Spiritual Meaning of REVELATION 19:21
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AR 836
. Verse 21.And the rest were slain by the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, that proceeded out of His mouth, signifies that all from the various heresies among the Reformed, who have not lived according to the Lord’s commandments in the Word which they knew, being judged from the Word, perish. By "the rest" are meant all from the various heresies among the Reformed, who have not lived according to the Lord‘s commandments in the Word which they knew, which are the commandments of the Decalogue, who thus do not shun evils as sins; for they who do not thus shun them are in evils of every kind; for the evils remain fixed in them from birth, and thence from infancy even to the end of life; and they increase daily: if they are not removed by actual repentance. Of these it is said that "they were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse." By "being slain" is signified here, as often before, to be slain spiritually, which is to perish as to the soul. By "the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, that proceeded out of His mouth," the truths of the Word fighting against the falsities of evil are signified. For by "sword," "long sword" and "sabre" is signified truth fighting against falsity and falsity fighting against truth (n. 52). But the "sword" (gladius) is upon the thigh, hence it is combat from love; "sabre" (machoera) is in the hand, hence it is combat with power; and the "long sword" (romphoea) is of the mouth, hence it is combat from doctrine; for which reason "the long sword (romphoea) proceeding out of the mouth of the Lord," is combat from the Word against falsities (n. 108, 117, 827); for the Word proceeded out of the mouth of the Lord. The reason that the combat with the Reformed, and not with the Babylonians, is here treated of, is because the Reformed read the Word, and acknowledge the truths therein as Divine truths. It is otherwise with the Babylonians: these indeed acknowledge the Word, but still they do not read it; and everyone regards the decrees of the pope as in the first place, and far above it: wherefore with them there can not be combat from the Word. They also put themselves above it, and not under it. But still these are judged from the Word, and from the decrees of the pope so far as these agree with the Word.
AR 837
. And all the birds were satiated with their flesh, signifies that from their lusts of evil, which are their proprium, the infernal genii are as it were nourished. By "the birds" are signified the falsities which are from hell; and because the infernal genii are in those falsities, who are together with men in the falsities which are of their love, therefore they are here signified by "the birds." A man also who is in those falsities, becomes one of such genii after death. That by useless and injurious "birds,"especially the unclean and rapacious, which feed on carrion, are signified falsities which are of love, may be seen above (n. 757). By "flesh" are here signified the evils of the lusts which are of man’s proprium (n. 748). By "being satiated with them" is signified to be as it were nourished by them, and to draw them in with delight; for the infernal genii, who are in similar lusts of evil, eagerly draw in and fill their nostrils, and thence their life, from the lusts exhaled from the thoughts and respiration of such: wherefore they also live and dwell together.
AR 838
. Let everyone therefore beware of that heresy, that man is justified by faith without the works of the law;for he who is in it, and does not fully recede from it before the end of life draws near, is consociated after death with infernal genii; for they are the goats of whom the Lord says:--
Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41, 42).
For the Lord does not say of "the goats" that they had done evils, but that they had not done goods. The reason that they did not do goods is because they say in themselves, "I cannot do good of myself; the law does not condemn me; the blood of Christ cleanses me, and liberates me; the passion of the cross has taken away the guilt of sin; the merit of Christ is imputed to me by faith; I am reconciled to the Father, I am in grace, I am regarded as a son; and He considers our sins as infirmities, which He immediately remits for His Son‘s sake; thus He justifies through faith alone; and unless this was the only means of salvation, no mortal could be saved. For what other end should the Son of God suffer the cross, and fulfil the law, but that He might take away the condemnation of our transgressions?" These and many similar things they say within themselves, and thus do not do goods which are goods; for from their faith alone, which is nothing but a faith of knowledge, in itself a historical faith, thus only science, there do not proceed any goods: for it is a dead faith, into which no life or soul comes, unless the man approaches the Lord immediately, and shuns evils as sins of himself; then the goods which he does as of himself are from the Lord, and thus goods in themselves; concerning which it thus speaks in Isaiah:--
Woe the sinful nation, laden with iniquity, a seed of the evil, sons that are corrupt; when ye spread forth your hands, I hide mine eyes from you; yea, though ye multiply prayers, I do not hear; wash you, make you clean, put away the wickedness of your works from before Mine eyes, cease to do evil, learn to do good; then though your sins have been as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they have been red as purple, they shall be as wool (Isa. 1:4, 15-18).
And in Jeremiah:--
Stand in the gate of the house of Jehovah, and proclaim there this word: Trust ye not in the words of a lie, saying, the temple of Jehovah, the temple of Jehovah, the temple of Jehovah are these (the church of God, the church of God, the church of God is where our faith is); will ye, stealing, killing, committing adultery, and swearing by a lie, then come and stand before Me in this house, upon which My name is called, and say, We are delivered, while ye do these abominations? Is this house become a den of robbers? behold, even I have seen, saith Jehovah (Jer. 7:2-4, 9-11).