836. Verse 21. And the rest were slain by the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, that proceeded out of His mouth, signifies that all from the various heresies among the Reformed, who have not lived according to the Lord's commandments in the Word which they knew, being judged from the Word, perish. By "the rest" are meant all from the various heresies among the Reformed, who have not lived according to the Lord's commandments in the Word which they knew, which are the commandments of the Decalogue, who thus do not shun evils as sins; for they who do not thus shun them are in evils of every kind; for the evils remain fixed in them from birth, and thence from infancy even to the end of life; and they increase daily, if they are not removed by actual repentance. Of these it is said that "they were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse." By "being slain" is signified here, as often before, to be slain spiritually, which is to perish as to the soul. By "the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, that proceeded out of His mouth," the truths of the Word fighting against the falsities of evil are signified. For by "sword," "long sword," and "saber" is signified truth fighting against falsity and falsity fighting against truth (n. 52). But the "sword" [gladius] is upon the thigh, hence it is combat from love; "saber" [machoera] is in the hand, hence it is combat with power; and the "long sword" [romphoea] is of the mouth, hence it is combat from doctrine; for which reason "the long sword proceeding out of the mouth of the Lord," is combat from the Word against falsities (n. 108, 117, 827); for the Word proceeded out of the mouth of the Lord. The reason that the combat with the Reformed, and not with the Babylonians, is here treated of, is because the Reformed read the Word, and acknowledge the truths therein as Divine truths. It is otherwise with the Babylonians; these indeed acknowledge the Word, but still they do not read it; and everyone regards the decrees of the pope as in the first place, and far above it; wherefore with them there cannot be combat from the Word. They also put themselves above it, and not under it. But still these are judged from the Word, and from the decrees of the pope so far as these agree with the Word.