320、启6:8.“我就观看，看哪，一匹灰白马”表示在良善和真理方面，对圣言的理解都灭绝了。“马”表示对圣言的理解(AR 298节)，“灰白”表示缺乏生命力。在圣言中，这种生命力的缺乏就论及那些没有处于源于教义真理的生活良善的人，或说这些人没有任何生命；因为没有教义，字义上的圣言是无法理解的，而不照着教义生活，教义是无法被感知到的。原因在于，照着取自圣言的教义生活，会打开属灵心智，而来自天堂的光流入该心智，光照它，并给予感知。人若知道教义真理，却不照之生活，就不会知道情况是这样。“第四个活物”之所以显示为“灰白马”，是因为该活物像一只“飞鹰”，而“飞鹰”表示在知识或认知和由此而来的理解方面，圣言的神性真理(AR 244节)。因此，它表明，那些现在被看到的人没有来自圣言的良善和真理的任何知识或认知，也没有对它们的任何理解；像这样的人在灵界就显得苍白或灰白，就像那些没有生命的人。
320. So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. (6:8) This symbolizes an understanding of the Word destroyed as to both goodness and truth.
A horse symbolizes an understanding of the Word (no. 298), and paleness symbolizes a lack of vitality.
The Word lacks vitality for people who are without goods of life in accordance with doctrinal truths. For the Word in the sense of the letter is not understood apart from doctrine, and doctrine is not seen without a life in accordance with it. That is because a life in accordance with doctrine drawn from the Word opens the spiritual mind, and light from heaven flows into the mind, enlightening it and giving it the ability to see. The reality of this is not known by one who is acquainted with truths of doctrine, and yet does not live according to them.
It was the fourth living creature that displayed the pale horse because that living creature was like a flying eagle, and it therefore symbolized the Divine truth of the Word in respect to its concepts and the understanding they afford (no. 244). It showed, therefore, that the people now seen were without any concepts of goodness and truth from the Word, and without any understanding of them. And people of that character appear pale in the spiritual world, like people without life.
320. [verse 8] 'And I saw and behold a pale horse' signifies the understanding of the Word destroyed as to both good and truth. By 'a horse' is signified the understanding of the Word (298); and by 'pale' is signified nothing of life (non vitale). They have nothing of life in the Word who are not in goods of life derived from truths of doctrine; for the Word in the sense of the letter is not understood without a doctrine, and a doctrine is not perceived without a life in accordance therewith. This is because a life in accordance with a doctrine that is out of the Word opens the spiritual mind, and into that the light out of heaven inflows and enlightens and gives to perceive. That such is the case, he does not know who knows the truths of doctrine and yet does not live in accordance with them. The fourth animal exposed the 'pale horse' to view because that animal was like a flying eagle, and by it was signified the Divine Truth of the Word as to cognitions and the understanding therefrom (244), and therefore it exposed to view that with those who were now seen there were not any cognitions of good and truth out of the Word, nor an understanding of them, and they who are such in the spiritual world appear pale, as those who are without life.
320. Verse 8. And I saw, and behold, a pale horse, signifies the understanding of the Word destroyed both as to good and as to truth. "A horse" signifies the understanding of the Word, (298), and "pale" signifies no vitality. In the Word, this want of vitality is predicated of those who are not in goods of life from truths of doctrine; for the Word, in the sense of the letter, is not understood without doctrine, and doctrine is not perceived without a life according to it; the reason is, because a life according to doctrine which is from the Word, opens the spiritual mind, when light flows into it from heaven and enlightens and gives to perceive. That this is the case, he does not know who knows truths of doctrine, and yet does not live according to them.
The reason why "the fourth animal" showed "a pale horse," was, because that animal was like "a flying eagle," and by it was signified the Divine truth of the Word as to knowledges and understanding therefrom, (244). Therefore he showed that with those who were now seen there were no knowledges of good and truth from the Word, nor any understanding of them, and such in the spiritual world appear pale, like those who are without life.
320. (Vers. 8.) "Et vidi et ecce Equus pallidus," significat intellectum Verbi destructum et quoad bonum et quoad verum. -Per "equum" significatur intellectus Verbi (298) et per "pallidum" significatur non vitale; non vitale in Verbo est illis, qui non in bonis vitae ex veris doctrinae sunt Verbum enim in Sensu literae non intelligitur absque doctrina, et doctrina non percipitur absque vita secundum illam; causa est, quia vita secundum doctrinam, quae ex Verbo est, aperit spiritualem mentem, ac in illam influit lux e Caelo ac illustrat, et dat percipere; quod ita sit, nescit ille, qui scit vera doctrinae et tamen non vivit secundum illa. Quod "quartum Animal" ostenderit "equum pallidum," est quia illud Animal fuit simile "aquilae volanti," et per illud ideo significatum est Divinum Verum Verbi quoad cognitiones et inde intellectum (244); quare ostendit, quod apud illos qui nunc visi sunt, non aliquae cognitiones boni et veri ex Verbo, nec intellectus illarum, essent; et qui tales sunt, in mundo spirituali apparent pallidi, sicut qui absque vita sunt.