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381. (Verse 8) And I looked, and behold a pale horse. That this signifies not any understanding of the Word, from evils of life and then from the falsities thence, [will appear in what follows]. In this and the following chapter, the successive states of the church are treated of, that is, of the men of the church, as to their spiritual life; and their first state is described by the white horse, the second by the red horse, the third by the black horse, and the fourth by the pale horse. That by the white horse is signified the understanding of truth from the Word, may be seen above (n. 355); that by the red horse is signified the understanding of the Word perished as to good (n. 364); that by the black horse is signified the understanding of the Word perished as to truth (n. 372). Hence it is now clear that by the pale horse is signified not any understanding of the Word, from evils of life and falsities thence. For when the understanding of the Word is destroyed as to good and truth, it follows that there is no understanding of the Word; and the reason why there is none, is, because evil of life and the falsity thence bear rule. It is said the evil of life and the falsity thence, because where there is evil of life, there also is falsity, for they make one in man's spirit. It is said in man's spirit, because an evil, as well as a good man, can do good and speak truth; but this is only done by the evil man from the natural man, and thence from the body, whereas inwardly with him, that is, in his spirit, there is not the will of good, and thence neither the understanding of truth, thus, neither good nor truth this is especially evident from such persons when they become spirits, then because they are in the spirit they will nothing but evil, and speak nothing but falsity. This then is meant by the pale horse. That a horse signifies the understanding, may be seen above (n. 355); here the understanding of the Word, because by him that sat upon the horse is signified the Word (n. 373).
[2] That pale signifies evil of life and the falsity thence, thus a pale horse not any understanding of the Word from evils of life and the falsities thence, is, because paleness indicates, and thence signifies, absence of life, or its loss, here the absence and loss of spiritual life, which takes place when instead of the good of life there is evil of life, and instead of the truth of faith there is falsity of faith, for then there is no spiritual life. By spiritual life is meant the life of heaven, which also in the Word is simply called life; but a life not spiritual is such as those in hell have, which in the Word is also called death. That by the pale horse is signified spiritual death, is evident also from the following verses, for it is said, "His name that sat upon the horse was Death, and Hell followed with him."
[3] The same is signified by paleness or by pale in Jeremiah:
"Ask ye, seek and see whether a male doth travail with child? [wherefore] do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as if bringing forth, and all faces are turned into paleness?" (3860, 3868, 3915, 3965, 3919, 9325; that the male or masculine signifies truth, and thence intelligence, n. 749, 2046, 4005, 7838; also man [vir], n. 749, 1007, 3134, 3309, 3459, 9007; that the face signifies the interior things of the mind, thus the things of love and faith, n. 1999, 2434, 3527, 4066, 4796, 5102, 9306, 9546; that the faces with the angels are forms of their affections, in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 47, 457, 459, 481, 552, 553.)
[4] The same is signified by waxing pale, in Isaiah:
"Jacob shall not [now] be ashamed, neither shall his faces [now] wax pale" (29:22).
By Jacob are meant those who belong to the church, and by his faces not waxing pale, that they shall not be in evils and falsities, but in goods and truths. That paleness signifies the absence and loss of spiritual life, which takes place when there are no good and truth, but evil and falsity, is because when man is deprived of vital heat, he then waxes pale and becomes an image of death, as is the case in extreme terrors, and similarly when he dies; but when he dies spiritually, then his face either becomes red like a coal fire, or pale like that of a corpse; such is the appearance of infernals in the light of heaven.
381. Verse 8. And I saw, and behold a pale horse, signifies the understanding of the Word then become nought in consequence of evils of life and then of falsities therefrom. This and the following chapter treats of the successive states of the church, that is, of the men of the church in respect to their spiritual life; and their first state is described by "the white horse," the second by "the red horse," the third by "the black horse," and the fourth by "the pale horse." That "the white horse" signifies the understanding of truth from the Word may be seen above n. 355; that "the red horse" signifies the understanding of the Word lost in respect to good n. 364; that "the black horse" signifies the understanding of the Word lost in respect to truth n. 372; from which it is clear that "the pale horse" signifies the understanding of the Word become nought in consequence of evils of life and of falsities therefrom. For when the understanding of the Word is lost in respect to good and in respect to truth, it follows that the understanding of the Word becomes nought; and for the reason that the evil of life and the falsity therefrom reign. It is said the evil of life and the falsity therefrom, because where there is the evil of life there also is falsity, for these make one in man's spirit: it is said in man's spirit, because an evil man equally with a good man can do good and speak truth; but an evil man does this merely from the natural man and thence from the body, while within him, that is, in his spirit, there is no will of good and thus no understanding of truth, therefore neither good nor truth; this is especially evident when such persons become spirits; then, because they are in the spirit, they will nothing but evil and speak nothing but falsity. This is what is here meant by "the pale horse." That "a horse" signifies the understanding may be seen above n. 355; here the understanding of the Word, because "he that sat upon the horse" signifies the Word n. 373.
[2] "Pale" signifies the evil of life and the falsity therefrom, thus "the pale horse" the understanding of the Word become nought in consequence of evils of life and of the falsities therefrom, because paleness indicates and thence signifies the absence of life or deprivation of life, here absence and deprivation of spiritual life, which occurs when there is the evil of life in place of the good of life, and the falsity of faith in place of the truth of faith, for there is then no spiritual life. Spiritual life means the life of heaven, and in the Word this also is called simply "life;" but life not spiritual is such a life as those have who are in hell, and this in the Word is also called "death." That "the pale horse" signifies spiritual death is evident, too, from the rest of this verse, for it is said, "he that sat upon this horse his name was Death, and Hell followed with him."
[3] "Paleness" or "pale" has a like meaning in Jeremiah:
Ask ye, I pray, and see whether a male doth bring forth? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins as one bringing forth, and all faces are turned into paleness? (Arcana Coelestia 3860, 3868, 3915, 3919, 3965, 9325; that the "male" or "masculine" signifies truth, and intelligence therefrom, n. 749, 2046, 4005, 7838; likewise "man" [vir], n. 749, 1007, 3134, 3309, 3459, 9007; that "the face" signifies the interiors of the mind, thus the things of love and faith, n. 1999, 2434, 3527, 4066, 4796, 5102, 9306, 9546; that the faces with angels are the forms of their affections, see Heaven and Hell 47, 457, 459, 481, 552, 553.)
[4] "To wax pale" has a like meaning in Isaiah:
Jacob shall not be ashamed, neither shall his face wax pale (Isaiah 29:22).
"Jacob" means those who are of the church, and "his face shall not wax pale" means that such shall not be in evils and falsities, but in goods and truths. "Paleness" signifies privation of spiritual life, which occurs when there is no good and truth, but evil and falsity, because when man is deprived of vital heat he then waxes pale and becomes an image of death, as is the case in extreme terrors, the same as when he dies; but when a man dies spiritually his face either becomes red like a coal fire or pale like that of a corpse; thus the infernals appear in the light of heaven.
381. (Vers. 8.) "Et vidi, et ecce aquus pallidus." - Quod significet intellectum Verbi nullum, et malis vitae et inde falsis tunc (, constabit ex sequentibus). Agitur in hoc et sequente capite de successivis statibus ecclesiae, hoc est, hominum ecclesiae quoad spiritualem eorum vitam; ac primus status eorum descriptus est per "equum album", secundus per "equum rufum", tertius per "equum nigrum", et quartus per "equum pallidum." Quod per "equum album" significatus sit intellectus veri ex Verbo, videatur supra, n. 355; quod per "equum rufum" significatus sit intellectus Verbi deperditus quoad bonum, n. 364; quod per "equum nigrum" significatus sit intellectus Verbi deperditus quoad verum, n. 372; inde nunc patet quod per "equum pallidum" significetur intellectus Verbi nullus ex malis vitae et inde falsis: cum enim intellectus Verbi deperditus est quoad bonum et quoad verum, sequitur quod intellectus Verbi nullus sit; et quod nullus sit, est quia malum vitae et inde falsum regnat. Dicitur malum vitae et inde falii~m, nam ubi malum vitae est ibi etiam falsum est, unum enim faciunt in spiritu hominis; in spiri'u hominis dicitur, quoniam malus homo potest aeque ac bonus homo bonum facere et verum loqui, sed hoc a malo homine fit solum ex naturali homine et inde corpore; at intus apud illum; hoc est, in Spiritu ejus, non est voluntas boni et inde nec intellectus veri, ita non bonum nec verum, quod imprimis patet ex iisdem cum fiunt spiritus; tunc quia in spiritu sunt, non aliud volunt quam malum, nec aliud loquuntur quam falsum: hoc nunc intelligitur per "equum pallidum." Quod "equus" significet intellectum, videatur supra (n. 355); hic intellectum Verbi, quia per "sedentem super equo" significatur Verbum (n. 373).
[2] Quod "pallidus" significet malum vitae et inde falsum, ita "equus pallidus" intellectum Verbi nullum ex malis vitae et inde falsis, est quia pallor indicat et inde significat absentiam vitae seu deprivationem ejus; hic absentiam et deprivationem vitae spiritualis, quae est quando loco boni vitae est malum vitae, et loco veri fidei est falsum fidei, tunc enim non est vita spiritualis. Per vitam Spiritualem intelligitur vita caeli, quae etiam in Verbo simpliciter "vita" vocatur; at vita non spiritualis est qualis est illis qui in inferno sunt, quae etiam in Verbo vocatur "mors." Quod per "equum pallidum" mors spiritualis significetur, patet quoque ex sequentibus hujus versus, nam dicitur, "Sedens super equo illo nomen illi mors, et infernus sequebatur cum illo."
[3] Simile significatur per "pallorem" seu per "pallidum" apud Jeremiam,
"Interrogate, quaeso, et videte num pariens mas; (quare) video omnem virum manus ejus super lumbis ejus sicut parturientis, et conversae sunt omnes facies in pallorem" (30:6):
quid haec involvunt, nemo scire potest nisi sciat quid significat "parere", quid "mas" et "vir", quid "manus super lumbis", et quid "facies"; haec dicta sunt de illis qui ex propria intelligentia sibi comparare volunt amorem et fidem; illa sibi comparare significatur per "parere"; per "marem" et "virum" significatur intelligentia, hic propria; per "manus super lumbis" significatur excludere illa; et per "facies" significatur amor et fides; nam qualis est amor et fides, talis est facies angelis et spiritibus; affectio enim boni quae est amor, et affectio veri quae est fides, se manifestant prorsus in faciebus illorum: inde per "num pariens mas" significatur num aliquis ex propria intelligentia comparet sibi bonum amoris et verum fidei; per "video omnem virum, manus ejus super lumbis ejus, sicut parturientis", significatur quod quisque connitatur ex proprio excludere illa; et per "conversae sunt omnes facies in pallorem" significatur quod inde non bonum et verum, sed malum et falsum, ita non vita sed mors spiritualis; hoc significatur per "pallorem faciei."
(Quod "conceptiones", "partus" et "nativitates" in Verbo significent conceptiones, partus et nativitates spirituales, quae sunt amoris et fidei, videatur n. 3860, 3868, 3915, 3965, 3919, 9325; quod "mas" seu "masculus" significet verum, et inde intelligentiam, n. 749, 2046, 4005, 7838; similiter "vir", n. 749, 1007, 3134, 3309, 3459, 9007; quod "facies" significet interiora quae mentis, ita quae amoris et fidei, n. 1999, 2434, 3527, 4066, 4796, 5102, 9306, 9546; quod facies apud angelos sint formae affectionum eorum, In opere De Caelo et Inferno 47, 457, 459, 481, 552, 553.)
[4] Simile per "pallescere" significatur apud Esaiam,
"Non (jam) pudefiet Jacobus, et non (jam) facies ejus pallescent" (29:22):
per "Jacobum" intelliguntur illi qui ab ecclesia; et per quod "facies ejus non pallescent", quod non in malis et falsis sed in bonis et veris erunt.
Quod "pallor" significet absentiam et deprivationem vitae spiritualis, quae est quando non est bonum et verum, sed malum et falsum, est quia cum homo deprivatur calore vitali, tunc pallescat, ac fiat imago mortis, sicut fit in maximis terroribus, pariter cum moritur; cum autem spiritualiter moritur, tunc facies ejus vel fit rubra instar ignis carbonarii, vel pallida instar cadaveris; tales apparent infernales in luce caeli.