June 12

And when He had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth animal saying, Come and look. And I saw, and behold, a pale horse; and his name who sat on it was Death, and hell followed with him; and authority was given to them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with the sword, and with famine, and with death, and by the beasts of the earth. (Revelation 6:7-8)

And I saw, and behold, a pale horse, signifies the understanding of the Word destroyed both as to good and as to truth… In the Word, this want of vitality is predicated of those who are not in goods of life from truths of doctrine, for the Word, in the sense of the letter, is not understood without doctrine, and doctrine is not perceived without a life according to it. The reason is because a life according to doctrine that is from the Word opens the spiritual mind, when light flows into it from heaven and enlightens and gives to perceive. That this is the case, [a person] does not know who knows truths of doctrine and yet does not live according to them. (Apocalypse Revealed 320)

And his name that sat upon him was Death, and hell followed with him, signifies the extinction of spiritual life, and thence damnation. By “death” is here signified spiritual death, which is the extinction of spiritual life; and by “hell” is signified damnation, which follows that death. (Apocalypse Revealed 321)

And power was given them over the fourth part of the earth to kill, signifies the destruction of all the good of the church.…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…. (Apocalypse Revealed 322-3)

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