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932. And them that have victory over the beast. That this signifies those who have lived a life of charity, and consequently have not falsified the Word, is clear from the signification of having victory over the beast, as denoting to live a life of charity. For by the beast are signified those who are in faith separated from charity, or, what is the same thing, who are in faith without good works, and live according to that faith. Those therefore who do not live that faith, but the faith of charity, have victory over the beast; for they fight against that faith in their life. And because they come off conquerors, they also receive the reward of victory after the life in the world.
Because the beast also signifies confirmation from the Word of separated faith, and thence its falsification, therefore by having the victory over the beast is also signified, that they have not falsified the Word.
That by the two beasts of the dragon treated of in chapter xiii. is signified faith separated from the goods of life, and also the falsification of the Word to confirm it, may be seen above (n. 773, 875).
[2] Since in the explanations of the two preceding chapters (xii. and xiii.), faith separated from the goods of charity, which are good works, also faith from charity, have been treated of; in the explanations to this chapter and the following, the goods of charity must be treated of.
What the goods of charity or good works are, is at this day unknown to most of the Christian world, because of the prevalence of the religion of faith alone, which is a faith separated from the goods of charity; for if these contribute nothing to salvation, but faith only, it is thought that they may be left undone. But there are some who believe that good works are to be done, and yet do not know what constitutes good works. They suppose that they consist in merely giving to the poor, and in helping the needy, widows, and the fatherless, because such things are mentioned and so commanded in the Word. Some suppose, that if they are to be done for the sake of life eternal, they ought to give to the poor all they possess, as was done in the Primitive Church; and, as the Lord commanded the rich man, that he should sell all that he had, and give to the poor, and take up his cross and follow Him. But what the good works are that are meant in the Word shall be explained, in order, in the following articles.
932. And them that have victory over the beast, signifies who have lived a life of charity, and thus have not falsified the Word. This is evident from the signification of "having victory over the beast," as being to live a life of charity; for "the beast" signifies those who are in faith separated from charity, or what is the same, those who are in faith without good works, and who live according to that faith; consequently those who do not live that faith but the faith of charity "have victory over the beast," for they fight against that faith in their life; and as they come off victors they receive the reward of victory after their life in the world. As "the beast" signifies also the confirmation from the Word of faith separate, and thus falsification of the Word, so "to have the victory over the beast" signifies also not to have falsified the Word. (That "the two beasts" of the dragon treated of in chapter 13 signify faith separated from the goods of life, also falsification of the Word to confirm that faith, may be seen above, n. Matthew 19:21). But what is meant in the Word by good works shall be told in order in what follows.
932. "Et victoriam habentes de bestia." - Quod significet qui vitam charitatis vixerunt, et inde non falsificarunt Verbum, constat ex significatione "victoriam habere de bestia", quod sit vitam charitatis vivere; nam per "bestiam significantur qui in fide separata a charitate, seu quod idem, qui in fide absque bonis operibus sunt, et secundum illam fidem vivunt; qui itaque non illam fidem, sed fidem charitatis vivunt, "victoriam de bestia habent"; nam contra illam fidem vita sua pugnant, et quia victores evadunt, etiam victoriae praemium post vitam in mundo recipiunt. Quoniam per "bestiam" etiam significatur confirmatio fidei separatae ex Verbo, et inde falsificatio ejus, etiam per "victoriam habere de bestia" significatur quod non falsificaverint Verbum. (Quod per "binas bestias" draconis, de quibus in capite 13 agitur, significetur fides separata a bonis vitae, et quoque falsificatio Verbi ad confirmandam illam, videatur supra, n. 773, 815 [a] .)
[De Bonis Charitatis.]
Quoniam in explicationibus ad bina capita praecedentia (12 et 13) actum est de fide separata a bonis charitatis, quae sunt bona opera, tum de fide ex charitate, in explicationibus ad hoc et ad sequens caput agendum est de bonis charitatis. Quid bona charitatis seu bona opera, in Christiano orbe hodie a plerisque ignoratur, ex causa quia invaluit religio de sola fide, quae est fides separata a bonis charitatis; nam si haec nihil ad salutem faciunt, sed solum fides, in animo est quod possint omitti. Aliqui vero qui credunt quod bona opera facienda sint, non sciunt quid bona opera; cogitant quod bona opera sint solum dare pauperibus, ac benefacere egenis, viduis et pupillis, quia talia nominantur et sicut mandantur in Verbo. Quidam credunt quod si facienda sint propter vitam aeternam, datum sint pauperibus omnia quae possident, sicut in primitiva ecclesia factum est, et sicut a Domino mandatum est diviti, quod "venderet omnia quae haberet, et daret pauperibus, ac tollens crucem sequeretur Ipsum" [ (Matthaeus 19:21)] . Sed quid bona opera, quae intelliguntur in Verbo, dicetur ordine in sequentibus.