312. 'And I saw, and behold a black horse' signifies the understanding of the Word utterly lost as to truth, thus as to the doctrine with those. That a 'horse' signifies the understanding of the Word has been shown above; that 'black' signifies what is not true, thus untruth, is because black is opposite to white, and white is predicated of truth (n. 167, 231, 232); white in fact draws its origin out of light, whereas black does so out of darkness, thus out of an absence of light, and light is truth. In the spiritual world, however, blackness exists out of a two-fold origin, one out of an absence of the flamy light that is the light with those who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom, and the other out of an absence of the shining white light that is with those who are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom. The latter blackness signifies that which is like darkness, but the former that which is like thick-darkness. These blacknesses differ from each other. The one is abominable, the other not so. The untruths that they signify differ in like manner. In the abominable blackness appear those who are called devils. Indeed they abhor truth as horned-owls abhor the light of the sun. In the non-abominable darkness, however, appear those who are called satans. These do not abhor truth, but are averse to it. Therefore the latter can be compared to night-owls, when the former are compared to horned-owls. That 'black' in the Word is said of untruth, can be established from these passages:-
Her Nazirites were whiter than snow, their form has been darkened more than blackness Lam. iv 7, 8.
The day shall grow black over the prophets Micah iii 6.
In the day in which thou art about to go down into hell, I will make Lebanon black over thee Ezek. xxxi 15.
The sun became black as a goat-hair sack Rev. vi 12.
The sun, the moon, the stars, became black Jer. iv 27, 28; Ezek. xxxii 7; Joel ii 10; iii 15 [H.B. iv 15];
and elsewhere. The 'third animal' exposed the 'black horse' to view, because that animal had a face like a man, by which the Divine Truth of the Word as to wisdom is signified (n. 243). Therefore this animal exposed to view the fact that there was no longer any truth of wisdom with those who were the third in order.
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