716. And ten horns.- That this signifies much power is evident from the signification of horn, as denoting the power of truth against falsity and evil, and, in the opposite sense, the power of falsity against truth and good (concerning which see above, n. 316, 567); and from the signification of ten, as denoting all men and things, also many men and things (concerning which also see above, n. 675); it is therefore plain that the ten horns signify much power. That the dragon had much power is evident from what follows, namely, that because of him the male child which the woman brought forth was caught up unto God; that his tail drew down from heaven the third part of the stars; also, that he fought with Michael and his angels; and afterwards, that he stirred up Gog and Magog, and the nations in great number, to war against the saints.
[2] The dragon had such power, because by him are meant those who have separated faith from the goods of charity, which are works, and have confirmed this by means of the sense of the letter of the Word, which they have thus twisted from its genuine sense, and as it were drawn down from heaven; and because, at the end of the church, which the Apocalypse treats of, there is no charity, the dragon then has power. For at the end of the church every one desires to live for himself, for the world, and according to his own natural bent, and few wish to live for the Lord, for heaven, and eternal life; and the principle concerning faith alone, which is faith separated from charity, favours that life, and like the current of a river draws in and bears all away to such belief and to such a life. This is why the dragon, which signifies such persons and such things, appeared to have ten horns.
[3] It has been previously said that falsities from evil have no power, but it must be understood that falsities have no power against truth from good; for truth from good is from the Lord, and all power belongs to the Lord through His Divine Truth. But falsities from evil have the power that is signified by the ten horns of the dragon, because they prevail against those who are in falsities from evil, for they act as one. And a man is hereditarily in evil and thence in falsities from his parents, and afterwards from actual life, especially at the end of the church, and those falsities from evil cannot be driven out from him in a moment, but only by degrees; for if they were to be expelled in a moment, a man would die, because they constitute his life. Because such is the state of man at the end of the church, therefore falsities of evil prevail, although they have not the least power against truth from good. The Lord by means of His Divine Truth could cast out the falsities of evil in a man instantly, but this would result in his being immediately cast into hell; these must first be removed, and as far as they are removed, so far room is given for truths from good to be implanted, and the man is reformed. Such as are here meant by the dragon are also meant by the goat that fought with the ram (Daniel viii), and also by the goats in Matthew xxv.; for the goats there signify those who are in faith separated from charity, and the ram and the sheep, those who are in charity.
This page is part of 
© 2000-2001 The Academy of the New Church