565. Verses 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard one voice from the four horns of the golden altar, which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, Loose the four angels that are bound at the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, who were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, that they should slay the third part of men. And the number of the armies of the horsemen was two myriads of myriads: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breast-plates fiery, purple (hyacinthinos) and sulphurous: and the heads of the horses as the heads of lions: and out of their mouths went forth fire, and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which went forth out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt-" And the sixth angel sounded," signifies influx out of heaven manifesting the state of the church at its end, as being completely perverted; "and I heard one voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God," signifies revelation from the Lord out of the spiritual heaven. "Saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet," signifies concerning the perverted state of the church at its very end; "loose the four angels that are bound at the great river Euphrates," signifies reasonings from fallacies, pertaining to the sensual man, which were not received before. "And the four angels were loosed," signifies liberty to reason from fallacies; "who were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year," signifies continually in the state; "that they should slay the third part of men," signifies of depriving themselves of all understanding of truth, and thence of spiritual life. "And the number of the armies of the horsemen was two myriads of myriads," signifies innumerable falsities of evil, from which and on behalf of which there are reasons, which conspire against the truths of good; "and I heard the number of them," signifies their quality perceived. "And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them," signifies falsifications of the Word by reasonings from fallacies;" having breast-plates fiery, and purple, and sulphurous," signifies, combating from the disorderly desires of the love of self and of the love of the world, and from the falsities therefrom; ,,and the heads of the horses as the heads of lions," signifies knowledge (scientia) and thought therefrom destructive of truth; and out of their mouths went forth fire, smoke, and brimstone," signifies thought, and reasonings therefrom springing from the love of evil, from the love of falsity, and from the lust (concupiscentia) of destroying truths and goods by means of the falsities of evil. "By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which went forth out of their mouths," signifies, that all understanding of truth, and the spiritual life therefrom were extinguished by them. "For their power is in their mouth," signifies that sensual thoughts and reasonings thence are very powerful with them; "for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads," signifies, that from sensual scientifics, which are fallacies, they reason craftily; "and with them they do hurt," signifies, that thus they pervert the truths and goods of the church.