The Lord, according to Swedenborg, is infinite love described and shared with infinite wisdom. The enemy of this love — its opposite — would be evil and hatred, described and shared with all the cunning argument that hatred can muster.
An enemy in the Bible, then, is a reference to people who are in the love of evil and the false thinking that springs from evil. On a deeper level it refers to the forces of hell itself, and on an abstract level it refers to evil itself and falsity itself – which are, obviously, the ultimate enemies that we ourselves have to fight.
Passages from Swedenborg
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 9313
9313. ‘I will act as enemy to your enemies’ means that the Lord will turn away all falsities arising from evil. This is clear from the meaning of ‘acting as enemy’, when it refers to Jehovah or the Lord, as turning away, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘your enemies’ as falsities arising from evil. These are ‘enemies’ in the spiritual sense, because they constantly molest, attack, and try to destroy truths springing from good; for they are opposites. The reason why ‘acting as enemy’, when it refers to Jehovah or the Lord, means turning away – turning away falsities arising from evil – is that the Lord never acts as enemy. For He is Mercy itself and Goodness itself, and enmity finds no place for itself in Mercy itself and Goodness itself, not even enmity against falsity and evil. But falsity and evil act in enmity against goodness and truth, that is, those ruled by falsity and evil do so against those governed by truth and good. And since they destroy themselves when they try to destroy those governed by truth and good it seems as though the Lord acts as their enemy, when in fact He is simply keeping safe His own. This shows how to understand the explanation that ‘acting as enemy’, when it refers to the Lord, means turning away falsities arising from evil. For more about the nature of this arcanum, see what has been shown in 4299, 7643, 7679, 7710, 7926, 7989, 8137, 8146, 8265, 8945, 8946.
Apocalypse Explained (Tansley) n. 671
671. And their enemies saw them.- That this signifies cognition and acknowledgment with those who are interiorly opposed to the goods and truths of the Word and of the church, is evident from the signification of seeing, as denoting to understand, consequently to know and to acknowledge (concerning which see above 11, 37, 260, 354, 529); and from the signification of enemies, as denoting those who are opposed to the goods of love and the truths of doctrine, consequently those who are in evils and falsities, for these are meant, in the Word, in its spiritual sense by enemies(inimicos) and foes (hostes). It is therefore evident, that by theirenemies saw them, is signified cognition and acknowledgment with those who are against the two witnesses, which are the goods of love and truths of doctrine.
[2] The interior truth involved is as follows: by enemies are here meant those who are interiorly, but yet not outwardly, opposed to the goods of love and the truths of doctrine, for with the lips they act as friends, but in heart as enemies. Therefore before the world they profess those things, but in their spirit, in which they are when engaged in meditating alone, they deny them. These, therefore, are the enemies who see; for when they are in corporeal-natural thought, which is the case when they are in the company of others, they see, that is, know and acknowledge goods and truths; but when they are in spiritual-natural thought, which is the case when they are alone, and think concerning the things of faith, then they do not acknowledge them. This is why it is said, that those two witnesses ascended into heaven in a cloud; for the cloud signifies the external of the Word, of the church, and of worship, which, and from which, they see. That the cloud there signifies this external, may be seen in the article just above.
[3] In numerous passages of the Word, mention is made of foes and enemies, and by them are meant evils and falsities, by foes (hostes), evils, and by enemies (inimici), falsities, for the Word in its bosom is spiritual; therefore in that sense foes and enemiesmean only spiritual foes and enemies. That this is the case is evident from the following passages.
In David:
“Jehovah, how are my foes increased, many are they that rise up against me, that say of my soul, no safety (salus) for him in God” (Psalm iii. 1, 2).
In the same:
“Make wonderful thy mercy, O Saviour of them that trust, from them that rise up against me; keep me by thy right hand, from the wicked who are against my soul, who compass me about” (Psalm xvii. 7-9).
In the same:
“Deliver me not up to the desire of my foes, for witnesses of a lie have risen up against me, who breathe out violence; unless I had trusted to see good in the land of life” (Psalm xxvii. 12, 13).
In the same:
“Deliver me from my foes, O my God, from them that rise up against me, lift me up; deliver me from the workers of iniquity behold they lay snares for my soul” (Psalm lix. 1-3).
In Isaiah:
“The wicked acteth perversely in the land of uprightness, but Jehovah, thine hand is lifted up, fire shall devour thine enemies” (xxvi. 10, 11).
Besides in many other places in the prophetic Word, where foes and enemies are mentioned, and also in the historic Word, where foes, wars, and battles are treated of. For as war signifies spiritual war, which is that between truths and falsities, and as the weapons of war, such as spears, bows, arrows, and swords, signify those things that pertain to spiritual war, so also do foes and enemies. That wars, in the Word, and also weapons of war, as bows, arrows, and swords, signify such things, has been frequently shown in the preceding pages.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 9255
9255. ‘When you meet your enemy’s ox or his ass going astray’ means unauthentic good and unauthentic truth with those who are outside the Church. This is clear from the meaning of ‘enemy’ as those outside the Church, who are the subject below; from the meaning of ‘ox’ as the external man’s good, and from the meaning of ‘ass’ as the external man’s truth, both dealt with in 2781, 9135 – but unauthentic good and truth, such as exists with those outside the Church, who are meant by ‘enemy’. The reason why those outside the Church are meant by ‘enemy’ is that they have a different idea of what the good and truth of faith are, because they do not possess the Word and therefore do not know anything about the Lord or about Christian faith and charity that come from the Lord alone. Consequently their truth of faith is not authentic, neither is their good of charity. Therefore also they do not live together in the next life with those who belong to the Church but are separated from them. All in the next life are formed into communities according to their good and the truth flowing from it, for these are what compose spiritual life and link people together.
[2] However, those in heaven do not regard people outside the Church as enemies; rather they teach them and bring them to Christian good, which is also welcomed by those of them who in the world have led dutiful and obedient lives, in some kind of charity towards one another that is prescribed by their religion. But the sense of the letter of the Word calls them ‘enemies’ on account of their lack of spiritual agreement, which is, as has been stated, their different idea of what the truth of faith and the good of charity are.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 2851
2851. ‘Your seed will inherit the gate of their enemies’ means that charity and faith will take the place occupied previously by evil and falsity. This is clear from the meaning of ‘inheriting’ as receiving the Lord’s life, dealt with in 2658, here as taking the place of, for when charity and faith exist in the place occupied previously by evil and falsity, the Lord’s life enters in there; from the meaning of ‘seed’ as charity and faith, dealt with in 1025, 1447, 1610, 1941; from the meaning of ‘gate’, dealt with below; and from the meaning of ‘enemies’ as evils and falsities, or what amounts to the same, people who are subject to evil and falsity. It is the latter who are meant by enemies and foes in the internal sense of the Word.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 8282
8282. ‘With Your right hand, O Jehovah, You break the enemy in pieces’ means the effect almighty power has on evils and resulting falsities, whose power is eliminated. This is clear from the meaning of ‘Jehovah’s right hand’ as the Lord’s almighty power, dealt with immediately above in 8281; from the meaning of ‘breaking in pieces’ as eliminating; and from the meaning of ‘theenemy’ as evils and falsities, since nothing else is meant in the spiritual sense of the Word by those who are enemies, foes, and haters. The reason why the terms enemies, foes, and haters are used, is not that the Lord is an enemy to them or hates them, but because they hate and are hostile towards the Divine. When however they undergo vastation which they themselves bring about, and cast themselves into damnation and into hell, it appears as though the Divine is responsible for what is happening to them. This appearance or illusion is as when someone sees the sun making a circuit each day around our planet and from this supposes that the sun is moving, when in fact the planet is doing so. Or it is as when someone receives a sentence from the king or judge and is punished because he has broken the law, and then supposes that the king or judge is responsible for what he suffers, when in fact he who has broken the law is himself responsible. Or that appearance is as when someone hurls himself into water or fire, or onto an outstretched sword, or an enemy troop, and then supposes that these are responsible for his destruction, when in fact he himself is. The same is so when those immersed in evil raise themselves up against the Divine, and cast themselves into the midst of His presence.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 8289
8289. ‘The enemy said’ means the thought of those ruled by evils and the falsities arising from them, before the Lord’s Coming. This is clear from the meaning of ‘said’ as thought, as in 3395, 7244, 7937; and from the meaning of ‘the enemy’ as those ruled by evils and falsities, since no others are meant in the spiritual sense by ‘theenemy’, 8282. The reason why their thought before the Lord’s Coming is meant is that the hellish crew were prowling around at that time in almost complete freedom, molesting all who were there and trying to place them in subjection. Their thought at that time is described in the present verse by ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my soul will be filled. I will unsheathe the sword, my hand will drive them out’. But when the Lord came into the world their boasting was changed to lamentation, described in the verse immediately following by ‘You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them over; they sought a deep place like lead in the mighty waters’.