1200. Because He hath judged the great harlot.- That this signifies judgment upon those who arrogated to themselves domination over the church and heaven, is evident from the signification of judging, as denoting the Last Judgment, which was accomplished upon those who are meant by Babylon as the harlot. These were those who, by the domination which they arrogated to themselves over the church and over heaven, falsified all the truths and goods of the Word; the words therefore follow "who corrupted the earth with her whoredom," which signify that they falsified all the truths, and adulterated all the goods of the church. But by Babylon as a harlot, no others are meant than those who exercise that dominion, and as a result falsify and adulterate everything contained in the Word, and make light of the Word itself.
[2] Continuation [concerning the Life of Animals]. - Because the whole of heaven, the whole of hell, and the whole world of spirits are each divided into societies, and the societies arranged according to the genera and species of affections, and because the animals there are appearances of affections, as was just observed, therefore one genus of animal with its species appears in one society and another in another, and all the genera of animals with their species in the societies taken together. In the societies of heaven gentle and clean animals appear; in the societies of hell savage and unclean beasts, and in the world of spirits beasts of an intermediate kind.
[3] They have been often seen by me, and when they have appeared I have been able to learn the quality of the angels or spirits there; for all these are known from the appearances which are near them, and around them, their affections also from various objects, and also from animals. In the heavens I have seen lambs, sheep, goats, so similar to those in the world that there is no difference whatever; also turtle-doves, pigeons, birds of paradise, and many others, beautiful in form and colour; fish also in the waters, but these were in the lowest parts of heaven. In the hells on the other hand there are seen dogs, foxes, wolves, tigers, swine, mice, and many other kinds of savage and unclean beasts, besides poisonous serpents of many species, also crows, owls, and birds of night. But in the world of spirits are seen camels, elephants, horses, asses, oxen, stags, lions, leopards, bears, also eagles, kites, magpies, peacocks, and quails. I have also seen compound animals there, such as were seen by the prophets, and are described in the Word, as in the Apoc. xiii. 2, and elsewhere.
[4] Since there is such a resemblance between the animals that appear in that world and those in this world that they cannot be at all distinguished; and since the former derive their existence from the affections of the angels of heaven, and from the lusts of the spirits of hell, it follows that natural affections and lusts are their souls, and that these, being clothed with a body, are animals in a corresponding form. But what affection or lust forms the soul of this or that animal, whether a beast or wild beast of the earth, a bird of day or of the night, a fish living in clear or foul water, does not belong to this place to explain. Animals are frequently mentioned in the Word, and they have there a signification according to their souls. The signification of lambs, sheep, she-goats, rams, kids, he-goats, heifers, oxen, camels, horses, asses, stags, and also of certain birds, may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia.
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