12. The sixth chapter of the book of Revelation says that when the Lamb opened the first seal of the book, a white horse went out and that he who sat on it had a bow, and a crown was given him. That when He opened the second seal, a fiery red horse went out, and that he who sat on it was given a great sword. That when He opened the third seal, a black horse went out, and that he who sat on it had a scale in his hand. And that when He opened the fourth seal, a pale horse went out, and that the name of him who sat on it was Death.

The symbolic meanings of these images can be laid open only by knowing the spiritual sense, and they are fully laid open when one knows what opening the seals symbolizes, what a horse symbolizes, and all the rest. They describe the successive states of the church in respect to its understanding of the Word, from its beginning to its end. The Lamb’s opening the book’s seals symbolizes an exposure of these states of the church by the Lord. A horse symbolizes an understanding of the Word. A white horse symbolizes an understanding of truth from the Word in the church’s first state. The bow of him who sat on the horse symbolizes a doctrine of charity and faith fighting against falsities. The crown symbolizes eternal life, the reward of victory. The fiery red horse symbolizes an understanding of the Word extinguished as to goodness in the church’s second state. The great sword symbolizes falsity fighting against truth. The black horse symbolizes an understanding of the Word extinguished as to truth in the church’s third state. The scale symbolizes a regard for truth so little as to be almost nonexistent. The pale horse symbolizes no understanding of truth owing to evil practices and consequent falsities in the church’s fourth and last state. And Death symbolizes eternal damnation.

That this is what these images symbolize in the spiritual sense is not apparent in the literal or natural sense. Consequently, if the spiritual sense were not at some time revealed, the Word would remain closed in respect to this chapter and everything else in the book of Revelation, to the point that at last no one would know in what the Divine holiness in it lies. Neither would anyone know the symbolic meaning of the four horses in Zechariah 6:1-8 and the four chariots coming from between two mountains of bronze.

43. Truths in the Word’s literal sense are meant by the foundations of the wall of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21. This follows from the fact that the New Jerusalem means a new church in respect to doctrine, as shown in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding the Lord 62, 63. Its wall, therefore, and the foundations of the wall, can only mean the outer component of the Word, which is its literal sense; for that is the origin of doctrine, and through doctrine, the church. Moreover, doctrine is like a wall which, with its foundations, surrounds a city and protects it.

Respecting the wall of the New Jerusalem and its foundations, we read in the book of Revelation the following:

(The angel) measured (the city Jerusalem’s) wall, a hundred and forty-four cubits, (which was) the measure of a person, that is, of an angel. (Revelation 21:17)

And the wall had twelve foundations, “adorned with all kinds of precious stones”:

The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. (Revelation 21:19-20)

The number 144 symbolizes all the truths and goods of the church drawn from the Word’s literal sense, and so does the number 12. A person symbolizes intelligence; an angel, Divine truth from which that intelligence originates; measuring, their character; the wall and its foundations, the Word’s literal sense; and precious stones, the Word’s truths and goods in their sequence, from which doctrine originates, and through doctrine, the church.