1200. For he hath judged the great harlot, signifies judgment upon those that have transferred to themselves dominion over the church and over heaven. This is evident from the signification of "to judge," as being the Last Judgment which was accomplished upon those meant by "Babylon" as "a harlot," who are such as have falsified all the truths and goods of the Word by the dominion over the church and over heaven that they have transferred to themselves; therefore it is said "that corrupted the earth with her whoredom," which signifies that all the truths of the church have been falsified by them, and all its goods adulterated. But by "Babylon" as a harlot only such are meant as exercise that dominion, and thereby falsify and adulterate all things of the Word, and hold the Word itself in little esteem.
(Continuation)
[2] As the entire heaven and the entire hell, and the entire world of spirits are divided into societies, and the societies are arranged according to the genera and species of affections, and as the animals there, as has just been said, are affections made apparent, so one kind of animal with its species appears in one society, and another in another, and all kinds 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 the savage and unclean beasts, and in the world of spirits beasts of an intermediate character. These I have often seen, and from these I have been able to recognize the quality of the angels and spirits there. All in the spiritual world are known from what appears near them and about them, and their affections are known from various things, and also from the animals. [3] In the heavens I have seen lambs, sheep, and goats, so closely resembling those seen in the world that they do not differ at all. I have also seen in the heavens turtle doves, pigeons, birds of paradise, and many others, beautiful in form and color. I have also seen fishes in the waters, but these in the lowest parts of heaven. In the hells, dogs, wolves, foxes, tigers, swine, mice, and many other kinds of savage and unclean beasts are seen, besides poisonous serpents of many kinds, also ravens, owls, and bats. But in the world of spirits camels, elephants, horses, asses, oxen, deer, lions, leopards, bears, also eagles, kites, magpies, peacocks, and quails, are seen. I have also seen there composite animals, like those seen by the prophets and described in the Word (as in Rev. 13:2, and elsewhere). [4] As the animals that appear in that world bear such a resemblance to the animals in this world that no difference is discernible, and as the animals in that world derive their existence from the affections of the angels of heaven, or from the lusts of the spirits of hell, it follows that natural affections or lusts are their souls, and when these have been clothed with a body they are animals in form. But what affection or cupidity is the soul of this or that animal, either a beast or a wild beast of the earth, a bird of day or of the night, or a fish of limpid or fetid water, will not be explained here. These are mentioned frequently in the Word, and have a signification there in accordance with their souls. The signification of lambs, sheep, she-goats, rams, kids, he-goats, bullocks, oxen, camels, horses, asses, deer, and various kinds of birds, has been disclosed in the Arcana Coelestia, and may be seen there.
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