782. “And his mouth as a mouth of a lion" signifies reasonings from falsities destroying the truths of the church. This is evident from the signification of "mouth," as meaning thought (see above, n. 580), but here reasoning (of which presently); also from the signification of a "lion," as meaning infernal falsity in respect to its power (of which above, n. 278[c]). This is because a "lion" signifies Divine truth, for which reason the Lord is called "a lion" in the Word; consequently in the contrary sense a "lion" signifies infernal falsity in respect to its power to destroy Divine truth, and thus the Word; and this is especially done by adulterations and falsifications of it. And as a lion is the most powerful of animals, and its power increases according to its hunger to devour and consequently to seize its prey and tear it in pieces, so a "lion" signifies also an eagerness to destroy the truths of the Word. "Lions" have a like representation in the spiritual world, for lions also appear there, but the forms of lions are appearances arising from the eagerness of those who have great power to adulterate and falsify the truths of the Word whereby they are destroyed; with such this power increases according to their ability to reason. This is why "lions" signify in the Word in the contrary sense infernal falsity destroying the truths of the church. Because this is what a "lion" signifies, and because "the beast that was like unto a leopard" and that "had feet as of a bear" signifies reasonings confirming the separation of faith from life, by which the goods and truths of the Word are adulterated and falsified; so the "mouth" of that beast, which was "as the mouth of a lion," signifies reasoning from falsities that destroy the truths of the Word. The "mouth," in a strict sense, signifies thought; but as man's speech is from the mouth, the "mouth" signifies the various things that flow from thought, as instruction, preaching, reasoning, here reasoning, because reasonings from the natural man are signified by the "beast" here treated of. But more will be said about this in the explanation of verses 5-7 of this chapter, in which are these words: “And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and there was given unto him authority to make war forty-two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints and to overcome them." From that explanation it will be seen what power and eagerness, and what ability such have to falsify the truths and adulterate the goods of the Word by means of reasonings.

783. "And the dragon gave him his power and his throne, and great authority," signifies that those who separate faith from life support and corroborate their doctrinals by reasonings from fal· lacies, and thus powerfully seduce.-This is evident from the signification of the "beast" to which the dragon gave his powers, as meaning reasonings from the natural man confirming the separation of faith from life (see above, n. 774). Such reasonings are from the fallacies of the senses, because that beast appeared like a leopard, and his feet were "as of a bear," and "the feet of a bear" signify fallacies (see above, n. 781[a,b]). Also from the signification of "giving his power, his throne, and great authority,' as meaning to support and corroborate doctrinals, "power" signifying efficacy, "throne" the church in respect to doctrine that is from falsities, and "great authority" support and corroboration thereby. That this multiplies reasonings and their fallacies has been shown above. [2.] It is not because the falsities in which they are have any power in themselves that those who separate faith from life, that is, from good works, have "power, a throne, and great authority," for falsities from evil have no power whatever, since all power is in truths from good. But falsities have power over falsities, as like over like. This can be clearly seen from the power of infernal spirits with one another, which they exercise by things imaginary and by semblances of correspondences, by which they are desirous of seeming most powerful and mighty; and yet they have no power whatever against truths, and so wholly none that it is nothing at all. This I could prove by much experience were there space to digress so far in these explanations of the Apocalypse. But this can be seen from the fact that the hells, in which are myriads of myriads, are so held bound by Divine truth going forth from the Lord, that no one in them dare raise a finger of his hand; also from this fact that a single angel by means of truths from the Lord is able to lead, to control, to bind, or to scatter a thousand companies of evil spirits, and this merely by a look from a purpose of the will. Such power has been sometimes granted to me by the Lord. It may seem strange that the church at its end should be in falsities and in evils from them, and in evils and in falsities from them, and yet that truths from good have all power; and it seems as if such truths might be given by the Lord by means of truths from the Word. But the reason is that falsities have power in those who are in falsities from evil; and at the end of the church such falsities prevail, and when these prevail truths are not received.

For this reason falsities cannot be dispersed by truths, and therefore the devil is then called powerful, and loosed from bonds. This is why infernal falsity is called in the Word a "lion," a "bear," a "wolf," a "beast," also a "wild beast" strong and fierce. [3.] For the same reason those who are in falsities are called in the Word "powerful," "mighty," "lusty," "strong," "heroes," "rulers," "terrible," "dreadful," and "wasters," as can be seen from various passages, as from the following. In Jeremiah:

"Behold I bring upon you a nation from afar, O house of Israel,.. mighty nation, all mighty men" (v. 15, 16).

In the same,

...a

"Go up ye horses, rage ye chariots, ye mighty men go forth" (xlvi. 9). In the same,

"O sword against the mighty, that they may be dismayed" (1. 36). In Ezekiel:

"I will give" Pharaoh "into the hand of a mighty one of the nations" (xxxi. II, 12).

In Hosea:

"Thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men" (x. 13). In Joel:

66

A people great and strong,.

over the wall” (ii. 2, 7).

In Amos:

like heroes they run, . they climb

....

"The refuge of the swift perisheth, and the mighty shall not confirm his strength, neither shall the powerful deliver his soul;.... he that is mighty in his heart among heroes shall flee naked in that day" (ii. 14, 16).

In David:

"Rebuke the wild beast of the reed; the assembly of the mighty" (Psalm lxviii. 30).

In the First Book of Samuel:

"The bows of the mighty are broken" (ii. 4).

In the Apocalypse:

All "the kings..., and great ones, and rich, and the commanders of thousands, and the mighty,.... hid themselves in caves and in the rocks" (vi. 15).

In Matthew:

"The rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them" (xx. 25).

And in Luke:

"This is your hour and the power of darkness" (xxii. 53);

and various other passages. [4.] To what has been said above it may be added, that infernal spirits believe themselves to be stronger and mightier than others, and this for the reason that they prevail over those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom, thus one infernal spirit over another infernal spirit, or one evil by means of falsity over another evil by falsity, and from this appearance they believe themselves to be mighty. But such power may be compared to that of a mite against a mite, or of a flea against a flea, of dust against dust, or of chaff against chaff, the power of which is merely relative to their mutual powers. Add to this that infernal spirits are elated in mind, and wish to be called strong, mighty, and heroes for the most trivial reasons. [5.] As "the power and great authority" that the dragon gave from himself to "the beast coming up out of the sea," thus the power of infernal spirits over one another, are here treated of, I will unfold some arcana respecting their devices for acquiring power in the spiritual world. There are some who acquire for themselves power by means of the Word, for they are acquainted with some passages of it, and these they recite, and by these a communication with the simple good is effected and conjunction with them in respect to externals; and so far as they are in that conjunction they prevail over others. The reason is that all things of the Word are truths, and truths have all power, and the simple good are in truths; so from conjunction with them they have power, but only so long as that conjunction continues, and it does not continue long, because they are very soon separated from each other by the Lord. Some acquire for themselves power by simulated affections for good and truth and by affections belonging to the love of what is sincere and just : and by these they lead the simple good to feel well disposed towards them and to cherish good-will towards them, and to join themselves to them. And so long as that kindly feeling continues to be mutual they continue more powerful than others. Some acquire for themselves power by representatives of various kinds, which are abuses of correspondences; and some in other ways. And as truths that are from good have all power, and these have place in angels, so nothing is more desired by evil spirits than to attract good spirits to their side, because thus the evil prevail; but as soon as they are separated from these they are in the falsities of their own evil, and when they are in these they are deprived of all power. [6.] This, too, is why all the evil who flock out of this world are first separated from the goods and truths

that they have merely known from memory, and thus professed with the lips; and when they have been separated from these their interiors appear, which are made up of nothing but masses of falsities from evils. And when they are in these, because they no longer have any power they fall down headlong into hell, as heavy bodies in the air fall to the earth. That goods and truths are taken away from the evil is known from the Word; for the Lord says,

"Take the talent from him and give it to him that hath the ten talents; for unto every one that hath shall be given that he may have abundance, but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness, there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. xxv. 28-30; Mark iv. 25; Luke viii. 18; xix. 26).

VERSE 3.

784. "And I saw one of his heads as if it had been wounded to death; and the stroke of his death was healed, and the whole earth wondered after the beast."

3. "And I saw one of his heads as if it had been wounded to death" signifies the discordance of their doctrinals with the Word, in which "love," "life," and "works," which are not at all in accord with that kind of religion, are so often mentioned [n. 785]; “and the stroke of his death was healed" signifies the discordance apparently cleared away by means of devised harmonizings of works with faith [n. 786]; "and the whole earth wondered after the beast" signifies acceptance of these by the more learned in the church, and remote adoption by the less learned [n. 787].

785[a]. [Verse 3.] "And I saw one of his heads as if it had been wounded to death" signifies the discordance of their doctrinals with the Word, in which "love," "life," and "works," which are not at all in accord with that kind of religion, are so often mentioned. This is evident from the signification of the "heads" of that beast, as meaning a knowledge of the holy things of the Word which are falsified and adulterated (see above, n. 775). When the church and those of the church are treated of in the Word, "head" signifies intelligence and wisdom; and in the most general sense understanding of truth and willing of good. But as this treats of those who are not willing that the understanding should enter into the mysteries of faith, but who wish it to be held captive under obedience to their mysteries, and as these are depicted by "the dragon" and this his "beast," it follows that the "head" of this beast signifies knowledge (scientia); for where the understanding does not see there is no intelligence, but in place of it knowledge. Moreover, intelligence cannot be predicated of those who are in falsities, but only knowledge (see Doctrine of the