SS13.在启示录第9章，经上说：
第五位天使吹号，我就看见一个星从天落到地上，有无底坑的钥匙赐给他。他开了无底坑，便有烟从无底坑里往上冒，好像大火炉的烟。日头和天空，都因这坑的烟昏暗了。有蝗虫从烟中出来，到了地上，有能力赐给它们，好像地上的蝎子有能力一样。蝗虫的形状好像预备出战的马一样，头上戴的好像冠冕，仿佛是金的；脸面好像男人的脸面；它们有头发像女人的头发，牙齿像狮子的牙齿。它们有胸甲，好像铁甲；它们翅膀的声音，好像许多车马奔跑上阵的声音。它们有尾巴像蝎子，尾巴上有毒钩，有能力伤人五个月。它们有无底坑的使者作它们的王，按着希伯来话，名叫亚巴顿；按着希腊话，名叫亚玻伦。（启示录9:1-3，7-11）
谁也无法理解这一切，除非灵义向他揭开；因为此处没有一句话是空洞的；相反，每个细节都有自己的含义。此处论述的主题是，当圣言中的真理的一切知识都被毁灭，那些变得感官化的人因此确信虚假就是真理时，教会的状态。
“从天落下的星”表示被毁的真理的知识；“昏暗的日头和天空”表示真理之光变为幽暗；“从这坑的烟中出来的蝗虫”表示在最外在或最表层的事物，就是诸如存在于那些已经变得感官化，并出于谬见或假象来看待和评判一切事物的人中间的那类事物中的虚假；“蝎子”表示他们的说服力。蝗虫看上去“好像预备出战的马”表示他们的推理好像来自对真理的理解；蝗虫“头上戴的好像金冠冕，脸面好像男人的脸面”表示在他们自己看来，他们就像胜利者，有智慧；“它们有头发像女人的头发”表示在他们自己看来，他们好像处于对真理的情感；它们的“牙齿像狮子的牙齿”表示他们的感官印象（这些感官印象是属世人最表层的东西），在他们看来好像拥有掌管一切的能力。
“它们有胸甲，好像铁甲”表示基于谬见或假象的论据，他们用这些论据来争战并战胜；“它们翅膀的声音，好像许多车马奔跑上阵的声音”表示他们的推理仿佛基于取自圣言的教义真理，他们不得不捍卫它们；“它们有尾巴像蝎子”表示他们的说服力；“尾巴上有毒钩”表示他们利用这种能力进行欺骗的技能；它们“有能力伤人五个月”表示他们在那些致力于理解真理并感知良善的人身上引发的一种麻木；“它们有无底坑的使者作它们的王，名叫亚巴顿或亚玻伦”表示他们的虚假来自地狱，就是那些纯粹属世，并喜爱自己聪明的人所住的地方。
这就是这些话的灵义，这些灵义无一显明于字义。启示录处处都是这样。要知道，就灵义而言，一切事物都连贯于一个不间断的联系中，字义或属世意义上的每一句话都有助于它的精美结构。所以，哪怕从中取走一句话，这个联系就会打破，这种连贯性就会消失。为防止这一点，在这本预言书的末尾，经上补充说：一句话也不可删减（启示录22:19）。旧约的预言书同样如此；为了防止有什么删减，按照主的神性治理的安排，其中的一切细节，甚至连字母都被数算过；这项工作由文士完成。
13. In chapter 9 of Revelation we read,
The fifth angel sounded. And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. And out of the smoke locusts came onto the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. The shapes of the locusts were like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were what seemed to be golden crowns, and their faces were like human faces. They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like those of lions. They had breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. And they had tails like scorpions, and there were stingers in their tails. Their power was to hurt people for five months. And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon. [Revelation 9:1-3, 7-11]
Readers will not understand this either unless the spiritual meaning has been unveiled to them, because nothing in it is an empty statement. Everything, every detail, has meaning. It is about the state of the church when all the truth it has recognized in the Word lies in ruins, and when those who have become limited to their physical senses therefore convince themselves that falsities are truths.
[2] The star fallen from heaven means the ruined state of the truth that was once recognized.
The darkened sun and air mean the light of truth turned into darkness.
The locusts that came out of the smoke of the pit mean false beliefs built on the outward kind of thinking characteristic of people who have become limited to their physical senses and see and evaluate everything on the basis of deceptive appearances.
Scorpions mean the force of their rhetoric.
The locusts looking like horses prepared for battle means their rationalizing as though they understood what was true.
The locusts having what seemed to be golden crowns on their heads and having faces that looked human means that it seemed to them that they were triumphant and wise.
Their having hair like women’s hair means that it seemed to them that they were genuinely devoted to truth.
Their having teeth like those of lions means that their sensory impressions (which are the most superficial aspects of the earthly self) seemed to them to have power over everything.
[3] Their having breastplates like breastplates of iron means the arguments from deceptive appearances that they use in order to fight and prevail.
The sound of their wings being like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle means their rationalizations, based on supposedly true teachings from the Word, for which they feel compelled to fight.
Their having tails like scorpions means their persuasive ability.
Their having stingers in their tails means their skills in using this ability to deceive.
Their having power to hurt people for five months means that they induce a kind of stupor in people who are devoted to understanding what is true and perceiving what is good.
Their having as king over them the angel of the abyss whose name is Abaddon and Apollyon means that their false principles come from hell, where all the people are totally materialistic and in love with their own intelligence.
[4] This is the spiritual meaning of these words, none of which is obvious in the literal meaning. It is the same throughout the Book of Revelation.
Bear in mind that, when spiritually understood, everything is bound together in an ongoing connection, and every single word in the literal or earthly meaning contributes to its elegant construction. So if one little word were taken away, a connection would be broken and a link would be lost. To prevent this from happening, the command not to take away a word is appended to the end of this prophetic book (Revelation 22:19). It is the same with the prophetic books of the Old Testament: so that nothing would be lost, the Lord’s divine providence arranged that their details were counted right down to the letters, which was done by the Masoretes.
13. In the ninth chapter of the book of Revelation we read:
The fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth, and to him was given the key to the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.... The locusts in appearance were like horses prepared for battle, and on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of many...chariots rushing into battle. They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails, and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, who in Greek has the name Apollyon.
No one would understand this either unless the spiritual sense were revealed to him; for nothing was said there idly; everything down to the least detail has some symbolic meaning.
The subject there is the state of the church when all concepts of truth from the Word have been lost, so that people, having become sense-oriented, persuade themselves that falsities are truths.
[2] The star fallen from heaven symbolizes the lost concepts of truth. The darkened sun and air symbolize a thoroughly darkened light of truth. The locusts that came out of the smoke of the pit symbolize falsities of the lowest sort, such as are found in the case of people who have become sensual and who view and judge everything in accordance with fallacies. A scorpion symbolizes their persuasiveness.
The locusts’ looking like horses prepared for battle symbolizes their reasonings as though stemming from an understanding of truth. The locusts’ having what looked like crowns of gold on their heads, and their faces being like the faces of men, means symbolically that they seemed to themselves to be conquerors and wise. Their having hair like the hair of women means symbolically that they seemed to themselves to have an affection for truth. Their having teeth like lions’ teeth means symbolically that matters of the senses, which constitute the lowest elements of the natural self’s life, appeared to them to have power over all else.
[3] Their having breastplates like breastplates of iron symbolizes their arguments based on fallacies, with which they battled and prevailed. The sound of their wings being like the sound of chariots rushing into battle symbolizes their reasonings, as though founded on doctrinal truths from the Word, which they had to defend. Their having tails like scorpions symbolizes their persuasions. Their having stings in their tails symbolizes their clever arts to deceive by those persuasions. Their having the power to hurt men five months symbolizes their inducing a kind of numbness in people possessing an understanding of truth and a perception of goodness.
Their having as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, who has the name Abaddon or Apollyon, symbolically means that their falsities originated from hell, where the inhabitants are merely natural and caught up in their own intelligence.
[4] This is the spiritual meaning of these words, nothing of which is apparent in the literal sense. The case is the same throughout the book of Revelation.
It must be known that everything in the spiritual sense hangs together in an unbroken connection, and that every word in the literal or natural sense contributes to forming the connection. Consequently, if the smallest word were to be taken away, the connection would be broken and the continuity perish. To keep this from happening, therefore, at the end of this prophetic book a warning is added not to take away a word (Revelation 22:19).
The case is the same with the prophetic books of the Old Testament, from which nothing was to be taken away. Of the Lord’s Divine providence, it came to pass that everything in those books, even the very letters, were counted — this by the Masoretes.
13. In Revelation 9 we read,
The fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power ...
The shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had ... breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many [horses] running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. Revelation 9:1-3, 7-11.
These things also no one would understand unless the spiritual sense were revealed to him; for nothing here is said without meaning: everything, even to each particular, has a signification. The subject here treated of is the state of the Church when all cognitions 1of truth from the Word have been destroyed, and consequently man, having become sensual, persuades himself that falsities are truths.
[2] By the star fallen from heaven is signified the cognitions of truth destroyed; by the sun and the air being darkened is signified the light of truth become thick darkness; by the locusts which went forth out of the smoke of that pit are signified falsities in ultimates (extremis) such as are with those who have become sensual, and who see and judge all things from fallacies; by a scorpion is signified their persuasive power. The locusts appearing as horses prepared for battle signifies their reasonings as from the understanding of truth; that the locusts had crowns like gold upon their heads, and faces like the faces of men, signifies that they appeared to themselves as conquerors and wise; their having hair as the hair of women signifies that they appeared to themselves as if they were in the affection of truth; and their having teeth as the teeth of lions signifies that sensual things, which are the lowest things of the natural man, appeared to them as if they had power over all things.
[3] That they had breastplates as breastplates of iron signifies argumentations from fallacies, by which they fight and prevail. The sound of their wings being as the sound of chariots running to battle signifies reasons as from truths of doctrine from the Word, for which truths they were to combat; their having tails as scorpions signifies persuasions; their having stings in their tails signifies craftiness in deceiving by means of their persuasions. Their having power to hurt men five months signifies that they bring into a kind of stupor those who are in the understanding of truth and in the perception of good. That they have over them a king, the angel of the bottomless pit whose name is Abaddon or Apollyon, signifies that their falsities were from hell, where those are who are merely natural and in self-intelligence.
[4] This is the spiritual sense of these words of which nothing appears in the sense of the Letter; and it is the same throughout the Revelation. It should be known that in the spiritual sense all things cohere in a continuous sequence, to the perfect arrangement of which each word contributes in the sense of the Letter, or natural sense. Thus, if the smallest word were taken away the sequence would be broken and the connection would be destroyed. Lest this should happen, therefore, at the end of this prophetical Book is it added,
That not a word should be taken away. Revelation 22:19.
It is the same with the Books of the Prophets of the Old Testament. Lest anything should be taken away from these, it was brought about by the Divine Providence of the Lord that each particular in them was counted, even to the letters. This was done by the Masoretes. 2
Footnotes:
1. The term cognitiones, here used in the Latin, is translated "cognitions" to distinguish these knowledges from those that are meant by the Latin scientifica also used in the Writings of Swedenborg.
Two of the meanings most commonly associated with cognitiones are, (i) a particular species of knowledge, as knowledges of the Word, of good and truth, or of spiritual things (Heaven and Hell 111, 351, 469, 474, 517, 518); and (ii) a higher type of knowledge which is from understanding and perception (Heaven and Hell 353).
2. These were Jewish Rabbis whose object was to preserve the integrity of the text of the Hebrew Scriptures.
13. In Revelation, chapter 9, we read:
The fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth, and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit; and he opened the bottomless pit, and there went up a smoke out of the pit as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit; and there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth, and unto them was given power as the scorpions of the earth have power. The shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared for war, and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold; and their faces were as the faces of men; and they had hair as the hair of women; and their teeth were as the teeth of lions; and they had breastplates as of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots, of many horses running to war; and they had tails like scorpions; and there were stings in their tails; and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had a king over them, the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew is Abaddon, but in the Greek he hath the name Apollyon (1-3, 7-11).
Neither could these things be understood by anyone unless the spiritual sense were revealed to him; for nothing here is said emptily, but every single thing has its signification. The subject here treated of is the state of the church when all knowledges of truth from the Word have been destroyed, and consequently man, having become sensuous, persuades himself that falsities are truths.
[2] The "star fallen from heaven" signifies the knowledges of truth destroyed; the "sun and air darkened" signifies the light of truth become thick darkness; the "locusts that came out of the smoke of the pit" signify falsities in the outermost things such as exist with those who have become sensuous, and who see and judge all things from fallacies; a "scorpion" signifies their persuasiveness. That the locusts appeared "like horses prepared for war" signifies their reasonings as it were from the understanding of truth; that the locusts had "crowns like gold upon their heads, and faces as the faces of men" signifies that they appeared to themselves as conquerors, and as wise; their having "hair as the hair of women" signifies that they appeared to themselves as if they were in the affection of truth; their having "teeth as the teeth of lions" signifies that sensuous things, which are ultimate things of the natural man, appeared to them as having power over all things.
[3] Their having "breastplates as breastplates of iron" signifies argumentations from fallacies by which they fight and prevail; that "the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots running to war" signifies reasonings as if from the truths of doctrine from the Word for which they were to fight; their having "tails like scorpions" signifies persuasions; their having "stings in their tails" signifies their cunning arts of deceiving thereby; their having "power to hurt men five months" signifies that they induce a kind of stupor on those who are in the understanding of truth and perception of good; their having "a king over them, the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name is Abaddon or Apollyon" signifies that their falsities were from hell, where dwell those who are merely natural and in self-intelligence.
[4] This is the spiritual sense of these words, of which nothing appears in the sense of the letter. Everywhere in Revelation it is the same. Be it known that in the spiritual sense all things hang together in a continuous connection, which is fitted together in such a manner by the force and meaning of all the words in the literal or natural sense, that if even a little word were taken out of it, the connection would be broken and the coherence would perish. In order to prevent this, it is added at the end of this prophetical book,
That not a word shall be taken away (Revelation 22:19).
It is the same with the books of the prophets of the Old Testament; in order to prevent anything from being taken away from them, it came to pass of the Lord's Divine Providence that everything therein down to the very letters was counted. This was done by the Masorites.
13. In Apocalypsi 9, legitur,
"Quintus angelus clanxit, et vidi stellam e caelo delapsam in terram, et data ei clavis putei abyssi; et aperuit puteum abyssi, et ascendit fumus ex puteo sicut fumus fornacis magnae; et obscuratus est sol et aer ex fumo putei. Et e fumo exiverunt locustae in terram, et data est illis potestas, sicut habent potestatem scorpii terrae... Figurae locustarum similes equis paratis ad bellum; et super capitibus illarum sicut coronae similes auro, et facies illarum sicut facies hominum; et habebant capillos sicut capillos mulierum, et dentes earum sicut leonum erant; et habebant [thoraces sicut] thoraces ferreos; et vox [alarum] illarum sicut vox curruum.. multorum currentium in bellum: et habebant caudas similes scorpiis, et aculei erant in caudis illarum: et potestas illarum laedere homines mensibus quinque: et habebant super se regem, angelum abyssi, nomen ei Hebraice Abaddon, in Graeca nomen habet Apollyon" [(Apocalypsi 9:1-3, 7-11)].
Haec nec ullus intellecturus esset, nisi ei revelatus esset sensus spiritualis; nam nihil ibi inaniter dictum est, omnia quoad singula significant. Agitur ibi de statu ecclesiae, quando omnes cognitiones veri ex Verbo deperditae sunt, et inde homo sensualis factus persuadet sibi quod falsitates sint veritates. Per "stellam e caelo delapsam" significantur cognitiones veri deperditae; per "solem et aerem obscuratum" significatur lux veri caligo facta; per "locustas," quae e fumo putei illius exiverunt, significantur falsa in extremis, qualia sunt illis qui sensuales facti sunt, et omnia vident et judicant ex fallaciis; per "scorpium" significatur persuasivum eorum: quod locustae apparuerint "sicut equi parati ad bellum," significat ratiocinationes illorum sicut ex intellectu veri: quod locustis "coronae similes aura super capite" fuerint, et quod "facies illarum sicut facies hominum," significat quod apparerent sibi sicut victores et sapientes; quod illis "capilli sicut capilli mulierum," significat quod apparerent sibi sicut in affectione veri essent; quod illis "dentes sicut leonum," significat quod sensualia, quae sunt ultima naturalis hominis, apparerent illis sicut in potentia super omnia: quod illis "thoraces sicut thoraces ferrei, significat argumentationes ex fallaciis per quas pugnant et valent: quod illis "vox alarum sicut vox curruum currentium in bellum," significat ratiocinationes sicut a veris doctrinae ex Verbo, pro quibus pugnandum; quod illis "caudae sicut scorpiis," significat persuasiones; quod illis "aculei in caudis," significat astutias fallendi per illas: quod illis "potestas laedendi homines mensibus quinque," significat quod in aliquem stuporem inducant illos qui in intellectu veri et in perceptione boni sunt: quod haberent super se "regem, angelum abyssi, cui nomen Abaddon aut Apollyon," significat quod falsa illorum essent ab inferno ubi mere naturales, et in propria intelligentia. Hic illorum verborum sensus spiritualis est, ex quo non aliquid apparet in sensu litterae. Simile est ubivis in Apocalypsi. Sciendum est, quod in sensu spirituali omnia cohaereant in continuo nexu, ad quem concinnandum unaquaevis vox in sensu litterae seu naturali conducit: quare si vocula auferretur, nexus rumperetur et copula periret; ideo, ne id fieret, in fine hujus libri prophetici adjectum est,
Quod non auferretur verbum (Apocalypsi 22:19).
Simile est cum libris Prophetarum Veteris Testamenti; e quibus ne aliquid auferretur, ex Divina providentia Domini factum est, at singula in illis usque ad litteras numerata essent, hoc a Masorethis.