Spiritual Meaning of REVELATION 6:15
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AR 337. Verse 15. And the kings of the earth, and the great ones, and the rich, and the rulers of thousands, and the mighty, and every servant, and every freeman, signifies those who before separation were in the understanding of truth and good, in the science of the knowledges thereof, in erudition, either from others or from themselves, and yet not in a life according to them. That this is the signification of the above words in their order, can only be known by those who know what is signified in the spiritual sense by "kings," "great ones," "rich," "rulers of thousands," "the mighty," "servants, and freemen." For by "king," in this sense, are signified they who are in truths; by "great ones," they who are in goods; by "the rich," they who are in the knowledges of truth; by "rulers of thousands," they who are in the knowledges of good; by "the mighty," they who are in erudition; by "servants," they who are in such things from others, thus from the memory; by "freemen," they who are in such things from themselves, thus from judgment. But to prove the signification of all these names from the Word would be too prolix. What is signified by "kings" has been shown before (n. 20); and what by "the rich" (n. 206); what by "great ones," is evident from (Jeremiah 5:5; Nahum 3:10; Jonah 3:7); for "great" is predicated of good (n. 896, 898); that "mighty," and "servants, and freemen," are such as are in erudition, either from others or from themselves, will be seen below. It is said, they who are in these things, and yet not in a life according to them, because the evil, yea, the worst, may be in the science and in the understanding of the knowledges of truth and good, and also in much erudition, but because they are not in a life according to them, they are not in them actually; for what is only in the understanding, and not at the same time in the life, is not in the man, but is out of him, as it were in a court; but that which is at the same time in the life, is in the man, it is within him as in the house; therefore the latter are preserved, and the former rejected.

AR 338. Hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, signifies that they were now in evils and in the falsities of evil. "To hide themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains," signifies to be in evils and in the falsities of evil, because they who pretended before the world that they were in the good of love, and yet were in evil, after death hide themselves in caves; and they who have pretended that they were in the truths of faith, and yet were in the falsities of evil, hide themselves in the rocks of the mountains. The entrances appear like holes in the earth, and like clefts in the mountains, into which they betake themselves like serpents, and there hide themselves. That such are their abiding places I have frequently seen. Hence it is that by "caves" are signified the evils with such, and by "holes" and "clefts" the falsities of evil, in the following passages:--

In that day they shall go into the caves of the rocks and into the fissures of the cliffs when Jehovah ariseth to terrify the earth (Isa. 2:19).

In that day they shall go into the clefts of the rocks and into the fissures of the cliffs for dread of Jehovah (Isa. 2:21).

To dwell in the fissures of the valleys, in holes of the earth, and in the rocks (Job 30:6).

The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, who dwellest in fissures (Obad. 1:3).

In that day they shall come and shall rest in the rivers of desolation, and in the fissures of the rocks (Isa. 7:19).

The palace shall be a desert, the hillside and towers shall be for caves forever (Isa. 32:14).

The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, that dwellest in the holes of the rock (Jer. 49:16).

And they shall hunt them from upon every mountain and hill, and out of the holes of the rocks; they shall not be hidden before Me, neither is hidden (Jer. 16:16, 17).

In that day the suckling shall play on the hole of the viper, and the weaned shall put his hand on the cave of the basilisk (Isa. 11:8).

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Author:  E. Swedenborg (1688-1772). Design:  I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002. www.BibleMeanings.info