Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 584in respect to power and effect. This is evident from the significationof “lion,” as being Divine truth proceeding from the Lord inrespect to power and effect (of which in what follows). It meansappearance in ultimates, because the cherubim were seen asanimals, and this first one like a lion. It is said in ultimates, becausethat appearance was before John when he was in the spirit, and hesaw all things in ultimates, in which Divine celestial and Divinespiritual things are variously represented, now by gardens andparadises, now by palaces and temples, now by rivers and waters,now by living creatures of various kinds, such as lions, camels,horses, oxen, bullocks, sheep, lambs, doves, eagles, and manyothers. Like things were seen by the prophets through whom theWord was written, in order that the Word in its ultimates, whichare the things contained in the sense of the letter, might consist ofsuch things as exist in the world, which might be representationsand correspondences of celestial and spiritual things, and thusmight serve as a basis and foundation to the spiritual sense. For thisreason also the cherubim (which signify the guard and providenceof the Lord that the higher heavens be not approached except fromthe good of love and charity) were seen by John and also byEzekiel, in respect to their faces, as animals.278b. Since it is the Lord who guards and provides, and thisthrough Divine truth and Divine good, thus through His Divinewisdom and intelligence, four animals were seen, which were like alion, a calf, a man, and an eagle; for thus by “lion” Divine truth inrespect to power was represented, by “calf” Divine good in respectto protection, by “man” the Divine wisdom, and by “eagle” theDivine intelligence; which four things are included in the Lord’sDivine Providence in its guarding the higher heavens, that they benot approached except from the good of love and charity.[2] That a “lion” signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lordin respect to power is evident from the passages in the Word inwhich “lion” is mentioned; as from the following, in Moses:Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, thou are gone up;he couched, he lay down as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? (Gen.49:9).