Apocalypse Explained, volume 1 - Swedenborg Foundation

APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 606Here intelligence is treated of, that no one can procure it fromhimself or from what is his own (ex proprio); therefore it is said, “Bythy intelligence doth the hawk fly, and spread her wings towardsthe south?” referring to man’s leading himself into the light ofintelligence (signified by the “south”), and here, that this is notpossible. Intelligence itself, which is of the spiritual man, isdescribed by “the eagle doth mount up, make high her nest, dwelland lodge in the rock, thence searching her food, and her eyesbehold afar off.” That no one has such intelligence from himself issignified by “Doth the eagle do this at thy command?” But thatnothing but falsities can come from self-intelligence is signified by“where the slain are there is she;” “the slain” in the Word signifythose with whom truths have been extinguished by falsities (seeArcana Coelestia, n. 4503).[9] From this it can be seen what is signified by the Lord’s wordswhen the disciples asked Him where the last judgment would be, inLuke:The disciples said, Where, Lord? He said unto them, Where thebody is, there will the eagles be gathered together (17:37).The “body” here means the spiritual world, where all men aretogether, both the evil and the good; and “eagles” signify those whoare in truths, and also those who are in falsities, thus those who arein true intelligence and those who are in false intelligence. Falseintelligence is from what is man’s own (ex proprio), but trueintelligence is from the Lord through the Word.[10] The falsities that are from self-intelligence are also describedby “eagles” in the following passages in the Word. In Jeremiah:Behold he ascendeth as the clouds, and his chariot as the storm, hishorses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us, for we are devastated (4:13).The desolation of truth in the church is here treated of, and the”cloud” that ascends signifies falsities; “the chariot which as thestorm” signifies the doctrine of falsity; their avidity for reasoning