572. [verse 2] 'And the beast that I saw was like a leopard' signifies a heresy destructive of the Church because derived from truths of the Word falsified. By 'beasts' in general are signified men as to affections (n. 567), and by 'a leopard' is signified the affection or lust of falsifying the truths of the Word; and because it is a ferocious beast and slaughters harmless animals it signifies also a heresy destructive of the Church. That falsified truths of the Word are signified by 'a leopard' is because of its black and white spots, and by the black spots are signified untruths, and by the white among them is signified truth. Consequently, because it is a ferocious and savage beast, truths of the Word falsified and thus destroyed are signified by it. Similar things are signified by 'leopard' in the following passages:-
Shall the Ethiopian change his skin, and the leopard his spots? Then you also can do good who have been taught to do evil Jer. xiii 23.
The lion out of the forest has smitten the magnates, the wolf of the fields shall devastate theism, the leopard watching against their cities, everyone who goes out shall be torn to pieces, because the back-slidings have become strong Jer. v 6.
'The leopard watching against the cities' is against the truths of doctrine, a 'city' being doctrine (n. 194).
Because they have forgotten Me, therefore I have become unto them as a lion, and as a leopard upon the war will I watch them Hosea xiii 5-7.
A 'way' also signifies truth (n. 176).
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard with the kid Isa. xi 5, 6.
It treats there of the Lord's kingdom about to come, 'the kid' is the genuine truth of the Church, 'the leopard' is the same falsified.
The third beast coming up out of the sea was like a leopard, which had four wings upon its back Dan. vii 6.
Concerning the four beasts seen by Daniel, n. 574 below may be seen.
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