51. [verse 16] 'And having in His right hand seven stars' signifies all the cognitions of good and truth in the Word that are therefrom with the angels of heaven and the men of the Church. Around angels, when they are below the heavens, appear little stars, as it were, in great abundance. They appear in like manner around spirits who, when they lived in the world, procured cognitions of good and truth, or truths of life and doctrine, for themselves out of the Word. These little stars, however, appear fixed with those who are in genuine truths out of the Word, but wandering with those who are in falsified truths. I am able to relate wonderful things about those little stars, as well as about the stars that appear in the expanse there, but it does not belong to this work. It is plain from these [considerations] that cognitions of good and truth out of the Word are signified by 'stars'. That the SON OF MAN had them in His right hand signifies that they are seen from the Only Lord by means of the Word. That 'seven' signifies all may be seen above (n. 10). [2] That cognitions of good and truth out of the Word are signified by 'stars' can also be seen from these passages:-
I will lay the land waste, the stars of the heavens and the constellations thereof shall not shine with their light Isa. xiii 10.
The 'land' that shall be laid waste is the Church. This having been laid waste, the cognitions of good and truth do not appear in the Word.
When I have extinguished thee, I will cover [the heavens], and make the stars dark: all the luminaries of light I shall make dark over thee, and I will give darkness upon the land Ezek. xxxii 7, 8.
'Darkness upon the land' is equivalent to untruths in the Church.
The sun and moon have been darkened, and the stars have diminished their brightness Joel ii 10, 11; iii 15 [H.B. iv 15].
After the affliction of those days the sun shall be darkened, the moon shall not give its light, and the stars shall fall down from heaven Matt. xxiv 29; Mark xiii 24.
The stars of heaven fell to earth as a fig tree casts her untimely figs Rev. vi 13.
A star fell from heaven to earth Rev. ix 1.
By 'stars falling from heaven' are not understood stars, but cognitions of good and truth that are going to perish. [3] This is plainer still from the fact that:-
The dragon drew the third part of the stars down from heaven Rev. xii 4.
Also, that:-
The he-goat of the she-goats cast down some of the stars and stamped upon them Dan. viii 9-11.
Therefore in the following verse in Daniel it is said that:-
It cast down the truth to earth Dan. viii 12.
Cognitions of good and truth are also signified by 'stars' in these places:-
Jehovah tells the number of the stars; He calls them all by their names Ps. cxlvii 4.
Praise Jehovah all you stars of light Ps. cxlviii 3.
The stars fought down from their courses Judg. v 20.
From these things it is plain what is understood by these words in Daniel:-
The intelligent shalt shine as the brightness of the expanse, the justifying ones [shall be] as many as the stars for ages of ages Dan. xii 3.
The 'intelligent' are those who are in truths, and 'the justifying ones' those who are in goods.
This page is part of 
© 2000-2001 The Academy of the New Church