AE 391c - iniquity & sin

AE 391c [8]
. . . for "iniquity" is predicated of the life of falsity,
that is, of a life contrary to truths,
and "sin" of the life of evil,
that is of a life contrary to good.

AE 388d & 388f - wild beasts

AE 388d [21]
"The evil wild beast" means all ravenous beasts,
such as lions, bears, tigers, panthers, wild boars, wolves,
dragons, serpents, and many others,
which seize and rend asunder good animals,
such as lambs, sheep, bullocks, oxen, and the like.
That such wild beasts, and in general, "the evil wild beast,"
signify lusts springing from the love of self and the world,
from which are all the evils of life and the falsities of doctrine . . ..

AE 388f [31]
When, however, "the wild beast of the earth" is mentioned,
it means a wild beast that devours animals and men;
but when "the wild beast of the field" is mentioned,
it means a wild beast that eats up the crops;
therefore "the wild beast of the earth"
signifies such things as destroy the goods of the church,
and "the wild beast of the field"
such things as destroy the truths of the church . . .

AE 388b - "little by little"

AE 388b [6]
By little and little I will drive out the nations,
lest the land become a waste,
and the wild beast of the field be multiplied against thee.
(Exodus 23:29-30; Deuteronomy 7:22)

. . ."nations" signify the evils that a person has, even those from inheritance;
and that these with a person are removed "by little and little,"
since if they were removed suddenly,
before good is formed in him by truths,
falsities would enter which would destroy him.
"The wild beasts of the field"
signify the falsities springing from the delights of natural loves.

AE 386d - bread

AE 386d [20, 28]
"Jehovah gives bread to the hungry,"
(Psalm 146:7)
"to give bread" meaning to nourish,
and spiritual nourishment is knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom.

I am the bread of life;
he that comes to Me shall not hunger,
and he that believes on Me shall never thirst.
(John 6:35)
. . . "to hunger" is to come to the Lord,
and "to thirst" is to believe on Him;
to come to the Lord is to do His commandments.

AE 386a - "And with famine" (Revelation 6:8)

AE 386a
And with famine . .
as being the deprivation of the knowledges of truth and good,
also the lack and ignorance of them.
These are signified by "famine" in the Word.
This is the signification of "famine"
because "food and drink"
signify all things that nourish and sustain spiritual life,
and these in general are the knowledges of truth and good.
The spiritual life itself needs nourishment and support
just as much as the natural life does;
so it is said to be famished
when a person is deprived of these knowledges,
or when they fail, or when they are unknown
and yet are desired.

AC 382 - our reaction to the Lord & His Word

AE 382
. . . the Word appears to everyone according to his quality,
as life to those who are in good and truth,
but as death to those who are in evils and falsities.
It is similar with the Lord Himself, who is the Word;
He too appears to everyone according to his quality;
to those who are in goods and truths therefrom
He appears as a fire and as light vivifying and recreating,
but to those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom
He appears as a consuming fire and as thick darkness.
And for the same reason
to those who are in evil and in falsities therefrom
the Lord appears to be angry, to punish, to condemn, and to cast into hell,
when yet He is never angry, never punishes, or condemns, or casts into hell,
but saves so far as a person applies himself;
for the Lord is good itself and truth itself,
He is love itself and mercy itself.

AE 376f,g - living determines the Light

AE 376f [32]
. . .a life of evil shuts
out the perception of good
by which thought has life and light,
and the principles of falsity
shut out the understanding of truth . . .

AE 376g [37]
But those who are not in the love of self,
and who seek intelligence for the sake of the uses of life,
are elevated by the Lord
from what is their own proprium
into the light of heaven . . .

AE 376a-b - the Lord flows in and we can receive and do

AE 376a [3]
. . . where good is rejected
no truth which is truth in itself can exist,
since all truth is from good;
for the Lord flows into a person's good,
and by means of good illustrates him
and gives him the light to perceive truths,
therefore without that light,
which is a person's very spiritual life,
there is no truth,
however much it may sound like truth because it is from the Word;
it is truth falsified by the ideas that are held in respect to it . . ..

. . . no one can be in genuine truths from good
unless in heart he acknowledges
the Lord alone as the God of heaven and earth,
for from Him is every good and consequently every truth.

AE 376b [6]
. . . he who receives good and truth shall also perform uses . . .

. . . from the good of love to the Lord
and from the good of charity towards the neighbor
there shall be truths in abundance . . .

. . . for wisdom comes when truths are committed to life . . .

AE 375e - a good question

AE 375e [36]
Jehovah fed him with the increase of the fields,
He made him to suck honey out of the cliff,
and oil out of the flint of the rock.
(Deuteronomy 32:13)
This treats of the Ancient Church;
"to suck oil out of the flint of the rock"
means to be imbued with good through the truths of faith;
"honey" means natural good and delight;
"oil" spiritual good and delight;
and "cliff" and "flint of the rock" mean the truth of faith from the Lord.
If spiritual things were not meant by these words,
what meaning could there be in
"sucking honey out of the cliff, and oil out of the flint of the rock"?

AE 375d - arms of war

AE 375d [11]
Arms of war were anointed
because they signified truths fighting against falsities,
and truths from good are what prevail against falsities,
but not truths without good;
therefore the arms of war represented the truths
by which the Lord Himself with a person
fights against the falsities from evil which are from hell.

AE 374 - "O that My people. . ."

AE 374c [11]
O that My people would listen to Me,
and Israel would walk in My ways!
I would feed them with the fat of wheat;
and with honey out of the rock I would satisfy them.
(Psalm 81:13, 16)

"Fat of wheat," and
"honey out of the rock with which they would be fed and satisfied"
signify good of every kind from celestial good
and enjoyment thereof from the Lord;
for "fat" signifies celestial good,
"wheat" good of every kind,
"honey" the enjoyment of good,
and "rock" the Lord.
That those who live according to the Lord's commandments
will possess these things is meant by
"O that My people would listen to me,
and Israel would walk in My ways!"
"Ways" in the Word signifying truths and also commandments,
and "to walk" signifying to live.

AE 372a - a black horse

AE 372a
And behold, a black horse,
(Revelation 6:6)
signifies the understanding of the Word destroyed in respect to truth.
This is evident from the signification of "horse,"
as being the understanding;
also from the signification of "black," as being what is not true . . ..
"Black" signifies what is not true,
because "white" signifies what is true.
. . . "White" is predicated of truth and signifies it,
because white has its origin in the brightness of light,
and "light" signifies truth;
and "black" is predicated of what is not true and signifies it,
because black has its origin in darkness, that is, from the privation of light;
and because darkness exists from the privation of light
it signifies the ignorance of truth.
That "a black horse" here signifies
the understanding of the Word destroyed in respect to truth,
is evident from the signification of "the red horse",
as being the understanding destroyed in respect to good.

AE 365h - What destroys peace?

AE 365h [42]
Because those have peace
who are in the conjunction of good and truth from the Lord,
and because evil destroys good,
and falsity destroys truth,
so do these destroy peace.
From this it follows
that those who are in evils and falsities have no peace.
It appears as if they had peace
when they have success in the world,
and they even seem to themselves
at such times to be in a contented state of mind;
but that apparent peace is only in their externals,
while inwardly there is no peace . . ..

AE 365 - peace & spiritual healing

AE 365 [19]
"Peace" stands for heavenly blessedness, happiness, and delight,
and these are granted only with those
that love to do the Lord's commandments . . ..

AE 365 [32]
. . . to be healed spiritually is to be delivered from evils and falsities,
and this is done by the Lord by means of truths . . ..

AE 365 [40]
The work of Jehovah is peace;
and the labor of righteousness, quietness and security even forever;
that My people may dwell in a habitation of peace,
and in tabernacles of securities,
and in tranquil resting places.
(Isaiah 32:17-18)

"Peace" is called "the work of Jehovah,"
because it is solely from the Lord;
and everything that comes forth out of peace from the Lord
with those who are in conjunction with the Lord
is called "the work of Jehovah;"
therefore it is said, "the work of Jehovah is peace."
The "labor of righteousness"
signifies good conjoined to truth, in which is peace;
for "labor" in the Word is predicated of truth,
"righteousness" of good,
and "quietness" of the peace therein . . ..

AE 365 - the origin of peace

AE 365b [5,6,14]
. . . peace is in its first origin . . . from the Lord;
it is in Him from the union of the Divine Itself and the Divine Human,
and it is from Him by His conjunction with heaven and the church,
and in particular from the conjunction of good and truth in each individual.
From this it is that "peace," in the highest sense, signifies the Lord;
in a relative sense, heaven and the church in general,
and also heaven and the church in particular in each individual.

Jesus said, Peace I leave with you,
My peace I give unto you,
not as the world gives
give I unto you.
Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid.
(John 14:27)

This treats of the Lord's union with the Father,
that is, the union of His Divine Human with the Divine Itself
which was in Him from conception,
and consequently of the Lord's conjunction
with those who are in truths from goods;
therefore "peace" means tranquility of mind from that conjunction;
and as such are protected by that conjunction
from the evils and falsities that are from hell,
for the Lord protects those who are conjoined with Him,
therefore He says,
"Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
This Divine peace is in a person . . ..

Peace viewed in itself is not heaven and heavenly joy,
but these are in peace and from peace;
for peace is like the dawn or like spring-time in the world,
which dispose human minds to receive in the heart
delights and pleasures from the objects that appear before the eyes,
for that is what makes them delightful and pleasant;
and because all things of heaven and of heavenly joy
are in like manner from Divine peace,
these also are meant by "peace."
Since a person has heaven from living according to the commandments,
for thence he has conjunction with the Lord,
therefore it is said,

If you walk in My statutes,
and keep My commandments,
and do them,
I will give peace in the land.
(portions of Leviticus 26:3,6)

AE 365 - "to take peace from the earth" (Revelation 6:4)

AE 365[2,4]
. . . if good is not present with a person when he is reading the Word,
truth does not appear,
for truth is seen from good,
and good by means of truth.

. . . because "peace" signifies a peaceful state of the mind
and tranquillity of the disposition
from the conjunction of good and truth;
therefore "to take away peace"
signifies an unpeaceful and untranquil state
from the disjunction of good and truth,
which is the cause of internal dissensions;
for when good is separated from truth evil takes its place . . ..


The whole number, mostly:

AE 365 [1-4]
And to him that sat upon him,
to him it was given to take peace from the earth, (Revelation 6:4)
signifies the Word consequently not understood,
consequently there are dissensions in the church . . ..
[2] Before it is explained what "peace" signifies, let something be said about dissensions arising in the church when the understanding of the Word is destroyed. By good, the good of love to the Lord and the good of love towards the neighbor are meant, since all good is of love. When these goods do not exist with the person of the church, the Word is not understood; for the conjunction of the Lord and the conjunction of heaven with the person of the church is by means of good; therefore if there is no good with him no illustration can be given; for all illustration when the Word is being read is out of heaven from the Lord; and when there is no illustration the truths that are in the Word are in obscurity, thence dissensions spring up. That the Word is not understood if a person is not in good can also be seen from this, that in the particulars of the Word there is a heavenly marriage, that is, a conjunction of good and truth; therefore if good is not present with a person when he is reading the Word, truth does not appear, for truth is seen from good, and good by means of truth.
[3] The state of the case is this: so far as a person is in good the Lord flows in and gives the affection of truth, and thus understanding; for the interior human mind is formed entirely in the image of heaven, and the whole heaven is formed according to the affections of good and of truth from good; therefore unless there is good with a person, that mind cannot be opened, still less can it be formed for heaven; it is formed by the conjunction of good and truth. From this it can also be seen that unless a person is in good, truths have no ground in which to be received, nor any heat by which to grow; for truths with the person who is in good are like seeds in the ground in the time of spring; while truths with the person who is not in good are like seeds in ground bound by frost in the time of winter, when there is no grass, nor flower, nor tree, still less fruit.
[4] In the Word are all truths of heaven and the church, yea, all the secrets of wisdom that the angels of heaven possess; but no one sees these unless he is in the good of love to the Lord and in the good of love towards the neighbor; those who are not, see truths here and there, but do not understand them; they have a perception and idea of them wholly different from that which pertains to these same truths in themselves; although, therefore, they see or know truths, still truths are not truths with them, but falsities; for truths are not truths from their sound or utterance, but from an idea and perception of them. When truths are implanted in good it is different; then truths appear in their own form, for truth is the form of good. From this it may be concluded what the nature of the understanding of the Word is with those who make faith alone the sole means of salvation, and cast behind the back the good of life, or the good of charity. It has been found that those who have confirmed themselves in this, both in doctrine and life, have not even a single right idea of truth; this, moreover, is why they do not know what good is, what charity and love are, what the neighbor is, what heaven and hell are, that they are to live after death as people, nor, indeed, what regeneration is, what baptism is, and many other things; yea, they are in such blindness respecting God Himself that they worship three in thought, and not one except merely with the mouth, not knowing that the Father of the Lord is the Divine in Him, and that the Holy Spirit is the Divine from Him. These things are said to make known that there is no understanding of the Word where there is no good. It is here said that to him that sat upon a red horse, it was given "to take peace from the earth," because "peace" signifies a peaceful state of the mind [mens] and tranquillity of the disposition [animus] from the conjunction of good and truth; therefore "to take away peace" signifies an unpeaceful and untranquil state from the disjunction of good and truth, which is the cause of internal dissensions; for when good is separated from truth evil takes its place; and evil loves not truth but falsity; because every falsity belongs to evil, as every truth to good; when, therefore, such a person sees a truth in the Word or hears it from another, the evil of his love, and thus of his will, strives against the truth, and then he either rejects or perverts it, or by ideas from the evil so obscures it that at length he sees nothing of truth in the truth, however much it may sound like truth when he utters it. This is the origin of all dissensions, controversies, and heresies in the church. From this it can be seen what is here signified by "to take peace from the earth."

AE 359 - to conquer

AE 359
And he went forth conquering and that He might conquer,
(Revelation 6:2)
. . . "to conquer" in the Word as being to conquer spiritually,
which is to subjugate evils and falsities;
but as these are not conquered otherwise
than that they are taken away by the Lord,
"to conquer" signifies the removal of evils and falsities.

Jesus [said] to the disciples,
These things I have spoken unto you
that in Me you might have peace.
In the world you shall have tribulation;
but confide, I have overcome the world.
(John 16:33)
The Lord's "overcoming the world" means that He subjugated all the hells;
for "the world" here signifies all evils and falsities, which are from hell.

AE 357b - the power of His Divine Truth

AE 357b [5,9]
. . . He disperses evils and falsities as if they were nothing,
by His Divine truth and by the doctrine therefrom . . .

. . . in the Lord and from Him is the Divine truth,
by means of which falsities and evils are dispersed,
and that in Him and from him is the Word,
where these truths are . . .

AE 356 - doctrine

AE 356
1. Without doctrine no one can understand the Word.
2. Without doctrine from the Word
no one can fight against evils and falsities, and disperse them.
3. Without doctrine from the Word
no one within the church, where the Word is, can become spiritual.
4. Doctrine can be acquired from no other source than from the Word,
and by none except those who are in illustration from the Lord.
(From section 356 [4])
They are in illustration from the Lord who love truths because they are truths;
and because such as these do them,
they are in the Lord and the Lord is in them.
5. All things of doctrine must be confirmed
by the sense of the letter of the Word.

AE 355g - serving the spiritual

AE 355g [37]
. . . let no one from being a spiritual person become natural,
and lead himself, and trust in his own proprium instead of in the Lord,
that is, let not the truths of the spiritual person serve the natural,
instead of the knowledges of the natural person serve the spiritual;
for this latter is according to order,
but the former is contrary to order.