547# 启9:5.“有话赐给它们，不许蝗虫杀死他们”表示他们不可被剥夺理解真理和感知良善的官能。这从“人”和“杀死他们”的含义清楚可知：“人”是指对真理的理解和对良善的感知(参看AE 546节)；“杀死他们”是指在属灵生命方面摧毁(对此，参看AE 315节)，但在此是指剥夺理解真理和感知良善的官能。这就是“杀死人”的含义，因为每个人都生在理解真理和感知良善的官能中；事实上，这种官能是每个人区别于野兽的属灵能力本身。这种官能是人永远摧毁不了的，因为他若真的摧毁了它，就不再是一个人，而是一个野兽了。表面上看，处于邪恶之虚假的感官人似乎已经摧毁了它，因为当阅读圣言，或从别人那里听到圣言时，他既不理解真理，也感知不到良善；但他却没有摧毁理解和感知的官能本身，只摧毁了对真理的理解和对良善的感知，前提是他处于他出于邪恶所确认的虚假；因为那时，他不喜欢听真理，他看上去好像没有理解真理的能力；但如果造成阻碍的虚假说服被移除，他就会像一个属灵-理性的人那样理解并感知到，真理就是真理，良善就是良善。
我获准通过大量经历得知，情况就是这样。因为地狱团伙中有许多人已经确认反对真理的虚假和反对良善的邪恶，由此具有这种性质：他们不想听到任何真理，更不想理解它；于是，其他人就对这些人形成一个观点：他们不能理解真理。但当虚假的说服从这些灵人那里被移除时，他们就获得理解真理的能力和官能，与那些处于对真理的理解和对良善的感知之人一样；不过很快，他们陷入他们以前的状态，又觉得自己似乎不能理解真理了；事实上，他们因理解了而极其愤怒，然后声称这仍不是真理。因为正是属于意愿的情感构成属于人的一切理解；理解力的生命本身来自情感。请想一想，任何人能不能在没有情感的情况下思考，情感能否不是思维的生命本身，因而不是理解力的生命。我们说情感，意思是说属于爱的情感，或在其延续中的爱。这清楚表明，人的确能摧毁对真理的理解和对良善的感知，这种事是通过邪恶之虚假做到的；然而，他仍不会因此摧毁理解真理和感知良善的官能；他若真的能摧毁，就不再是一个人了，因为人本身就在于这种官能。正是凭借这种官能，人死后会活着，那时看上去就是一个人；因为神性与这种官能结合。因此，尽管就其两种生命，就是其理解力的生命和意愿的生命而言，一个人可能会厌恶神性；然而，凭借他理解真理和感知良善的能力，他仍拥有与神性的结合，从而活到永远。由此可见，“有话赐给蝗虫，不许它们杀死人”表示他们仍不可被剥夺理解真理和感知良善的官能。
547. And to them it was given that they should not kill them. - That this signifies that they should not be deprived of the faculty of understanding truth and of perceiving good, is clear from the signification of men, as denoting the understanding of truth and the perception of good (see above, n. 546); and from the signification of killing them, as denoting to destroy as to spiritual life, concerning which see above (n. 315); but in the present case, to deprive of the faculty of understanding truth and perceiving good. This is here signified by killing men, because every man is born into the faculty of understanding truth and perceiving good; for this faculty is the very spiritual power by which every man is differentiated from beasts. This faculty man never destroys, for if he were to destroy it, he would be no longer a man but a beast. It appears indeed as though the sensual man, who is in the falsities of evil, has destroyed it, because he neither understands truth nor perceives good when reading the Word or when hearing it from others, but still he has not destroyed the faculty itself of understanding and perceiving, but only the understanding of truth and the perception of good, so long as he is in the falsities in which he has confirmed himself from evil; for then he is averse from hearing truth, which he appears, as it were, not to be able to understand; but if the persuasion of the falsity which thus hinders be removed, he then, as a spiritual-rational man, understands and perceives that truth is truth, and that good is good.
[2] That this is the case, I have been permitted to learn by much experience. For there were many of the infernal crew, who had confirmed themselves in falsities against truths, and in evils against goods, who thence became of such a character, that they did not desire to hear anything, of truth, much less to understand it, and of these therefore others formed an opinion that they could not understand truth. But the same spirits, when the persuasion of the falsity was removed from them, came into the power and faculty of understanding truth, equally as those who were in the understanding of truth and in the perception of good; but presently, having relapsed into their former state, they seemed again as though they could not understand truth, indeed they were exceedingly indignant at having understood, saying then, that nevertheless it was not truth. For affection which is of the will is the cause of all the understanding that pertains to man, the very life of the understanding being therefrom. Consider whether anyone can think without affection, and whether the affection be not the very life of the thought, consequently the life of the understanding. By affection is meant the affection which is of love, or love in its continuity. From these things it is evident that man can indeed destroy the understanding of truth and the perception of good, which is effected by the falsities of evil, but that still he does not, on that account, destroy the faculty of understanding truth and of perceiving good, since, if he destroyed that, he would no longer be a man, the human itself consisting in this faculty. It is by virtue of this faculty, that man lives after death, and then appears as a man; for the Divine is conjoined with that faculty. Hence it is, that although man, as to his twin lives, which are the life of his understanding and the life of his will, is averse to the Divine, yet by virtue of his ability to understand truth and to perceive good, he has conjunction with the Divine, and thence lives to eternity. From these things, then, it is clear, that by its being given to the locusts not to kill men, is signified, that still they should not be deprived of the faculty of understanding truth and of perceiving good.
547. Verse 5. And it was given 1to them that they should not kill them, signifies that they should not be deprived of the faculty of understanding truth and perceiving good. This is evident from the signification of "men," as being the understanding of truth and the perception of good (See above, n. 546); and from the signification of "killing them," as being to destroy as regards the spiritual life (of which above, n. 315; but here to deprive of the faculty of understanding truth and perceiving good. This is the signification of "killing men," because every man is born into the faculty to understand truth and perceive good; for this faculty is the spiritual itself by which every man is distinguished from the beasts. This faculty man never destroys, for if he should destroy it he would be no longer a man but a beast. It appears as if the sensual man who is in the falsities of evil had destroyed it, because he neither understands truth nor perceives good when reading the Word or hearing it from others, but yet he has not destroyed the faculty itself to understand and perceive, but only the understanding of truth and the perception of good, so long as he is in the falsities in which he has confirmed himself from evil; for then he is averse to listen to truth, and this appears like an inability to understand it; but if the persuasion of falsity which obstructs is removed, he then understands and perceives that truth is truth and that good is good, just as a spiritual-rational man does.
[2] That this is so it has been given me to know by much experience; for there were many of the infernal crew who had confirmed themselves in falsities against truths and in evils against goods, who thence had become such that they were not willing to hear anything of truth, still less to understand it; and respecting these, therefore, others entertained the opinion that they were unable to understand truth; but the same spirits, when the persuasion of falsity was removed from them, came into the same power and faculty to understand truth as those had who were in the understanding of truth and the perception of good; but immediately upon their falling back into their former state they again appeared to be unable to understand truth, and indeed, were exceedingly indignant at having understood, declaring then that still it was not truth. For it is affection which belongs to the will that makes all the understanding there is with man; from affection is the life itself of the understanding. Consider whether anyone thinks without affection, and whether affection is not the life itself of thought, consequently the life of the understanding. We say an affection and mean the affection that is of love, or love in its continuity. This makes clear that man can indeed destroy the understanding of truth and the perception of good, which is done by means of the falsities of evil; and yet he does not on that account destroy the faculty to understand truth and perceive good; if he did he would no longer be a man, for the human itself consists in that faculty; from this it is that man lives after death, and appears then as a man; for with that faculty the Divine is conjoined. For this reason although a man in respect to his two lives, which are the life of his understanding and the life of his will, may have turned away from the Divine, yet by his ability to understand truth and to perceive good he has conjunction with the Divine, and consequently lives to eternity. From this it can now be seen that "it was given to the locusts that they should not kill men" signifies that still they should not be deprived of the faculty to understand truth and perceive good.
Footnotes:
1. Latin has "said," but in the end of the number it is "given," with the Greek.
547. [Vers. 5.] "Et 1
datum illis, ut non occiderent illos." - Quod significet quod non deprivarentur facultate intelligendi verum et percipiendi bonum, constat ex significatione "hominum", quod sint intellectus veri et perceptio boni (de qua mox supra, n. 546); et ex significatione "occidere illos", quod sit perdere quoad vitam spiritualem (de qua supra, n. 315); hic autem deprivare facultate intelligendi verum et percipiendi bonum. Quod hoc significetur hic per "occidere homines", est quia unusquisque homo nascitur in facultatem intelligendi verum et percipiendi bonum, est enim illa facultas ipsum spirituale, per quod omnis homo distinguitur a bestiis. Hanc facultatem homo nusquam perdit; nam si illam perdit, non amplius est homo sed bestia. Apparet quidem sicut sensualis homo qui in falsis mali est perdiderit, quia non intelligit verum et percipit bonum dum legit Verbum aut audit id ab aliis; sed usque non perdiderit ipsam facultatem intelligendi et percipiendi, sed modo intellectum veri et perceptionem boni, quamdiu est in falsis in quibus se ex malo confirmaverat; tamdiu enim aversatur audire verum, quod apparet sicut non posset intelligere; at si removeretur persuasio falsi quae obstat, tunc intelligit et percipit quod verum sit verum, et quod bonum sit bonum, sic ut homo rationalis spiritualis.
[2] Quod ita sit, ex multa experientia mihi datum est scire: fuerunt enim plures ex infernali turba, qui se confirmaverunt in falsis contra vera et in malis contra bona, qui inde tales facti sunt ut nihil veri audire minus intelligere vellent; de quibus ideo alii captarunt opinionem quod verum non possent intelligere; sed iidem, cum persuasio falsi illis remota est, venerunt in potentiam et facultatem intelligendi verum prorsus sicut illi qui in intellectu veri et in perceptione boni fuerunt: at illico cum relapsi sunt in pristinum statum, apparuerunt iterum sicut non possent intelligere verum; immo indignati sunt valde quod intellexerint, dicentes tunc quod usque non verum esset. Affectio enim quae est voluntatis facit omnem intellectum qui est apud homines, nam ipsa vita intellectus est inde. Expende num aliquis cogitet absque affectione, et annon affectio sit ipsa vita cogitationis, proinde vita intellectus. Dicitur affectio, ac intelligitur affectio quae est amoris, seu amor in suo continuo. Ex his patet quod homo quidem intellectum veri et perceptionem boni possit perdere, quod fit per falsa mali, sed quod usque non ideo perdat facultatem intelligendi verum et percipiendi bonum; si illam perdit, non amplius est homo, ipsum enim humanum in illa facultate consistit; ex illa est quod homo vivat post mortem, et quod appareat tunc sicut homo; Divinum enim cum illa facultate conjunctum est. Inde est, quod tametsi homo quoad binas suas vitas, quae sunt vita intellectus et vita voluntatis, a Divino aversus sit, usque per id quod possit intelligere verum et percipere bonum conjunctionem cum Divino habeat, et inde vivat in aeternum. Ex his nunc constare potest quod per [quod] "datum sit locustis ut non occiderent homines", significetur quod usque non deprivarentur facultate intelligendi verum et percipiendi bonum.
Footnotes:
1. The editors made a correction or note here.