Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

[14] In Lamentations:APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 477Jehovah hath kindled a fire in Zion, which hath devoured thefoundation’s thereof, because of the sins of her prophets, the iniquitiesof her priests; they have wandered as blind men in the streets, they werepolluted with blood, the things that they cannot, they touch with theirgarments (4:11, 13, 14).“Zion” is the church; the “fire that will devour her foundations” isthe love of self which will disperse all the knowledges of truth; thesins of the prophets,” and “the iniquities of the priests,” are theperversions of those who teach what is true and good; that they willon this account understand nothing of truth is signified by their“wandering as blind men in the streets.” The “blood with whichthey were polluted” is the falsification of the truth and theadulteration of the good in the Word; the profanation of good andof truth therefrom by evils and falsities is meant by “the things thatthey cannot, they touch with their garments.”[15] In Zechariah:In that day I will smite every horse with astonishment and thehorseman with madness; I will smite every horse of the peoples withblindness (12:4).“Horse” signifies the intellectual, and “horseman” one that isintelligent. This makes clear what is signified by “smiting everyhorse with astonishment,” and “every horse of the peoples withblindness,” and “the horseman with madness.” (That “horse”signifies the intellectual, see in the small work on The WhiteHorse, n. 1–6.)[16] In David:Jehovah looseth the bound, Jehovah openeth [the eyes of] theblind (Ps. 146:7, 8).Those are called “bound” who are in falsities and long to be loosedfrom them; “the blind” are those who on this account are not in the