Deuteronomy 16:6).

For by the feast of the passover was signified the celebration of the Lord on account of deliverance from damnation, which is effected by regeneration, and, in the highest sense, the remembrance of the glorification of the Lord's Human, because thence is deliverance (as may be seen, n. 7093, 7867, 9286-9295, 10655). And because the first state of regeneration is a state of ignorance, therefore that feast commenced in the evening, when the sun was going down. That state is also signified by the departure of the sons of Israel from Egypt; for in Egypt they were in a servile state, and thence in a state of ignorance, therefore it is said, "at the stated time of the going forth out of Egypt."

[30] The last state of the church, which is when the church is in falsities and evils, which is its last state, is signified by the going down of the sun, in Moses:

"When the sun was about to go down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, a terror and great darkness fell upon him. At length, when the sun had set, and it was dark, behold, a furnace of smoke, and a torch of fire that passed through between those pieces" (Genesis 15:12, 17).

These things are said of the posterity of Abram from Jacob, or of the Israelitish and Jewish nation; and by, "When the sun was about to go down," and by, "At length, when the sun was set," is signified the last state of the church in that nation, that they were in absolute falsities and evils. The great darkness and the furnace of smoke, signify falsities from evil; and the torch of fire signifies the dire love of self, from which their evils and falsities [proceeded].

[31] As most things in the Word also have an opposite sense, so also have the sun and moon, and, in that sense, the sun signifies the love of self, and the moon, the falsities thence. The reason why such things are signified by the sun and moon is, that those who are in a natural, and not in a spiritual idea, do not think beyond nature, and hence when they see that from those two luminaries, or from their light and heat, all things arise upon the earth, and, as it were, live, they suppose that they are the rulers of the universe; they do not elevate their thoughts higher. This is the case with all those who are in the love of self, and thence in evils and falsities, for such are merely natural and sensual men, and the merely natural and sensual man does not think beyond nature, for what he does not see and touch, he believes to be nothing. The ancients, with whom all things of the church consisted of representatives of spiritual things in natural, and with whom, therefore, the sun signified the Lord as to Divine good, and the moon Him as to Divine truth, and who therefore in worship turned their faces to the rising of the sun-those among them who were in the love of self, and thence were merely natural and sensual, began to worship, as their chief gods, the sun and the moon which they saw with their eyes. And because they alone did this, or persuaded others who were in the love of self, and thence in evils and falsities, to do it, therefore, by the sun is signified the love of self, and by the moon the falsity thence. This is still more evident from those spirits in the other life who had been of such a quality in the world; these avert the face from the Lord, and turn it to certain dark objects (caliginosum et tenebricosum) there, which are in place of the sun and moon of the world, from opposition to the sun and moon of the angelic heaven (concerning which more may be seen in the work concerningHeaven and Hell 122, 123). By such persons was the worship of the sun and moon instituted in ancient times, when all Divine worship was representative. But at this day, representatives having ceased, the worship of the sun and moon does not exist in the Christian world, but instead thereof the worship of self, which exists with those in whom the love of ruling predominates. Hence it is now clear what is signified by the sun and moon in the opposite sense.

[32] That in ancient times they worshipped the sun and moon, is manifest from the Gentiles, who dedicated shrines to them, of which [there are records] in many histories; that the Egyptians also, as well as the Jews and Israelites, [worshipped the sun and moon] is plain from the Word. That the Egyptians [did so may be seen] in Jeremiah:

The king of Babylon "shall come, and shall smite the land of Egypt, and shall break in pieces the statues of the house of the sun, in the land of Egypt" (43:11, 13).

That the Jews and Israelites also [did so, may be seen] in Ezekiel:

I beheld "their faces towards the east; and they bowed themselves towards the rising of the sun" (8:16).

The abominations of Jerusalem are here treated of. In the second book of Kings:

Josiah the king "put down the idolatrous priests, who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, the moon, and to the stars, and to all the host of the heavens. He furthermore took away the horses that the kings of Judah had set up to the sun, at the entering in of the house of Jehovah, and burned the chariots of the sun with fire" (23:5, 11).

In Jeremiah:

"They shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of his princes, and the bones of his priests, and the bones of his prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and they shall spread them to the sun and the moon and all the host of the heavens, whom they have loved, and whom they have served" (8:1, 2).

And also 44:17-19, 25; Deuteronomy 4:19; 17:3, 5).

[33] Because by Moab in the Word are signified those who are in the life of falsity from the love of self; and as by their worship [is signified] the worship of self, therefore, when the Israelitish people approached the worship of the Moabitish people, it was commanded that the heads of the people should be hung up before the sun; concerning which circumstance it is thus written in Moses:

"The daughters of Moab called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods; and the people did eat, and bowed themselves down unto their gods. Especially did Israel join himself unto Baalpeor; wherefore Jehovah said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the sun" (Num. 25:1-4).

That Moab signifies those who are in the life of falsity from the love of self, and who thence adulterate the goods of the church, may be seen, n. 2468, 8315.

[34] Hence also it is clear that the sun of the world signifies the love of self. Because the love of self lets man into his proprium, and keeps him therein, for man's proprium looks to himself continually, and is nothing but evil, and from evil every falsity exists, therefore by the heat of the sun is signified adulterated truth, which in its essence is the falsity of evil. This is signified by the heat of the sun in the following passages. In the Apocalypse

"The fourth angel poured out his vial into the sun; and it was given unto him to scorch men with fire" (16:8).

And elsewhere:

"They shall hunger no more, neither shall the sun light upon them, nor any heat" (7:16).

In David:

"The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. Jehovah shall guard thee from all evil; he shall guard thy soul" (Psalms 121:6, 7).

By the sun is here meant the love of self, and by the moon the falsity thence; because all evil is from that love, and from that [all] falsity, therefore it is said, "Jehovah shall guard thee from all evil, and he shall guard thy soul," the soul signifying the life of truth.

[35] In Matthew:

"Other seeds fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth; and when the sun was risen they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away" (13:5, 6; Mark 4:5, 6).

By the seeds are signified truths from the Word, or those which man receives from the Lord, for it is afterwards said, that it is the Son of Man that soweth. By stony places is signified an historical faith, which is the faith of another in man, for he believes it to be true, not because he sees it in himself, but because another, in whom he trusts, has said it. By ground is signified spiritual good, because this receives truths, as ground does seeds. By the sun being risen is signified the love of self; and by the seed being scorched and withering away, are signified to adulterate and to perish. Hence it is clear what is signified by these words of the Lord in a series, namely, that the truths implanted from infancy from the Word or from preaching, when man begins to think from himself, are adulterated and perish by lusts from the love of self. All things, indeed, in the Word, are truths, but they are adulterated by the ideas of the thought concerning them, and their application, whence truths, with such, are not truths except as to the utterance of them only. The reason why this is so, is that all the life of truth is from spiritual good, and spiritual good resides in the higher or interior mind, which is called the spiritual mind. This mind cannot be opened with those who are in the love of self, for they look to themselves in everything. If they raise their eyes to heaven, still the thought of their spirit dwells on self, and, consequently, from the fire of its own glory, it excites things sensual, external, and corporeal, which have been taught from childhood to imitate such affections as pertain to the spiritual man.

[36] It is written in Jonah that the gourd, which came up over him, withered away, and that the sun smote his head so that he fell sick; these words, because they are not intelligible without the internal sense, shall be explained in a few words. Of these things, it is thus written in Jonah:

"Jehovah prepared a gourd, which came up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to turn away his evil, and Jonah rejoiced over the gourd. And God prepared a worm, when the morning rose the next day, which smote the gourd that it withered. It further came to pass, when the sun arose, that God prepared a drying east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, and he was sick, whence he wished that his soul might die. Then God said to Jonah, Is it just for thee to be angry over the gourd? He said, It is just for me to be angry, even unto death. Jehovah said, Thou hast had pity upon the gourd, for which thou hast not laboured; thou hast not done what is perfect, because thou wast made a son of night, and a son of night perisheth; shall not I have pity upon Nineveh, a great city, in which are more than twelve thousand of men?" (4:6-11).

By these things is described the character of the Jewish nation, that they are in the love of self and the falsities thence. Jonah belonged to that nation, and therefore was sent to Nineveh; for the Jewish nation possessed the Word, whence they were able to teach those who were outside the church, and are called Gentiles; these are signified by Nineveh. Because the Jews were, more than others, in the love of self and in the falsities from that love, they wished well to none but themselves, consequently not to the Gentiles, but hated them; and because that nation was of such a quality, and Jonah represented it, therefore, he was very angry that Jehovah should spare Nineveh, for it is said,

"Jonah was sick with a great sickness, so that he was angry, and from the sickness of anger he said, Take, O Jehovah, my soul from me; for my death is better than my life" (verses 1, 3).

This evil in that nation is signified by the gourd, which the worm smote, so that it withered away. By the sun which beat upon the head of Jonah, is signified the love of self, which prevailed in that nation; and by the drying east wind, the falsity thence; and by the worm which smote the gourd, is signified the destruction of evil and the falsity thence. That this is signified by the gourd, is evident from these things in this description, that Jonah at first rejoiced over the gourd, and that after the gourd was smitten by the worm and withered, that he was angry for it, even unto death, and also from its being said, that he had pity upon the gourd. That the Jewish nation, because in love of such a kind, and in the falsity of such a kind thence, was liable to damnation, is meant by these words to Jonah, thou hast not done what is perfect, because thou wast made a son of night, and a son of night perisheth. (That the Jewish nation was of such a quality, may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 248.)

[37] The reason that the love of self is signified here and in the preceding passages, is, that by the sun, in the genuine spiritual sense, is signified love to the Lord, and to this love the love of self is opposed. The Lord's Divine love, also, which is present with every one, is turned into the love of self with the evil. For everything that flows into a recipient subject is changed into what agrees with its own nature; as the pure heat of the sun is turned into an offensive smell in subjects of such a nature and the pure light of the sun, into hideous colours in objects of such reception; hence it is that by the sun which beat upon the head of Jonah, is signified the love of self, in himself. And also in Matthew, by the risen sun, by which the seeds upon the stony places were scorched.

[38] In the Apocalypse:

"The city" New Jerusalem "has no need of the sun and moon, to shine in it; for the glory of God doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the lamp thereof" (21:23; 22:5).

By the sun here, of which the city New Jerusalem will have no need, is signified natural love, which, viewed in itself, is the love of self and the world; and by the moon is signified natural light, for natural light viewed in itself is from natural love, and the quality of the light is according to the quality of the love; but spiritual love and spiritual light are signified by, the glory of God shall lighten it, and the Lamb is the lamp thereof.

[39] That such is the meaning of these words, is quite clear from these words in Isaiah:

"The sun shall be no more a light to thee by day; and in shining the moon shall not give light to thee; but Jehovah shall be unto thee for a light of eternity, and thy God for thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down, and thy moon shall not withdraw itself; for Jehovah shall be unto thee for a light of eternity, and the days of thy mourning shall be fulfilled" (Isaiah 60:19, 20).

Similar things are signified by the sun and moon in a former passage adduced above in the Apocalypse, namely, by the sun [is signified] merely natural love, and by the moon, the natural light thence. But by the sun and the moon in the last passage are meant the sun and moon of the angelic heaven, and by that sun is signified the Lord's Divine love, and by the moon the Divine truth, as explained above. For it is first said, "The sun shall be no more a light to thee by day, and in shining the moon shall not give light to thee"; and afterwards it is said, "Thy sun shall no more go down; and thy moon shall not withdraw itself." From these things it is now clear what the sun and the moon signify in both senses.

355. (Verse 2) And I saw, and behold a white horse. That this signifies the understanding of truth from the Word, is clear from the signification of a horse as denoting the Intellectual; and from the signification of white, which is said of truth. (That a horse signifies the Intellectual is evident from what is adduced and shown in the small work concerning the White Horse; and that white is said of truth, may be seen above, n. 196.) It is said that a white horse was seen when the Lamb opened the first seal, and a red horse when He opened the second, a black horse when He opened the third, and a pale horse when He opened the fourth; and because a horse signifies the Intellectual, specifically as to the Word, it may hence appear that the understanding of truth from the Word, and its quality with the men of the church, are here described by horses. Whether it is said that it is described, or those who are therein, amounts to the same thing; for men, spirits, and angels, are the subjects concerned. Hence it can be known that in this chapter, and in those immediately following, in the internal or spiritual sense, the Word is described as to the understanding. This is also evident from the ninth verse of this chapter, where, after those four horses were seen, and then the fifth seal was opened, it is said,

"I saw the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God";

and also from the nineteenth chapter of this book, where it is said:

The name of him that sat upon the white horse is called the Word of God (verse 13).

That by a horse the Intellectual is signified, and the understanding of truth from the Word by a white horse, may be seen shown in the small work above cited concerning the White Horse; but in it because only a few passages were adduced from the Word, to confirm that the horse signifies the Intellectual, I desire here to adduce further passages in order that there may be a full confirmation.

[2] In Ezekiel:

"Gather yourselves from all around to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you. Ye shall be filled at my table with horse and chariot, with the mighty man, and with every man of war. So will I give my glory among the nations" (39:17, 20, 21).

The calling together of all to the Lord's kingdom is here treated of, and specifically the establishment of the church with the Gentiles; for the spiritual captivity in which the nations were, is treated of, and their liberation from it. By the sacrifice which should be sacrificed, is signified all worship by which the Lord is worshipped. By being filled at my table, is signified with all spiritual food, which being the understanding of truth from the Word and from doctrine thence, it is said, with horse and chariot; horse signifying the understanding of truth from the Word, and chariot signifying doctrine thence. And it is also said, "with the mighty man, and with every man of war"; and by a mighty man is signified truth from good, which destroys evil, and by a man of war is signified truth from good, which destroys falsity. Unless such things were signified, what purpose would be served that they should be filled with horse and chariot, with the mighty man, and with every man of war?

[3] Also in the Apocalypse:

"Gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them" (19:17, 18).

In the preceding passages the Word and its spiritual sense are there treated of; here, they are now invited to learn truths, and to perceive goods. And by the supper of the great God is signified instruction in truths, and thence the perception of good from the Lord; and by the flesh of kings, of captains, of mighty men, of horses, and of them that sit on them, are signified truths of every kind, which are from good; flesh signifies good; kings signify Divine truths in general; captains, the same specifically; mighty men, natural truths; horses, intellectual truths; and they that sit on them, spiritual truths. That the flesh of kings, of captains, of mighty men, of horses, and of them that sit on them, is not meant here is evident to every one.

[4] In Habakkuk:

"Was Jehovah displeased with the rivers? was thine anger against the rivers? was thy wrath against the sea, that thou ridest upon thy horses? Thy chariots [are] salvation. Thou hast trodden the sea with thy horses, the mud of many waters" (3:8, 15).

Who does not see that by horses here are not meant horses; for it is said of Jehovah, that He rideth upon His horses, and that He treadeth the sea with His horses, and that His chariots are salvation? But this is said, because by riding upon horses is signified that Jehovah, that is, the Lord, is in the understanding of His Word in its spiritual sense; and because thence is the doctrine of truth, which teaches the way of salvation, it is added, Thy chariots are salvation, chariots signifying doctrine; and by treading the sea with horses, is signified that Jehovah, that is, the Lord, is in the understanding of His Word in its natural sense; for the sea there signifies it, and in general all things of the natural man, and for the natural man; and because Divine truths are there in their ultimate, it is therefore added, the mud of many waters, mud signifying the ultimate from which and in which [are truths], and waters signifying truths.

[5] In Zechariah:

"I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; and the bow of war shall be cut off; on the contrary he shall speak peace to the nations" (9:10).

The Lord's advent is here treated of, and the establishment of the church amongst the gentiles. That there would then be nothing of the church remaining with the Jews, is described by, "I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the bow of war shall be cut off," by which is signified that there would be no longer any truth in doctrine, nor understanding of truth; and thence no combat and resistance against falsity. By Ephraim is signified the church as to the understanding of truth, and by Jerusalem the church as to the doctrine of truth; by chariot the doctrine itself, and by horse the understanding itself; and by the bow of war combat and resistance against falsity. The establishment of the church with the gentiles is signified by, "He shall speak peace to the nations," the nations signifying all those who are in the good of love to the Lord (see above, n. 331); peace signifies that good, and thence all things of the church. (That Ephraim signifies the church as to the understanding of truth, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 3969, 5354, 6222, 6234, 6237, 6267, 6296; and that Jerusalem signifies the church as to doctrine, in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 6; and above, n. 223.)

[6] In the same:

"And in that day, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and the horseman with madness; and I will open mine eye upon the house of Judah, but every horse of the people will I smite with blindness" (12:4).

The devastation of the former church, and the establishment of a new, are the subjects here treated of. The devastation of the former church is described by, "In that day I will smite every horse with astonishment, and the horseman with madness; and every horse of the people will I smite with blindness." That by horse is here signified the understanding of truth with the men of the church, and by the horseman, the affection of spiritual truth, whence comes the understanding thereof, is evident; what otherwise would the purpose be that the horse should be smitten with astonishment, and the horse of the people with blindness? Astonishment is said of the understanding when it has no perception of good, and blindness of it when it has no perception of truth. By the house of Judah is signified the church with those who are in the good of love to the Lord, and thence in the doctrine of truth from the Word (see above, n. 119, 211); therefore it is said, "I will open mine eye upon it," by which is signified to enlighten them that they may see truths.

[7] In the same:

"In that day there shall be upon the bells of the horses, Holiness to Jehovah" (14:20).

Here also the Lord's advent is treated of, and the invitation of all to the church; and by the bells of the horses are signified scientifics and knowledges, and thence preachings which are from the understanding of truth. And because all understanding of truth is from the Lord, and hence the knowledges and the preachings themselves, therefore it is said, "There shall be upon the bells of the horses, Holiness to Jehovah." Because bells signify such things, therefore also there were bells of gold upon the borders of Aaron's robe around about (Exodus 28:33-35).

[8] In Moses:

"Dan shall be a serpent upon the way, an asp upon the path, biting the heels of the horse, and the rider of it shall fall backwards; I wait for thy salvation, O Jehovah" (Genesis 49:17, 18).

This is a prophetic declaration of the father of Israel, concerning the tribe of Dan, by which tribe are signified the ultimate things of the church, thus those who are in the ultimates of truth and good, who are called sensual; for there are in the church those who are spiritual, and those who are natural, and the natural are interior, middle, and ultimate. The ultimate are the sensual who do not elevate themselves, as to the thought, beyond the sense of the letter of the Word. These are meant by Dan; their quality is described by this prophetic declaration, namely, that Dan is a serpent upon the way, an asp upon the path, biting the heels of the horse, and the rider of it shall fall backwards. By the serpent upon the way, and the asp upon the path, is signified the Sensual as to truth and good; by the heels of the horse are signified the ultimates of the understanding of truth and good; and by the rider, reasoning therefrom; and because the Sensual, viewed in itself, does not see truths, because it does not apprehend things spiritual, and thence easily slips into falsities unless continually withheld from them by the Lord, therefore it is said, "And the rider of it shall fall backwards; I wait for Thy salvation, O Jehovah." (That by Dan are signified the ultimates of the church, may be seen, n. 1710, 6396, 10335; that by a serpent is signified the Sensual, which is the ultimate of the understanding, n. 6398, 6949, 8624, end, 10313, and above, n. 70; that by way is signified truth, n. 627, 2333, 10422, and above, n. 97; and that by the heel is signified the ultimate Natural, or the Natural Corporeal, n. 259, 4938, and following numbers. What the Sensual is, and the quality of sensual men in both senses, may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 50.)

[9] In Zechariah:

"I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, when behold, four chariots going out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass. To the first chariot were red horses; to the second chariot black horses; to the third chariot white horses; and to the fourth chariot grisled horses, strong. The angel said, These are the four winds of heaven, going forth from standing near the Lord of the whole earth. The black horses which are therein going forth into the land of the north; and the white went forth after them; and the grisled went forth into the land of the south. And the strong went forth, and sought to go that they might wander on the earth. And he said, Behold, these that go forth to the land of the north, have caused my spirit to rest in the land of the north. And they that are afar shall come and shall build in the temple of Jehovah" (6:1-8, 15).

This prophetic declaration cannot be understood by any one, unless he knows what chariots and horses signify, and what red, black, white, grisled, and strong signify; also what the land of the north and the land of the south signify. The church to be propagated among those who as yet were in no light of truth, because they had not the Word, is here treated of. By the north is meant the obscure [idea] of truth which they possessed; by the south, a clear [idea] of truth; by horses is meant their understanding; by red, black, white, and grisled are meant the quality thereof in the beginning, and the quality thereof afterwards; by red, the quality of their understanding as to good in the beginning; by black, the quality of their understanding as to truth in the beginning; and by white, the quality of their understanding as to truth afterwards; and by grisled, its quality as to truth and good at the last; by the strong is meant its quality as to the power of resisting evils and falsities. From these things it is now evident what is signified by the black horses going forth to the land of the north, and the white going forth after them, and by, "They have caused my spirit to rest in the land of the north," namely, that those who, from the good of life, are in the affection of knowing the truths of the church, receive and understand. No others are enlightened. Enlightenment and reception with those are meant by, They have caused my spirit to rest in the land of the north"; by the grisled going forth into the land of the south, and the strong to wander on the earth, is signified that those who, from the good of life, are in the affection of knowing the truths of the church, come into the light, and that they resist evils and falsities, and constitute the church. Hence it is that those four [kinds of] horses are called the four spirits of the heavens, going forth from standing near the Lord of the whole earth. Winds signify all Divine truths, and the going forth from standing near the Lord of the whole earth, signifies that they all proceed from Him. (That winds signify all Divine truths, may be seen, n. 9642, and in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 141-153; and that to go forth, signifies to proceed, in the Arcana Coelestia 5337, 7124, 9303.) By them that are afar, who shall build in the temple of Jehovah, are signified those who previously were remote from the truths and goods of the church, who shall come into the church. (That these are signified by them that are afar, may be seen, n. 4723, 8918; and that by the temple of Jehovah is signified the church, n. 3720); moreover, that by the north is signified an obscure [idea] of truth, and that by the south, a clear [idea] of truth, thus also those who are in an obscure and in a clear [idea] of truth, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 148-151.)

What is signified by red and black, in both senses, will be seen in the explanations at verses 4 and 5 of this chapter, and what by white may be seen above (n. 196). By the mountains of brass, from between which the chariots and horses went forth, is signified the good of love in the natural man; this is said, because the nations who are here treated of, before they were enlightened, were not in spiritual good, but in natural good. (That by a mountain is signified the good of love, may be seen, n. 795, 4210, 6435, 8327, 8758, 10438; and by brass natural good, may be seen above, n. 70.)

[10] In Job:

"God hath made her forget wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding. What time she lifteth up herself on high, she scorneth the horse and his rider" (39:17, 18).

These things are said of a bird, by which is signified intelligence from the proprium, which, strictly, is no intelligence; for man from himself sees nothing but falsities, and not truths; and intelligence is from truths, and not from falsities. Therefore it is said concerning her, "God hath made her to forget wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding," and that when she lifteth up herself on high, "she scorneth the horse and his rider," that is, the understanding of truth, and also the intelligent [man].

[11] In David:

"The strong in heart have become a prey, they have slept their sleep. Before thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and the horse have fallen asleep" (76:5, 6).

By the strong in heart are signified those who are in truths from good; by their becoming a prey and having slept their sleep, is signified that from evils they have lapsed into falsities; by the rebuke of the God of Jacob, is signified the inversion of their state by themselves; and by both the chariot and the horse having fallen asleep, is signified that their intellectual was laid asleep, because it had become merely natural. That by watching is signified to procure for oneself spiritual life, and by sleeping to have natural life without spiritual, may be seen above (n. 187).

[12] In Ezekiel:

"Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, traded with the soul of man and with vessels of brass. They of Bethogarma traded with horses, horsemen, and mules" (27:13, 14).

The subject here treated of is Tyre, by which are signified the knowledges (cognitions) of truth and good pertaining to the external and internal church. By Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, are signified those who are in external worship; and by those of Bethogarma, those who are in internal worship; therefore it is said that the latter gave in the tradings of Tyre horses, horsemen, and mules; and that the former traded with the soul of man and vessels of brass; and by the soul of man is signified the truth of faith as to knowledge (cognition); and by vessels of brass are signified the truths of natural good; and by horses, horsemen, and mules, is signified the understanding of truth and good; by horses, the understanding of truth; by horsemen, intelligence; and by mules, the Rational. (That by a mule is signified the Rational, may be seen, n. 2781, 5741, 9212.) Every one can see that by the tradings of Tyre enumerated in this chapter and elsewhere, are not meant tradings in such things, as vessels of brass, horses, and mules, and many others; but that spiritual tradings are meant, which are effected by the knowledges (cognitions) of truth and good. For the Word is Divine, and treats of Divine, and not of earthly things; therefore it contains spiritual things that pertain to heaven and the church, expressed in the ultimate sense, which is the sense of the letter, by the natural things that correspond to them. (That to trade and to follow merchandise, signifies, in the Word, to procure and communicate knowledges of truth and good, may be seen, n. 2967, 4453; and that to buy and sell signifies the same, 2967, 4397, 4453, 5371, 5374, 5406, 5410, 5426, 5886, 6143, 7999, 9039.)

[13] In Isaiah:

"Who led them through the deeps, as a horse in the wilderness they stumbled not. As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of Jehovah led him" (63:13, 14).

In this chapter the Lord, His combats with the hells, and His subjugation of them, are treated of; but here of those who are in love and faith towards Him. They are compared to a horse in the wilderness, and to a beast in the valley, because by a horse is signified the understanding of truth, and by a beast the affection of good; for all comparisons in the Word are from correspondences.

[14] In the Apocalypse:

"I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon it was called the Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses" (19:11, 13, 14).

That by the white horse is signified the understanding of the Word, also by the white horses upon which those sat who followed, is manifest. For He that sat on the white horse was the Lord as to the Word; for it is said, and "He that sat upon it was called the Word of God"; and in verse 16, "He hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords." The Lord is called the Word, because the Word signifies the Divine truth proceeding from Him. But these things in the Apocalypse may be seen more fully explained in the small work concerning the White Horse 1; and whence it is that the Lord is called the Word, n. 14. Since chariots and horses signify doctrine from the Word and the understanding thereof, and as all the doctrine of truth and the understanding thereof are out of heaven from the Lord, therefore it is said of Him that He rides upon the Word, upon the clouds, upon heaven, upon a cherub, also that He causes to ride, as in the following passages. In David:

"Gird thy sword upon the thigh, O Mighty, in thy glory and thy majesty mount up. And ride upon the Word of truth and of the meekness of justice" (Psalms 45:3, 4).

These things are said concerning the Lord.

In the same:

"Sing unto God, praise his name; extol him that rideth upon the clouds" (Psalms 68:4).

In Isaiah:

"Behold, Jehovah rideth upon a cloud, and cometh into Egypt; and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence" (19:1).

In David:

"Sing praises unto the Lord, who rideth upon the heaven of the heaven of old" (Psalms 68:32, 33).

And again:

God "rode upon a cherub, he did fly, and was carried upon the wings of the wind" (Psalms 18:10).

In Habakkuk:

"Thou didst ride, O Jehovah, upon thine horses, thy chariots are salvation. Thou hast trodden the sea with thy horses" (Habakkuk 3:8, 15).

In Isaiah:

"Then shalt thou delight in Jehovah; and I will cause thee to ride in the high places of the earth" (58:14).

In Moses:

"So Jehovah alone did lead him, and made him to ride upon the high places of the earth" (Deuteronomy 32:12, 13).

And in Hosea:

"I will make Ephraim to ride" (10:11).

In these passages, by riding is signified to give intelligence and wisdom, because by a chariot is signified the doctrine of truth, and by horses the understanding of it.

[15] In Isaiah:

"Then shall they bring all your brethren out of all nations a gift unto Jehovah upon horses, and upon the chariot, and in covered waggons upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to Jerusalem the mountain of my holiness" (66:20).

The establishment of the New Church by the Lord is here treated of; therefore it is not meant that they will bring their brethren upon horses, and upon the chariot, and in covered waggons upon mules and upon swift beasts, to Jerusalem; but it is meant that all those who are in good, are to be instructed in Divine truths, and being thereby made intelligent and wise, are to be introduced into the church. For by brethren are signified all those who are in good; by horses is signified the understanding of truth; by chariots, the doctrine of truth; by covered waggons, the knowledges of truth; by mules, the internal Rational which is spiritual; and by swift beasts, the external Rational which is natural; and by Jerusalem is signified the church, in which is the doctrine of Divine truth, which is called the mountain of holiness from the love of truth. From the signification of chariots and horses it is evident why it was, that Elijah and Elisha were called the chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof; and that the mountain was seen by the boy of Elisha full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha (2 Kings 2:11, 12; 6:17; 13:14).

The reason is that both Elijah and Elisha represented the Lord as to the Word, and chariots signify doctrine from the Word, and riders intelligence. (That Elijah and Elisha represented the Lord as to the Word may be seen, n. 7643, 8029, 9372.)

[16] That chariots and horses signify doctrine and the understanding thereof, is still further evident from the opposite sense, in which chariots and horses signify the doctrines of falsity, and false scientifics from the Intellectual perverted. For most things in the Word have an opposite sense, from which it may be seen what the same signify in the genuine sense. That chariots and horses in that sense signify such things, is evident from the following passages: In Ezekiel:

"Behold, I will bring against Tyrus, the king of Babylon from the north, with horse and with chariot, and with horsemen, he shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field. By reason of the abundance of his horses their dust shall cover thee; by reason of the voice of the horsemen, and of the wheel, and of the chariot, thy walls shall be shaken. With the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all thy streets; he shall slay the people by the sword" (26:7, 8, 10, 11).

By Tyrus is signified the church as to the knowledges (cognitions) of truth; and by the king of Babylon, the destruction of truth by falsities and profanation; by the north from which he shall come, is signified, whence is every falsity, specifically, hell whence it arises; by chariot, horses, and horsemen, are signified the doctrinals of falsity and reasonings from them; by the daughters whom he shall slay in the field with the sword, are signified the affections of truth which shall be extinguished by falsities; for daughters denote the affections of truth, the field denotes the church where those [affections are]; the sword denotes the combat of falsity against truth; and to slay denotes to extinguish. Hence it is evident what is signified by "their dust shall cover thee by reason of the abundance of his horses," dust denoting the evil of falsity. By the walls which shall be shaken by reason of the voice of the horseman, of the wheel, and of the chariot, are signified protecting truths, which in general are, that there is a God, and that the Word is Divine, and that there is a life eternal. These walls or these truths are said to be shaken by reason of the voice of the horseman, of the wheel, and of the chariot, when they come into doubt through false doctrines, and through reasonings from them. By the hoofs of the horses with which he shall tread down all the streets, are signified the outermost things of the natural man, which are called sensual things, from which are all falsities; the streets which shall thereby be trodden down denote the truths of the doctrine of the church, which are altogether destroyed; by the people who shall fall by the sword, are signified all those who are in truths, and abstractedly all truths.

[17] In Jeremiah:

"O sword against the liars, that they may become foolish, O sword against the mighty, that they may be dismayed, O sword against her horses and against her chariots, O sword against her treasures, that they may be plundered; let there be drought upon her waters, that they may be dried up, because it is a land of graven images" (50:36-38).

By the sword is signified the combat of truth against falsity, and of falsity against truth, and thence vastation; here it signifies vastation. By the liars, and by the mighty men, are signified falsities, and reasonings therefrom; similar things are signified by horses and chariots; by the treasures which shall be plundered, are signified all things of doctrine; by the drought upon the waters, that they may be dried up, is signified the desolation of truth, drought denoting desolation, and waters denoting truths; and because all falsities are from one's own intelligence, therefore it is said, because it is the land of graven images; land there signifies heresy, and graven images signify the things from one's own intelligence. (That these are signified by graven images, molten images, and idols, may be seen, n. 8869, 8941, 10406, 10503.)

[18] In the same:

"Behold, as a cloud he shall come up, and his chariots as a whirlwind; his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled. Wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thoughts of iniquity abide in the midst of thee? The whole land shall be a desolation. The whole city hath fled for the voice of the horseman and bowmen; they have entered the clouds, and gone up into the rocks; the whole city is deserted" (4:13, 14, 27, 29).

Here the vastation of the church by the falsities of evil is described; the falsities are signified by the cloud; and the lust of reasoning from falsities against truths, by the horses that are swifter than eagles; and the doctrinals of falsity are meant by the chariots that are as a whirlwind. That, consequently, everything of the church and everything of its doctrine shall perish, is signified by the whole land shall be a desolation, and the whole city shall flee for the voice of the horseman and bowmen; the land denotes the church, and a city its doctrine; the voice of the horseman and bowmen denotes reasoning from them and assault, and to flee denotes to perish. That afterwards absolute falsity, and the faith of falsity would reign, is signified by, "They have entered the clouds, and gone up into the rocks"; clouds denoting falsities, and rocks the faith thereof. That the devastation of the church and its doctrine was thus described, is evident; for it is said, "Woe unto us! for we are spoiled. How long shall thoughts of iniquity abide in the midst of thee? The whole land shall be a desolation, the whole city deserted."

[19] In the same:

"Behold a people coming from the land of the north, and a great nation shall be stirred up from the sides of the earth. Their voice roareth like the sea; and they ride upon horses" (6:22, 23; 50:41, 42).

Here also the devastation of the church by the falsities of evil is described; the land of the north, and the sides of the earth, denote whence those things are; the land of the north, whence falsities are, and the sides of the earth, whence evils are. For by the north is signified what is remote from truths, and by the sides of the earth what is remote from goods, therefore nation is said of the latter, and people of the former; for by nation are meant those who are in evils, and by people those who are in falsities (see above, n. 331). Their reasoning is signified by their voice roaring as the sea, and their riding upon horses.

[20] In Ezekiel:

"Thou shalt come from thy place out of the sides of the north; thou and many peoples with thee, all of them riding upon horses. And thou shalt go up against my people Israel, as clouds to cover the land" (38:15, 16).

These things are said concerning Gog, by whom is signified external worship without any internal. The sides of the north signify here, as above, what is removed from goods and truths, and thus whence the falsities of evil are; and because they thence reason and attack the truths of the church, and extinguish them, it is said, "All of them riding upon horses; and thou shalt go up against my people Israel, as clouds to cover the land." Riding upon horses denotes reasonings; going up against the people Israel, and covering the land, signify to attack the truths of the church, and to extinguish them; clouds denote the falsities of evil.

[21] In Daniel:

"At the time of the end the king of the south shall contend with" the king of the north, "therefore as a whirlwind the king of the north shall rush in against him, with chariot, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into, and shall overflow and penetrate the countries" (11:40).

The subject treated of in this chapter is the combat of the king of the north with the king of the south; and by the king of the north is meant falsity from evil, and by the king of the south, truth from good; therefore it is evident, that the things mentioned in this chapter do not tell of any future war between two kings, but of the combats of falsity from evil against truth from good. The chariots and horsemen with which the king of the north shall rush in, denote the assaults of truth from the falsities of evil; the many ships with which also they rush in denote scientifics and doctrinals of falsity; the destruction of the church thereby is signified by, he shall enter into, and shall overflow and penetrate the countries. (That ships signify scientifics and doctrinals in both senses, may be seen, n. 1977, 6385; and that to overflow signifies immersion in falsities and evils, n. 660, 705, 739, 756, 790, 5725, 6853.)

[22] In Jeremiah:

"By thee will I disperse the nations, and by thee will I destroy the kingdoms, and by thee will I disperse the horse and his rider, and by thee will I disperse the chariot, and him that is carried therein" (51:20, 21).

And in Haggai:

"I will overthrow the throne of the kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations; and I will overthrow the chariot and those who ride in it; and the horses and their riders shall come down, [every] man by the sword of his brother" (2:22).

These things are said concerning the destruction of falsity and evil; and not concerning the destruction of any nation and kingdom; for by nations are signified evils, and by kingdoms in like manner as by peoples, falsities. It is also prophetical, and not historical. Hence it is plain what is signified by the horse and the rider, and by the chariot and him that is carried in it; namely, that by the horse and the rider are signified the Intellectual perverted, and reasoning thence; and by the chariot and him that is carried therein, the doctrine of falsity, or heresy, and those who are therein.

[23] In Nahum:

"Woe to the city of bloods! the whole is filled with lying and rapine; the voice of the whip, and the voice of the rattling of the wheel, and the horse neighing and the chariot jumping, the horseman making to ascend, and the glittering of the sword, and the glittering of the spear, and the multitude of the slain, and the heap of carcases, because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the harlot selling the nations by her whoredoms, and families by her witchcrafts" (3:1-4).

The subjects here treated of are the violence offered to Divine truth, and the destruction thereof by the falsities of evil; for these are signified by the city of bloods, concerning which the things following are said (see above, n. 329). Therefore it is also said, the whole is filled with lying and rapine; a lie denoting falsity, and rapine denoting violence offered thereby; and because wars signify spiritual combats of truth against falsity, and of falsity against truth, therefore everything pertaining to war, as a whip, a horse, a chariot, a sword, and a spear, signifies various things pertaining to that warfare; what, however, each specifically signifies need not be shown in this place, only what the horse, the horseman, and the chariot signify. The voice of the rattling of the wheel signifies reasonings from falsities and evils; the horse neighing, and the chariot jumping, signify the lust to destroy truths, the horse denoting the Intellectual perverted, and chariot the doctrine of falsity, from which [it arises]. To neigh and to jump denotes to be carried away by lust and the delight attached to it, and the horseman making to ascend, denotes assault; hence it is said, "The multitude of the slain, and the heap of carcases," those being called slain who perish from falsities, and carcases those who perish from evils, and hence also it is said, "Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the harlot, that selleth the nations by her whoredoms, and families by her witchcrafts." By whoredoms are signified falsifications of truth, by a harlot heresy, by selling the nations is signified to become estranged from goods, and by selling families by witchcraft is signified to become estranged from truths; nations denoting goods, families the truths thence, and witchcrafts the falsities of evil whereby [they are estranged].

[24] In Habakkuk:

"I stir up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadths of the land, whose horses are swifter than leopards, and sharper than the wolves of the evening, that their horsemen may spread themselves; whence their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat. They shall come all for violence; they shall all scoff at kings, and the rulers shall be a derision unto them" (1:6, 8-10).

By the Chaldeans are meant those who profane truths and so vastate the church, therefore they are called a nation bitter and hasty, marching through the breadths of the land; the breadths of the land denoting the truths of the church (as may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 197). Their lust and dexterity in perverting truths, and destroying them by reasonings from falsities altogether remote from truths, are signified by, "whose horses are swifter than leopards, and sharper than the wolves of the evening, that their horsemen may spread themselves; whence their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat." Lust is signified by their horses being swifter than leopards; and dexterity by the horses being sharper than the wolves of the evening; and both by their flying as an eagle. Because the lust and dexterity are to destroy truths, therefore it is said, they shall come all for violence; their mocking at truths and goods is signified by their scoffing at kings, and the rulers being a derision unto them; kings signifying truths, and lords and rulers signifying goods.

[25] In David:

"These in the chariot, and those in horses; but we will glory in the name of our God" (Psalms 20:7, 8).

In the same:

"A king is not saved by the multitude of an army; a horse is a vain thing for safety" (Psalms 33:16, 17).

In the same:

Jehovah "delighteth not in the strength of the horse; his pleasure is not in the thighs of a man" (Psalms 147:10).

By glorying in the chariot and in horses, and by Jehovah not delighting in the strength of a horse, are signified all things from one's own intelligence, from which proceed absolute falsities; and by the thighs of a man are signified those things that are from his own will, from which proceed absolute evils.

[26] In Amos:

"He that holdeth the bow shall not stand, nor shall the swift of foot deliver himself; nor shall he that rideth upon the horse deliver his soul. But the strong in his heart shall flee away naked in that day" (2:15, 16).

Man's own intelligence is also described here, and confidence arising from the faculty of speaking and reasoning from falsities. By him that holdeth the bow not standing, and by the swift of foot not delivering himself, is signified that he who knows how to reason readily from the doctrine of falsity, and from the knowledge and memory of the natural man, shall not on that account be preserved; the same is signified by, he that rideth upon the horse shall not deliver his soul. By the strong in heart who shall flee away naked in that day, is signified, that he who trusts in his falsities shall be without any truth; by the strong in heart is meant him who trusts in his falsities, and by the naked is meant him who is without any understanding of truth (see above, n. 240).

[27] In Isaiah:

"The Lord Jehovih, the Holy One of Israel saith, In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength; and ye would not. But ye said, No; but upon the horse we will flee; and therefore ye shall flee; and we will ride upon the swift, and therefore shall they that pursue you be made swift" (30:15, 16).

Trust in the Lord and trust in self are here treated of; trust in the Lord in these words, the Lord Jehovih, the Holy One of Israel, said, "In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength"; trust in self in these words, "But ye said, No; but upon the horse we will flee, and we will ride upon the swift." By fleeing upon the horse and riding upon the swift, are signified to covet and to love the things of their own understanding, and of the thought and reasoning thence. That falsities will then break in upon, and take possession of them, is signified by, therefore ye shall flee, and therefore shall they that pursue you be made swift; swiftness and haste signifying what is done from lust or from love.

[28] In Zechariah:

Jehovah shall set Judah "as the horse of his glory in war; out of him the corner, out of him the nail, and out of him the bow of war. And they shall be as mighty men treading down the mire of the streets; and they shall fight because Jehovah is with them, and them that ride upon horses shall they make ashamed" (10:3-5).

By the house of Judah is signified the Lord's celestial kingdom, or the heaven and church which are in love to the Lord. Concerning this it is said that it shall be as the horse of glory in war, by which is signified the understanding of Divine truth combating against evils and falsities, which it shall destroy. By horse is signified the understanding; by glory, the Divine truth; and by war, the combat against falsities and evils, and their destruction. By the corner, the nail, and the bow of war, which [shall come] out of Judah, are signified truths; by the corner, truth protecting; by the nail, truth strengthening; and by the bow of war, truth combating from doctrine. By their being as mighty men treading down the mire of the streets, is signified the power of dissipating and destroying falsities, the mire of the streets signifying falsities; by their making ashamed them that ride upon horses, is signified the annihilation of reasonings, argumentations, and confirmations that are from man's own understanding; that this shall be accomplished by the Lord, and not by them, is meant by, "they shall fight because Jehovah is with them."

[29] In Hosea:

"Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon the horse; we will say no more to the work of our hands, Our God" (14:3).

Intelligence from the proprium is also here treated of, and that it will not save. By Asshur is signified the Rational, in this case, what is from the proprium; by riding upon the horse is signified the reasoning of the understanding from the proprium; and by the work of the hands is signified the proprium itself.

[30] In Ezekiel:

"Aholah played the harlot, and she doted on her lovers, the Assyrians her neighbours, clothed in purple, horsemen riding upon horses" (23:5, 6, 12, 23).

Aholah, which here is Samaria, signifies the church where truths are falsified; her whoredoms, treated of in this chapter, signify falsifications. The Assyrians signify reasonings by which [truths are falsified]; and because by riding upon horses is signified to reason from falsities that are from one's own intelligence, therefore it is said, she doted on the Assyrians, horsemen riding upon horses. By the purple in which they were clothed, is signified falsity appearing like truth, which is effected principally by the application of the sense of the letter of the Word to principles of falsity.

[31] In Jeremiah:

"The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan; the whole land trembled at the sound of the neighings of his strong ones; and they have come, and have devoured the land, and its fulness; and them that dwell therein" (8:16).

What is meant by Dan has been stated above in the present article, namely, truth in its ultimate; this is the truth in the church which is contained in the sense of the letter of the Word. Those who remain in this alone, and do not read it from the doctrine of genuine truth, which should direct and enlighten, may be carried away into all kinds of errors; those who are carried away into errors or falsities are meant here by Dan; the confirmation of falsities thence, by the snorting of his horses; and the falsifications of truth, by the sound of the neighings of his strong ones. They are called strong, from their confidence, from the sense of the letter of the Word, that falsity is truth. That hence the church is vastated as to its truths and goods, is signified by, "the whole land trembled"; and "they have come, and have devoured the land and its fulness, and them that dwell therein"; the land denoting the church, its fulness denoting truths, and they that dwell therein denoting goods.

[32] In Isaiah:

"He hath lifted up a sign to the nations from afar, and hath hissed unto him from the end of the earth, and, behold! the swift shall come quickly, whose arrows are sharp, and all his bows bent; the hoofs of his horses are accounted as the rock, and his wheels as the whirlwind" (5:26, 28).

Here also the subject treated of is those who are in ultimates as to the understanding of truth, and as to the perception of good. Those ultimates are called sensual things, which are the ultimates of the natural man (concerning which see the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 50); from these, separated from the spiritual man, stream forth all the evils and falsities in the church and in its doctrine. The evils thence, are signified by the nations which shall come from far; and the falsities, by him who comes from the end of the earth; afar off, and the end of the earth, signifying those things that are remote from the truths and goods of the church. By the arrows which are sharp, and by the bows which are bent, are signified falsities of doctrine prepared to destroy truths; and by the hoofs of the horses which are accounted as the rock, and by his wheels which are as the whirlwind, are signified the ultimates of truth, such as they are in the sense of the letter of the Word, and arguments and confirmations of falsity thereby. The hoofs of the horses denote the ultimates of the understanding - here of the understanding perverted, because separated from the understanding of the spiritual man - which, because from the sense of the letter of the Word, it is said, are accounted as the rock; and the wheels denote argumentations and confirmations thereby, which, because they appear strong, are said to be like a whirlwind.

[33] In the book of Judges:

"My heart is toward the legislators of Israel. Meditate, ye that ride on white asses, and sit upon Middim, and who walk upon the way. The stars from their courses fought against Sisera. Then were the feet of his horses bruised, the prancing of his strong ones pranced together" (5:9, 10, 20, 22).

These words are contained in the song of Deborah and Barak; in which the subjects treated of are the combat of truth against falsity, and the victory of the former. By the legislators of Israel are signified the truths of the church; by riding upon white asses, and sitting upon Middim, are signified the perception of good, and the understanding of truth; white asses signify the Rational as to good, and Middim the Rational as to truth; and to walk upon the way, and to meditate, signify the life of truth; the stars from their courses fighting against Sisera, signify the knowledges of truth, and combat from them against the falsities of evil; the feet of the horses which were bruised, and the prancing of the horses which pranced together, signify that the falsities that are from the ultimate Natural, or Sensual, and the arguments thence, are destroyed.

[34] In Amos:

"Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plough with oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of justice into wormwood" (6:12).

Shall horses run upon the rock? signifies, is there any understanding of truth? shall one plough with oxen? signifies, is there any perception of good? That these things are signified is evident, for it follows, for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of justice into wormwood. To turn judgment into gall, signifies to turn truth into falsity; and to turn the fruit of Justice into wormwood, signifies [to turn] good into evil.

[35] In David:

"Thou hast laid oppression upon our loins. Thou hast caused a man to ride over our head; we went through the fire and the waters; but thou hast brought us out into broadness" (Psalms 66:11, 12).

Spiritual captivity, and deliverance thence, are thus described. Spiritual captivity takes place when the mind is shut up so as not to perceive good and understand truth; deliverance from it denotes, when the mind is opened. By the oppression upon the loins, is signified that there is no perception of the good of love, for the loins and thighs signify the good of love; by making a man to ride over our head, is signified, that there is no understanding of truth; by a man here is signified intelligence from self, which is no intelligence; and the same [is signified] by the head. Because these things are signified, therefore, it is said, we went through the fire and the waters; through the fire denoting through the evils from the love of self, and through the waters denoting through falsities; deliverance thence is meant by, "But thou hast brought us out into broadness," breadth signifying truth, as shown above.

[36] In Isaiah:

"Woe to them that go down into Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in the chariot, but do not look unto the Holy One of Israel, and seek Jehovah; for Egypt is man, and not God; and his horses flesh, and not spirit" (31:1, 3).

By Egypt in the Word is signified the Scientific which is in the natural man, and hence also the natural man; and because the natural man, with the Scientific therein, has no understanding, but only thought from the memory, which is a species of imagination from the objects of sight and hearing, and because it is beneath the Spiritual, in which reside all the goods and truths of heaven and the church, hence by Egypt in most passages is signified a false Scientific; for when the spiritual man does not flow in, the scientifics of the natural man are turned into absolute falsities, and his thoughts into confirmations of falsity, and reasonings from them against truths. Hence it is evident what is signified by the horses of Egypt, and the chariots thereof, namely, that false scientifics [are signified] by horses, and doctrinals, whence proceed reasonings against truths, by chariots. Those, therefore, who are of such a quality, do not seek truth from any other source than from themselves, for the proprium of every one resides in the natural man, and not in the spiritual; wherefore instead of truths they seize upon falsities, and instead of goods evils; and the latter they call goods, and the former they call truths, and they trust in themselves, because in their own proprium. These things are signified by, "Woe to them that go down into Egypt; and stay on horses, and trust in the chariot, because it is great; and in horsemen because they are very strong." Horses here denote false scientifics; and chariots denote the doctrinals thence; and horsemen denote reasonings from them against truths; therefore it is also said, "Egypt is man, and not God; and his horses flesh, and not spirit"; by which is signified, that what is in them is merely natural, and not spiritual, nor, consequently, anything of life. Man signifies the natural man, and flesh the proprium thereof; God and spirit signify the Divine spiritual man, and hence life; and because they trust in themselves and not in the Lord, it is said, they do not look unto the Holy One of Israel, and seek Jehovah.

[37] From these considerations it may now be seen what is signified by the horses, the chariots, and the armies of Pharaoh, in Moses:

"I will get me honour upon Pharaoh and upon his army, and upon his horsemen. And the Egyptians pursued" the sons of Israel, "and the horses of Pharaoh went after them, his chariots and his horsemen, into the midst of the sea. And Jehovah took off the wheels of their chariots, that they led them with difficulty. And when Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, the waters returned, and covered the chariots and the horsemen, together with the whole host of Pharaoh" (Exodus 14:17, 23, 25, 27, 28).

And in the same:

"Moses and the children of Israel sang this song unto Jehovah; In singing I will sing unto Jehovah, because in exalting he hath exalted himself; the horse and his rider hath he cast into the sea, and his chariots and his host" (Exodus 15:1, 4, 19, 2 1).

What is signified by the horses and chariots of Pharaoh or Egypt has been shown above. By the host thereof are signified all falsities in general and in particular; and by the sea are signified damnation and hell, where all are in the proprium, because in the natural man separate from the spiritual, and thence in evils and falsities of every kind.

The same is signified by the horses of Egypt, in these [words] in Moses:

"If ye shall say, I will set over me a king, in setting thou shalt set over thee a king whom Jehovah thy God shall choose; only he shall not multiply to himself horses, nor shall he bring back the people into Egypt, that he may multiply horses" (Deuteronomy 17:14-16).

These things are said concerning a king, because the Lord is represented as to Divine truth by kings, and hence by kings are signified truths from good from the Lord (see above, n. 31). And because truths from good reside in the spiritual man, as said above, and the scientifics of the natural man serve it as servants do their lord, hence it is said,

"Only he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor shall he bring back the people into Egypt, that he may multiply horses";

by which is signified, provided that from a spiritual man he does not become natural, and lead himself, and trust in his own proprium and not in the Lord, thus lest the truths of the spiritual man should serve the Natural, instead of the scientifics of the natural man serving the spiritual; for the latter is according to order, but the former contrary to order. Similar things are signified by the horses of Egypt elsewhere in the Word (as Jeremiah 46:4, 9; Ezekiel 17:15; 23:20).