1. And I saw when the lamb had opened the first of the seals, and I heard one of the four animals saying, as with a voice of thunder, Come and look. 2. And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and he that sat upon him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him, and he went forth conquering and to conquer. 3. And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second animal saying, Come and look. 4. And there went out another horse that was red, and it was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. 5. And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third animal saying, Come and look. And I saw, and behold, a black horse; and he that sat upon him had a balance in his hand. 6. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four animals, saying, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and hurt not the oil and the wine. 7. And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth animal saying, Come and look. 8. And I saw, and behold, a pale horse; and his name that sat upon him was Death, and hell followed with him; and power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with the sword, and with hunger, and with death, and by beasts.* 9. And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held. 10. And they cried with a great voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 11. And white robes were given unto each of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet a little while, until their fellow-servants also, and their brethren, that would be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. 12. And I saw when he had opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood. 13. And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth its unripe figs, when shaken by a great wind. 14. And the heaven departed as a book rolled together: and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 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, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains;

16. And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall upon us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the anger of the Lamb. 17. Because the great day of His anger is come, and who shall be able to stand? * The original Latin omits "of the earth."

THE SPIRITUAL SENSE The contents of the whole chapter

It treats of the exploration of those on whom the Last Judgment is to be executed; and exploration is made as to what the quality of their understanding of the Word had been and thence the quality of their state of life. That there were those who were in truths from good (verses 1, 2); those who were without good (verses 3, 4); those who were in contempt of truth (verses 5, 6); and those who were totally vastated both as to good and truth (verses 7, 8). Of the state of those who were guarded by the Lord in the lower earth, on account of the evil, and were to be delivered at the time of the Last Judgment (verses 9-11). Of the state of those who were in evils and thence in falsities, what it is at the day of the Last Judgment (verses 12-17).

The contents of each verse

Verse 1. "And I saw when the Lamb had opened the first of the seals," signifies exploration by the Lord of all those upon whom the Last Judgment was about to come as to their understanding of the Word, and thence as to their states of life (n. 295). "And I heard one of the four animals saying, as with a voice of thunder," signifies, according to the Divine truth of the Word (n. 296). "Come and look," signifies a manifestation concerning the first in order (n. 297). Verse 2. "And I saw, and behold, a white horse," signifies the understanding of truth and good from the Word with these (n. 298); "And he that sat upon him had a bow," signifies that they had the doctrine of truth and good from the Word, from which they fought against the falsities and evils which are from hell (n. 299); "And a crown was given unto him," signifies their badge of combat (n. 300); "And he went forth conquering, and to conquer," signifies victory over evils and falsities to eternity (n. 301). Verse 3. "And when He had opened the second seal, I heard the second animal saying, Come and look," signifies the same here as above (n. 302-304). Verse 4. "And there went out another horse that was red," signifies the understanding of the Word destroyed as to good, and thence as to life, with these (n. 305). "And it was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth," signifies the taking away of charity, spiritual security, and internal rest (n. 306). "And that they should kill one another," signifies intestine hatreds, infestations from the hells, and internal unrest (n. 307). "And there was given unto him a great sword," signifies the destruction of truth by falsities of evil (n. 308). Verse 5. "And when He had opened the third seal, I heard the third animal saying, Come and look," signifies the same here as above (n. 309-311). "And I saw, and behold, a black horse," signifies the understanding of the Word destroyed with these as to truth, and thus as to doctrine (n. 312). "And he that sat upon him had a balance in his hand," signifies the estimation of good and truth, what it was with these (n. 313). Verse 6. "And I heard a voice in the midst of the four animals saying," signifies the Divine guarding of the Word by the Lord (n. 314). "A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny," signifies, because the estimation of good and truth is so small as to be scarcely anything (n. 315). "And hurt not the oil and the wine," signifies that it is provided by the Lord, that the holy goods and truths which lie interiorly concealed in the Word, should not be violated and profaned (n. 316). Verse 7. "And when He had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth animal saying, Come and look," signifies the same here as above (n. 317-319). Verse 8. "And I saw, and behold, a pale horse," signifies the understanding of the Word destroyed both as to good and as to truth (n. 320). "And his name that sat upon him was Death, and hell followed with him," signifies the extinction of spiritual life and thence damnation (n. 321). "And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill," signifies the destruction of all good in the church (n. 322). "With sword, and with hunger, and with death, and by the beasts of the earth," signifies by falsities of doctrine, by evils of life, by the love of the proprium, and by lusts (n. 323). Verse 9. "And when He had opened the fifth seal," signifies exploration by the Lord of the states of life of those who were to be saved at the day of the Last Judgment, and were in the meantime reserved (n. 324). "I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held," signifies those who were rejected by the evil on account of their life according to the truths of the Word, and their acknowledgment of the Lord's Divine Human, and who were guarded by the Lord lest they be seduced (n. 325). Verse 10. "And they cried with a great voice," signifies grief of heart (n. 326), "Saying, How long, O Lord,* dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" signifies by reason that the Last Judgment is delayed, and that they who offer violence to the Word and to the Lord's Divine are not removed (n. 327). Verse 11. "And white robes were given unto each of them," signifies their communication and conjunction with angels who are in Divine truths (n. 328); "And it was said, that they should rest yet for a little while, until their fellow-servants also, and their brethren, that would be killed as they were, should be fulfilled," signifies that the Last Judgment would yet be delayed a little, till they should be collected, who were in like manner rejected by the evil (n. 329). Verse 12. "And I saw when He had opened the sixth seal," signifies exploration by the Lord of their state of life, who were interiorly evil, upon whom the judgment was about to come (n. 330). "And behold, there was a great earthquake," signifies the state of the church with those totally changed, and terror (n. 331). "And the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood," signifies the adulteration of all the good of love with them, and the falsification of all the truth of faith (n. 332). Verse 13. "And the stars* fell unto the earth," signifies the dispersion of all the knowledges of good and truth (n. 333). "Even as a fig tree casteth its unripe figs, when shaken by a great wind," signifies by the reasonings of the natural man separated from the spiritual (n. 334). Verse 14. "And the heaven departed as a book rolled together," signifies separation from heaven and conjunction with hell (n. 335). "And every mountain and island were moved out of their places," signifies that all the good of love and truth of faith departed (n. 336). 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 (n. 337). "Hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains," signifies that they were now in evils and in falsities of evil (n. 338). Verse 16. "And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall upon us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the anger of the Lamb," signifies confirmations of evil by falsities from evil, until they did not acknowledge any Divine of the Lord (n. 339). Verse 17. "Because the great day of His anger is come, and who shall be able to stand?" signifies that they had become such of themselves by separation from the good and the faithful on account of the Last Judgment, which otherwise they could not endure (n. 340). * The original Latin omits "Who are holy and true."

THE EXPLANATION Verse 1. And I saw when the Lamb had opened the first of the seals, signifies exploration by the Lord of all those upon whom the Last Judgment was about to come, as to their understanding of the Word, and thence as to their states of life. This is signified, because now follows in order the exploration of all upon whom the Last Judgment was about to come, as to their states of life, and this from the Lord according to the Word. This then is the signification of "the Lamb's opening the seals of the book." That "to open the book," and "loose the seals thereof," signifies to know the states of the life of all, and to judge everyone according to his own, may be seen above (n. 259-265, 267, 273, 274).