Prayer is NOT to be Relied Upon

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

And Jehovah said unto Moses, Why criest thou unto Me? speak unto the sons of Israel, that they set forward. And thou, lift up thy rod, and stretch out thy hand over the sea, and cleave it asunder; and the sons of Israel shall come into the midst of the sea on the dry. And I, behold I harden the heart of the Egyptians, and they shall come after them; and I will be glorified in Pharaoh, and in all his army, in his chariots, and in his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am Jehovah, when I am glorified in Pharaoh, in his chariots, and in his horsemen  (Exodus 14:15-18).

Why criest thou unto Me? That this signifies that there was no need of intercession, is evident from the signification of "crying unto Jehovah," as being to intercede, namely, for liberation from temptation. Hence "Why criest thou unto Me?" denotes why dost thou intercede when there is no need of intercession? and therefore it follows, "speak unto the sons of Israel, that they go forward," by which is signified that they shall have aid, but that still the temptation will be continued, even until they are prepared.

As to there being no need of intercession, the case is this. They who are in temptations are wont to slack their hands and betake themselves solely to prayers, which they then ardently pour forth, not knowing that prayers will not avail, but that they must fight against the falsities and evils which are being injected by the hells. This fight is performed by means of the truths of faith, which help because they confirm goods and truths against falsities and evils. Moreover in the combats of temptations, the man ought to fight as of himself, but yet acknowledge and believe that it is of the Lord —

Stand still, and see the salvation of Jehovah. That this signifies salvation from the Lord alone, and not at all from them, is evident from the signification of "standing still and seeing," as being to have faith; and from the signification of "the salvation of Jehovah," as being salvation from the Lord. Here, where the subject treated of is liberation from temptations, the meaning is salvation from the Lord alone, and not at all from them.  It is here said that they must have faith that salvation is from the Lord alone, and not at all from them, because this is the main thing of faith in temptations. He who when he is tempted believes that he can resist from his own strength, yields; the reason is that he is in what is false, and that he therefore attributes merit to himself, and thus demands to be saved of himself, and thus shuts out the influx from the Divine. But he who believes that the Lord alone resists in temptations, conquers; for he is in the truth, and attributes the merit to the Lord, and perceives that he is saved by the Lord alone. He who is in the faith of charity ascribes everything of salvation to the Lord, and nothing to himself. (Arcana Coelestia 8172)

~~~

Jehovah shall wage war for you. That this signifies that the Lord alone sustains the combats of temptations, is evident from the signification of "to wage war for you," when said about Jehovah in temptations, as being that He sustains alone the combats of temptations.  That the Lord alone sustains the combats of temptations, and conquers, is because the Divine alone can conquer the hells. Unless the Divine acted against them, they would rush in like a vast ocean, one hell after another, for the resisting of which man is of not the slightest avail; and the less so because in respect to what is his OWN, man is nothing but evil, thus is hell, from which the Lord then withdraws him, and afterward withholds him. (Arcana Coelestia 8176)

If man does not fight as of himself, the good and truth which flow in through heaven from the Lord are not appropriated to him; but when he fights as of himself, and still believes that it is of the Lord, then they are appropriated to him. From this he has an OWN [proprium] that is new, which is called the heavenly own, and which is a new will.

Moreover they who are in temptations, and not in some other active life than that of prayers, do not know that if the temptations were intermitted before they had been fully carried through, they would not be prepared for heaven, and thus could not be saved. For this reason, moreover, the prayers of those who are in temptations are but little heard; for the Lord wills the end, which is the salvation of the man, which end He knows, but not the man; and the Lord does not heed prayers that are contrary to the end, which is salvation. He who conquers in temptations is also confirmed in the truth stated above; whereas he who does not conquer entertains a doubt with respect to the Divine aid and power, because he is not heard; and then sometimes, because he slacks his hand, he partly yields.

From all this it can be seen what is meant by there being no need of intercession, namely, that prayer is not to be relied upon. For in prayer from the Divine it is always thought and believed that the Lord alone knows whether it is profitable or not; and therefore the suppliant submits the hearing to the Lord, and immediately after prays that the will of the Lord, and not his own, may be done, according to the Lord's words in His own most grievous temptation at Gethsemane (Matt. 26:39, 42, 44).

(from Arcana Coelestia 8179)

Lest Heavenly Love Become Dry

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God. (Exodus 16:11, 12)

And the sun grew hot, and it melted. That this signifies that it vanishes away according to the degree of the increase of concupiscence, is evident from the signification of "the sun growing hot," as being increasing concupiscence (of which in what follows); and from the signification of "melting," as being to vanish away.

That "the sun grew hot," denotes increasing concupiscence, is because "the sun" in a good sense signifies heavenly love, for the reason that the Lord is the Sun in the other life, and that the heat which is from it is the good of love, and the light is the truth of faith. Consequently in the opposite sense "the sun" denotes the love of self and of the world, and "the heat" or "growing hot of the sun" denotes in this sense concupiscence.

How the case herein is, that the good of truth, which is signified by "the manna," vanished according to the degree of increasing concupiscence, which is signified by its "melting when the sun grew hot," shall be briefly told.

Lest the good of heavenly love becomes as it were dry, and afterward is loathed as a thing of no value.

The good of truth, or spiritual good, is indeed given to the man of the spiritual church when he is being regenerated; but as all the delight of the love of self and of the world, which had previously constituted his life extinguishes this good (because they are opposites), therefore the pure good of truth cannot long abide with that man, but it is tempered by the Lord by means of the delights of the loves which had belonged to his previous life; for unless this good were so tempered, it would become undelightful to him, and thus would be loathed. Such is heavenly good at first with those who are being regenerated. Insofar therefore as the delights of the loves of self and of the world rise up, so far the good of heavenly love vanishes away, for as before said they are opposites; and it is the same the other way about.

Hence it is that in heaven there are alternations of states, to which correspond the alternations of times in the world —

... the changes of state in the other life are circumstanced as are the times of day in the world, namely, morning, noon, evening, and night, or twilight, and again morning. Be it known that in the spiritual world there are perpetual changes of states, and that all who are there pass through them. The reason is that they may be continually perfected, for without changes of states or without variations continually succeeding one another in order, they who are in the spiritual world are not perfected. The changes of states which succeed each other in order like the times of the day and the times of the year, never return quite the same, but are varied. The beginning of every state corresponds to morning on the earth, and also in the Word is sometimes meant by "morning;" but the end of every state corresponds to evening, and is likewise sometimes called "evening" in the Word. When it is morning they are in love; when it is noon, they are in light or in truth; but when it is evening they are in obscurity as to truths, and are in the delight of natural love. This delight is what is signified by the quail which they received in the evening, and the good is what is signified by the manna which they received every morning. (from n. 8426)

and that thus by means of alternations they are remitted into the delights of natural pleasures; for without a change of the states the good of heavenly love would become as it were dry, and of slight estimation; but it is otherwise when it is tempered by means of natural delights at the same time, or successively. From this it is that at first when the manna was given to the sons of Israel every morning, the quail was also given in the evening; for by "the quail" is signified natural delight, and also the delight of concupiscence.

But be it known that the concupiscences into which they who are in heaven are remitted when it is evening with them, are not concupiscences that are opposite to heavenly good, but those which in some measure agree with this good; for they are the delights of conferring benefits in a large way, and consequently something of glory, in which nevertheless there is benevolence and a study to be of service; they are also the delights of magnificence in the embellishments of home and the ornaments of dress, and many other similar delights. Such are the delights which do not destroy the good of heavenly love (but still they hide it), and at last, according to the degree of the man's regeneration, they become the ultimate planes of heavenly good, and then they are no longer called "concupiscences," but "delights." That without a tempering by means of such things the good of heavenly love becomes as it were dry, and afterward is loathed as a thing of no value, is signified by the sons of Israel calling the manna dry food, and vile food, as we read when the quail was no longer given them, in Moses:

The rabble that was in the midst lusted a lust, whence the sons of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall feed us with flesh? now our soul is dry, our eyes have not anything [to look at] except the manna (Num. 11:4, 6).

The people spake against God, and against Moses: Wherefore have ye made us come up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? there is no bread, nor water; now doth our soul loathe this most vile bread (Num. 21:5).

Jehovah afflicted thee, and made thee hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that He might teach thee that man doth not live by bread alone, but by every utterance of the mouth of Jehovah doth man live (Deut. 8:3).

In like manner as by "the manna," so also by "the unleavened bread," there is signified good pure from falsities, which bread is for a similar reason called "the bread of misery" (Deut. 16:3). From all this it can now be seen what is meant by the good of truth vanishing away according to the degree of the increasing concupiscence, which is signified by "the manna melting when the sun grew hot."

(from Arcana Coelestia 8487)

The Life's Love in Man

Selection from Divine Providence ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

[Concupiscences — The derivations of infernal love are the affections of evil and falsity; proverly, concupiscences.]

The external of man's thought is in itself of the same character as its internal.

That man from head to foot is of the same character as his life's love.

In the first place, therefore, something must here be said about the life's love in man; for this must precede any consideration of the affections associated with perceptions which constitute man's internal, and of the enjoyments of affections associated with thoughts which constitute his external.

Loves are manifold; but two of them, heavenly love and infernal love, are like lords and kings. Heavenly love is love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor; and infernal love is love of self and of the world. These two kinds of love are opposite to each other as hell and heaven are; for those who are in the love of self and the world have no good will for any but themselves; while those who are in love to the Lord and in love towards the neighbor have good will for all. These two loves are the life's loves of man, but with much variety. Heavenly love is the life's love of those whom the Lord leads, and infernal love is the life's love of those whom the devil leads.

But the life's love of no one can exist without derivations, which are called affections.

The derivations of infernal love are affections for evil and falsity, which, strictly speaking, are lusts; and the derivations of heavenly love are affections for good and truth, which, strictly speaking, are dilections (love; preference; choice). Of infernal love there are as many affections, or strictly speaking, lusts, as there are evils; and of heavenly love there are as many affections, or strictly speaking, dilections, as there are goods.

Love dwells in its affections like a lord in his realm, or like a king in his kingdom. The dominion or sovereignty of these loves is over the things of the mind, that is, the things of man's will and understanding, and thence of the body. The life's love, by means of its affections and perceptions therefrom, and its enjoyments and thoughts therefrom, rules the entire man,-the internal of his mind by means of affections and perceptions therefrom, and the external by means of the enjoyments of the affections and thoughts therefrom.

The form of this rule can in some measure be seen by comparisons.

Heavenly love with its affections for good and truth and perceptions therefrom, together with its enjoyments from these affections and thoughts therefrom, may be likened to a tree distinguished for its branches, leaves, and fruits. The life's love is the tree; the branches with the leaves are affections for good and truth with their perceptions; and the fruits are the enjoyments of affections with their thoughts. But infernal love with its affections for evil and falsity, which are lusts, together with the enjoyment of these lusts and thoughts therefrom, may be likened to a spider with its surrounding web. The love itself is the spider, the lusts of evil and falsity with their interior subtleties are the net-like threads nearest the spider's seat; and the enjoyments of these lusts with their deceitful devices are the remoter threads, where the flies are caught on the wing, and are ensnared and eaten.

The conjunction of all things of the will and understanding, that is, of the mind of man with his life's love, is made evident by these comparisons, and yet not made rationally evident.

The conjunction is made rationally evident in this way.

There are every where three things together that make one; these are called end, cause, and effect; here the life's love is the end, the affections with their perceptions are the cause, and the enjoyment of the affections with their thoughts are the effect; for just as the end through the cause enters into the effect, so does the love through its affections come to its enjoyments, and through its perceptions to its thoughts. The effects themselves are in the mind's enjoyments and their thoughts, whenever these enjoyments belong to the will and the thoughts to the understanding therefrom, that is, whenever the agreement is complete. Then the effects belong to the spirit, and if they do not come into bodily act, still they are as if in act when there is agreement. Furthermore, they are then together in the body, and dwell there with the life's love of the man, and aspire to action, which takes place when nothing hinders. Such are lusts of evil and the evils themselves in those who in their spirit make evils allowable.

Now as the end conjoins itself with the cause, and through the cause with the effect, so does the life's love conjoin itself with the internal of thought, and through this with its external. This makes clear that the external of man's thought is in itself of the same character as its internal; for the end imparts itself wholly to the cause, and through the cause to the effect; for there is nothing essential in the effect except what is in the cause, and through the cause in the end. And as the end is thus the very essential which enters into the cause and the effect, so cause and effect are called mediate and outmost ends.

This vicar of their life's love.

Sometimes the external of man's thought does not appear to be in itself of the same character as the internal; but this is because the life's love with its surrounding internals places a vicar below itself, which is called the love of means, and enjoins upon it to take heed and watch that nothing from its lusts appear. This vicar, therefore, from the cunning of its chief, which is the life's love, talks and acts in accord with the civil requirements of the country, the moral requirements of reason, and the spiritual requirements of the church. Some do this so craftily and ingeniously that no one sees that they are not such as their speech and act indicate; and at last, from the habit of concealment, they scarcely know otherwise themselves.

All hypocrites are such.

Such are the priests who at heart care nothing for the neighbor and do not fear God, and yet preach about love of the neighbor and the love of God; such are the judges who give judgment according to bribes and friendship, while they show a pretended zeal for justice, and from reason talk of judgment; such are the merchants who are insincere and fraudulent at heart, while they act sincerely for the sake of gain; and such are adulterers, when from the rationality that every man has they talk about the chastity of marriage; and so on.

But when these same persons strip this love of means — this vicar of their life's love — of the garments of purple and fine linen with which they have invested it, and clothe it in its domestic garb, they then think, and sometimes with their dearest friends whose life's love is similar, they speak from their thought in a wholly opposite way. It might be supposed, when from their love of means they have talked so justly, sincerely, and piously, that the character of the internal of their thought was not in the external of their thought, and yet it was. There is hypocrisy in such; there is a love of self and the world in them, and the cunning of that love is to secure reputation for the sake of honor or gain, in respect to outmost appearances. This character of the internal is in the external of their thought when they so speak and act.

Those who are in heavenly love.

But in those who are in heavenly love, the internal and the external of thought, or the internal and the external man, make one when they speak; nor do such know any difference between these. Their life's love, with its affections for good and the perceptions for truth belonging thereto, is like a soul in their thoughts, and in what they speak and do from them. If they are priests they preach from love towards the neighbor and from love to the Lord; if judges they judge from genuine justice; if merchants they act from genuine sincerity; if married they love their wives from genuine chastity; and so on.

The life's love of such has also its love of means as its vicar, which it teaches and leads to act from prudence, and clothes with garments of zeal both for truths of doctrine and for goods of life.

(from Divine Providence 106-110)

Christian Religion, Mohammedan, Gentile

Selection from Apocalypse Explained ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

Because the Divine providence acts into the affections that belong to man's love and thus to his will, leading him in and from his affection into another that is near and related to it by means of his freedom, and so imperceptibly that man has no knowledge of how it acts, and in fact hardly knows that there is a Divine providence; for this reason many deny providence, and confirm themselves against it. This is done in consequence of the various things that happen and arise, as that the arts and deceits of the wicked are successful, that impiety prevails, that there is a hell, that the understanding is blinded to spiritual things, and that this gives rise to so many heresies, each one of which, starting from a single head, flows out into assemblies and nations and becomes permanent, like popery, Lutheranism, Calvinism, Melancthonism, Moravianism, Arianism, Socinianism, Quakerism, Enthusiasm, and even Judaism, and with these naturalism and atheism; and outside of Europe extending through many kingdoms, Mohammedanism, and also paganism, in which are various kinds of worship, and in some cases no worship at all.

All who do not think on these subjects from the Divine truth say in their heart that there is no Divine providence; and those who are perplexed about it assert that there is a Divine providence, but that it is only universal. When either of these hear that there is a Divine providence in every least particular of man's life, they either give no heed to it or do give heed to it; those who give no heed to it, casting the truth behind them and turning away, and those who do give heed to it turning away like the others, and yet they turn back their faces, merely to see whether there is anything in it; and when they see they say to themselves, This is mere affirmation. Some of these latter do affirm the truth with the lips, but not with the heart. Since, then, it is important that the blindness arising from ignorance, or the thick darkness arising from absence of light, should be dissipated, it is permitted to see.

The Lord teaches no one immediately, but mediately through those things in man that are from the hearing and sight.

This follows from what has been said above [last couple of articles]; to which it must be added that immediate revelation is not granted to man except that which has been given in the Word, such as it is in the prophecies and gospels and histories; which is such that everyone may be taught according to the affections of his love and the consequent thoughts of his understanding, those who are not in good of life receiving very little, but those who are in good of life receiving much, for these are taught through enlightenment by the Lord.

The enlightenment is as follows: Light conjoined with heat flows in through heaven from the Lord. This heat, which is the Divine love, affects the will, from which man has the affection of good; and this light, which is the Divine wisdom, affects the understanding, from which man has the thought of truth. From these two fountains, which are the will and understanding, all things of man's love and all things of his knowledge are affected; but only those things that pertain to the subject are called up and presented to view. In this way is enlightenment effected by the Lord by means of the Word, in which everything, from the spiritual that is in it, communicates with heaven, and the Lord flows in through heaven into that which is at the time under man's view; and the influx in everyone is continual and universal even to the minutest particulars. It is comparatively like the heat and light from the sun of the world, which operate upon each and every thing of the earth and give life according to the quality of the seed and the reception. What, then, must be the effect of the heat and light from the Divine sun, from which all things live? To be enlightened by the Lord through heaven is to be enlightened by the Holy Spirit, for the Holy Spirit is the Divine that proceeds from the Lord as a sun, from which is heaven. From this it is clear that the Lord teaches the man of the church mediately by means of the Word according to the love of his will that comes from his life, and according to the light of his understanding that he gains by means of knowledge; and that this cannot be otherwise, because this is the Divine order of influx.

And this is why the Christian religion has been divided into churches, and into heresies in general and in particular within the churches. Neither can those who are outside the Christian world, and who do not have the Word, be taught in any other way, for they are taught through the religious principle that they have instead of the Word, which is in part from the Word. The religious principle with the Mohammedans was in some respects taken from the Word of both Testaments. Others have a religious principle derived from the ancient Word that was afterwards lost. With some it was from the Ancient Church that extended over a great part of the continent of Asia, which, like our church at the present day, was divided into many, all of them having that ancient Word. From these the religious principles of many nations were derived, although in process of time these became in many cases more or less idolatrous.

Those whose worship is from that origin are taught by the Lord mediately by means of their religious principle the same as Christians are by the Word; and this is done, as has been said, by the Lord through heaven, and thus by a stirring up of their will and also of their understanding. But enlightenment by means of those religious principles is not like enlightenment by means of the Word. It is like enlightenment at evening when the moon is shining more or less brightly, while enlightenment by means of the Word is like enlightenment in the daytime from morning to noon, when the sun is shining more or less brightly. Thus it is that the Lord's church which, as to its light, which is Divine wisdom, extends through the entire globe, is like the day from noon to evening, and even to night; while as to its heat, which is Divine love, it is like the year from spring to autumn, and even to winter.

Yet the Lord provides that man may be reformed and saved by those things that he adopts as his religion.

In the entire globe where there is any religion, since there must be conjunction, there are two that constitute it, namely, God and man; and there are two things that constitute conjunction, namely, the good of love and the truth of faith; the good of love is from the Lord immediately, the truth of faith is also from God, but mediately. The good of love is that through which God leads man, and the truth of faith is that through which man is led. This is the same as what has been said above. The truth of faith appears to man to be his own, because it is from those things that he acquires as if from himself. Therefore God conjoins Himself to man through the good of love, and man conjoins himself to God as if of himself through the truth of faith. Because the conjunction is such the Lord compares Himself to a bridegroom and husband, and the church to a bride and wife. The Lord flows in continually with an abundance of the good of love, but He cannot be conjoined to man in the fullness of the truth of faith, but only in that which is with man, and this varies; it can be given in greater fullness with those who are where the Word is, and in less fullness with those who are where there is no Word; and yet the fullness varies in both in proportion to their knowledge and their life according to it, and consequently it may be greater with those who have not the Word than with those who have it.

The conjunction of God with man and of man with God is taught in the two tables that were written with the finger of God, and called "the tables of the covenant," "of the testimony," and "of the law." In one table is God, in the other man. All nations that have any religion have these tables; from the first table they know that God must be acknowledged, regarded as holy, and worshiped; from the other table they know that they must not steal, either openly or secretly by crafty devices; that they must not commit adultery; that they must not kill either by the hand or by hatred; that they must not bear false witness in a court of justice or before the world; and also that they must not will these things. From his table man knows the evils that must be shunned, and just so far as he knows them and shuns them as if from himself, God conjoins the man to Himself and enables him from His table to acknowledge Him, to regard Him as holy, and to worship Him, and also enables him not to will evils, and so far as he does not will evils to know truths in abundance. Thus these two tables are conjoined with man, and God's table is placed above man's table, and they are put as one table into the ark, over which is the mercy-seat, which is the Lord, and over the mercy-seat the two cherubim which are the Word and what is from the Word, in which the Lord speaks with man as he spoke with Moses and Aaron between the cherubim.

Since, then, there is conjunction of the Lord with man and of man with the Lord by these means, evidently everyone who knows them and lives according to them, not merely from the civil and moral law, but also from the Divine law, will be saved; thus everyone in his own religion, whether Christian or Mohammedan or Gentile. And what is more, a man who from religion lives these truths, even if in the world he knows nothing about the Lord, nor anything else from the Word, yet he is in such a state as to his spirit that he wishes to become wise; consequently after death he is instructed by the angels and acknowledges the Lord and receives truths according to his affection and becomes an angel. Every such person is like a man who dies an infant, for he is led by the Lord and is educated by the angels. Those who from ignorance and from having been born in such a place have known nothing of worship, are after death instructed like little children, and according to their civil and moral life receive the means of salvation. I have seen such, and at first they did not appear like men; but afterwards I saw them as men, and heard them speaking sanely from the commandments of the Decalogue. To instruct such is the inmost angelic joy. From all this it is now clear that the Lord provides that every man can be saved.

For every nation the Lord provides a universal means of salvation.

From what has been said above it is clear that in whatever religion a man may live he can be saved; for he knows the evils and the falsities from evils that must be shunned, and having shunned them he knows the goods that must be done and the truths that must be believed. The goods he does and the truths he believes before he has shunned evils are not in themselves goods and truths, because they are from man and not from the Lord. Before that they are not goods and truths in themselves because in the man they then have no life. A man who knows all goods and all truths, as many as can be known, but does not shun evils, knows nothing. His goods and truths are swallowed up or cast out by the evils, so that he becomes foolish, not in the world but afterwards; while the man who knows few goods and few truths, but shuns evils, knows those goods and truths and learns many more and becomes wise, if not in the world yet afterwards. Since, then, everyone in every religion knows the evils and falsities from evils that must be shunned, and having shunned them knows the goods that must be done and the truths that must be believed, it is clear that this is provided by the Lord as the universal means of salvation with every nation that has any religion.

With Christians this means exists in all fullness; it also exists, though not in fullness, with Mohammedans and Gentiles. The remaining things, by which they are distinguished, are either ceremonials which are of little consequence, or are goods that may be done or not done, or truths that may be believed or not believed, and yet man be saved. What these things amount to man can see when evils are removed. A Christian sees this from the Word, a Mohammedan from the Koran, and a Gentile from his religious principle. A Christian sees from the Word that God is one, that the Lord is the Savior of the world, that all good that is good in itself, and all truth that is true in itself, is from God, and nothing of it from man; that there must be Baptism and the Holy Supper, that there is a heaven and that there is a hell, that there is a life after death, and that he who does good comes into heaven, and he who does evil into hell. These things he believes from truth and does from good when he is not in evil. Other things that are not in accord with these and with the Decalogue he may pass by. A Mohammedan sees from the Koran that God is one, that the Lord is the Son of God, and that all good is from God, that there is a heaven and that there is a hell, that there is a life after death, and that the evils forbidden in the commandments of the Decalogue must be shunned. If he does these latter things he also believes the former and is saved. A Gentile sees from his religious principle that there is a God, that He must be regarded as holy and be worshiped, that good is from Him, that there is a heaven and that there is a hell, that there is a life after death, that the evils forbidden in the Decalogue must be shunned. If he does these things and believes them he is saved. And as many Gentiles perceive God to be Man, and as God-Man is the Lord, so after death when they are instructed by angels they acknowledge the Lord, and afterwards receive truths from the Lord that they had not before known. They are not condemned because of their not having the ordinances of Baptism and the Holy Supper; the Holy Supper and Baptism are for those only who are in possession of the Word, and to whom the Lord is known from the Word; for they are symbols of that church, and are attestations and certifications that those who believe and live according to the Lord's commandments in the Word are saved.

(Apocalypse Explained 1176; 1177; 1179; 1180)

What is Perpetual ... What is Eternal

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

A new state — what is complete; the last and the first together, or the end and the beginning together.

In the internal sense all periods of time signify states, as hour, day, week, month, year, age; and also the lesser divisions of time, as noon, evening, night, and morning, which are times of the day; and as summer, autumn, winter, and spring, which are times of the year; and also the several periods of life, as infancy and childhood, youth, adult age, and old age; all of which times, with others, signify states.

That times signify states is because times do not exist in the other life. The progression of the life of spirits and angels indeed appears as in time; but they have no thought from times, as men in the world have; their thought is from states of the life, and this without notion of times. The reason of this is that the progressions of their life are not distinguished into different ages, for there they do not grow old, and there are no days or years, because their sun, which is the Lord, is always rising and never sets. Hence no notion of time enters their thoughts, but only a notion of state and its progressions - notions being taken from the things that are and exist before the senses.

These things must needs seem paradoxical, but only for the reason that man in every idea of his thought has somewhat adjoined from time and space. From this source are his memory and recollection, and also his lower thought, the ideas of which are called material. But that memory out of which comes such ideas is quiescent in the other life. They who are in that life are in interior memory, and in the ideas of its thought; and thought from this latter memory has not times and spaces adjoined to it, but states and their progressions instead. Hence also it is that they correspond, and in consequence of such correspondence times in the Word signify states. (That man has an exterior memory which is proper to him in the body, and also an interior memory which is proper to his spirit, Arcana Coelestia 2469-2494.)

That by "about three months after" is signified a new state, is because by "months," into which also times in the world are distinguished, is signified state, and by "three" is signified the last and the first together, or the end and the beginning together, as said above. Because in the spiritual world there is a continual progression of states from one into another, and consequently in the last or end of every state there is a first or beginning, hence what is continuous, therefore by the words "about three months after" is signified a new state. It is similar also in the church, which is the spiritual world or the Lord's kingdom on earth, the last of the church with one nation being always the first of the church with another. As the last is thus continued into the first, it is several times said of the Lord that He is the Last and the First as in Isaiah 41:4:

Who hath wrought and done it , calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD , the first, and with the last; I am he.

Again,

Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. (Isaiah 44:6)

And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. (Revelation 21:6)

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. (Revelation 22:13)

and thereby in the relative sense is signified what is perpetual, and in the supreme sense what is eternal.

(from Arcana Coelestia 4901)

Led by Means of Affections

Selection from The Heavenly Doctrine ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

State and Change of State

Time and the succession of time, or space and the extension of space, cannot be predicated of man's interiors, that is, of his affections and the thoughts therefrom; because these interiors are not in time nor in place-although to the senses in the world it appears as if they were-but are in interior things which correspond to time and place. These interior things which correspond we have to call states, because there is no other word by which these corresponding things can be expressed. The state of the interiors is said to be changed when the mind or heart is changed as to affections and consequent thoughts - as from sadness to joy, or from joy to sadness again; from impiety to piety or devotion; and so on. These changes are called changes of state, and are predicated of the affections, and of the thoughts also insofar as they are governed by the affections; but changes of state of the thoughts are in those of the affections like particulars in generals, and are relatively variations.

(from Arcana Coelestia 4850)

~~~

What affection is.

The same is meant by affection as by love. But love is like a fountain and affections are like the streams therefrom, thus affections are continuations of love. Love as a fountain is in the will of man; affections, which are streams from it, flow by continuity into the understanding, and there by means of light from truths produce thoughts, just as the influences of heat in a garden produce germinations by means of rays of light. Moreover, love in its origin is the heat of heaven, and truths in their origin are the rays of light of heaven, and thoughts are germinations from their marriage.

From such a marriage are all the societies of heaven, which are innumerable, which in their essence are affections; for they are from the heat that is love and from the wisdom that is light from the Lord as a sun. Therefore these societies, as heat in them is united to light, and light is united to heat, are affections of good and truth. From this are the thoughts of all in these societies. This makes clear that the societies of heaven are not thoughts but affections, consequently to be led by means of these societies is to be led by means of affections, that is, to be led by means of affections is to be led by means of societies; and for this reason in what now follows the term affections will be used in place of societies.

Why man is led by the Lord by means of affections and not by means of thoughts shall now be told.

When man is led by the Lord by means of affections he can be led according to all the laws of His Divine providence, but not if he should be led by means of thoughts. Affections do not become evident to man, but thoughts do; also affections produce thoughts, but thoughts do not produce affections; there is an appearance that they do, but it is a fallacy. And when affections produce thoughts they produce all things of man, because these constitute his life. Moreover, this is known in the world. If you hold a man in his affection you hold him bound, and lead him wherever you please, and a single reason is then stronger than a thousand. But if you do not hold man in his affection reasons are of no avail, for his affection, when not in harmony with them, either perverts them or rejects them or extinguishes them. It would be similar if the Lord should lead man by means of thoughts immediately, and not by means of affections.

Again, when a man is led by the Lord by means of affections, it seems to him as if he thought freely as if of himself, and spoke freely and acted freely as if of himself. And this is why the Lord does not teach man immediately, but mediately by means of the Word, and by means of doctrines and preachings from the Word, and by means of conversations and interaction with others; for from these things man thinks freely as if of himself.

In no other way can man be saved. This follows both from what has been said about the laws of the Divine providence and also from this, that thoughts do not produce affections in man. For if man knew all things of the Word, and all things of doctrine, even to the arcana of wisdom that the angels possess, and thought and spoke about them, so long as his affections were lusts of evil he could not be brought out of hell by the Lord. Evidently, then, if man were to be taught from heaven by an influx into his thoughts it would be like casting seed upon the way, or into water, or into snow, or into fire.

(from Apocalypse Explained 1175)

He Spake as a Dragon

Selection from Apocalypse Explained ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. (Revelation 13:11)

And he spake as a dragon, signifies with a similar affection, thought, doctrine, and preaching, as belong to those who separate faith from the life of faith, which is charity. This is evident from the signification of "speaking," as being affection, thought, doctrine, and preaching. This is the signification of "speaking" because all the speech of man is from affection and the consequent thought. The affection itself is expressed by the sound of the speech, and the thought by its words. The affection and the thought are both of them in the speech, as everyone who reflects can see. The affection alone by itself cannot speak, it can only make a sound and sing; nor can thought alone by itself speak otherwise than as an automaton without life, since it is the affection that gives life to every expression of speech; and this is why a man is regarded by others according to the affection of his speech and not according to the words he utters. "To speak" signifies also to preach from doctrine, thus doctrine and preaching therefrom, because it is said that the beast "spake as a dragon;" and a "dragon" means those who are in faith separated from charity both in doctrine and in life; and this beast means confirmations from the sense of the letter of the Word in favor of the separation of faith from life, and the resulting falsifications of the Word; consequently "to speak as a dragon" signifies that kind of religion in respect to doctrine and preaching.

"Cain" "Reuben" "Philistines" "he-goat"

As faith separate from charity and the resulting falsification of the Word are described by the dragon and its two beasts, I will show in this article that a like heresy is depicted in the Word by "Cain," by "Reuben," and by the "Philistines," and the like is meant also by the "he-goat" in Daniel. For there have been several churches on this earth, namely, the Most Ancient, which was before the flood; the Ancient, which was after the flood; the Jewish, which followed the Ancient; and lastly the Christian Church. All of these churches degenerated in process of time into two enormous errors, into one which adulterated all the goods of the church, and into the other which falsified all its truths.

• The church that adulterated all the goods of the church is described in the Word by the "Babylonians and Chaldeans"

• The church that falsified all the truths of the church is described by "Cain," by "Reuben," and by the "Philistines," and by the "he-goat" in Daniel which fought with the ram and overcame it.

The adulteration of the good of the church, which is described by the "Babylonians and Chaldeans," will be spoken of hereafter where "Babylon" is treated of in Revelation; but now the falsification of truth shall be treated of, which is described here in Revelation by "the dragon and his two beasts," and was also described by "Cain," and by the others above mentioned.

~~~ "Cain" ~~~

That those who separate the knowledges of truth and good from a life according to them, and who believe that they may be saved by these alone, were represented by "Cain," has been briefly shown in the Arcana Coelestia where Cain and Abel are treated of; to which this shall be added. It is written of Cain:

That he was the firstborn of Adam, and that he tilled the ground, and brought of the fruit of the ground an offering to Jehovah; and that Abel was a shepherd of the flock, and brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof; also that Jehovah had respect unto the offering of Abel and not unto the offering of Cain, that therefore Cain's anger was kindled and he slew his brother; and that Cain was therefore accursed and rejected from the ground, and became a wanderer and fugitive in the earth; and that Jehovah set a sign upon Cain lest he should be slain, and decreed that whoever should slay him should have vengeance taken on him sevenfold (see Gen. 4).

It is to be known that all names of persons and places in the Word signify things and states of the church, especially the names in the first chapters of Genesis, because the stories in those chapters are made-up histories containing the deepest arcana of heaven, and yet they are most holy in the sense of the letter, because in every least word there is a spiritual sense that conjoins the heavens with the men of the church. What these stories involve in the spiritual sense and what the names of the persons there signify has been explained in the Arcana Coelestia.

"Cain" signifies the knowledges of truth and good separated from a life according to them, thus from heavenly love, and "Abel" signifies heavenly love; or what is the same, "Cain" signifies truth separated from good, and "Abel" good conjoined with truth. And as truth is the first thing of the church, since every church is formed by means of truths, because every church begins from truths or from the knowledges of truth and good, therefore Cain was the firstborn, and was named "man" [vir] of Jehovah," "man of Jehovah" signifying in the Word the truth of heaven and the church; and the "ground" which Cain tilled signifies the church.

The separation of truth from good is signified by the murder of Abel by Cain; for when everything of the church is placed in truths or in knowledges, and not in goods or in the affection of living according to truths, good with its affections is slain. And as everything of the church perishes when truth is separated from good, so Cain "was cast forth from the ground," which, as has been said, signifies the church. But because truths are the first things of the church, for life must be learned from truths, "a sign was set on Cain, lest someone should slay him; and it was decreed that if anyone should slay him he should be avenged seven-fold." And because truth without good is carried hither and thither, having nothing to lead it, and consequently falls successively into falsities, and departs from the way that leads to heaven, so Cain "was cast forth from the face of Jehovah, and became a wanderer and fugitive."

The like is true of faith and charity, since faith is of truth and charity is of good; so when faith is separated from charity what is said of Cain takes place, namely, that "it kills Abel its brother," which is charity, and in consequence the church perishes, which is signified by "being cast forth from the ground, and becoming a wanderer and fugitive," for when faith is separated from charity truth is successively turned into falsity and falls away.

~~~ "Reuben" ~~~

"Reuben," the firstborn of Jacob, signified the light of truth and thence the understanding of the Word, and thus truth from good or faith from charity, as did the apostle Peter; and that conversely, "Reuben" represented truth separated from good, or faith separated from charity, and that this faith is signified by his adultery with Bilhah his father's concubine, in consequence of which the birthright was taken away from him and given to Joseph. To this may be added, that all heresies, so far as they are adulterations and falsifications of the Word, correspond to adulteries and whoredoms of various kinds, and these because of this correspondence are actually perceived in the spiritual world from those who are in heresies. The reason of this is that marriages as they exist in the heavens derive their spiritual origin from the conjunction of good and truth; and conversely, adulteries derive their origin from the conjunction of evil and falsity; and this is why heaven is compared in the Word to a marriage, and hell to adultery. And as there is in the hells the conjunction of evil and falsity, so there continually exhales therefrom a sphere of adultery. It is for this reason that "adulteries and whoredoms" signify in the Word the adulterations of the good of the church and the falsifications of its truth.

In respect to faith separated from charity, this is perceived in the spiritual world as the adultery of a son with a mother as also with a step-mother. This is so because that faith shuts out the good of charity; and when this is shut out the evil of the love of self and of the world takes its place, and that faith conjoins itself with that love. For every kind of faith must necessarily conjoin itself with some love; therefore when spiritual love, which is charity, is separated, faith then conjoins itself with the love of self or with the love of the world, which are the loves that are dominant in the natural man; and this is why so heinous an adultery results from faith separated from charity.

From this then it is clear what is signified by the adultery of Reuben with Bilhah his father's concubine, and why he was rejected for this reason from the right of the primogeniture. This is also meant by the prophecy of Israel his father respecting Reuben:

Reuben my firstborn, thou art my power and the beginning of my vigor; excelling in exaltation and excelling in strength; light as water, thou shalt not excel, because thou wentest up to thy father's bed, then thou didst profane it, he went up to my couch (Gen. 49:3, 4).

These words may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia (n. 6341-6350). That such adultery is perceived in the spiritual world from faith separated from charity has been made evident to me from correspondences in that world. For whenever I have perceived afar off the sphere of adultery with a mother or stepmother, I have known at once that those who had confirmed themselves in faith alone both in doctrine and in life were near, and they were also then discovered; and when they had been explored they were found to have been such in the world.

~~~ "Philistines" ~~~

So much respecting Reuben; we will now speak of the Philistines; these also in the Word represent faith separated from love. It was for this reason that they were called the "uncircumcised;" for "one uncircumcised" signifies one who is destitute of spiritual love, and is solely in natural love, and with that love alone no religious principle can be conjoined, much less anything of the church; for every religious principle and everything of the church has regard to the Divine, to heaven, and to spiritual life; and these cannot be conjoined with any other than a spiritual love; but not with a natural love separated from a spiritual love; since natural love separated from spiritual love is man's own [proprium], and this, regarded in itself, is nothing but evil.

All the wars that the sons of Israel waged against the Philistines represented the combats of the spiritual man with the natural man, and thence also the combats of truth conjoined with good against truth separated from good, which in itself is not truth but falsity. For truth separated from good is falsified in the idea of the thought respecting it, and for the reason that there is nothing spiritual present in the thought to enlighten it. For the same reason those who are in faith separated from charity have no truth, except merely in their speech or in their preaching from the Word, the idea of truth instantly perishing as soon as truth is thought about.

Because this religion exists in the churches with all who love to live a natural life, so in the land of Canaan the Philistines were not subjugated, as the other nations of that land were, and consequently there were many battles with them. For all the historical things of the Word are representative of such things as pertain to the church; and all the nations of the land of Canaan represented things heretical confirming either the falsities of faith or the evils of the love; while the sons of Israel represented the truths of faith and the goods of love, and thus the church. But what was represented by the wars that the inhabitants of the land of Canaan carried on will be told in its place and time; here it shall merely be shown that the Philistines represented a religious principle separated from spiritual good, such as is the religious principle of faith alone separated from its life, which is charity. This is why the sons of Israel whenever they fell away from the worship of Jehovah to the worship of other gods were given over to their enemies, or were conquered by them:

Thus they were given over to the Philistines, and served them eighteen years, and afterwards forty years (Judges 10; 13).

This represented their departure from the worship from the good of love and the truths of faith to worship from the evils of love and the falsities of faith. Likewise:

The sons of Israel were conquered and distressed by the Philistines (1 Sam. 4; 13; 28; 29; 31).

But when the sons of Israel returned to the worship of Jehovah, which was the worship from the good of love and the truths of faith, they conquered the Philistines (1 Sam. 7, 14; 2 Sam. 5, 8, 21, 23; 2 Kings 18). That these historical things involve such things can be seen only from the series of things there described when viewed in the internal sense, to present which here would occupy too much time; therefore one passage only from the prophetical parts of the Word shall be cited, from which it will be manifest that such things as pertain to the church were represented by the Philistines in these narratives.

Thus in Isaiah:

Rejoice not, O Philistea, all of thee, because the rod that smiteth thee is broken; for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a basilisk, whose fruit shall be a fiery-flying serpent.

Then the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety; and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant.

Howl, O gate; cry out, O city; thou whole Philistea art dissolved; for from the north cometh a smoke, and none shall be alone in thy assemblies.

What then shall one answer, ye messengers of the nation? That Jehovah hath founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of His people shall hope (14:29-32).

This describes Philistea, which signifies the church, or those in the church who indeed are in truths from the sense of the letter of the Word or from some other revelation, and yet are in filthy loves, consequently their truths are not living truths; and truths not living are turned into falsities when they are brought from exterior thought, which is the thought next to the speech, into interior thought, which belongs to the understanding, also when this thought considers truths in their origin, which those who are meant by "the Philistines" do not see. They do not see for the reason that while every man, even an evil man, has a faculty to understand, he has no good of the will, which is the good of life; for this good springs from love to God and from love to the neighbor, and it is these loves that cause that faculty to communicate with heaven and receive enlightenment therefrom.

This chapter in Isaiah describes those who are in truths without good, and shows that with such all truths are turned into falsities.

This, therefore, is the spiritual sense of these words: "Rejoice not, O Philistea, all of thee, because the rod that smiteth thee is broken," signifies that they should not rejoice because they are permitted to remain in their heresy by reason of the fewness of those who are in truths from good; "for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a basilisk" signifies that out of the sensual man a dogma destructive of all truth will arise; "the serpent's root" being the sensual, which is the ultimate of man's life, and "the basilisk" being the destruction of all truth. "Whose fruit shall be a fiery-flying serpent" signifies from which there will spring faith separated from charity; this faith is meant by "a fiery-flying serpent" because it flies upwards by means of reasonings and confirmations from things revealed that are not understood, and thus it kills the things that are living. In like manner "the basilisk" has a similar signification as "the dragon," which is also called "a serpent;" and "the fiery-flying serpent" has a similar signification as "the beast coming up out of the sea and the beast out of the earth," in this chapter of Revelation.

"Then the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety," signifies that when that dogma is received by those who are natural and sensual men, and who believe themselves to be wiser than others, truths from good with those who desire what is true and will what is good, will become living; "the firstborn" in the Word signify truths born from good; the "poor" those who are not in truths but who still desire them, and the "needy" those who are not in goods but who in heart will them. "And I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant," signifies that all truths, from the first of them to the last, will be destroyed by falsities.

"Howl, O gate; cry out, O city," signifies that no entrance will be granted to any truth, and that doctrine will be made up of mere falsities, "gate" signifying entrance to the truths of doctrine, and "city" doctrine. "Thou whole Philistea art dissolved" signifies the destruction of that church by mere falsities. "For from the north cometh a smoke" signifies that every falsity from evil will break in from hell, "the north" meaning hell, and "smoke" the falsity of evil. "And none shall be alone in thy assemblies" signifies that there shall not remain a single truth among their knowledges.

"What then shall one answer, ye messengers of the nation?" signifies the enlightenment of those who are in the good of life from love to the Lord. "That Jehovah hath founded Zion" signifies that a church shall be established from them; "and in her the afflicted of His people shall hope" signifies that those who are not in wisdom from self, and who conquer in temptations against such falsities, shall have intelligence and salvation.

The vastation of truth by falsities with those who are meant by "the Philistines" is also described by Jeremiah 47:1-7; likewise in Ezekiel 25:15, 16; in Joel 3:4-6; in Amos 1:8. That such falsify truths is meant by "the daughters of the Philistines," mentioned in Ezekiel 16:27, 57; also in 2 Sam. 1:20; "the daughters of the Philistines" there meaning the affections of falsity. Their religious principle was also represented by their idol called Dagon, which was set up in Ashdod, and which, according to their description, was formed like a man from the head to the navel, and like a fish from the navel downwards; its being like a man from the head to the navel represented the understanding derived from truths; and like a fish from the navel downwards represented the natural destitute of the good of love; for the lower part down to the knees corresponds to celestial love, and a "fish" signifies the natural man which is without spiritual good. 

Truth defiled by evil of life is signified also by "the uncircumcised" (2 Sam. 1:20; Ezek. 28:10; 31:18; 32:18, 19; 44:9). For the foreskin corresponds to corporeal love, because the member which it covers corresponds to spiritual and celestial love. And because "the Philistines" represented those who are in knowledge (scientia) and cognitions of truth without any spiritual and celestial good, they were called "uncircumcised." And as the sons of Israel were also actually of the same character, in order that they might nevertheless represent the church which is in spiritual and celestial good and in truths therefrom, it was commanded that they should be circumcised. From this it can be seen that the religious principle at this day that separates charity from faith is in the representative sense Philistea.

~~~  "The Goats and Sheep, upon which judgment will be executed"  ~~~

So much respecting the Philistines. Something shall now be said about the goats and sheep, upon which judgment will be executed, according to the Lord's words in Matthew (25:31 to the end).

The common opinion is that the "goats" there mean all the evil, and it has not been known heretofore that the "goats" there mean those who are in faith separated from charity, and the "sheep" those who are in faith from charity. In a good sense "goats" mean those who are in natural good and in truths therefrom, which truths are called the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good from the natural sense of the Word. Such as these, or such good and such truth therefrom, are signified by the goats that were sacrificed. That there were also sacrifices of goats is evident from Lev. 4:23; 9:2-4, 8-23; 16:2-20; 23:18,19; Num. 15:22-29; 28:11-15, 18 to the end; 29; and elsewhere. For all the beasts that were offered as sacrifices signified such things as pertain to the church, all of which have reference to goods and truths. The celestial goods and the truths therefrom in which are the angels in the third heaven were signified by "lambs," while the spiritual goods and truths in which are the angels in the middle heaven were signified by "rams," and the natural goods and truths therefrom, in which are the angels who are in the lowest heaven, were signified by "goats." Celestial goods and truths are with those who are in love to the Lord; but spiritual goods and truths are with those who are in love towards the neighbor; and natural goods and truths with those who live well according to truths from natural affection. This is the signification of these three kinds of beasts in various parts of the Word (as in Ezek. 27:21; Deut. 32:14).

But as most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so "goats" signify in that sense those who are in faith separated from charity, for the reason that they are more lascivious than other animals, and that they signify in the genuine sense those who are in natural good and the truth thence, and all who are in faith separated from charity both in doctrine and in life are merely natural. That such are meant in the Word by "goats" has been shown me to the life in the spiritual world. There various beasts are seen; but they are not such beasts as exist in our world, that is, not beasts that have been born, but they are correspondences of the affections and of the thoughts therefrom of spirits and angels; consequently as soon as those affections and the thoughts therefrom vary and cease, these beasts vanish out of sight. That I might know that those who are in faith separated from charity, or rather the affections and thoughts of such from their faith, are represented by "goats," it was granted me to see some of those spirits; and they appeared before my eyes and the eyes of many others altogether as goats with horns. Moreover, when rams and sheep were sent among them, these goats being kindled with anger rushed upon them, and strove to throw them down, but in vain. For in the spiritual world goats have no power against the rams or sheep, therefore the goats were overcome. Afterwards it was granted me to see the same as men; and this was a proof that the goats were identical with those who had lived in the world in faith separated from charity.

From this what is signified by the "ram" and the "he-goat," and "the battle between them," in the eighth chapter of Daniel can be seen, namely, that the "ram" there means those who are in faith from charity, and the "he-goat" those who are in faith separated from charity. Thus the future state of the church is there described, namely, that faith separate would dissipate all charity, which is the good of life, and falsity therefrom would have rule in the Christian world. To illustrate this, I will present a summary of what is related in Daniel respecting the ram and the he-goat, as follows:

Daniel saw in vision a ram that had two horns, one higher than the other, but the higher came up last; and he made himself great. But then a he-goat of the goats came from the west over the faces of all the earth; and he charged upon the ram and smote him, and broke his two horns; and he cast the ram down to the earth, and trampled upon him. The he-goat had a horn between his eyes, and when this was broken there came up four horns in its place towards the four winds of the heavens; and out of one of them came forth one horn which grew exceedingly, even to the host of the heavens, and cast down some of the host and of the stars to the earth and trampled upon them. Yea, it exalted itself even to the prince of the host, and the continual burnt-offering was taken away from him, and the dwelling-place of his sanctuary was cast down; and it cast down the truth to the earth (8:1-14, seq.).

That the "ram" here means those who are in faith from charity, and the "he-goat",  those who are in faith separated from charity

Again that "he-goats" mean those who are in faith separated from charity, and "rams" those who are in faith from charity, is evident also in Ezekiel:

And as for you, O my flock, behold I judge between cattle and cattle, and between rams and he-goats (34:17).

Likewise in Zechariah:

Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I will visit upon the he-goats (10:3)

From this it can be seen that the goats and the sheep in Matthew (25:31 to the end) have the same meaning; consequently works of charity only are there enumerated which were done by the sheep, and were not done by the goats. That such are there meant by the "goats" was proved also when the Last Judgment was accomplished upon those who belonged to the Christian Church; for then all those who were in faith separated from charity both in doctrine and life were cast into hell; and all who were in faith from charity were kept safe.

(from Apocalypse Explained 817)