Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 296Arise, O daughter of Zion; for I will make thine horn iron, and Iwill make thy hoofs brass, that thou mayest beat in pieces many peoples(Micah 4:13).The “daughter of Zion” is the celestial church; “horn” is power inthe natural man; “hoofs” are the ultimates there, called sensualknowledges; hence it is evident what is signified by “making thehorn iron, and the hoofs brass.” (That the “daughter of Zion” is thecelestial church, see Arcana Coelestia, n. 2362, 9055; that “horn” isthe power of truth from good in the natural man, n. 2832, 9081,9719, 9720, 9721, 10182, 10186; and that “hoofs” are theknowledges of the sensual man, which are truths in the ultimate oforder, n. 7729.)177. As earthen vessels shall they be shivered, signifies the totaldispersion of falsities. This is evident from the signification of“earthen vessels,” as being such things in the natural man as arefrom self-intelligence; and all things in the natural man that haverespect to the things of heaven and the church and which are fromself-intelligence are falsities (of which presently). It is evident alsofrom the signification of being “shivered,” as being to be dispersed;“to disperse” is said of falsities, as “to shiver” is said of earthenvessels. That “earthen vessels” signify the things in the natural manthat are from self-intelligence in matters of heaven and the church,and that these things are falsities, will be shown in what follows;something must first be said to show that the things that haverespect to heaven and the church that gain entrance by selfintelligenceare falsities.Those who think from self-intelligence think from the world; forman, from his proprium loves only the things of the world and ofself, and what he loves he also sees and perceives; the things heloves he calls goods, and the things he sees and perceives therefromhe calls truths; but these goods, which from love he so calls, areevils, and the truths which he sees from that love are falsities, sincethey spring forth from the loves of self and of the world, whichloves are contrary to the loves of heaven, which are love to the Lordand love to the neighbor; and the things that pour forth fromcontraries are contraries.