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 LIBRARY 
 
THE APOCALYPSE 
 
 Explained accoi^ding to the SpifiiTUAi Sense 
 
 IN WHICH THE ARCANA 
 
 THEREIN PREDICTED BUT HERETOFORE CONCEALED 
 
 ARE REVEALED 
 
 A POSTHUMOUS WORK OF 
 
 EMANUEL SWEDENBORG 
 
 VOL. I 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 AMERICAN SWEDENBORG PRINTING AND PUBLISHING 
 
 SOCIETY 
 
 3 WEST TWENTY-NINTH STREET 
 
 MC.MIII. 
 
33? .5^ 
 
 V 
 
TRANSLATORS XUTE. 
 
 In this translation the chief aim has been to express the meaning of the 
 original as fully and accurately as possible in purely English words and phrases 
 In a few instances, when the best attainable rendering seemed especially inade- 
 quate, the Latin word or phrase has been inserted in parentheses. This has 
 left the translator free to render the same word in different ways, as the context 
 seemed to demand. 
 
 The translation of this first volume has been made under the supervision of 
 the committee on translations of the American Swedenborg Printing and Pub- 
 lishing Society, and the proofs were all carefully read by its chairman, Mr. 
 E. A. Gibbens, and such merits as the translation possesses are due largely to 
 his scholarship and careful criticism. 
 
 The heavy-faced figures ([2.1, [3.1, etc.) inserted in the text indicate the 
 divisions that are employed in Potts' S-wedenborg Concordance. 
 
 J. C. Acer. 
 
THE x\POCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 APOCALYPSE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave 
 unto Him to show unto His servants the things 
 which must quickly come to pass, and signified, 
 sending by His angel, unto His servant John, 
 
 2. Who bare witness to the Word of God, and to the 
 testimony of Jesus Christ, whatsoever things he saw. 
 
 3. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear, the 
 words of the prophecy, and keep the things which are 
 written therein ; for the time is near. 
 
 4. John to the seven churches which are in Asia: 
 Grace to you, and peace, from Him who is, and who was, 
 and who is to come ; and from the seven spirits which 
 are in sight of His throne ; 
 
 5. And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the 
 First-born of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of 
 the earth. Unto Him that loveth us, and washeth us 
 from our sins in His blood; 
 
 6. And hath made us kings and priests unto God 
 and His Father: to Him be the glory and the might 
 unto the ages of the ages. Amen. 
 
 7. Behold. He cometh with the clouds ; and every eye 
 shall see Him, and they who pierced Him ; and all the 
 tribes of the earth shall mourn over Him. Even so; 
 Amen. 
 
 8. I am the Alpha and the Omega, Beginning and 
 
6 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 End, saith the Lord, who is, and who was, and who is 
 to come, the Almighty. 
 
 9. I John, who also am your brother and associate 
 in the affli(5lion and kingdom and patient expe61:ation of 
 Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the 
 Word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 
 
 10. I became in the spirit on the Lord's day : and I 
 heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 
 
 11. Saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the 
 First and the Last ; and, what thou seest write in a 
 book, and send to the [seven] churches which are 
 in Asia ; unto Ephesus, and Smyrna, and Pergamum, 
 and Thyatira, and Sardis, and Philadelphia, and Lao- 
 dicea. 
 
 12. And I turned to see the voice which spake with 
 me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lamp- 
 stands, 
 
 13. And in the midst of the seven lampstands one 
 like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down 
 to the foot, and girt about at the paps with a golden 
 girdle. 
 
 14. And His head and hairs white as white wool, 
 as snow : and His eyes as a fllame of fire. 
 
 1 5. And His feet like unto burnished brass, as if 
 glowing in a furnace ; and His voice as the voice of 
 many waters. 
 
 16. And having in His right hand seven stars; and 
 out of His mouth a sharp two-edged sword going forth ; 
 and His face as the sun shineth in his power. 
 
 17. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. 
 And He laid His right hand upon me, saying unto me, 
 Fear not ; I am the First and the Last ; 
 
 18. And the Living One ; and I became dead ; and 
 behold I am alive unto the ages of the ages. Amen : 
 and I have the keys of hell and of death. 
 
PROLOGUE. 7 
 
 1 9. Write the things which thou sawest, and the 
 things which are, and tlie things which are to be here- 
 after. 
 
 20. The mystery of the seven stars which thou saw- 
 est in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands : 
 The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches ; 
 and the seven lampstands which thou sawest are the 
 seven churches. 
 
 !• Many have expounded this prophetical book called the 
 Apocalypse, but none of them understood the internal or spiritual 
 sense of the Word. They have therefore applied the particular 
 things in the book to the successive affairs of the church, which 
 they have learned from histories ; many things, moreover, they 
 have applied to civil affairs. For this reason those expositions are 
 for the most part conje<5lures, which can never appear in such 
 light as to be affirmed as truths. As soon, therefore, as they are 
 read, they are put aside as speculations. The expositions of the 
 Apocalypse now extant are of this character, because, as has been 
 said, their authors had no knowledge of the internal or spiritual 
 sense of the Word. Yet, in fa<5t, all things recorded in the Apoc- 
 alypse are written in a style similar to that of the Old Testament 
 prophecies, and to the style, in general, in w-hich everything in the 
 Word is written. The Word in the letter is natural, but in its 
 bosom it is spiritual ; and being such, it contains within it a sense 
 that is not at all apparent in the letter. How the one sense differs 
 from the other mav be seen from what is said and shown in the 
 small work on the White Horse and in the appended extratfts from 
 the Arcana Caelestia. 
 
 2. From this it is evident, that the Apocalypse, equally with 
 the Old Testament prophecies, can in no wise be understood, nor 
 can anything therein be understood, unless the spiritual sense be 
 known, and furthermore unless there be revelation from heaven, 
 where the whole Word is understood according to that sense. 
 That this is so the exposition itself that follows will establish. 
 
 3. In the following exposition many passages are cited from 
 the Arcana Caelestia; be it known, therefore, that they are from 
 that work. 
 
b APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 EXPOSITION. 
 
 VERSES 1-3. 
 
 A^ " The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto Him to show unto His servants 
 the things which must quicltly come to pass, and signified, sending by His angel, unto His 
 servant John, who bare witness to the Word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, 
 whatsoever things he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear, the words of 
 the prophecy, and lieep the tl ings which are written therein ; for the time is near." 
 
 1. 'The revelation of Jesus Christ" signifies predidlions from the Lord re- 
 
 spe<^ing the last times of the church [n. 5]; "which God gave unto Him 
 to show unto His servants" signifiesy(?r those 7vho are in truths from 
 good [n. 6] ; "the things which must quickly come to pass" signifies 
 which will certainly be \_r\. 7]; "and signified, sending by His angel, 
 unto His servant John," signifies which are revealed out of heaven to 
 those who are in the good of love [n. 8, 9]. 
 
 2. 'Who bare witness to the Word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus 
 
 Christ," signifies to those who in heart acknowledge Divine truth, and 
 the Divine of the Lord in His Human [n. 10] ; "whatsoever things 
 he saw" signifies having their understanding enlightened [n. 11]. 
 
 3. "Blessed" signifies those in whom is heaven [n. 12] ; "is he that readeth" 
 
 signifies that they have perception [n. 13] ; "and they that hear the 
 words of the prophecy" signifies that they live according to the doc- 
 trine of heaven [n. 14]; "and keep the things which are written 
 therein" signifies /"ww the delight of the love of truth [n. 15]; "for 
 the time is near" signifies such an interior state [n. 16]. 
 
 5, {Verse I.] "The revelatioft of Jesus Christ" signifies predic- 
 tions /rotn the Lord respe^ling the last times of the chtirch. — This 
 is evident from the signification of "revelation," as meaning 
 predictions ; and since these are from the Lord alone, it is said, 
 "the revelation of Jesus Christ." The revelation, that is, predic- 
 tions, are respecting the last times of the church, since those times 
 are especially treated of It may be supposed that in the Apoc- 
 alypse the successive states of the church from beginning to end 
 are treated of; these, however, are not there treated of, but only 
 the state of heaven and of the church near the end, when the last 
 judgment takes place, thus the last times. The successive states 
 of the church were foretold by the Lord Himself in Matthew 
 (chap, xxiv., xxv.), and in Mark (chap, xiii.) ; yet what is there 
 given is recorded in the Divine prophetic style, that is, by means 
 of correspondences ; consequently it is of such a character that it 
 can only be revealed and made evident by the internal or spir- 
 itual sense. (it has therefore been granted me from the Lord to unfold these 
 things in the Arcana Caelestia, at the beginning of chapters xxvi. to xl. of Genesis ; 
 which explanations may be seen in their order, in the f(5nowing places : n. 3353-3356, 
 3486-3489, 3650-3655, 3751-3757, 3897-3901, 4056-4060, 4229-4231, 4332-4335. 
 4422-4424, 4635-4638, 4661-4664, 4807-4810, 4954-4959, 5063-5071.) 
 
 6. "Which God gave unto Him, to show unto His servants," 
 
 signifies /or those who are in trtdhs from good. — This is evident 
 from the signification of "gave unto Him to show the revelation," 
 
CHAP. I.. VF.RSF. I. — N. 8. 9 
 
 as meanings to declare predictions, that is to say, predi(5lions for 
 those ; and from the siij^nification of " His servants," as meaning, 
 who are in truths from c;ood. Such are meant by ser\ants of 
 God, because those who hearken to and ol:)ey God are called, 
 in the Word, servants of Ciod. Hearkening and obedience are 
 possible only with those who are in truths from good, and not 
 with those who are in truths alone, or in truths without good ; for 
 these have truths in the memory only, and not in the life ; whereas 
 those who are in truths from good have truths in the life, and those 
 who have truths in the life do them from the heart, that is, from 
 love. Be it known, that no truth ever enters into the life of man un- 
 less the man be in good, for good is of love, and love makes the 
 whole man ; a man therefore receives into his life all truths that 
 agree with his love. This may be abundantly seen from the fact, 
 that whatever a man loves he apjiropriates to himself; and every- 
 thing else he casts from him, yea, turns himself away from it. By 
 good is here meant good of love to the Lord and good of love 
 towards the neighbor ; for this good is the only spiritual good, 
 and with this truths of feith are in accord. 
 
 7. " Things which must quickly come to pass " signifies which 
 will certainly be. — This is evident from the signification of "things 
 which must come to pass," as meaning things that must needs 
 be; and from the signification of "quickly," as meaning what is 
 certain and full (A.C.,-n. 5284, 6783). Those who look at all things 
 in the Word according to the sense of the letter, do not know 
 otherwise than that "quickly" signifies quickly; thus here, that 
 the things predi6led in the Apocalypse were to occur quickly ; from 
 which they are led to wonder that so long a time has elapsed and 
 yet the last judgment has not taken place. But those who are ac- 
 quainted with the internal sense of the Word, see the meaning to 
 be not quickly, biit certainly. They see that " quickly " means cer- 
 tainly, because quickly involves time, and time is proper to nature ; 
 thus quickly is a natural, not a spiritual expression ; and in the 
 Word, all natural expressions signify the spiritual things that cor- 
 respond to them ; since the Word in its bosom is spiritual, while in 
 the letter it is natural. Thus it is that "quickly" signifies what is 
 
 certam. (That time is proper to nature, and, in the spiritual world, corresponds 
 to state of life, may be seen in Heaven and Hell, in the chapter on Time in Heaven, 
 n. 162-169.) 
 
 S« "And signified, sending by His angel, to His servant John," 
 signifies which are revealed out of heaven to those ivho are in 
 the good of love. — This is evident from the signification of "sig- 
 nified," as meaning the things in the sense of the letter that con- 
 
lO APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED, 
 
 tain and thus signify those that are in the internal sense ; for it is 
 said, " the revelation which God gave ... to show, — and signified ;" 
 and by the things that He signified are meant those that are in the 
 sense of the letter, because these all signify, while the things that 
 are signified are those that are contained in the internal sense. 
 All things in the Word, in fa6l, are significative of spiritual things, 
 which are in the internal sense. This is also evident from the sig- 
 nification of "sending by His angel," as meaning, wnich are re- 
 vealed out of heaven ; for "to send" is to reveal, and "by an angel" 
 is out of heaven. " To send" is to reveal, because everything that 
 is sent out of heaven is revelation ; for that which is therein is what 
 is revealed ; and this is the spiritual which relates to the church 
 and its state ; but with man this is changed into the natural, such 
 as is expressed in the sense of the letter in the Apocalypse and 
 elsewhere in the Word. That which comes out of heaven can be 
 presented to man in no other way ; for the spiritual falls into its 
 corresponding natural when it descends out of the spiritual world 
 into the natural. This is why the prophetic Word in the sense of 
 the letter is such as it is, and being such, is in its bosom spiritual 
 and Divine. By "angel" is meant "out of heaven," because that 
 which an angel speaks is out of heaven ; tor when an angel com- 
 municates to man such things as relate to heaven and the church, 
 he does not speak as man speaks with man, who brings forth out 
 of his memory what another has told him ; but that which an angel 
 speaks flows-in continuously, not into his memory, but immediately 
 into his understanding, and from that into words. From this it 
 is that all things that the angels spake to the prophets are Divine, 
 and not at all from the angels. Whether it be said, that these 
 revelations are out of heaven, or are from the Lord, it is the same ; 
 because the Divine of the Lord with the angels constitutes heaven, 
 and nothing whatever from the angels' proprium [self-hood, or 
 
 what is their own]. (This may be better understood from what is said and 
 shown in Heaven and Hell, n. 2-12, 254.) [2.] The things revealed OUt 
 
 of heaven are said to be for those who are in the good of love, 
 because it is said, "sending by His angel to His servant John," 
 and by "John" those who are in the good of love are represented 
 and meant. For by the twelve apostles are represented and sig- 
 nified all in the church who are in truths from good ; consequently, 
 all truths from good, from which is the church ; and by each 
 of the apostles something special; thus by "Peter" faith; by 
 "James" charity; and by "John" the good of charity or good 
 of love. Because John represented this good, the revelation was 
 made to him ; for revelation out of heaven, such as this, can be 
 
CHAP. I., VERSE I. — N. Q. U 
 
 made only to those who are in the good of charity or of love. 
 Others, indeed, can hear the things that are from heaven, but 
 they cannot perceive them. Only those who are in the good 
 of love have spiritual percc])tion. This is because they receive 
 heavenly things not only with the hearing, but also with the 
 love ; and to receive with the love is to receive fully, since the 
 things so received are loved ; moreover, those who thus recei\e, 
 see these things in their understanding, where the sensation of 
 their internal sight is. That this is so has been proven to me by 
 much experience. It might also be elucidated by much rational 
 argument; but the subjecl cannot just now be further amplit^ied. 
 It is here only nece.ssary to say, that all names mentioned in 
 the Word signify not persons but things ; that "John," for in- 
 stance, signifies such as are in the good of love, thus in the ab- 
 
 Stra6l the good of love itself. (That all names in the Word signify things 
 may be seen in the Arcana Caelestia. n. 768, 1888, 4310, 4442, 10329. That the 
 names of persons and things in the Word cannot enter heaven, but that they 
 are changed into the things that they signify, n. 1876, 5225, 6516, 10216, 10282, 
 10432. How choice the internal sense of the Word is, even where mere names are 
 mentioned, illustrated by examples, n. 1224, 1264, 1888. That the twelve disciples 
 of the Lord represented, and thus signified, all things of faith and love in the com- 
 plex, in like manner as the twelve tribes of Israel, n. 2129, 3354, 3488, 3858,6397. 
 That " Peter," " James," and " John " represented, and thus signified, faith, charity, 
 and good of charity, in their order, see preface to xviii. and xxii. Gen., n. 3934, 8581. 
 10087.) 
 
 9« When one is aware that all names in the Word signify 
 things, and that the names of the twelve sons of Jacob, or of the 
 twelve tribes, signify all truths and goods of the church in the 
 complex ; and in like manner, the names of the twelve disciples 
 of the Lord ; and that " Peter," "James," and "John" signify faith, 
 charity, and good of charity ; he can see many arcana in the Word ; 
 as for example, why 
 
 The Lord gave the name "Peter" to Simon, and to James and John 
 the name " Boanerges," which means "sons of thunder" {Mark iii. 
 [16.] 17). 
 
 For " Peter," like/><f/ra [rock], signifies the Lord as to truth from 
 good, or faith from chanty; and "sons of thunder" signify those 
 who from affection, which is of love, receive the truths of heaven. 
 
 (That " rock " signifies the Lord in respedt to truth from good, or faith from charity, 
 see A.C.. n. 8581, 10580; in like manner the "stone of Israel," n. 6426; and that 
 " thunders" signify Divine truths from heaven, n. 7573. 8914 ; and " lightnings " the 
 splendors thereof, n. 8813; whence thunders were called "voices," n. 7573, 8914.) 
 
 [2.] I will here mention some arcana that may be seen by those 
 who are aware that "Peter" signifies faith, and "John" good of 
 charity. 
 
 First, whv the Lord ^^id to Peter, 
 
12 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 *' I also say unto thee, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock will I build 
 My church;., .and I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdon) 
 of the heavens" (Matt. xvi. i8, 19). 
 
 It appears from the letter, as if that power were given to Peter, 
 when in fa 61 no power was g"iven to Peter ; but it was so said to 
 him because " Peter" signified truth from good, which is from the 
 Lord ; and truth from good, which is from the Lord, has all power, 
 thus the Lord has all power from good through truth. (That this is 
 
 so may be seen illustrated in the Last yudg/nent, n. 57.) 
 
 A second arcaiiutn that may be seen, when it is known that 
 " Peter " signifies faith, is, why the Lord said to him, that 
 
 " Before the cock crowed, he would deny Him thrice ;" which also came 
 to pass (Matt. xxvi. 34, seq.). 
 
 By these words is signified, that in the last time of the church 
 there would be no faith in the Lord, because no charity ; for 
 "cock-crowing," as well as "twilight," signifies the last time of 
 the church (n. 10134) ; and "three" or "thrice," signifies what is 
 
 complete to the end (n. 2788, 4495, 5159, 9198, 10127. That the end of the 
 church is when there is no faith, because no charity, see Last yudgment, n. 33-39, 
 seq.) 
 
 [3.] A third arcanum that may be seen is what is signified 
 by the following words concerning Peter and John : 
 
 " Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me ? 
 
 He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love Thee. He 
 saith unto him. Feed My lambs. He saith to him again a second 
 time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? He saith unto Him, 
 Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto him. Feed 
 My sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, 
 lovest thou Me? Peter was grieved because He said unto him the 
 third time, Lovest thou Me? And he saith unto Him, Lord, thou 
 knowest all things ; thou knowest that I love Thee. Jesus saith 
 unto him, Feed My sheep. Verily, verily, I say unto tiiee. When 
 thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou 
 wouldest ; but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy 
 hands, and another shall gird thee, and lead thee whither thou 
 
 wouldest not And when He had thus spoken, He saith unto 
 
 him. Follow Me. Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom 
 Jesus loved, following, ...,and he saith, Lord, this [man is] what? 
 Jesus saith unto him. If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that 
 to thee ? Follow thou Me " {John xxi. 15-22). 
 
 What these things signify no one can know unless he is ac- 
 quainted with the internal sense, and knows that "Peter" sig- 
 nifies faith, and "John" the good of charity, thus that "Peter" 
 signifies those in the church who are in faith, and "John" those 
 who are in good of charity. That Jesus said to Peter three times, 
 "Lovest thou Me?" and that Peter said three times, "Thou 
 knowest that I love Thee," and that Jesus then said, " Feed My 
 
CHAP. I., VERSE I. — N. 9. I3 
 
 lambs," and " Feed My sheep," signifies that those who are in faith 
 from love, ought to instru61 those who are in good of love to 
 the Lord, and in good of chanty towards the neighbor ; for those 
 who are in faith from love are also in truths, and those who from 
 this are in truths, instru6l concerning good, and lead to good ; 
 for all spiritual good that a man has, is gained and implanted by 
 
 truths. (That " lambs " signify those who are in the good of innocence and of love 
 to the Lord, may be seen A. C, n. 3994, 10132 ; that " sheep " signify those who are in 
 the good of charity towards the neighbor, n. 4169, 4809 ; and that " to feed " is to in- 
 
 strua, n. 5201, 6078.) [4.] Faith, as it was to be in the first period of 
 the church and in the last, is then described by the Lord. The first 
 period of the church is meant by "when thou wast young," and 
 its last by "when thou shalt be old." That when Peter "was 
 young he girded himself and walked whither he would," signifies 
 that in the first period of the church men would imbibe truths 
 from the good of charit}' and would a(5l from freedom ; for to a6l 
 from freedom is to nS. from afre(5tion for truth from good. " When 
 thou shalt be old thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another 
 shall gird thee and lead thee whither thou wouldest not," signifies 
 that in the last period of the church they would no longer imbibe 
 truths from the good of c'harity, thus would not know them in 
 any other way than as declared on another's authority ; and thus 
 would be m a servile state ; for a servile state ensues when good 
 
 does not lead. (That "garments" signify truths, see A.C., n. 1073, 2576, 
 5319, 5934, 9212, 9216, 9952, 10536; and that therefore to" gird oneself" denotes to 
 imbibe and perceive truths, n. 9952. That to "walk " Is to &<Si and live; to adl 
 from freedom is to adl from love or affedlion, since what a man loves that he does 
 freely, n. 2870, 3158, 8987, 8990, 9585, 9591. That every church begins from charity, 
 but that in process of time it turns aside to faith, and at length to faith alone, n. 1834, 
 
 1833, 2231, 4683, 8094.) [5.] Smce, in the last period of the church, 
 faith becomes such that it rejedls the good of charity, saying that 
 faith alone constitutes the church and is saving, and not good of 
 life which is charity, Jesus said to Peter, by whom such faith is here 
 meant, "Follow Me; and Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple 
 whom Jesus loved, following;... and he saith, Lord, what [is] this 
 [man]?" By this is signified that faith, in the last period of the 
 church, would turn itself away from the Lord ; for it is said of 
 Peter, by whom such faith is signified, that "turning about, he 
 ^ saw :" also that he said of the disciple whom Jesus loved, that is, 
 of John, by whom is signified good of charity, "what [is] this 
 [man]?" that is, that he is not anything. But Jesus said to him, 
 " If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee. Follow 
 thou Me." By this is signified that the good of charity will fol- 
 low the Lord, and will acknowledge Him, even to the last period 
 
14 APOCALYPSF. EXPLAINED. 
 
 of the old church, and the first o( the new. (That the last period of 
 
 the old church is called " the consummation of the age,"' and the beginning of the 
 new church " the coming of the Lord," see A.C., n. 4535, 10622.) 
 
 A fourth arcanum that may be seen is, why the Lord loved 
 John above the rest of the disciples, and consequently why John 
 lay on the breast or in the bosom of the Lord {John xiii. 23 ; xxi. 
 20) ; namely, because good of love was what the Lord saw when 
 He beheld John, who represented and signified that good ; since it 
 is that good that constitutes heaven and the church (see Heaven and 
 
 Hell, n. 13-19). 
 
 h fifth arcanum is manifest when it is known that John repre- 
 sented the good of love, namely, what is signified by the words 
 of the Lord from the cross to the mother Mary and to John, 
 
 "When Jesus therefore sees His mother, and the disciple standing by 
 whom He loved, He saith unto His mother, Woman, behold thy 
 son. And He saith to the disciple. Behold thy mother. And from 
 that hour the disciple took her unto his own home " {John xix. 26, 
 27). 
 
 By "mother" and by "woman" is here meant the church, and by 
 "John" good of charity; and by the things here said, that the 
 church w-ill be where good of charity is. (That by "woman," in the 
 
 Word, is meant the church, may be seen ^.C, n. 252, 253,749, 770, 3160,6014, 7337. 
 8994 ; that the same is signified by " mother," n. 289, 2691, 2717, 3703, 4257, 5581, 
 
 8897, 10490.) That*'to "take her unto his own home" is that these 
 should dwell together, is evident. From all this it can now be 
 seen how great arcana lie concealed in the Word, which are laid 
 open to those only who know its internal or spiritual sense. Apart 
 from that sense it cannot be known, moreover, what is signified 
 when it is said, 
 
 That the apostles shall sit upon twelve thrones, and shall judge the 
 twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. xix. 28 ; Luke xxii. 30). 
 
 By "apostles" here are meant not apostles, but all truths from 
 good, which are from the Lord ; thus by these words is signified 
 that the Lord alone will judge all from truths that are from good, 
 thus that every one will be judged according to those truths. 
 
 10. [ Vene 2.] " Who bare witness to the Word of God, and to 
 the testimony of Jesus Christy" signifies to those who in heart 
 acknowledge Divine trtdh, and the Divijie of the Lord in His 
 Human. — This is evident from the signification of "bearing wit- 
 ness," as meaning to acfknowledge in heart, (of which hereafter,) 
 and from the signification of "the Word," or speech of God, as 
 meaning Divine truth (see A.C., n. 4692, 5075, 9987) ; and from the 
 signification of "[the testimony of] Jesus Christ," as meaning 
 
CHAP. I., VERSE 2. — N. lO. T5 
 
 acknowledcnment of the Lord's Divine in His Human. This is si<(- 
 nifietl by " the testimony of Jesus Christ," because " to testify " signi- 
 fies to acknowledge in heart, and to acknowledge Jesus Christ in 
 heart is to acknowledge the Divine in His Human ; for he that ac- 
 ■ knowledges the Lord, and does not at the same time acknowledge 
 the Divine in His Human, does not acknowledge the Lord ; since 
 His Divine is in His Human, and not out of it ; for the Divine is 
 in Its Human as the soul is in the body, consequently to think of 
 the Lord's Human, and not at the same time of His Divine, is like 
 thinking of man abstradly from his soul or life, which is not think- 
 ing of a man. [2.] That the Lord's Divine is in His Human, and 
 that together they are one person, the doctrine received through- 
 out the Christian world teaches ; which teaching is as follows : 
 
 " Although Christ is God and Man, yet they are not two, but one 
 Christ ; one, but not by a change of the Divine into the Human, but 
 the Divine took the Hiiman upon Itself. Altogetherone ; not by con- 
 fusion of the two natures, but by unity of person ; for as soul and 
 body make one man, so God and Man are one Christ " {Athanasian 
 Creed). 
 
 From this it is manifest, moreover, that those who separate the 
 Divine into three persons, when they think of the Lord as a second 
 person, ought to think of both together, the Human and the 
 Divine ; for it is said that they are a single person, and that they 
 are one, as soul and body are. Therefore those that think other- 
 wise do not think of the Lord ; and those that do not think of the 
 Lord in that way are unable to think of the Divine that is called 
 the Father's, for the Lord saith, 
 
 " I am the way, the truth, and the life ; no one cometh unto the Father 
 but through Me " {John xiv. 6). 
 
 Since this acknowledgment is signified by "the testimony of Jesus 
 Christ," it is said that 
 
 "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy " {Rev. xix. lo). 
 
 "the spirit of prophecy" is the life and soul of do6trine (that "spirit" 
 
 in the internal sense of the Word, signifies life or soul, may be seen A.C., n. 5222, 
 9281,9818; and that " prophecy" signifies do(5^rine,n. 2534,7269) : and acknowl- 
 edgment of the Lord is the voxy life or soul of all do6lrine in the 
 church. But of this more will be said in what follows. [3.] To 
 " bear witness " is to acknowledge in heart, because spiritual things 
 are treated of; and no one can bear witness respe<5ling spiritual 
 things except from the heart, because from no other source can 
 one have perception that they are so. To bear witness of things 
 that have existence in the world is to bear witness from know- 
 
l6 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 ledge, that is, from memory and thought, because the man has 
 so seen or heard ; but it is otherwise with things spiritual, for 
 these fill the whole life and constitute it. The spirit of man, 
 in which his life primarily resides, is nothing else than his will 
 or his love, and his understanding and faith therefrom, and 
 "heart" in the Word signifies the will and love, and under- 
 standing and faith therefrom, F>om this it is evident whence 
 it is that by "bearing witness," in the spiritual sense, is meant 
 to acknowledge in heart. Since by the "heart" is signified 
 good of love, and this alone is what acknowledges Divine truth, 
 and the Divine of the Lord in His Human, and since that good 
 's signified by "John," it is also said by John that he "bears 
 \\'itness to the Word of God and to the testimony of Jesus 
 Christ." So also in another place, 
 
 "And he that hath seen hath borne witness, and his witness is true ; 
 and he knoweththat he saith true, chat ye may believe " {yoAn xix. 
 35): 
 
 and in another place, 
 
 " This is the disciple that beareth witness of these things, and wrote these 
 things ; and we know that his witness is true" (^John xxi. 24). 
 
 11. "Whatsoever things he saiv" signifies ^/leir ufidersfand- 
 ing enlightened. — This is evident from the signification of "see- 
 ing," as meaning to understand (see A.c.,n. 2150, 2325, 2807, 3764, 
 3863,3869,4403-4421, 10705) ; here, to understand from enlightenment, 
 because things of the church and of heaven are treated of, which 
 are not understood and perceived except from enlightenment ; 
 for things of the church and of heaven, which are called spirit- 
 ual things, do not enter into man's understanding except by 
 means of the light of heaven, and the light of heaven enlightens 
 the understanding. For this reason the Word, in which are 
 contained the things of the church and of heaven, cannot be 
 understood except by one who is enlightened, and those only 
 are enlightened who are in afTe6lion for truth from good, 
 thus who are in love to the Lord and in charity towards the 
 the neighbor. This good is spiritual good, with which and 
 from which is the light of heaven, which enlightens. 
 
 12. [I'erses.] "Blessed" signifies those in whom is heaven. — 
 This is evident from the signification of "the blessed," as 
 meaning those who are happy to eternity, thus in whom is 
 heaven. Blessedness that is not eternal is indeed called blessed- 
 ness, yet comparitively it is not, for it passes away, and that 
 which passes away, in comparison with that which does not 
 pass away, is as nothing. It is said, "in whom is heaven," 
 because heaven is in man ; the heaven that is outside of man 
 
CHAP. 1., \iii;.-.K 3. — N. 14. 17 
 
 flows into the heaven that is within him, and is received so far 
 
 as there is correspondence. (That heaven is in man. and that the iniernal 
 of a man who is in heavenly love is heaven in its least form, corresponding to the 
 greatest, may be seen in Heaven and Hell, n. 51-58 ; and that he who has heaven 
 in himself comes into heaven may be seen in The Dodrine 0/ (he New ycrusaUm, 
 n. 232-236.) 
 
 13, "Is he thai readeth" signifies i/iat they have percep- 
 tion. — This is evident Iroin the signification of "reading" the 
 Word, as meaning to understand from enlightenment, thus to 
 perceive, since to "read" signifies the same as to "see," because 
 he who reads, sees, and to "see" signifies to perceive from 
 enhghtennient, as was shown just above (n. 11). 
 
 14. "And they that hear the words of the prophecy" signi- 
 fies that they live according tc the doHrine of heaven. — This is 
 evident from the signification of "hearing," as meaning to per- 
 ceive and obey (see A. C, n. 2542, 3869, 4653, 5017, 7216, 8361, 8990, 9311, 
 Q397, 10061) ; thus to live according to that doflrine ; for those who 
 perceive and obey the dodtrine of heaven live according to it ; 
 and from the signification of "the words of the prophecy," as 
 meaning truths that pertain to the do6lrine of heaven ; for 
 "words" are truths (0.4692,5075); and "prophecy" is do6lrine 
 (n. 2534, 7269) ; here it is dodlrine of heaven, since it is prophecy 
 belonging to the Word, and the Word is from heaven. To 
 "hear" is to obey and to live, because with celestial angels 
 the things that are heard enter into the life ; but as this is a 
 thing unknown, I would like to explain it briefly. There are 
 two senses given to man which serve as means of receiving 
 the things whereby the rational is formed, and also the things 
 by which man is reformed ; these are the sense of sight and the 
 sense of hearing : the other senses are for other uses. The 
 things that enter by the sense of sight enter into man's under- 
 standing and enlighten it, for which reason by "sight" is sig- 
 nified the understanding enlightened, for the understanding 
 corresponds to the sight of the eye, as the light of heaven cor- 
 responds to the light of the w^orld. The things that enter by 
 the sense of hearing enter both into the understanding and into 
 the will, and for this reason by "the hearing" is signified per- 
 ception and obedience. Consequently, in human language, to 
 "hear" any one, and to "give ear to" any one, also to "listen 
 to," and "hearken to," are common expressions ; and by "hear- 
 ing" is meant to perceive, and by "giving ear to," or "listen- 
 ing to" is meant to obey ; while "hearkening to" means either 
 perceiving or obeying. These expressions flowed down into 
 human language out of the spiritual world, where man's spirit 
 is. Their origin in the spiritual world shall also be explained. 
 |2.] Those there who are in the jirovince of the ear areobedi- 
 
l8 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 ences from perception. (That all who are in the spiritual world are in some 
 province that is named from the members, organs, or viscera of man, because they 
 correspond thereto, may be seen in Heaven and Hell, n. 87-102.) Moreover, 
 
 the province of the ear is in the axis of heaven ; into it, therefore, 
 or into those who are there, the whole spiritual world flows, 
 with the perception that " thus must it be done ;" for this is 
 the reigning perception in heaven ; from this it is that those 
 who are in that province are obediences from perception. That 
 the things that enter by hearing enter immediately through the 
 understanding into the will, may be further explained by the 
 way in which angels of the celestial kingdom, who are most 
 wise, are instrudled. These angels receive all their wisdom by 
 hearing, not by sight ; for whatsoever they hear about Divine 
 things, they receive in the will from veneration and love, and 
 make it of their life ; and because they receive these things not 
 first in the memory, but immediately in the life, they do not 
 talk about matters of faith, but when these are mentioned 
 by others, they answer, "Yea, yea," or "Nay, nay," accord- 
 ing to the Lord's words in Matthew (v. 37). From all this it 
 IS evident that hearing is given to man chiefly for the reception 
 of wisdom, and sight for the reception of intelligence. Wisdom 
 is to perceive, to will, and to do ; intelligence is to know and 
 
 to perceive. (That the celestial angels imbibe wisdom by hearing, not by sight, 
 may be seen in Heaven and Hell, n. 270, 271 ; and more concerning those angels, 
 n. 20-28.) 
 
 15, "And keep the things which are written therein" signi- 
 fies from [the delight 0/^ the love of truth. — This is evident 
 from the signification of " observing" and "keeping," as mean- 
 ing to perceive, to will, and to do according thereto, here 
 according to the do6lrine of heaven ; and from the signification 
 of "the things which are written therein," as meaning, from the 
 love of truth, or from the delight of that love ; for what is done 
 from love is done from delight ; delight is from no other source. 
 This is signified by "the things which are written therein," be- 
 cause the things contained in the doctrine of heaven are written 
 on the heart, and thus on the life, of tho.se here described ; and 
 things written on the heart and life are written on the love ; for 
 " heart " in the Word signifies love {a.c, n. 7542, 9050, 10336), Love 
 of truth is meant, because these things are said of the doctrine 
 of heaven, and the doflrine of heaven is from truths. In the 
 Word there are frequent references to observing and keeping 
 precepts, commandments, words, and law : and by observing 
 and keeping is there signified to understand, to will, and to do, 
 as in Matthew, 
 
 "Teachinpf them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you" 
 (xxviii. 20) ; 
 
CHAP. I., VERSE 3. — N. 16. I9 
 
 in Luke, 
 
 " Hlcsscd are they that hear the Word of God and keep it" (xi. 28) ; 
 
 in John, 
 
 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man keep My word he shall never 
 see death " (viii. 51) ; 
 
 in the same, 
 
 "If a man love Mc he will keep My word : . . .. lie that loveth Me not, 
 kcepeth not My words " (xiv. 15, 23, 24) ; 
 
 and in the same, 
 
 " If ye keep My commandments ye shall abide in My love Ye 
 
 are My friends if ye do the things which I command you" (xv. 
 10, 14). 
 
 To do is to will, and to will is to do ; because in deeds the will 
 is everything. 
 
 16. "For the time is /jear" signifies S7(c/i an interior state. — 
 This is evident from the signification of "time," as mean- 
 ing state (see Heaven and Hell, n. 162-169, where Time in Heaven is treated 
 
 of); and from the signification of "near," as meaning the in- 
 ternal ; thus here, because it refers to state, interior state such 
 as is described above is meant. By state is meant a state 
 of affe6lion and of thought therefrom. He w-ho reads this, 
 and has no acquaintance with the internal sense, supposes 
 that by "the time being near" is meant that the time was 
 then near when the things contained in the Apocalypse w'ould 
 be fulfilled. But that this is not meant can be seen from the 
 facl that seventeen centuries elapsed before they were fulfilled. 
 But because the Word in its letter is natural and within is 
 spiritual, it is said that " the time is near," in order that in 
 heaven interior state might be understood ; for if the expression 
 "interior state," which is the spiritual sense, had here been 
 used, it would not have been understood by angels ; for 
 they perceive all things of the Word according to correspond- 
 ences. "Near" signifies interior, because distances in heaven 
 are entirely in accord with differences of good of love ; for which 
 reason those who are in kindred good are also near one another ; 
 and it is from this that on earth words designating kinship 
 {affinitas, propinquitas) mean those near, because they relate to spir- 
 itual nearnesses, which in heaven are really such. In heaven 
 this is so because good of love conjoins, and the more interior 
 the good, the nearer is the conjuncftion. From this it is, that 
 heaven is nearer to man, the more interiorly he is in the good of 
 love ; and the origin of this is that the Lord is nearer to an 
 angel, to a spirit, and to man, the more interiorly they love 
 
20 APOCALYPSE EXPI.AlNF.n. 
 
 Him To love Him interiorly is to love His precepts interiorly ; 
 that is, to perceive, to will, and to do them from the delight 
 of love. It is from this that "nearness," in the Word, signifies 
 
 presence and conjunction fa'^ may be seen^lC, n. 5911, 9378, 9997, loooi). 
 
 This nearness is thus described in John^ 
 
 "Jesus said, He that loveth Me keepeth My word, and My Father will 
 love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with 
 him " (xiv. 23) ; 
 
 and in the same, 
 
 " Ye know " the Comforter, the Spirit of truth ; " for He abideth with you 
 and shall be in you " (xiv. 17) ; 
 
 "the Comforter, the Spirit of truth" is Divine truth going forth 
 from the Lord ; therefore it is said, "He shall be in you." 
 
 17, These approximate or general explanations of the pre- 
 ceding words, not being presented in a continuous series, will 
 appear disconne6led ; and this must be the case when each word 
 or phrase is expounded separately, and the internal sense is 
 immediately joined to the literal sense, which is diverse from it, 
 and each is viewed by itself. But with angels, who are in the 
 internal sense, this is not so. They do not see the sense of the 
 letter, nor do they know anything about it ; they see only the 
 internal sense ; and because they see this in the light of heaven, 
 they see it in such order and connection, and also in such rich- 
 ness, and in such wisdom therefrom, as cannot be expressed or 
 described in human words. The ideas of angels, which are spir- 
 itual, also conjoin all things in a wonderful manner, and com- 
 prehend more than man can include or express in his ideas, 
 which are natural, even as to a thousandth part thereof 
 
 VERSES 4-6. 
 
 lo* "John to the seven churches which are in Asia : Grace to you, and peace, from 
 Him who is, and who was, and who is to come ; and from the seven spirits which are in sight 
 of His throne ; and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the First-born of the dead, ana 
 the Prince of the t<ings of the earth. Unto Him that loveth us, and washeth us from our 
 Bins in His blood ; and hath made us /tings and priests unto God and His Father : to Him be 
 the glory and the might unto the ages of the ages. Amen." 
 
 4. "John" signifies i/ie Lord in respe(fl to do^rine [n. 19]; "to the seven 
 cAwrcAes" signifies to al! wJw are in truths from good, or in faith from 
 charity [n. 20] ; "in Asia'' signifies thosf who are in the light of iiitelli- 
 genre [n. 21] ; "Grace to you, and peace," signifies d.light of imfh and 
 good [n. 22] ; "from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come," 
 signifies yO-r^w f/iw who is the All in all lliiiigi cf hra-i'rn and of the 
 
ClIAl'. I., VKRSE 4. — N. liy. 
 
 21 
 
 (kur<h from fternUy to elnnity [n. 23"] ; "and from the seven spirits' 
 signifies tht Divine in heaven [n. 24] ; "which are insipid of His throne' 
 <ii<^mUcs />resfnce iini/ />rovi(/ence [n. 25]. 
 
 J. 'And from Jesus Christ" signifies from the Lord in rtsp,cl to the Di-ine 
 Human [n. 26]; "the faithful witness" ^\\:i,\\'\(\<-:-^ from -whom is a!l 
 truth in heaven [n. 27] ; "the First-born of the dead" signifies from 
 whom is all ,^ood in heaven [n. 28]; "and the Prince of the kinc^s 
 of the earth " signifies from luhom is all truth from i^'-vod m the church 
 
 in. 29] ; "Unto Him that loveth us, and washeth us from our sins in 
 is blood" sigiiilies ///s /ore, and regenoation by Him through truths 
 that are from Ilim [n. 30]. 
 
 6. 'And hath made us kings and priests" sinnifies that from Him u<e are 
 in ///c sf^irn'ual and c,le<lial king,/t<m [n. 31]; "unto God and His 
 Father" signifies i'v Ihvine truth and Di'i'ine go,;/ [n. 32]; "tO 
 Him be the glory and the might unto the ages of the ages" signifies 
 that these things are from Him a/one to eternity [n. 33] ; "Amen" sig- 
 nifies Divine confirmation [n. 34]. 
 
 19. {Verse i,:\ "i/o/>/7 " Signifies the Lord in respcH. to doc- 
 trine. — This is evident from the representation of "John," as 
 meaning good of love (of which above, n. 8). Because he 
 represents good of love, he also in the highest sense represents 
 the Lord, since all good of love is from the Lord. Man, spirits, 
 and angels, are only recipients, and those who are recipients are 
 said to signify that which is from the Lord. It is the same with 
 many others in the Word, as with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, 
 David, Elijah, Elisha, John the Baptist, Peter, and the other 
 apostles ; each of whom signifies some good or truth of heaven 
 and the church, yet all of them, in the highest sense, signify the 
 Lord. For instance, "David," in the internal sense, signifies 
 Divine truth in the spiritual kingdom, which is called the roy- 
 alty of the Lord ; for this reason, David in the highest sense 
 signifies the Lord in rcspc6l to that truth and in respect to 
 royalty ; on which account it is said of David in the Word, that 
 he is to come and reign over the sons of Israel {Ezek. xxxvii. 
 24, 25 ; Hosea iii. 5). In like manner Elijah and Elisha, who, be- 
 cause in the internal sense they signify the Word, in the highest 
 sense signify the Lord, from whom the Word is. (That " Elijah " and 
 
 " Elisha " signify the Word, thus the Lord in respedl to the Word, see A.C., n. 2762, 
 5247; likewise "John the Baptist," who is therefore called "Elijah," n, 7643, 9372. 
 That " Peter " signifies faith, therefore the Lord in respecfl to faith, because faith is 
 
 from the Lord, see above, n. 9.) From this it can be secu why "John " 
 signifies the Lord. He signifies the Lord in respefl to doc- 
 trine because it is said, "John to the seven churches," and 
 by "the seven churches," in the internal sense, are meant all 
 who are in truths from good, or in faith from charity ; for it 
 is these that constitute the church ; and doctrine is what t trhes 
 
22 ArOCALVl'bE EXPLAINED. 
 
 these truths. From this it is that as the Lord is the Word, 
 so is He the do6lrine of the church, for all do6lrine is from 
 
 the Word. (That the Lord is the doclrine of the church, because nil truth 
 that is from doctrine is from the Word, thus from the Lord, see A.C., n. 2531, 2859, 
 3712.) 
 
 20. "To the seven churches" signifies to all who are in 
 truths from good or in faith f7-om charity. — This is evident from 
 the signification of "seven," as meaning all [persons]. For 
 "seven," in the Word, signifies beginning and end, thus an 
 entire period and a full state, the same as a "week" [A.c, 
 n. 728, 6508, 9228) ; and because "seven" signifies fulness, it also 
 signifies all, since all constitutes fulness, for fulness, as regards 
 those that constitute a society (here, the church), means all ; 
 therefore, when magnitude is treated of in the Word, "seven" 
 signifies fulness ; but when multitude is treated of, "seven" 
 signifies all. "Three" also in the Word signifies fulness and 
 
 all (as may be seen A.C, n. 2788, 4495, 7715) ; but " SCVen " is UScd 
 
 where anything holy is treated of, and "three" in other cases 
 {A.c, n. 10127) ; therefore "seven" is here used, because truths 
 from good, which are holy things of the church, are treated of 
 It is also evident from the signification of "churches," as mean- 
 ing those who are in truths from good, or in faith from charity. 
 These are meant by "churches," because such truths constitute 
 the church with every one ; for those who are not in truths from 
 good, though born within the church, yet are not of the church, 
 because there is no church in them. From this it is that the 
 Lord's church consists of all those, wheresoever they are, who 
 are a church, that is, who are in truths from good. (That the church, 
 
 like heaven, is in man, and not outside of him, consequently that man who is 
 in truths from good is a church, see A.C, n. 3884; and Hcavcti and Hell, n. 
 
 53. 54. 57-) It is also said, who are in faith from charity, since 
 this is the same ; for truth is of faith, and good is of charity ; 
 for in fa6l, everything that man believes is called truth, and 
 everything that man loves is called good. (That every truth is 
 
 from good, and that everything of faith is from charity, see The New yerusalem 
 and its Heavenly Doilrine, n. 84-107, 108-122; and The Last yudgment, n. 
 33-39 ; also Heaven and Hell, n. 364, 424, 482, 526.) He who knOWS nothing 
 
 of the internal sense of the Word, when he reads these things 
 believes no otherwise than that by "seven churches" are meant 
 the seven churches afterwards named (verse 11); whereas 
 churches are not meant, but all who are of the church ; be- 
 cause this is the spiritual sense of the Word. 
 
 21. "In 45/a" signifies those zvho are in the light of intel- 
 ligence. — This can be seen by a spiritual idea only, such as 
 
CHAP. I., VERSE 4. — N. 22. -^J 
 
 angels have, concerning the regions of this earth. When Asia 
 is named, angels perceive the south ; when Europe is namcfl, 
 the north ; and when Africa, the east ; and as by the "south'" is 
 signified the clear light of intelligence, so that light is signified 
 by "Asia." This perception has been granted to me, as often as 
 I have been in the spiritual idea and have thought of Asia. Such 
 is the spiritual idea of Asia, because the church was there in 
 ancient times, and extended over many regions thereof; there- 
 fore, those who are in heaven from that country are in the light 
 of intelligence. For this reason when Asia is thought of, a light 
 like that which is in the south of heaven flows-in. (That in ancient 
 
 times, also in tlie most ancient, tlie church w.is in Asia, and extended through 
 many kingdoms tiiere, see the quotations from the Arcana Caeiestia in the New 
 jferusaUm and its Heavenly Dodrine, n. 247 ; and that the " south " signifies the 
 light of intelligence, see in Heaven and Hell, n. 141-153, where tlie Four Quarters 
 
 in Heaven are treated of.) By "Asia," however, inhabitants of Asia 
 are not here meant, but all, wheresoever they are, v.ho are 
 in the spiritual light of intelligence, or, what is the same, who 
 are in truths from good ; for those who are in truths from 
 good are in the spiritual light of intelligence ; and all such con- 
 stitute the Lord's church. (Tliat the Lords church exists also among tlie 
 nations, although specifically where the Lord is known and the Word is read, see 
 Heaven and Hell, n. 318-328 ; and the New yerusalem and its Heavenly Dodlrine, 
 n. 244, 246.) 
 
 22. "Grace to you and peace" signifies delight of truth and 
 good. — This is evident from the signification of "grace," as 
 meaning delight of truth (about which more presently) ; and 
 from the signification of "peace," as meaning delight of the 
 
 good of innocence and love (on which see Heaven and Hell, where the 
 State of Peace in He iven is treated of, n. 284-290). ' ' Grace ' ' mcanS delight 
 
 of truth, because there are two things that go forth from the 
 Lord, united in their origin, but separated in those that re- 
 ceive them. For there are those that receive more of Divine 
 truth than of Divine good, and those that receive more of 
 Divine good than of Divine truth. Those that receive more 
 of Divine truth than of Divine good are in the Lord's spir- 
 itual kingdom, and are therefore called spirituaJ ; those that 
 receive more of Divine good than of Divine truth are in the 
 Lord's celestial kingdom, and are therefore called celestial. 
 
 (On these two kingdoms in heaven and in the church, see Heaven and Hell. n. 20-28.) 
 
 To those in the spiritual kingdom it is granted by the Lord 
 to be in affe6lion for truth for the sake of truth; and this Di- 
 vine gift is what is called grace ; so far, therefore, as any one 
 is in that affe(5tion is he in the Lord's Divine grace ; nor is any 
 other Divine grace possible to man, spirit or angel, than to be 
 
24 APOCALYl'SE EXl'LAINEP. 
 
 afFe6led b}- truth, because it is truth, since in that affeciiion there 
 is heaven and blessedness for them (see in The a'cw ja-ns.iicm and its 
 
 Heavenly Doclr'nie. n. 232. 236, 238 ; and Heaven and Hell. 11. 395-414 i. Whether 
 
 we say afire6lion for truth or dehght in truth it is the same ; 
 for no affection without dehght is possible. [2.] This in par- 
 ticular is what is meant by "grace" in the Word ; as in yolin, 
 
 "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt in us, and we beheld His glory, 
 glory as of the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and 
 truth, ...of His fulness we all received, and grace for grace. For 
 the law was given through Moses ; grace and truth came through 
 Jesus Christ" (i. 14, 16, 17). 
 
 It is said "grace and truth," because grace is affe61ion for and 
 delight in truth. And in Luke, after the Lord had explained 
 in the synagogue the prophecy of Isaiah respecting Himself, 
 that is, the Divine truth, it is said, 
 
 "All wondered at the words of grace proceeding out of His mouth" 
 (iv. 22) : 
 
 the Divine truths that the Lord spake are called "words of 
 grace proceeding out of His mouth," because they are ac- 
 ceptable, grateful, and delightful. In general. Divine grace is 
 all that is given from the Lord ; and as all that is so given has 
 relation to faith and love, and faith is an affe6tion for truth from 
 good, this is meant in particular by Divine grace : for to be 
 gifted with faith and love, or with affe6tion for truth from good, 
 is to be gifted with heaven, thus with eternal blessedness. 
 
 23. "From Him who is, and who was, and who is to come" 
 signifies /)'(?;;/ I/im w/io is the All in all things of heaven and of 
 the church from eternity to eternity. — This is evident from the 
 signification of "who is, and who was, and who is to come," 
 as meaning from eternity to eternity, also the All in all things 
 of heaven and of the church. From eternity to eternity is 
 meant, because all times in the Word signify not times but 
 
 states of life (as may be seen from what is said and shown concerninc; Time 
 in Heaven, in Heaven and Hell, n. 162-169) ; and aS all times signify 
 
 states of life, so in reference to the Lord they signify infinite 
 state, and infinite state as to time is eternity. That all times 
 are comprised in "who is, and who was, and who is to come," 
 is evident. Of eternity, which is of the Lord alone, many things 
 might be said ; but such things are not understood by the nat- 
 ural man, whose thoughts are chiefly based on time, space, and 
 matter, while eternity, in itself, does not include such things. 
 If, indeed, man could think of eternity as angels of heaven do, 
 he might arrive at some idea of it, and thus might comprehend 
 
CHAP. I., VKKSK 4. — N. -'4. 25 
 
 what /;w;; ctcrnitv is, which is signified hy "wno was;" also 
 wliat the Divine foresii^ht is, that it is in the most particular 
 thing's from eteinitv ; and what Divine providence is, that it is in 
 the most particular things to eternity ; consequently, that what- 
 soever proceeds from the Lc rd is from eternity to eternity ; ; nd 
 unless it were so heaven and the uni\x'rse would not continue 
 to exist. But at present we cannot go further into this arca- 
 num (something may In- s. on respcclmg it in llc.ivt-n and lUll. 11. 167) ; only 
 
 let it be observed, that the same is meant by "Jehovah" as 
 by "who is, who was, and who is to come," since "Is," which 
 is the meaning of Jehovah, involves what precedes, that is, 
 "who was," and also what is in future, that is, "who is to 
 come," and thus signifies yOw;/ eternity to eternity. [2.] That 
 "Is," signifies from eternity is also known in the Christian world 
 from the Psabn of David, where it is said, 
 
 " I will declare the decree ; Jehovah said unto me, thou art My son ; this 
 day have I begotten lliee " (ii. 7) ; 
 
 it is known that these things are said of the Lord, and that 
 by "to-day " is meant from eternity. (That by " to-morrow," also in the 
 
 Word, where the Lord is treated of, is signified to eternity, see A.C.. n. 3998.) 
 
 Because "who is," "who was," and "who is to come," sig- 
 nify eternity, they signify also the All in all things of heaven 
 and the church ; and in heaven eternity can be expressed by 
 no other word than Divine, for the reason that what is infinite 
 cannot fall into angelic idea, still less into human idea ; and 
 eternity is infinite Existere from infinite Esse ; but only this 
 enters the idea, that eternity, which is the Divine in resped to 
 Existere, is the All in all things of heaven and of the church. 
 For the whole heaven is heaven not from the angels' proprium 
 [self-hood, or what is their own], but from the Divine of tb.e 
 Lord ; nor is the church the church from the proprium of men. 
 but from the Divine of the Lord ; for all good of love and truth 
 of faith are from the Lord, and it is good of love and truth oi 
 faith that make heaven and the church. Angels and men arc 
 only recipients, and so far as they receive, heaven and the church 
 
 are in them. (These things may be seen abundantly illustrated in Heaven ana 
 Hell, n 7-12, where it is shown that the Divine of the Lord makes heaven, and thai 
 the Divine that makes heaven is the Divine Human, which is the Divine Ex^istere from 
 the Divine Esse, n. 78-86.) 
 
 24. "And from the seven spirits" signifies the Divine in 
 heaven. — This is evident from the signification of ".seven, ' as 
 meaning fulness, and therefore all, and fioni its being applied 
 to the holv Divine things that go forth from the Lord (see 
 
26 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 above, n. 20) ; also from the signification of "spirits," as mean- 
 ing those of whom heaven consists ; for all these are called 
 "spirits of God," since the Spirit of God is the Divine that 
 goes forth, or Divine truth united to Divine good in heaven 
 and the church (^.c,n. 9818) ; and the Divine that goes forth, 
 or Divine truth united to Divine good, forms and creates 
 the angel, and thus makes him [what he is] according to 
 quality and quantity of reception (see Heaven and Hell, n. 7-12). 
 From all this it is evident that by "the seven spirits" (of 
 which more below), are not meant seven spirits, but all who are 
 in heaven ; as by the " seven churches " are not meant seven 
 churches, but all who are in truths from good, that is, who are 
 of the church (see n. 20). When all this is understood, an ar- 
 canum is opened, namely, the meaning of "Jehovah God " in the 
 Word ; which is, that by "Jehovah" is meant the Divine Esse, 
 and by " God" the Divine Existere in heaven. The Divine that 
 is meant by "God" is the Divine Existere in heaven, because 
 the Divine in heaven is in many ; therefore in the Hebrew lan- 
 guage, God is called ''Elohim,'" in the plural; for the same 
 reason angels are called gods, not that they are gods, but be- 
 cause the Divine of the Lord that is in them is meant by " God." 
 
 (That in the Word the Lord is called Jehovah from Esse or Essence, and God from 
 Existere OT Existence, see A.C., n. 300, 3910, 6905; also that the Divine Esse is 
 Divine good, and that the Divine Existere is Divine truth, n. 3061, 6280, 6880, 
 6905, 10579 ; and in general, that good is esse, and truth is existere therefrom, n. 5002. 
 That angels are called gods from reception of Divine truth going forth from the Divine 
 good of the Lord, n. 4295, 4402, 7268, 7872, 8301, 8192; and that Divine trutb 
 united to Divine good in heaven, is called, in one phrase, Divine truth, see Heaven 
 and Hell, n. 13, 133, 140.) 
 
 25. "Which are in sight of His fhrone" signifies p?'ese7ice a?id 
 providence. — This is evident from the signification of "sight," 
 as meaning, when applied to the Divine, presence, and provid- 
 ence therefrom (of which more in what follows) ; and from 
 the signification of "throne of God," as meaning Divine truth 
 going forth from the Lord, thus heaven, which is its receptacle 
 (concerning which see A.C., n. 5313, 6397). " Look " means presence, be- 
 cause by look or sight the understanding and thought there- 
 from are signified ; and in the understanding everything that 
 is thought stands forth as present. For this reason, those in 
 the spiritual world with whom one desires to speak appear 
 present provided he had formed any idea of them from sight in 
 the world, especially if this is true of both. This is why friends 
 meet there, also wives and husbands ; the reason is that internal 
 sight, which is the understanding, a6ls as one, in a spirit, with 
 his external sight or sight of the eye ; and as spaces in the 
 
CHAP. I., VERSE 5. N. 26. 2"] 
 
 spiritual world are not like spaces in tl»€ natural world, in the 
 former what one desires to see is near, and what he does not 
 desire to see is far off. From this it is that "look" signifies 
 
 presence. (That " look " or" sight " signifies the understanding, see A.C.. n. 2150, 
 232",, 2807, 3764, 3863. 3869, 10705 ; and therefore signifies presence, n. 4723 ; and 
 thai spaces in heaven are not like spaces in the world, see Heaven and Hell, n. 
 
 191-1Q9.) "Look," in respe6l to the Lord, as here, signifies His 
 Divine presence, because the Lord knows all, and they, in turn, 
 know the Lord who are in love and faith towards Ilim ; con- 
 sequently with such the Lord is present in the goods of love 
 and truths of faith that are in them from Him. For these 
 [goods and truths] are the Lord in heaven and in the church ; 
 since the things that go forth from the Lord are not merely 
 His, they are Himself [2.] From this it is clear how the Lord 
 is in man ; thus, how that is to be understood that he spake to 
 John^ 
 
 "Abide in Me, and I in you: he that abideth in Me and I in him, the 
 
 same beareth much fruit" (xv. 4, 5). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " He that loves Me keeps My words ;" and the Father and I "will.... 
 come unto him, and make Our abode with him" (xiv. 23). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 Jesus said to His disciples, " Ye know " the Paraclete, the Spirit of Truth ; 
 " for He abideth with you, and shall be in you " (xiv. 17). 
 
 The "Paraclete, the Spirit of Truth," is the Divine truth going 
 forth from the Lord ; or, what is the same, it is the Lord in 
 respedl to Divine truth ; and "disciples" are all who are in 
 goods and in truths therefrom ; it is therefore said, " He shall 
 be in you." In the same, 
 
 " The Word became flesh and dwelt among us " (i. 14). 
 
 The Word, too, is Divine truth ; and that the Word is the 
 Lord is clear, since it is said that "the Word became flesh." 
 
 (That the " Word " signifies Divine truth, and signifies the Lord, see A.C., n. 4692, 
 
 5075.9987.) "Look" here also signifies providence, because all 
 
 presence of the Lord is providence fas may appear from what is said and 
 sliown in TTie New Jerusalem and its Dodrine, n. zQj-zjg ; and in Heaven and 
 Hell. n. 9, 12, 143,145). 
 
 26. [Verse 5] "And from Jesus Christ" signifies /ro7n the 
 Lord in rcspe6l to the Divine Human. — This is evident from 
 the fa6t that such was the Lord's name in the world ; thus the 
 name of His Human ; but in respe<5l to the Divine, His name 
 was "Jehovah " and " God." The phrase Divine Human is used. 
 
28 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 because the Lord made His Human to be Divine when He was 
 in the world ; for He united it to His Divine which was in Him 
 from conception, and which was to Him a soul from the Father, 
 thus which was to Him His life ; for the soul of every one 
 is his life, and the body, which is the human, lives therefrom ; 
 when, therefore, the Divine was united to the Human in the 
 Lord, as soul to body, it is called the Divine Human. (That 
 
 it is according to the dodlrine of the church that as soul and body make one man, 
 so the Divine and Human make one Christ, as also that His Divine and Human make 
 
 one person, see above, n. ID.) Those who think, therefore, of the Lord's 
 Human and not at the same time of His Divine, will on no 
 account admit the phrase Divine Human, for they think of 
 the Human separately and of the Divine separately, which is 
 like thinking of a man separately from his- soul or his life, and 
 this is not to think of the man at all ; still more is this true of 
 the Lord. i2.] Because such an idea of separation is in their 
 thought, they pray to the Father to 'i;n'c com; 'assion for the sake 
 of the Son ; when in fa6l:, the Lord Himseli" ouglit to be prayed 
 to that He may have compassion, in whom, according to the 
 universal do6lrine of the church, the Divine is such as it is in 
 the Father ; for that doclrine teaches, that as the Father, so also 
 the Son, is uncreate, infinite, eternal, almighty, God, and Lord ; 
 and neither is before or after the other, nor greater or less than 
 the other {Athanasian Creed). This also is in accordance witli 
 the doflrine taught by the Lord Himself, which is: That He 
 and the Father are one ; and that he who seeth Him seeth tlie 
 Father, because He is in the Father and the Father in Him ; 
 that He is the way, the truth, and the life ; and that no one 
 Cometh to the Father but by Him. From this it is clear how 
 much they turn aside from the way and the truth who pass by 
 the Lord and go to the Father. But as I have conversed much 
 on this subject with angels, and also with spirits, who, when 
 they lived as men in the world, were of the Reformed Church 
 or of the Romish religion, I shall be pleased to relate these con- 
 versations in the following pages ; from which it will appear in 
 what light the church would be respe61ing the Divine Being, 
 which is the first and primary principle of the church, if it would 
 acknowledge and believe in the Divine Human of the Lord. 
 
 27. "The faithful witness" signifies from ivhotn is all truth 
 i?t heaven. — This is evident from the signification of " faithful 
 witness," as meaning, in reference to the Lord, acknowledg- 
 ment of the Divine Human from whom is all truth in heaven 
 (of which in what follows). It is said /;/ heaven, because Di- 
 
CHAP. I., VERSE 5. — X. 27. 29 
 
 vine trutli, j^oin^ forth from the Lord's Divine ijtxjtl, niakes 
 heaven in general, aiul with each angel there in particular. (Tiiis 
 
 may be seen in Heaven and Hell. n. 13, 126 140; and that tliis is fri)m the Fiord's 
 
 Divine iiiinian, n. 7-12, 18-86.) The Lord in respe6l to His Divine 
 Human is called the "faithful witness," because Divine truth 
 going forth from Him, bears witness in heaven concerning Him. 
 This witnessing is universally in Divine truth in heaven ; as 
 may be seen from this, that angels of the interior heaven can 
 think of the Divine in no other way than as having a human 
 form, thus as the Divine Human, and for the reason that the 
 Divine Human of the Lord fills the whole heaven and forms it, 
 and the thoughts of angels proceed and flow according to the 
 
 form of heaven (see Heaven and Hell, n. 59-102, 200-212, 265-275). From 
 
 this it is that "the testimony of Jesus Christ" (see n. lo) sig- 
 nifies an acknowledgment of the Divine of the Lord in His 
 Human. [2.] From all this can be seen what is meant in the 
 spiritual sense by "bearing witness" and by "testimony" in the 
 following passages : 
 
 "John (i. e., the Baptist) came for witness, that he might bear witness of 
 the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the 
 light, but came that he might bear witness of the light. There was 
 
 the true light, which lightelh every man And I have seen and 
 
 have borne witness" {Johu i. 7 g, 34). 
 
 "Light" signifies Divine truth ; therefore the Lord is here called 
 "the true Light, which lighteth every man :" and to "bear wit- 
 ness of the Light" signifies an acknowledgment of His Di- 
 vine Human, from which Divine truth goes forth. (That "light" 
 
 signifies Divine truth going forth from the Lord, see Heaven and Hell, in the chapter 
 on The Light of Heaven, n. 126-140.) [3.] In the same, 
 
 "Ye have sent unto John, and He hath borne witness unto the truth : 
 but I receive not testimony from man " (v. 33, 34). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Jesus said. Verily I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and bear 
 
 witness of that we have seen He that cometh from heaven 
 
 is above all. What he hath seen and heard, of that he beareth 
 witness" (iii. 11, 31, 32). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Jesus said. Even if I bear witness of Myself My witness is true ; for I 
 know whence I came and whither I go " (viii. 14). 
 
 By this is signified that He bears witness of Himself from Him- 
 self, because He was Divine truth. In the same, 
 
 "When the Comforter is come,... the Spirit of Truth, . . .He shall bear 
 witness of Me" (xv. 26). 
 
30 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 "The Comforter, the Spirit of Truth," is Divine truth going 
 
 forth from the Lord (see A.C, n. 9818, 9820, 10330; and above, n. 25). 
 
 [4.] In the same, 
 
 " Pilate said, Art thou a king then ? Jesus answered, Thou sayest it, be- 
 cause I am a king. To this have I been born, and for this am I 
 come into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. 
 Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice. Pilate said ..... 
 What is truth?" (xviii. 37, 38.) 
 
 The Lord thus answered when He was asked whether He was 
 a king, because the Lord, as king, is Divine truth, for this 
 is the royalty of the Lord in heaven, while His Divine good 
 is the priesthood there. This is why the Lord said that He 
 was a king, that to this end He was born, and to this end He 
 came into the world, that He should bear witness unto the truth ; 
 and that every one that is in truth heareth His voice ; there- 
 fore Pilate asked him, "What is truth?" thus whether that was 
 
 kmg. (That Divine truth is the royalty of the Lord in the heavens, see A.C, 
 n. 3009, 5068 ; and that " kings," therefore, in the Word, signify those who are in Di- 
 vine truths, or abstradtly from persons, signify Divine truths, see n. 1672, 2015, 2069, 
 
 4575. 4581, 4966, 5044.) That " kings " signify those who are in Divine 
 truths, will appear more clearly in the explanation of what fol- 
 lows in the Apocalypse, where kings are mentioned ; and just 
 below, where it is said, "He hath made us kings and priests 
 unto God and His Father." From all this it can be seen that 
 by the words, "from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness," is sig- 
 nified the Lord in respe6l to acknowledgment of His Divine 
 Human, from which is all truth in heaven, 
 
 28. "The First-born of the dead" signifies y>-^;;z whom is all 
 good m heaven. — This is evident from the signification of the 
 "first-born," as meaning, in reference to the Lord, Divine good 
 in heaven, thus all good there. The "first-born" signifies this, 
 because by generations, in general and in particular, spiritual 
 generations are signified, which are generations of good and 
 truth or of love and faith; from this it is, that by "father," 
 "mother," "sons," "daughters," "sons-in-law," "daughters-in- 
 law," and "son's sons," are signified goods and truths which gen- 
 erate and are generated in their order {A.c, n. 10490), for in heaven 
 there are no other nativities. This being so, by "first-born" is 
 not meant the first-born, but the good of heaven and of the 
 church, because this is in the first place. And since all good in 
 heaven is from the Lord, He is called " the First-born. " Further- 
 more, He is called "the First-born of the dead," because, when 
 He rose from the dead, He made His Human to be Divine good 
 by union with the Divine that was in Him from conception. 
 
CHAP. I., VERSE 5. — N. 28, 3I 
 
 [2.] This why He is called "the First-born of tlie dead," and 
 says of Himself in David, 
 
 'I will make Him the First-born, high above the kings of the earth" 
 {Psalm Ixxxix. 27). 
 
 What is meant by His being " high above the kings of the earth " 
 
 will be seen in a subsequent article. (That the Lord, when He de- 
 parted from the world, maile His Human to be Divine good, see ^4. C, n. 3194, 3210, 
 6864, 749g, S724, 9199, 10076; thus that He came forth from the Father and re- 
 turned to the Father, n. 3194, 3210; and that after this union, the Divine truth, 
 which is the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, goes forth from Him, n. 3704, 3712, 
 3969, 4577, 5704, 7499, 8127, 8241, 9199, 9398, 9407. But this arcanum may be seen 
 more fiiUy explained in The Doilrine of the New yerusalem. n. 293-295 ; and in the 
 passages there cited from the Atdina Caelestia, n. 303-305.) As the Lord in 
 
 respe6l to His Divine Human is called "the First-born," for the 
 reason that all good goes forth from Him, so all the first-born 
 in the Israelitish church were holy to Jehovah ; so also the Levites 
 were received in place of all the first-born in Israel ; for by the 
 sons of Levi were represented those of the church who are in 
 good of charity : so again a double portion of inheritance was 
 allotted to the first-born ; all this for the reason that the first- 
 born signified good that is from the Lord, and in the highest 
 sense, the Lord Himself in respedl to the Divine Human from 
 which is all good. For all things that were commanded in 
 the Israelitish church were representative of Divine things, spir- 
 itual and celestial. [3.] That all the first-born in the Israelitish 
 church were holy to Jehovah appears from Moses, in the fol- 
 lowing passages : 
 
 " Sandify unto Me all the first-born, whatsoever openeth the womb among 
 the sons of Israel, both of man and of beast : it is Mine" {Exod. 
 xiii. 2). 
 
 ' Thou shalt set apart unto Jehovah all that openeth the womb, and every 
 firstling that cometh of a beast, as many as thou hast, the males 
 shall be Jehovah's" {Exod. xiii. 12). 
 
 " Thou shalt not delay to offer the first-fruits of thy produce, and the 
 first-fruits of thy wine. The first-born of thy sons shalt thau give 
 unto Me. Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen and with thy 
 sheep; seven days it shall be with his dam : on the eight day thou 
 shalt give it Me. And ye shall be holy men unto Me " {Exod. xxii. 
 29-31)- 
 
 They were to give also the first-born of beasts, because these, 
 too, were representative ; and were also made use of in burnt- 
 offerings and sacrifices. (What the various beasts in these services repre- 
 sented, see A.C., n. 1823. 3519, 9280, 10042. Why the Levites were accepted in place 
 of all the first-bom in Israel (see Num. iii. 12, 13, 41, 45; viii. 15-20) was, as was 
 said above, because the " sons of Levi " represented, and therefore signified, good of 
 charity, and "Levi," in the highest sense, signified the Lord in respccfl to that good, 
 see A.C., n. 3875, 3877, 4497, 4502, 4503, 10017. A double portion of the inheritance 
 was given to the first-bom, Deut. x.\i. 17, because a " double portion " signified good 
 of love. A.C., n. 720, 1686, 5194, 8423.) 
 
« 
 
 ^2 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 29. "And the Prince of the kings of the earth" signifies 
 from zuho7n is all truth fro^n good in the chzirch. — This is evident 
 from the signification of " Prince of kings," as meaning from 
 whom is all truth ; a "prince" denoting what is primary, and 
 " kings " truths ; and, as referring to the Lord, who is here called 
 "Prince of kings," it means from whom is all truth (that "prince" 
 
 means what is primary, see yi.C, n. 1482, 2089,5044; and that "kings " mean truths, 
 see in the explanation of the following verse, where it is said, "and hath made us 
 
 kings and priests," n. 31) : also from the signification of the "earth," 
 as meaning the church (of which in what follows). One unac- 
 quainted with the internal sense of the Word must needs believe 
 that the kings of the whole earth are here meant ; whereas kings 
 are not meant, nor earth ; but by " kings " are meant all who are 
 in truths from good; and by the "earth" is meant the church. 
 
 (That by the " earth " is signified the church is shown in many places in the Arcadia 
 Caelestia, from which these particulars may be seen : That by the " earth " is signified 
 the kingdom of the Lord and the church, n. 662, 1066, 1068, 1262, 1413, 2928, 3355, 
 4447. 4535i 5577.8011,9325,9643. The chief reason of which is, that by the " earth " 
 is meant the land of Canaan; and the church was there from most ancient times, n. 
 567, 3686, 4447, 4454, 4516, 4517, 5136, 6516, 9325, 9327; also that, in the spiritual 
 sense, by the " earth " is meant the people who dwell thereon, and their worship, n. 
 1262. That the " new heaven and the new earth " signify the church in the heavens 
 and on earth, n. 1733. 1850, 2117, 2118, 3355, 4535, 10373. That by the creation of 
 heaven and earth, in the first chapters of Genesis, in the internal sense, is described 
 the establishment of the Most Ancient Church, see n. 8891, 9942, 10545. That to 
 "create "is to establish and regenerate, seen. 10373. That "ground," too, signifies the 
 church ; " gfround " from the reception of seeds, which are truths, but " earth " from 
 the nations therein, and their worship, see n. 566, 1068, 10570. Moreover, " earth," 
 as it signifies the church, signifies also the religious principle, consequently such as is 
 idolatrous ; as the land of Egypt, the land of the Philistines, the land of Chaldea, and 
 of Babel, and many others. That "earth" signifies the church is also briefly shown 
 in the Last yudgment, n. 3, 4.) 
 
 30. "Unto Him that loveth us, and washeth us from our 
 sins in His blood," signifies His love, and rcgcncratioji by trnths 
 that are fro7)i Him. — This is evident from the signification of 
 "washing from sins," as meaning to regenerate (see Dodrhie of 
 Hie New yenisaiem.n. zo2-20()); and from the signification of "in 
 His blood," as meaning by truths that are from Him (see in the 
 
 same Do£lrine, n. 210-213; and in the extradls from the Arcana Caelestia there, n. 
 
 217,219, 222). That the Lord's "blood" signifies truths from 
 good, thus truths from the Lord, can scarcely be seen and be- 
 lieved by one who knows nothing of the internal sense of the 
 Word ; moreover, it seems far-fetched to understand truths from 
 the Lord in place of His blood ; and yet in heaven nothing 
 else is understood by the Lord's blood. For the Lord there 
 is Divine truth united to Divine good, consequently no one 
 there thinks of His flesh and blood. Thought concerning these 
 they call material thought, Avhich with them is not possible. 
 They say, moreover, that they are not aware that flesh and 
 
CHAP. I., VERSE 5. — N. 30. 33 
 
 blood are mentioned in the Word ; for with them the things 
 belong. ng to the literal sense of the Word, are changed into spir- 
 itual ideas, since they themselves are spiritual and not natural : 
 thus "flesh" when ascritied to the Lord, is changed into Divine 
 good, and " l^lood " into Divine truth, each going forth from the 
 Lord. [2.] "Flesh" and "blood" are mentioned in the literal 
 sense of the Word, in order that corresponding spiritual things 
 may be perceived in heaven ; for all spiritual things terminate in 
 natural things ; in them they have their outmost plane, therefore 
 the I divine passing through the heavens terminates in that plane, 
 and thereon has permanent existence, comparatively like a house 
 on its foundation, and is then in its fulness. This is why the 
 Word is such as it is in the letter, and why "flesh" and "blood" 
 are there mentioned: the angels, however, are astonished that the 
 man of the church, who might be made spiritual from the Word, 
 does not allow himself to be raised above the sense of the letter, 
 that he may think spiritually and not materially of the Lord, and 
 of His flesh and blood. Because they so wondered, and it was 
 told them that many, especially the sim[)le, do think spiritually 
 about these things, they explored whether it was so ; and they 
 discovered that many, in fa6l almost all the simple, when they 
 go to the holy supper do not think at all about flesh and blood, 
 but only of the holy [influx] that they then have from the 
 Lord. The angels percei\-ed that this is continually provided 
 by the Lord, in order that the man of the church may then be 
 in a spiritual and not in a material idea. [3.] Where material 
 eating is understood and adopted in dodlrines, it is because men 
 have thought of the Human of the Lord as of the human of an- 
 other man, and have not thought at the same time of the Divine 
 in His Human, but have rejected the expression, "Divine Hu- 
 man ;" and they that so thought of the Lord's Human could 
 not think otherwise than materially of His flesh and blood. It 
 would have been different if they had thought of the Lord ac- 
 cording to the universal doctrine of the church, which is, that 
 His Divine and Human is one Person, the two being united as 
 soul and body f see above, n. ID, 26). Moreover, "blood" is men- 
 tioned in many other places in the Word, as elsewhere in 
 the Apocalypse 
 
 (Chap. vi. 12 ; viii. 14 ; vii. 7, 8 ; xi. 6 ; xii. 1 1 ; xiv. 20 ; xvi. 3, 4, 6 ; xviii. 
 24 ; xix. 2, 13). 
 
 1 purpose, therefore, in the following pages, to show fully that 
 bv "blood" is signified truth from the Lord, and in an oppo- 
 site sense falsity that offers violence to that truth. 
 
34 APOCALYPSE EXPLxMNED. 
 
 3l[a]. [Ierse6.] "And hath made us kings and pr/ests" s'lirmhes 
 that from Him we are in His spiritual and celestial kingdom. — 
 This is evident from the signification of "kings," as meaning 
 those who are in truths from good ; and since these constitute 
 the Lord's spiritual kingdom, as meaning those who are in His 
 spiritual kingdom. That these are signified by "kings" in the 
 Word, will appear from what follows. The above is evident 
 also from the signification of "priests," as meaning those who 
 are in good of love; and since these constitute the Lord's 
 celestial kingdom, as meaning those who are in His celestial 
 
 kmgdom. (That there are two kingdoms, into which the heavens are in general 
 divided, see Heaven and Hell, n. 20-28 ; and that the spiritual kingdom is called the 
 Lord's regal kingdom, and the celestial kingdom His priestly kingdom, n. 24.) In 
 
 m.any places in the prophetic Word, kings are mentioned, and 
 he that is ignorant of the internal sense believes that kings are 
 there meant ; kings, however, are not meant, but all those who 
 are in truths from good, or in faith from charity, from the Lord. 
 The reason of this is, that the Lord is the sole king, and those 
 who from Him are in truths from good are called His "sons;" 
 for this reason the same are meant by "princes," by "sons of 
 the kingdom," by "sons of kings," and by "kings;" and in a 
 sense abstra6led from the idea of persons, as it is in heaven, 
 truths from good are meant, or, what is the same, faith from 
 charity ; since truth is of faith, and good is of charity. [2.] That 
 kings are not meant can be seen from its here being said that 
 Jesus Christ "hath made us kings and priests;" and afterwards, 
 
 " And hast made us to be unto our God kings and priests, and we shall 
 reign upon the earth" (v. lo); 
 
 and in Matthew, 
 
 "The good seed" sown in the field "are the sons of the kingdom" 
 (xiii. 38). 
 
 the "seed of the field" are truths from good with man from the 
 Lord [A.c, n. 3373, 10248, 10249). Every one, moreover, may per- 
 ceive that the Lord is not to make all those here treated of to 
 be kings, but that he calls them kings from the power and the 
 glory which those have who from the Lord are in truths from 
 good. From all this it can now be seen that by "king," in the 
 prophetic Word, is meant the Lord in respe(51: to Divine truth, 
 and by "kings" and "princes," those who from the Lord are 
 in truths from good, and as most things in the Word have also 
 an opposite sense, that "kings" signify in that sense those who 
 are in falsities from evil. [3.] That by " King" in the Word is 
 
tii\i'. I., vKRsi: 6. — x. 3i[<?]. 35 
 
 meant the Lord in resped to Divine trulh, i> clear froni the 
 words of the Lord Himself to Pilate: 
 
 "Pilate said, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou say est it 
 because I am a kin.l,^ To this have I been born, and for this am 
 I come into the world, that I should bear witness unto the tru.l.. 
 Every one that is of the truth hearcth My voice. Pilate s.iid unto 
 Him, What is truth?" {John xviii. 37, 38.) 
 
 From the question of Pilate, "What is truth," it is clear that he 
 understood that truth was called "king" by the Lord ; and as 
 he was a gentile, and knew nothing from the Word, he could 
 not be taught that Divine truth is from the Lord, and that He 
 is Divine truth ; therefore, immediately after his question, 
 
 "He went out to the Jews, saying, I find no fault in him ;" and after- 
 wards put upon the cross, "This is Jesus, the king of the Jews." 
 And when the chief priests said unto him, "Write not. The king 
 of the Jews, but that He saith I am the king of the Jews, Pilate 
 answered, What I have written, I have written" (^John xix. 4, 
 19-22). 
 
 [4.] When these things are understood, it may be known what 
 is meant by " kings " in the following passages in the Apocalypse : 
 
 •'The sixth angel poured out his bowl upon the great river Euphrates, 
 and the water thereof was dried up, that the way might be made 
 ready for the kings that come from the sun rising" (xvi. 12). 
 
 The great harlot that sitteth upon many waters, with whom the kings 
 of the earth committed fornication (xvii. i, 2). 
 
 "The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sitteth, and 
 they are seven kings ; the five are fallen, the one is, the other is not 
 
 yet come And the ten horns that thou sawest are ten kings, 
 
 which have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive power as 
 
 kings with the beast for one hour These shall war against 
 
 the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them ; for he is Lord of 
 lords and King of kings" (xvii. g, 10, 12, 14). 
 
 "And the woman whom thou sawest is the great city, which hath a king- 
 dom over the kings of the earth" (xvii. 18). 
 
 " Of the wine of the wrath of her fornication all the nations have drunk, 
 and the kings of the earth committed fornication with her " (xviii. 3). 
 
 "And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, 
 gathered together, to make war against Him that sat on the horse 
 and against His army" (xix. 19). 
 
 "And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it, 
 and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it" 
 (xxi. 24). 
 
 In these passages by "kings" are not meant kings, but all who 
 are either in truths from good, or in falsities from evil, as was 
 said before. Likewise in Daniel, 
 
 By " the king of the south " and by " the king of the north," who made 
 war against each other (chap. xi.). 
 
 By "the king of the south "are there meant those who are in 
 the light of truth from good, by "the king of the north" those 
 
36 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 who are in dirkness from evil. (That "south" in the Word signifies 
 those who are in the light of truth from good, see A.C., n. 1458,3708,3195, 5672, 
 9642 ; and " north " thnse who are in the darkness of falsity from evil, n. 3708, and in 
 general, in Heaven and Hell, n. 142-153, where The Four Quarters in Heaven are 
 
 treated of.) [5.] "King-.s" are also frequently mentioned by the 
 prophets in the Old Testament ; and there likewise are meant 
 those who, from the Lord, are in truths from good, and in a 
 contrarx' sense, those who are in falsities from evil ; as in Isaiah : 
 
 "So shall He sprinkle many nations : kings shall shut their mouths upon 
 Him ; for that which had not been told them thev have seen, and 
 that which they have not heard they have understood" (lii. 15). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "The Zion of the Holy One of Israel,. . . .thou shalt suck the milk of 
 the nations, and shalt suck the breast of kings" (Ix. 14, 16). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " Kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and queens thy nursing mothers ; 
 
 they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth " 
 
 (xlix. 23 ;) 
 (and elsewhere, as in Isaiah xiv. g; xxiv. 21 ; Ix. 10; Jer. ii. 26; iv. 9 ; 
 
 xlix. 38 ; Lam. ii. 6, 9 ; Ezek. vii. 26, 27 ; Hosea iii. 4 ; Zeph. i. 8 ; 
 
 Psalm ii. 10; ex. 5. Falses, Gen. xlix. 20). 
 
 [ft.J [6.] .Since "kings" signify those who, from the Lord, are 
 in truths fronr good, it was a custom derived from ancient times 
 for kings, when they were crowned, to receive such insignia as 
 were significative of truths from good : as for the king to be 
 anointed with oil, to wear a crown of gold, to hold a sceptre 
 in his right hand, to be clothed with a purple robe, to sit upon 
 a throne of silver, to ride with the royal insignia upon a white 
 horse ; for "oil" signifies good from which is truth (see A.C.. n. 886, 
 4638, 9780, 9954, looii, 10261, 10268, 10269) ; ^ " crown of gold" upon the 
 head has a like meaning (n. 9930) ; a " sceptre," which is a staff, 
 signifies the power of truth from good (n. 4581, 4876, 4966) ; a 
 "cloak" and a "robe," Divine truths in the spiritual kingdom (n. 
 9825, 10005); and "purple," the spiritual love of good (n. 9467); a 
 "throne," the kingdom of truth from good (n. 5313. 6397, 8625); 
 and "silver," that truth itself (n. 1551. 1552, 2954, 5658); a "white 
 horse," the understanding enlightened from truths (see the work 
 
 on The lindte Horse, n. 1-5. That the ceremonies observed at the coronation of 
 kings involve such things, but that the knowledge thereof is at this day lost, see also 
 
 A.C., n. 4581, 4966). [7.] As it is known from these things what is 
 meant by a "king" in the Word, I will add to the above. 
 
 Why the Lord, when He entered Jerusalem, sat upon the foal of an ass, 
 and the people then proclaimed Him king, and also strewed their 
 garments in the way (Matt. x\-i. 18; Mark xi. i-ii ; Luke xix. 
 28-40; John -^xx. 14-16). 
 
 This is predicSled in Zechariah : 
 
CHAT. I., Vr.RSK 6. — N. 3 I L<'^J .^7 
 
 " Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion ; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem ; 
 behold, thy king conieth unto thee, just and having salvai on ; 
 riding upon an ass, and upon the foal of an ass" (ix. 9; Mitl. xxi. 
 5 ; John xii. 15). 
 
 The reason was, that to sit upon an ass and the foal of an ass 
 was the distin(;:tive mark of a chief jufl.q;e and of a kinj; ; as Ciin 
 be seen from the following passages : 
 
 "My heart is towards the law-givers of Israel, ye who ride upon 
 
 white asses" {Judges v. 9, 10). 
 " The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between 
 
 his feet, till he come to Shiloh ; . . . . who shall bind his ass's foal 
 
 to the vine, and the son of his she-ass to the noble vine" {Gen. xlix. 
 
 10, 11). 
 
 As sitting on an ass, and the foal of an ass, was such a dis- 
 tinctive mark, 
 
 Judges rode upon white asses {Jiuiges v. 9, 10) ; 
 
 And their sons upon asses' colts {Judges x. 4 ; xii. 14) ; 
 
 And the king when crowned, upon a she-mule (i Kings i. 33) ; 
 
 And his sons upon mules (2 Sam. xiii. 29). 
 
 One who does not know the signification of "horse," "mule," 
 and " foal of an ass," in a representati\'e sense, will suppose that 
 the Lord's riding upon the foal of an ass was significative of 
 misery and humiliation. But it signified royal magnificence ; for 
 this reason the people then proclaimed the Lord king, and 
 strewed their garments upon the way. This was done when He 
 entered Jerusalem, because by "Jerusalem" is signified the church 
 
 (as may be seen in The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doclrine, n. 6 ; and 
 that "garments" signify truths clothing and serving good, may be seen in the 
 Arcana Caelestia, n. 1073, 2576, 5248, 5319, 59S4, 9212, 9215, 9216, 9952, 10536 ; and 
 
 in Heaven and Hell, n. 177-182). [8.] From all this it is now clcar 
 what is signified by the "King" and by "kings," in the Word, 
 also what by the "Anointed," "Messiah," and "Christ;" for 
 "Anointed," "Messiah," and "Christ," like "King," signify the 
 Lord in respe6l to Divine truth going forth from His Divine 
 good; for a king is called "anointed;" and "anointed" in 
 the Hebrew is Messiah, and in the Greek Christ. But that 
 the Lord, in respetfl to the Divine Human, was alone " the 
 Anointed of Jehovah," since in Him alone was the Divine good 
 of Divine Love from conception, for He was conceived of 
 Jehovah, and that all that were anointed were only represent- 
 atives of Him 'see n. 9954, looii, 10268. 10269). So also by "priests" 
 are meant such good as exists in the celestial kingdom (see 
 
 in Arcana Caelestia : namely, that priests represented the Lord, in respecft to Divine 
 good, n. 2015, 6148 ; that the priesthood was representative of the Lord, in respeefl 
 to the work of salvation, since this was from the Divine good of His Divine Love, see 
 n. 9809 ; that the priesthood of Aaron, of his sons, and of the Levites. was repre- 
 sentative of the work of salvation, in successive order, see n. 10017; that from this 
 "the priesthood," and " priesthoods," in the Word signified good of love, wjiich is 
 
38 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 from the Lord, see n. 9806, 9809 ; that by the two names, " Jesus " and " Christ," is 
 signified both His priesthood and His royalty, that is, by " Jesus " is signified Divine 
 good, and by " Christ " Divine truth, n. 3004, 3005, 3009 ; that priests and likewise 
 kings who do not acknowledge the Lord signify the opposite, namely, evil, and falsity 
 from evil, n. 3670.) 
 
 32. " Unto God and His Father " signifies by Divine truth 
 arid Divi7ie good. — This is evident from this, that "God" is the 
 Divine truth, and "Jehovah" is the Divine good; therefore in 
 the Word the Lord is called "God" when Divine truth is 
 treated of, and "Jehovah" when Divine good is treated of (see 
 A.C., n. 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921, 4287, 4402, 7010, 9167) ; but here it is 
 said "Father" instead of Jehovah, because the Father of the 
 Lord was Jehovah, and by "Father" the same thing is meant 
 as by "Jehovah." By both "God" and "the Father" the Lord 
 alone is meant ; for the Father was in Him as the soul is in its 
 body (see above, n. 10, 26) ; since He was conceived of Jeho- 
 vah, and one's soul is from him of whom He is conceived ; con- 
 sequently when the Lord spoke of the Father He meant His 
 Divine in Himself This was why He said, 
 
 That the Father is in Him and He in the Father {John x. 38 ; xiv. 10, 11) 
 
 That the Father and He are one {John x. 30) ; 
 
 That He is not alone, but He and the Father {John xvi. 31). 
 
 (That the Lord called the Divine of Jehovah, which was in Him from conception, and 
 which was the esse of His life in His Human, " the Father," and Divine truth which 
 is from Divine good " the Son," see A. C, n. 2803, 3704, 7499, 8328, 8897 ; that " the 
 oon of Man" is Divine truth, and'' the Father " Divine good, see n. 1729, 1733, 2159, 
 2628, 2803, 2813, 3255, 3704, 7499, 8897, 9807. See also citations from the Arcana Cae- 
 iestia, in The Doilrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 304, on the unition of the Divii.^: 
 which is called " Jehovah," " the Father," witli the Divine Human of the Lord.) 
 
 ^^, "To Him be the glory and the might unto the ages of the 
 ages " signifies that these things, namely. Divine good and Di- 
 vine truth, are from the Lord alone to eternity. — This is evident 
 from the signification of "glory, " as meaning Divine truth in 
 heaven (see a.c, n. 4809, 5922, 8267, 8427, 9429) ; and from the significa- 
 tion of "might," as meaning Divine good through Divine truth, 
 since Divine good has all might and all power through Divine 
 
 truth (see n. 3091, 3563, 6344, 6423, 8304, 9643, 10019, 10182; and in /!rnve>? and 
 Hell, where the power of the angels of heaven from the Lord is treated of, n. 
 
 228-233). That "unto the ages of the ages" means to eternity is 
 clear without explanation. "Glory" is Divine truth in heaven 
 because Divine truth is the light there, and the things that ha\'e 
 existence from the light of heaven are called "glory," because 
 they have existence from the Lord and represent the Divine 
 truth that is from Him, and declare His glory ; especially the 
 things that are within the angel, which are of intelligence and 
 
 wisdom. (That the light of heaven is Divine truth, and that all things that are 
 
CHAP, I., CONTENTS VERSES 7, 8. — N. 35. 39 
 
 in heaven, whether without or within the angel, have existence from the lijjhf tlicre, 
 see Hdiven and Hell. n. 126-140, 172, 173, 176.) It is SUppOSCd in the 
 
 world that "Glory be to God" means that God for His own 
 sake desires glory from man, and that He is moved by it, and 
 imparts blessings to man in return for it. But this is a mistake. 
 God desires glory from man for man's sake ; for when man 
 gives God the glory, he ascribes all things to the Divine and' 
 nothing to himself, and when he does this, the I )ivine can 
 flow-in with Divine truth, and i^ive him intelligence and wisdom, 
 Thus and no otherwise is the Lord glorified in man ; for the 
 Lord loves every man, and, from love, desires that His glory. 
 that is, Divine truth, may be in men. This, moreover, tiie 
 Lord teaches in yohi, 
 
 " If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask whatsoever 
 ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is My Father glori- 
 fied, that ye bear much fruit, and that ye be made My disciples " 
 (XV. 7, 8). 
 
 (That the salvation of the human race is the glory of the Lord, see A.C., n. 4347, 
 4593. 5957. 7550. 8263, 10646.) 
 
 34.. 'Mmen " signifies Divine conJirmatio?i. — This is evident 
 from the signification of "Amen," as meaning truth, for this 
 is the meaning of A)?iC7i in the Hebrew ; and as all truth 
 which is truth is Divine, "Amen," when said in the W'ord, 
 signifies Divine confirmation. For truth confirms all things, 
 and Divine truth confirms itself; and it was because the Lord 
 when He was in the world was Divine truth itself, that He so 
 frequently said "Amen" [or "Verily"]. 
 
 VERSES 7, 8. 
 
 35* " Behold He cometh with the clouds, and every eye shall see Him, and they who 
 pierced Him ; and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn over Him. Even so: Amen. I am 
 the Alpha and the Omega, Beginning and End, saith the Lord, who is, and who was, and 
 who is to come, the Almighty." 
 
 7. 'Behold He cometh with the clouds" signifies ///<?/ t/ie Lord is abottt to 
 
 ni't-al I/iiJisr/f in tlic Word throitgh its internal sense [n. 36] ; "and 
 every eye shall see Him" sij^nifies t//at all will acknow'edoe Him who 
 are in truths froi)i i^ood \\\. 37] ; "and they who pierced Him " sij:;nifics 
 that they also will see Him %vho are in falsi tirs from e-^'il [n. 38] ; "and 
 all the tribes of the earth shall mourn ver Him " si^n ifi es that the falsi- 
 ties of the church "mHI oppose [n. 39] ; "even so. Amen," signifies Divine 
 confirmation, that so it 7vill be [11. 40]. 
 
 8. "/ am the Alpha and the Omega, Beginning and End," sicrnifies that He 
 
 f^overns all thiw^s from firsts throiis^h oittmosis, thus all thin'C^s of 
 heaven to eternity [n. 41] ; "saith the Lord, who IS, and who was, 
 and who is to come," sijjnifies from Him who is the AH in all thins^s 
 of heaven and of the church from eternity to eternity, and yehoz'ah 
 [n. 42] ; "the Almighty" signifies/;w« Himself [n. 43]. 
 
40 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINKU. 
 
 36. [Vfisf 7.] "Behold, He cometh v^ji'n tha c'ouds." si^tuhe 
 that the Lord is about to reveal Himself in the Word ihrovgh its 
 mternal seiise. — This is evident from the signilication of "coin- 
 ing, "as meaning, in reference to the Lord, to reveal Himi-(h''; 
 and from the signification of 'clouds," as meaning Divine truths 
 in outmosts, thus the Word in the letter ; for the Word in resp-ecft 
 to the sense of the letter is Divine truth in outmosts ; and since 
 each thing therein contains an internal or spiritual sense, "com- 
 ing with clouds" mefns revealing Himself through that sense. 
 That "clouds" signify Divine truths in outmosts is from appear- 
 ances in the spiritual world. There clouds appear in various 
 kinds of light ; in the inmost or third heaven in a flaming light, 
 in the middle or second heaven in a white light, and in the 
 outmost or first heaven in a more obscure light ; and every one 
 there knows that they signify Divine truth from the Lord 
 through angels : for when Divine truth going forth from the 
 Lord, which is the very light of heaven, passes through angels, 
 it appears as a cloud, brighter or denser according to their 
 intelligence. Such clouds have oftentimes been seen by me, 
 and what they signify has been perceived. This is why " clouds, " 
 such as those that appear before the eyes of men in the world, 
 signify Divine truth in outmosts ; and as the Word in the letter 
 is Divine truth in outmosts, that is what is meant by "clouds." 
 [2.] He who does not know that "clouds" have this significa- 
 tion, may suppose that the Lord is about to come in clouds for 
 the Last Judgment, and to appear in glory ; according to His 
 words in the Evangelists, where He says, 
 
 " Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and they 
 
 shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power 
 and much glory " {Matt. xxiv. 30 ; Mark xiii. 26 ; Luke xxi. 27). 
 
 "The consummation of the age" which is there treated of is 
 the last time of the church ; and fhe Lord's coming at that time 
 is revelation of Himself, and of Divine truth which is from 
 Him, in the Word, through the internal sense. Elsewhere than 
 in the Word the Lord does not reveal Himself, nor does He re- 
 veal Himself there except through the internal sense. The Word 
 in the internal sense is also signified by "power and glory." 
 
 (That this is fulfilled at this day, namely, that the age is consummated, and the Last 
 Judgment accomplished ; and also that the Lord has come in the clouds of heaven, 
 that is, has revealed the internal sense of the Word, may be seen in the Last yuds^fnent, 
 from beginning to end ; also in Heaven and Hell, n. i ; also in the Doilrine of the New 
 yerusalem, n. 249-266. That " the consummation of the age " signifies the last time 
 of the church, see A.C.. n. 4535, 10622; that "the coming of the Lord" signifies 
 revelation of Divine truth through the internnl sense, n. 3900. 4060; that " clouds " 
 signify the sense of the letter of the Word. n. 4060, 4391, 5922, 6343, 6752, R106, 
 
CHAP. I., vi:ksi-; 7. — n. 36. 41 
 
 8781,9430, 10551, 10574; that " glory" signifies Divine truth in heaven, tl- « the 
 intern.il sense, for this is Divine truth in heaven, n. 5922, 9429, 10574. The I )rd is 
 said to be " about to come in power," because Divine truth, which is from tlic Lord 
 has all power, see FU^iviit and I/ell. n. 228-2.^3, 539.) The Same is P«eant 
 
 by the Lord's words to the liij^h priest, 
 
 "Jesus said " to the high priest, " I Icnceforlh ye shall see the Sor o( man 
 sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the c'^^ds of 
 heaven " {Mutt. xxvi. 64 ; Mark xiv. 62). 
 
 "The Son of man" is the Lord in respecfl to Divine trutli; 
 "sitting at the right hand of power " is His omnipo'vnce ; 
 "coming on the clouds of heaven" is revelation of l>i\ine 
 truth respeding Him in the Word, for He has revealed Him- 
 self and has fulfilled all things contained in the internal sense, 
 which treat especially of the glorification of His Human. 
 [3.] The same is signified by "clouds" in the folloving pas- 
 sages. In Daniel : 
 
 "I saw in the night visions, and behold there came with th*- clouds of 
 heaven, one like unto the Son of man " (vii. 13) ; 
 
 in the Apocalypse : 
 
 " I saw, and behold, a white cloud ; and on the cloud one s.-t like «into 
 the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown " (xiv. 14 16); 
 
 in Isaiah: 
 
 "Behold, Jehovah sitting upon a light cloud" (xix. i^ ; 
 
 in David : 
 
 "Sing unto God, sing praises to His name, extol Him that videth upon 
 the clouds " {Psalm Ixviii. 4) ; 
 
 in the same, 
 
 " Jehovah appointeth the clouds His chariot ; He walketh upon the wings 
 of the wind " (Psalm civ. 3). 
 
 Who cannot sec that these things are not to be understood ac- 
 cording to the sense of the letter, that is, that Jehovah sits upon 
 a cloud, that He rides upon the clouds, and that He makes the 
 clouds His chariot? He who thinks spiritually may know that 
 Jehovah is present in His Divine truth, for this goes forth from 
 Him, consequently that this is what is meant by "clouds;" so 
 it is said that Jehovah "appointeth the clouds His chariot;" 
 because by "chariot" is signified do(5lrine of truth (s"--^ AC. n. 
 2762, 5321, 8215). [4.] Likewise in the following places. In 
 Isaiah, 
 
 " Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the higher clouds [pour 
 down] righteousness " (xlv. 8) ; 
 
42 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 in Nahtini : 
 
 " The way of Jehovah is with cloud and storm, and clouds are the dust 
 of His feet " (i. 3) ; 
 
 in David : 
 
 "Ascribe ye strength unto God; His excellency is over Israel, and His 
 strength is in the higher clouds" {Fsalm Ixviii. 34) ; 
 
 in Moses : 
 
 " There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the 
 heaven in thy help, and in His magnificence upon the clouds " 
 {Deut. xxxiii. 26) ; 
 
 and in David : 
 
 " A faithful witness in the clouds " {Psalm Ixxxix. 37). 
 
 From this it can be seen what is meant by 
 
 The cloud filling the inner court {Ezek. x. 3, 4) ; 
 
 And "the cloud resting upon the tent" (repeatedly in Moses) ; 
 
 also that 
 
 Jesus when He was transfigured, was seen in glory, and a cloud over- 
 shadowed His three disciples, and it was said to them out of the 
 cloud, "This is My beloved Son " {Matt. xvii. i-io ; Mark ix. i-ii ; 
 Luke ix. 28-30). 
 
 (See also what is said about the Lord's being seen in a cloud in the midst of angels, 
 in Earths in the Universe, n. 171.) 
 
 37, "And every eye shall see Him" signifies f/iaf al/ wi// ac- 
 knowledge Hhn who are in tricths from good. — This is evident 
 from the signification of "seeing," as meaning to understand, 
 to perceive, and to acknowledge (see A.c, n. 2150, 2325, 2807, 3764, 3863, 
 3869 4723, 10705) ; and from the signification of "eye," as mean- 
 ing understanding and faith (see A.c, n. 2701, 4403-4421, 4523-4534, 
 9051, 10569) ; thus such as are in truths from good, for these 
 are in faith and in understanding therefrom. Tliat the "eye" 
 signifies understanding and faith, is from correspondence ; for 
 understanding is internal sight, and it is internal sight that 
 sees by means of the eye, for that sight determines the eye to 
 its obje6ls and disposes its interior parts, which are many, for 
 reception. It is in consequence of this that the iris and pupil 
 seem now dilated, now contracted, now obscure, now bright 
 and sometimes sparkling, always in agreement with the under- 
 standing's desire and want. Therefore, to some extent, the 
 thought's aflfeclion can be seen from the eyes. It is from this 
 correspondence that the' eye signifies understanding. The eye 
 also signifies faith, because truths of faith have no other abode 
 than the understanding ; truths that do not abide there are not 
 
CHAP. I., VEUSI-: 7. — N. 39. -to 
 
 in the man (see Dotfirine o/tJie x^w ycrusa/em. n. 28-36). The "eye 
 is, in the spiritual sense, faith, because also of the looking 
 to the Lord by angels ; for angels turn their faces continually 
 to the Lord, and see Him by faith and understanding. lOn 
 
 which Turning, see Heaven and Ikll, n. 123, 142, 143. 145. 151. I53. 255. 27-2. 
 510) 
 
 38. "And they who pierced Him" signifies that they also 
 will see Him who are in falsities from evil. — This is evident 
 from the signification of "piercing," as meaning those who 
 wholly deny the Lord, for these kill and pierce Him in them- 
 selves. These, too, are meant by the soldier who pierced His 
 side (^John xix. 34-37). By "soldier" and "soldiers" are 
 meant those who are of the church, and who should fight lor 
 the Lord. Here in particular are meant those of the Jewish 
 church, and, in general, all that are of the church who are in 
 falsities from evil. And as such were signified by "soldiers," 
 the soldiers divided the Lord's garments, and cast lots upon 
 His coat ; which means that the Jewish church dispersed the 
 Divine truths that are in the sense of the letter of the Word, 
 but were unable to disperse interior truths, or the truths of the 
 
 internal sense (for "garments" signify truths in outmosts, A.C., n. 2576, 
 5248, 6918, 9158, 9212 ; " to divide" signifies to dissipate and disperse, see n. 4424, 
 6360, 6361, 9093 ; and " the coat " interior truths, n. 9048, 9212, 9216, 9826). 
 
 39. "And all the tribes of the earth shall mourn over Him" sig- 
 nifies that the falsities of the church will oppose. — This is evident 
 from the signification of "mourning," as meaning to lament, to 
 grieve, to be displeased, to be angry, to be averse from, thus 
 to oppose; and from the signification of "tribes," as meaning 
 all truths and goods in the complex, and in the contrary sense, 
 all falsities and evils in the complex (of which in what follows) ; 
 also from the signification of " the earth," as meaning the church 
 (see above, n. 29). By "all the tribes of the earth," then, the 
 whole church is meant, and by "their mourning over Him" is 
 signified that truth and good will be no more, because falsities 
 and evils are to prevail and oppose. For this verse treats, in gen- 
 eral, of what the state of the church will be at its end, when 
 there will be no longer any faith, because no charity, namely, 
 that the Lord will then reveal Himself, and that all who are in 
 truths from good will acknowledge Him, and that they also will 
 see Him, who are in falsities from evil, but that the falsities of the 
 
 church will oppose. (That the Apocalypse does not treat of the successive 
 states of the church, but of its last state, or when it is at its end, see above, n. 5 ! 
 that its end is wlien there is no faith, because no charity, see the Last jfudgment, 
 
^ APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 n. 33-39, S(q. ; and when there is no faith, necause no cliarity, falsities from evil 
 prevail and oppose truths from good.) [2.] In the Word "tribes" 
 
 are often mentioned, inasmuch as the Israelitish people were 
 divided into twelve tribes, and one who has no acquaintance 
 with the internal sense of the Word supposes that by "tribes" 
 are meant the tribes of Israel ; but by "tribes" are not meant 
 tribes, nor by "Israel" is Israel meant, but by "tribes" are 
 meant all those who are in truths from good, and by "Israel" 
 the Lord's church. He who is ignorant of this will easily 
 adopt the common belief that the children of Israel were chosen 
 in preference to all others on earth, and that they are to be 
 brought at last into the land of Canaan ; indeed, that heaven 
 is to be formed chiefly from them ; when, in fa6l, by their names 
 they are not meant, but those who are in truths from good, thus 
 those who are of the church ; by the twelve tribes, all such, and 
 by each tribe, some particular truth and good relating to those 
 who are of the church. [3.] When this is understood, what 
 is meant by these words in the Apocalypse can be seen : 
 
 "And I heard the number of them which were sealed, a hundred and 
 forty and four thousand sealed of every tribe of the children of 
 Israel. Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand. Of 
 the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe 
 of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Asher were 
 sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Naphtali were sealed 
 twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasseh were sealed twelve 
 thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. 
 Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of 
 Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zebulon 
 were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed 
 twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve 
 thousand " (vii. 4-8). 
 
 Here those who are of the Israelitish nation are not meant, but 
 all, how many soever, who are in truths from good, for all such 
 are sealed for heaven. Moreover, the numbers " one hundred and 
 forty-four thousand ' ' and ' ' twelve thousand ' ' signify all ; and each 
 tribe signifies all who are in that truth or good which is signified 
 
 by Its name (as can be seen from what is shown in the Arcana Caelestia ; as what 
 good and truth are signified by " Judali," n. 3881, 6363 ; what by " Reuben," n. 3861, 
 3B66, 4605, 4731, 4734, 4761, 6342-6345; what by " Gad," n. 3934, 3935 ; what by 
 " Asher," n. 3938, 3939, 6408 ; what by " Naphtali," n. 3927, 3928 ; what by " Manas- 
 seh," n. 3969. 5351, 5354, 6222, 6234, 6238, 6267, 6296; what by "Simeon." n. 
 3869-3872, 4497,4502, 4503, 5482, 5626, 5630 ; what by " Levi," n. 3875, 3877, 4497. 
 4502, 4503; what by "Issachar," n. 3956, 3957; what by " Zebulon," n. 3960,3961, 
 6383; what by " Joseph," n. 3969, 3971, 4669,6417; and what by " Benjamin," n. 
 3969, 4592, 5411, 5413, 5443, 5639, 5686, 5688, 5689, 6440. That all numbers in the 
 Word signify things, see n. 482. 487, 647, 648, 755, 813, 1963, 2075, 2252, 3252, 4264, 
 4495, 4670, 5265, 6175, 9488, 9'359, 10217. 10253. That "twelve" signifies all, and 
 all things in respedl to truths from good, see n. 577, 2089, 2129. 2130, 3272, 3858, 
 
CHAI* I., VERSE 7. — N. 39. 45 
 
 3913: likewise the numbers "72," " 144," •' 12000," " 144.000," because they arise 
 from the number 12 by multiplication, n. 7973. That composite numbers have the 
 same meaning as the simple numbers from which tlicy are produced hv multiplica- 
 tion, see n. 5291, 5335, 5708, 7973). [*•] He who is not awarc tliat num- 
 bers signify things, and what the numbers " twelve," "one hun- 
 dred and forty-four," and "twelve thousand " signify, likewise 
 what "tribes" and "apostles" signify, cannot know what is 
 signified by these words in the Apocalypse : 
 
 "The holy city, \e\v Jerusalem," had "a wall ^jreat and high, having 
 twelve gales, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written 
 
 thereon which are the names of the twelve tribes of Israel ; and 
 
 the wall had twelve foundations, and on them twelve names of the 
 apostles of the Lamb." The wall was a hundred and forty and 
 four cubits, and the length and the breadth of the city twelve 
 thousand furlongs (xxi. 12, 14, 16, 171. 
 
 What is signified by all this you will see explained in the small 
 work on the New J erusalem and its Do6lrine m. i) ; namely, 
 that by "Jerusalem " is signified the church in respecl; to doc- 
 trine ; by its "wall," prote6ling truths; by the "gates," in- 
 trodu6lory truths; by the "foundations," knowledges on which 
 do6lrine is based; by " twelve angels" and by "twelve tribes," 
 all truths and goods in the complex ; " the twelve apostles " 
 have a like signification, and the numbers "twelve," "one 
 hundred and forty-four," and "twelve thousand," signify all 
 things and all persons. [5.] Furthermore, he who is aware 
 that such things are signified by the twelve tribes can see the 
 arcanum in this : 
 
 Why the names of the twelve tribes were engraved on the precious stones 
 in the Urim and Thummin, likewise what the breastplate signified 
 {Exod. xxviii. 21 ; xxxix. 10-15). 
 
 (This arcanum may be seen unfolded in A.C., n. 3858, 6335, 6640, 9863, 9865, 9873, 
 
 9874, 9905.) He can also see what is signified by this : 
 
 That the twelve apostles should sit upon twelve thrones, and are to 
 judge the twelve tribes of Israel {Matt. xix. 28) ; 
 
 namely, that the Lord alone will judge everyone by truths from 
 good (n. 2129, 6397). Also what is meant by 
 
 The predicflions of Israel, the father, respedling his sons {Gen. xlix.) ; 
 
 as well as numerous other passages of the Word, where tribes 
 are mentioned 
 
 (As in Isaiah xix. 13 ; xlix. 6; Ixiii. 17 ; Jer. x. 16; Ezek. xlviii. i, seq. ; 
 Psalii cxxii. 3-5 ; Dent, xxxii. 8 ; iVttm. xxiv. 2 ; Apoc. v. q ; vii. 
 4 9 ; xi. 9 ; xiii. 7 ; xiv. 6 ; and elsewhere). 
 
46 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 [6.] A^am, what is meant by the Lord's words respedling the 
 
 consummation of the age and His coming: 
 
 "After the affliction of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon 
 shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the 
 powers of the heavens shall be shaken : and then shall appear the 
 sign of the Son of man in heaven ; and then shall all the tribes of 
 the earth mourn ; and they shall see the Son of man coming on the 
 clouds of heaven, with power and great glory " {Matt. xxiv. 29, 30). 
 
 (These words caii be seen explained in detail in Heaven and Hell, n. i ; and in 
 the following passages in the Arcana Caelestia : that the twelve tribes of Israel repre- 
 sented and thus signified all truths and goods in the complex, thus all things of 
 faith and love, n. 3858, 3926, 4060, 6335 ; that like things are signified by the twelve 
 apostles, n. 2129, 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397 ; and that tlieir signification varies according to 
 the order in which they are named, n. 3862, 3926, 3939, 4603 seq., 6337, 6640, 10335.) 
 
 40. "Even so, Amen," signifies Divine confirmation that so 
 it will be. — This is evident fi'om the signification of "even so," 
 as meaning confirmation of what goes before, that so it will be ; 
 and from the signification of "Amen, "as meaning Divine con- 
 firmation (see above, n. 34). 
 
 41, {Verse?,.'] "I am the Alpha and the Omega, Beginning and 
 End," signifies that He governs all things from firsts through 
 outmosts, thus all thi?igs ofi heaven to eternity. — This is evident 
 from the signification of "the Alpha and the Omega," as mean- 
 ing the first and the last, or in firsts and in outmosts ; and He 
 who is in firsts and in outmosts also governs intermediates, 
 thus all things. These things are said of the Lord's Divine 
 Human, for they are said of Jesus Christ, by which name His 
 Divine Human is meant (see above, n. 26). By means of this 
 the Lord is in firsts and in outmosts. But that He governs 
 all things from firsts through outmosts, is an arcanum that 
 cannot as yet be perceived by man ; for man knows nothing 
 of the successive degrees into which the heavens are divided, 
 and into which also the interiors of man are divided ; and he 
 scarcely knows that man as to flesh and bones is in his out- 
 mosts. Neither does he perceive how intermediates are gov- 
 erned from firsts through outmosts ; and yet in order that He 
 might thus govern all things, the Lord came into the world 
 that even to outmosts, that is, even to flesh and bones, He 
 might assume the Human and glorify it, that is, make it Di- 
 vine. That the Lord put on such a Human, and took it with 
 Him into heaven, is known in the church from this, that He 
 left nothing of His body in the sepulchre ; also from what He 
 said to His disciples, 
 
 " See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself ; handle Me and see, for 
 a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye behold Me having " {Luke 
 xxiv. 39). 
 
CHAP. I., VEKSI. 8. — N. 43. 47 
 
 By this Human, therefore, the Lord is in outmosts : and by 
 making even these outmosts Divine, He put Himself in pos- 
 session of the Divine power of governing all things from firsts 
 through outmosts. If the Lord had not done this, the human 
 race on this earth would have perished in eternal death. Bui 
 this arcanum is not further disclosed, because more must be 
 known whereby an idea of Divine government from firsts 
 through outmosts may be formed and established. (Yet some 
 
 thing mav come into the undcrsianding from what is shown in tlie Arcana Caeles- 
 tia, namely, th:it interior tilings flow-in successively into external things, even into 
 what is extreme or outmost, and that there they have existence and subsistence 
 n. 634, 6239. 6465, 9216,9217; that interior things not only flow-in successively 
 they also form what is simultaneous in the outmost, and in what order, n. 5897, 6451, 
 8603, 10099 ; therefore, that all interior things are held together in conned\ion, from 
 what is first by means of what is outmost, n. 9828, and in Heaven and Hell, n. 297; 
 that from this there is strength and power in outmosts, n. 9836 ; that from this also 
 what is outmost is more holy than what is interior, n. 9824 ; that from this " the first 
 and last [or outmost] " signify all things, n. 10044, 10329, io335- On the successive 
 degrees into which the heavens are divided, and into which also the interiors ol 
 man are divided, see Heaven and Hell, n. 38.) It is Said also, that the 
 
 Lord is "Beginning and End," and by this is meant that He 
 is from eternity to eternity ; but neither can this be made clear 
 to the apprehension further than has been done above (n. 23). 
 
 42. "Saith the Lord, who is, and who was, and who is to come," 
 signifies /ro?n Him who is the AH in all things of heaven and 
 of the church, from eternity to eternity, and fehovah, as is evi- 
 dent from the explanation given above (n. 23). 
 
 43, "The A/mighty" signifies fro?n Himself. — This is evi- 
 dent from this, that no one except the Lord alone has any power 
 in the heavens ; therefore the angels have power, or are power- 
 ful, in the measure of their reception of power from the Lord, 
 and they receive in the measure in which they are in Divine 
 good united with Divine truth ; for this is the Lord in heaven. 
 From this it is clear that the Lord alone is powerful, and that 
 no one has any power in heaven except from the Lord. The 
 reason is that the Divine of the Lord is the All in all things in 
 heaven, for this makes heaven in general, and with each one in 
 particular. Moreover, by Him were all things created that 
 were created, thus heaven and earth, as He Himself teaches in 
 John : 
 
 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the 
 Word was God All things were made through Him ; and with- 
 out Him was not anything made that hath been made. In Him 
 was life, and the life was the light of men And the Word be- 
 came flesh, and dwelt among us " (i. i, 3, 4, 14). 
 
 By "the Word " is meant the Divine truth which is in the heav- 
 ens, and from which are all things there. That this is the Lord 
 
48 ^POCAI.YPSE EXPLAINKU. 
 
 in respe6l to the Divine Human is evident, for it is said, "And 
 the Word became flesh, and dwelt among- us." And because 
 all life of angels is therefrom, likewise all Hght in the heavens, 
 it is said, "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men." 
 
 (ijut all these things may be seen more fully explained in Heaven and Hell, namely, 
 that the Divine of the Lord makes heaven, n. 7-12 ; that this is His Divine Human, 
 n. 78-86 ; that all the life of angels is therefrom, n. 9 ; also all light in heaven, n 
 126-140; that angels have all their power from the Lord, and none at all from them- 
 selves, n. 228-233.) From all this it is clear that "Almighty" 
 means to be, to live, and to have power, from Himself. That 
 the Lord's Divine Human has being, life and power from It- 
 self equally with His Divine in It, which is called the Father, 
 the Lord also teaches, 
 
 "As the Father hath life in Himself, so gave He to the Son to have life 
 in Himself" {yohn v. 26) ; 
 
 and that no one else has life in himself Jesus declares, 
 "Apart from Me ye can do nothing" {John xv. 5). 
 
 VERSES 9-1 1. 
 
 iJ.^« "/ John, who also am your brother and associate in the affliction and hingdom 
 and [patient] expectation of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the Word 
 of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ, I became in the spirit on the Lord's day : 
 and I heard behind me a great voice, as of atrumpet, saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, 
 the First and the Last; and, what thou seest write in a booh, and send to the [seuen] 
 churches which are in Asia ; unto Ephesus, and Smyrna, and Pergamum, and Thyatira, and 
 Sardis, and Philadelphia, and Laodicea." 
 
 9. "/ John " signifies do(flrme respetfling the Lord [n. 45] ; "who a/so am your 
 brother" signifies and 7-especling good of love to Him [n. 46] ; "and 
 associate in the affliction" signifies truth of faith mfsled by falsi- 
 tifs [n. 47]; "and liingdom" signifies in the church where truths 
 are [11. 4S] ; "and [patient] expectation of Jesus Christ" signifies 
 where there is a hnciuledge of the Dii'ine in His Huma)i [n. 49] ; 
 "was in the isle that is called Patmos" signifit> revelation to the 
 nations [n. 50]; "for the Word of Gorf" signifies that Divine truth 
 may be received [n. 51]; "and for the testimony of Jesus Christ" 
 signifies and that the I.orcT s Divine Human may be acknowlcdi'ed \\\. 
 52]. 
 
 10. "I became in the spirit" signifies a spiritual state ivheji there is revelation 
 
 [n. 5j1 ; "on the Lord's day" signifies Divine in/lux then [n. 54] ; 
 "and I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet," .signifies 
 manifest pn-ception of Dri'ine truth, r,-,'ea!e,i from heaven [n. 55]. 
 
 11. "Saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last," signifies 
 
 who governs all things from firsts tli rough outmosts, thus all things of 
 heaven to eternity [n. 56] ; "and, what thou seest write in a book," 
 signifies that the things revealed may be for posterity [n. 57]; "and 
 send to the [seven] churches which are in Asia" signifies and to all, 
 then, who are in the light of intelligence [n. 5S] ; "unto Ephesus, and 
 Smyrna, and Pergamum, and Thyatira, and Sardis, and Philadelphia, 
 and Laodicea," signifies in each case according to reception [n. 59J. 
 
 45. [ Verse 9.] " / John " signifies doBrine respeHhig the 
 
CHAP. 1., VEKSE Q. — N. 46. 49 
 
 Lord. — This is eviileiit from the rej")rcsentation of "John ;" that by 
 him is meant in the hig^hest sense, the Lord in respecft to doctrine 
 (see above, n. 19); so also by "John " is signified doflrine respefling 
 the Lord ; for to know the Lord is the chief thing of all things of 
 doctrine, or the first and the last thereof; for the primary thing 
 of a church is to know and acknowledge its Divine ; for it is con- 
 joined with its Divine by means of acknowledgment and faith, and 
 without conjundlion with the Divine all things of do6lrine are of 
 no account ; this, moreover, is why the Divine has revealed Itself. 
 The Divine that has revealed Itself is the Divine Human. (That 
 
 without acknowledgment of the Divine in the Lord's Human there is no salvation, 
 see Doilrine of the New yerusalem. n. 280-310.) From this it is that "John," 
 
 because he represents the Lord in respe<5l to do<5trine, also repre- 
 sents dodlrine respefling the Lord. 
 
 46. "Who also am your brother" signifies and respening 
 good of love to Him. — This is e\'ident from the signification of 
 "brother," as meaning good of love. "Brother" signifies good 
 of love, because in heaven no other than spiritual relationships 
 are possible, thus no other than spiritual brotherhoods ; for those 
 there do not become brothers by birth ; moreover, those who 
 were brothers in the world do not so regard themselves there, but 
 each regards the other from good of love ; those most closely 
 conjoined regarding each other as brothers ; and others, ac- 
 cording to their conjunction by good, regarding each other as 
 kinsmen or as friends. This is why in the Word "brother" 
 signifies good of love. This, moreover, the Lord teaches where 
 it is said, 
 
 "One said unto Jesus, Behold, Thy mother and Thy brethren stand with- 
 out, seeking to speak to Thee ; but He answered and said,. . . .Who 
 is My mother, and who are My brethren?" (Matt. xii. 47-50). 
 
 " My mother and My brethren are those which hear the Word of God 
 and do it " {Luke viii. ig-21). 
 
 And in another place, 
 
 "One is your Teacher, Christ, and all ye are brethren" {Matt, xxiii. 8). 
 
 From this it is evident what it is to be a "brother in the Lord." 
 
 (But see what has been made known before respedting this ; as that all are con- 
 sociated in heaven according to spiritual kinships, which are kinships of good of love 
 and faith, and that such recognise each other as kindred. Heaven and Hell, n. 205 ; 
 and Arcana Caelestia, n. 685, 917, 2739, 3612, 3815, 4121 ; consequently by 
 ■' brethren " in the Word are meant lliose who are conjoined by good, n. 2360, 
 3303. 3803. 3815, 4121, 4191, 4267, 5409, 6756, 10490; that the Lord calls those 
 "brethren" who are in good of love and of faith from Him, n. 4191, 5686, 5692, 
 6756; that they are called "brethren " also from spiritual kinship, n. 6756; tliat 
 charity and faith, thus good and truth, are brethren, in what respe<5l, n. 367, 3160, 
 9806; that good and truth are also brother and sister, in what respetft, n. 2508. 
 
53 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 2524, 3160 ; that good and truth are also married partners, in what respeA, n. 3160; 
 that " man with brother " means truth with good, n. 3459, 4725.) 
 
 47. "And associate in the affliction" signifies /rufh of faith 
 infested by falsities. — This is evident from the signification of 
 "associate," as meaning truth of faith (of which see below) ; and 
 from the signification of "afiiidlion," as meaning infestation by 
 falsities (see A.c, n. 6663, 6851, 9196). In the Word frequent mention 
 is made of "brother" and "associate," and by these good and 
 truth are signified. Moreover, in ancient times those were called 
 "brethren" who were in good, and those were called "associates" 
 who were in truths, and for this reason, that truth must be con- 
 sociated with good, and when it is consociated, it becomes a 
 brother; consequently here by "associate" is signified truth of 
 
 faith. (That good and truth are meant by " brother" and" companion " in the Word, 
 
 see ^.C, n. 6756, 10490.) " Afiii6lion " signifies infestation by falsities, 
 since a mind that is in truths is affli6led by falsities, when the two 
 are in confli6l with each other ; spiritual affii6lion is from no other 
 source. This, therefore, is what is signified by "affliction" in the 
 Word, as in Matthew : 
 
 " He that was sown upon the rocky places. . . .hath no root in himself. . . . ; 
 when affli(flion or persecution ariseth because of the Word, straight- 
 way he stumbleth" (xiii. 20, 21). 
 
 And in the same, 
 
 In the consummation of the age " They shall deliver you up unto afflic- 
 tion For then shall be great affli6lion, such as hath not been 
 
 from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be 
 
 Immediately after the affli(5lion of those days the sun shall be dark- 
 ened " [Matt. xxiv. 9, 21, 29 ; Mark xiii. 19, 24). 
 
 The " consummation of the age " is the last time of the church ; and 
 since falsities are then to prevail and fight against truths, it is said 
 that they shall be " in afili61:ion, so great as hath not been from 
 the beginning of the world." Such afflidlion is meant by the 
 afifli6lion in which John is said to be an "associate," and by John 
 is here meant do6lrine respe6ling the Lord ; for in the Apocalypse 
 the last time of the church is treated of (see above, n. 5). 
 
 4.8. "And kingdom" signifies in the church where truths 
 are. — This is evident from the signification of "kingdom" in 
 the Word, as meaning heaven and the church. It means the 
 church in respe6l to truth, or where truths are, because by the 
 royalty of the Lord is signified ]3ivine truth proceeding from 
 Him, therefore by "kings" are signified truths (see above, n. 
 31). It is said the church in respedl to truth, by which is meant 
 the church in respedl to truths from good ; and for the reason 
 that there can be no truths without good, for truths have their 
 
CUM". 1., VKRSE 9. — N. 48. 51 
 
 life from ii;ood. Truths with a man who is not in good are in- 
 deed truths in themselves, but they are not truths in him (;is may 
 
 be seen .ihuiKlitnllv proved in The Dcclrine of the Xew yertisalcm, n. II-27). 
 
 [2.] That "kingdom" in the Word signifies heaven and the 
 church in respe6l to truths, is evident from many passages in 
 the Word, some of which I will cite. Thus in Matthew: 
 
 "The sons of the kingdom shall be cast forth into the outer darkness" 
 (viii. 12) ; 
 
 the "sons of the kingdom" here are those of the church where 
 truths do not prevail, but falsities. In the same, 
 
 " He that heareth the Word of the kingdom, and giveth not heed to it, 
 the evil one cometh.and snatcheth away that which hath been sown 
 
 in his heart. This is he that was sown by the way-side The 
 
 field is the world ; the good seed are the sons of the kingdom " 
 (xiii, 19, 38). 
 
 "To hear the Word of the kingdom" is to hear the truths of 
 the church; and because "seed" signifies truths, those who 
 receive truths are called "sons of the kingdom." (That "seed" 
 
 is the truth of the church, see A.C., n. 3038, 3373, 3671, 10248, 10249.) In the 
 
 same, 
 
 "Therefore the kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and 
 shall be given to a nation bringing forth fruit" (xxi. 43). 
 
 It is evident that "the kingdom of God" here signifies the 
 church in respect to truths, thus the truths of the church, from 
 its being said that "it should be taken away from them, and 
 given to a nation bringing forth fruit ;" "fruit" signifies good. 
 Again, in the same, 
 
 In the consummation of the age, "nation shall be stirred up against 
 nation, and kingdom against kingdom " (xxiv. 3, 7). 
 
 "The consummation of the age" is the last time of the church, 
 "nation against nation" is evil against good, and "kingdom 
 against kingdom " is falsity against truth. (That "nation" is the good of 
 
 the church, and in the opposite sense the evil thereof, see A.C., n. 1059. 1 156, 
 
 1258-1260, 1416, 18^9, 6005.) [3.] From this it is plain what is meant 
 by "kingdom" in the Lord's prayer, 
 
 " Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so also upon the 
 
 earth Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory" 
 
 {Matt. vi. ID, 13). 
 
 "Thy kingdom come" is a prayer that truth may be received; 
 "Thy will be done," that it may be received by those who do 
 God's will; "Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the 
 glory," means Divine truth from God alone; it is said "power 
 
52 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 and glory," because Divine truth has all power and glory (see 
 above, n. 33). From all this it can be seen what "kingdom 
 of God " signifies in many other passages in the Word, 
 namely, the church in respe6l to truths, also heaven, and in 
 the highest sense the Lord in respe6l to His Divine Human. 
 "Kingdom," in the highest sense, signifies the Lord in respect 
 to His Divine Human, because fi"om Him all Divine truth pro- 
 ceeds ; and "kingdom" signifies heaven, because heaven with 
 the angels is from no other source than the Divine truth that 
 proceeds from the Lord's Divine Human (see Heaven and Hell, r^. 
 7-12, 78-86, 126-140). 
 
 49. "And [patient^ expectation of Jesus Christ" signifies 
 where there is knowledge of the Lord's Dizdne in His Huma7i. — 
 This is evident from the signification of "the expectation of Jesus 
 Christ," as meaning the coming of the time when the church 
 shall know the Lord ; and the church will know the Lord 
 when it acknowledges the Divine in His Human. That by 
 "Jesus Christ" is meant the Lord in respedl to the Divine in 
 His Human, see above (n. 26). The church of which this is 
 said is the church that is to come after the present one, for it 
 is said "in the expe6lation. " The church that now is knows, 
 indeed, that the Divine is in the Human of the Lord ; for it 
 knows that according to the accepted do6lrine, the Divine and 
 the Human are not two but one person ; also that they are like 
 soul and body in man (see above, n. 10, 26). And yet it does 
 not know that the Lord's Human is Divine, for it separates 
 the one from the other, as is clear from this, that those who 
 are of the church do not admit the expression "Divine Hu- 
 man;" also that they appeal to the Father, that He will have 
 compassion for the sake of the Son, when yet the Divine It- 
 self in heaven is the Divine Human (see Heaven and Hell, n. 78-86). 
 And because this knowledge and acknowledgment has thus 
 perished, and yet it is the chief thing of all things of the church, 
 as well as the chief thing of all things in heaven, therefore a 
 new church is being established by the Lord among the na- 
 tions, where this is both known and acknowledged. This, then, 
 is what is signified by "the expe6lation of Jesus Christ." 
 
 50. "Was in the isle that is called /'af/7705 " signifies revela- 
 tion to the natio7is. — This is evident from the signification ol 
 "Patmos,'' as meaning the revelation contained in the Apoc- 
 alypse ; for all places mentioned in the Word signify things, and 
 the things they signify are from the worship there, or from 
 some memorable event that occurred there, or from their loca- 
 
CHAP. I., VERSE 9. — N. 50. 53 
 
 tlon in or near countries whereby the religion of the nation is 
 sig-nified. " Patmos " signifies revelation, from the memorable 
 fafl that there a revelation was made to John. The revelation 
 was made on an island, because an ''island" signifies a nation 
 remote from true worship, but still desiring to be enlightened. 
 That this is signified by "islands" in the Word, will be clear 
 from what follows ; in the first place something shall be said 
 about names of places in the Word signifying things. All 
 persons mentioned in the Word, and all by whom the Word 
 was written, were led to places that were significant, in order 
 that all things might be significative of spiritual things. Even 
 the Lord Himself, for the same reason, went to places thus sig- 
 nificative ; as into Galilee, to Tyre and Sidon, to Jerusalem, and 
 to the Mount of Olives near by, also, when an infant, was carried 
 into Egypt. It was the same with the prophets, and with many 
 who are mentioned in the historical Word, as may be abund- 
 antly shown. For this reason, John was commanded to be- 
 take himself into the isle of Patmos, that the things that are to 
 be at the end of the church might there be revealed, because 
 "island" signifies a nation about to accept truths of do6lrine. 
 This island, moreover, is in the archipelago, where there are 
 numerous other islands ; and from this it is that by " Greece" in 
 the Word such nations are signified 
 
 (Thus in Dan. viii. 21; x. 20; xi. 2; Johji xii. 20, 21; Mark vii. 26, 
 seq.). 
 
 (That all names of places mentioned in the Word signify things, see A.C., n. 1224, 
 
 1264,1876,1888,4310,4442,10329.) [2.] That "islands" signify nations 
 that are about to accept the true worship of God, is evident 
 froin the following passages. In Isaiah : 
 
 " Glorify Jehovah in Urim, the name of Jehovah the God of Israel a 
 the isles of the sea" (xxiv. 15). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " He shall not quench nor break, until He have set judfjment in the 
 earth: and the isles shall hope in His law. Sing unto Jehovah a 
 new song, His praises, ye ends of the earth : ye that go down to 
 the sea,. . . .the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. Let them give 
 glory unto Jehovah, and declare His praise in the islands" (xlii. 
 4, 10, 12). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Listen, O isles, unto Me, and hearken, ye peoples from afar" (xlix. i). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "The isles shall hope in Me, and on My arm shall they trust" (li. 5). 
 
54 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "The islands shall trust in Me, and the ships of Tarshish" (Ix. 9). 
 
 In yereniiah: 
 
 Hear the words of Jehovah, O ye nations, and declare them in the 
 isles afar off " (xxxi. 10). 
 
 And in Zephaniah: 
 
 "Jehovah will famish all the gods of the earth, that they may worship 
 Him, every one in his place, even all the isles of the nations " 
 (ii. II). 
 
 And elsewhere 
 
 (as in Isaiah xxiii. 2, 6 ; xli. i, 5 ; xlii. 15 ; xlvi. 19 ; Jer. ii. 10; xxv. 22 ; 
 Ezek. xxvii. 3, 7, 15, 35). 
 
 From these and other passages it is plain that "isles " signify 
 nations, specifically nations in respect to do6lrine of truth, in 
 other places in respect to do6lrine of falsity ; for most things 
 in the Word have opposite significations. 
 
 51. "For the Word of God" signifies thai Divine truth may 
 be received. — This is evident from the signification of " the Word 
 of God," as meaning Divine Truth (see a.c, 4692, 5075, 9987). 
 
 52. "And for the testimony of Jesus Christ" signifies that 
 the Lord' s Divine Human may be acknowledged. — This is evi- 
 dent from the signification of "testimony," as meaning acknow- 
 ledgment in heart (see above, n. 10, 27) : and from the sig- 
 nification of the names "Jesus" and "Christ," as meaning the 
 Lord in respe6l to His Divine Human (see above, n. 26). These 
 things are said concerning the church of the nations, which is 
 about to receive Divine truth and acknowledge the Lord's Di- 
 
 vme Human. (That these things are said of the church of the nations, see 
 
 above, n. 50.) The Christian church acknowledges the Lord's Divine, 
 but not His Divine Human ; when, therefore, they think and 
 speak about the Lord from doflrine, they separate His Human 
 from the Divine, and make His Human like the human of another 
 man ; yet the Divine is in His Human as the soul is in the body. 
 This is why such as these can have no idea of the Divine ; 
 although it is idea that conjoins, because thought conjoins ; 
 moreover, without conjun6lion with the Divine through thought 
 and affe6lion, or what is the same, through faith and love, there 
 is no salvation. It is said that conjun6tion through thought and 
 afife6lion is the same as conjunction through faith and lcf\-e, since 
 what I believe, that I think, and what I love, by that I am afifeded. 
 To believe in the invisible is much the same as believinof in the 
 
CHAP. I., VERSE lO. — N. 53. 55 
 
 inmost of nature, an error into which the mind readily lapses when 
 it yields to its own plwatasies. Yet there is implanted within every- 
 one, from heaven, and this by continual influx therefrom, a desire 
 to see what he regards as the Divine, and this, indeed, under the 
 human form. [2.] This desire is implanted in the simple-minded, 
 and with well-disposed races (s^c Heaven and Hell. n.z^). All such, 
 therefore, if they have lived a life of charity, are received by the 
 Lord, and heaven is granted them. No others can be received, 
 
 because they are not conjoined. (That all angels in heaven, and the 
 most wise in ancient times, and all who have spiritual faith, that is, a living faith, both 
 on this earth and all the earths in the universe, see their Divine in thought, because 
 they acknowledge the Divine Human, and are therefore accepted by the Lord, see 
 Doilrine of the New yerusalem, n. 280-310 ; and Heaven and Hell, n. 79-86, 316, 
 321 ; and the small work on The Earths in the Universe, n. 7, 40, 41, 65, 68, 91, 98, 
 
 99, 107, 121, 141, 154', 158, 159, 169.) Because this implanted desire, 
 which is in every one from heaven, has been almost wholly re- 
 jected among the learned of the world, and access to the Divine 
 thereby debarred, a new church is now being established by the 
 Lord among the nations that have not extirpated that idea, and 
 faith along with it. The extirpation from the Christian world of 
 this implanted desire had its beginning with the Babylonish body, 
 which separated the Lord's Human from His Divine, in order 
 that its chief might be acknowledged as the vicar of the Lord's 
 Human, and might thus transfer to himself the Lord's Divine 
 power, saying that the Lord received that power from the 
 Father, when in fa<5l it was from Himself, because it was from His 
 Divine. Thus they are unwilling to hear anything about the 
 Divine Human (see A.C., n. 4738). But on this subjed, as it is the 
 chief thing of all things in the church, more will be said here- 
 after. 
 
 53. "/ became in the spirit" signifies a spiritual state when 
 there is reve/ation. — This is evident from the signification of "to 
 become in the spirit," as meaning to be brought into the state 
 in which spirits and angels are, which state is a spiritual state. 
 Into this state a man is brought when he is let into the state of 
 his spirit, for every man is a spirit as regards his interiors (see 
 Heaven and Hell, n. 432-444). When a man is in that state, the things 
 that are in the spiritual world appear to him as clearly as obje<5ts 
 appear in the natural world ; but the things that appear, because 
 they are of spiritual origin, are in themselves spiritual, and such 
 things as are of heavenly wisdom are presented as it were in natural 
 images. In this way Divine things are presented before the eyes of 
 spirits and angels in visible forms. From this it is that all things 
 that are seen in heaven are representative and significati\e, as 
 
56 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 were the thing^s seen by John, as described in the Apocalypse. 
 
 (The charadler of such things can be further learned from what is said and shown 
 concerning Representatives and Appearances in Heaven, in the work on Heaven 
 
 and Hell, n. 170-176.) [2.] While man is in the body he does not see 
 such things as are in heaven, unless the sight of his spirit is 
 opened ; when this is opened, then he sees. In this way John 
 saw the things described in the Apocalypse ; and in like manner 
 the prophets saw ; and they were therefore called Seers, and were 
 said to have their eyes opened. In this way also angels were seen 
 in ancient times, and the Lord was seen by the disciples after 
 His cesurredlion. This sight is the sight of the spiritual man ; 
 and because in this state all things appear representatively, John 
 wias in it. He who knows nothing about this sight, believes that 
 angels, when seen by men, have taken on a human form, and 
 that when they vanished from sight they laid it aside ; but this 
 is not so; angels then appeared in their own form, which is the 
 human form, not before the sight of men's bodily eyes, but 
 before the sight of their spirit, which sight was then opened. 
 This is evident from the Lord's being seen by the disciples [after 
 His resurredlion], when He Himself showed to them that He 
 was a man in a complete human form {Liike xxiv. 39 ; yohn 
 XX. 20-28) ; and yet He became invisible. When they saw 
 Him the eyes of their spirit were opened, but when He be- 
 came invisible those eyes were closed. That man has such 
 sight has been made clear to me by much experience, for all 
 things I have seen in the heavens have been seen by that 
 sight. At such times I was in the same state of wakefulness 
 as when they were not seen. But at the present time that sight 
 is seldom opened to any one by the Lord, and for many rea- 
 sons. 
 
 54. "On the Lord's day" signifies DiviJie influx the7i. — This 
 is evident from the signification of "the Lord's day," as meaning 
 when the Lord is instructing man, thus when He is fiowing-in. 
 The Lord's day is the day of the Sabbath, and the Sabbath in the 
 ancient churches, which were representative churches, was the 
 most holy thing of worship, because it signified the union of the 
 Divine and the Human in the Lord, and therefore the conjunc- 
 tion of His Divine Human with heaven (see A.c, n. 8494, 8495, 10356, 
 10360, 10370, 10374, 10668). But when the Lord had united His Di- 
 vine with His Human that holy representative ceased, and the 
 day became a day of instruftion (n. 10360). For this reason 
 revelation was made to John on the Lord's day. Revelation 
 here is instrudlion concerning the state of the church. 
 
CHAP. I., VERSE lO. — N. 55. 57 
 
 55, "And I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trum- 
 pet," signifies manifest perception of Divine truth revealed from 
 heaven. — This is evident from the signification of "hearing," as 
 meaning to perceive and obey (sec A.c, n. 2542, 3869, 4653, 5017, 7-.i6, 
 8361,8990,9311,9397); and from the signification of "behind me," 
 as meaning manifestly (of which hereafter) ; and from the sig- 
 nification of "voice," when heard out of heaven, as meaning Di- 
 vine truth (see A.C, n. 219, 220, 3563, 6971, 8813, 8914) ; and from the 
 signification of a "trumpet," as meaning truth to be revealed 
 out of heaven (of which hereafter). " Behind me " signifies mani- 
 festly, because the things that flow-in from heaven into man's 
 afiecftion flow-in into the occipital region, and come thus into 
 his manifest perception ; for whatever enters into affe6fion is 
 manifestly perceived, for the whole life of perception is from affec- 
 tion ; but whatever flows out of heaven immediately into thought 
 flows into the region above the forehead. (Concerning this influx, see 
 Heaven and Hell, n. 251.) From this it is clear what is meant by John's 
 having heard " behind him," and by his afterwards " having turned 
 to see the voice which spake with him." A "trumpet" or " horn " 
 signifies Divine truth about to be revealed out of heaven, because 
 sometimes Divine truth is heard in this way when it flows down 
 from the Lord through the heavens with man ; for it is in- 
 creased in coming down ; and it thus flows-in. But by those 
 through whom Divine truth is to be revealed in the outmost sense, 
 which is representati\e of interior things, it is heard in this way 
 only in the beginning ; afterwards it is heard as a human voice. 
 From this it is evident why "the voice of a trumpet" or "horn" 
 signifies Divine truth about to be revealed out of heaven. [2.] He 
 who is aware that "trumpet" or "horn" signifies Divine truth 
 out of heaven can understand many passages in the Word where 
 diese are mentioned. As in Matthew : 
 
 "He shall send forth His angels, with a great sound of a trumpet, and 
 they shall gather together His elecfl from the four winds " (xxiv 
 31). 
 
 In Isaiah : 
 
 "All ye inhabitants of the world, and ye dwellers on the earth, when the 
 sign of the mountains shall be lifted up, see ye ; and when the 
 trumpet is blown, hear ye " (xviii. 3). 
 
 In fere mi ah : 
 
 "Proclaim with the trumpet in the land Set up a standard towards 
 
 Zion How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound 
 
 of the trumpet? For my people are foolish,. . .they are sottish 
 children, and they have none understanding" (iv. 5, 6, 21, 22). 
 
58 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " I set watchman over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. 
 But they said, We will not hearken. Therefore hear, ye nations " 
 (vi. 17, 18). 
 
 In Ezekiel: 
 
 " He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning ; his blood 
 shall be upon him ; whereas if he had taken warning he should 
 have delivered his soul" (xxxiii. 5). 
 
 In Hosea : 
 
 "[Set] the trumpet to thy mouth,. . .because they have transgressed My 
 covenant, and trespassed against My law" (viii. i). 
 
 In Zechariah: 
 
 "The Lord Jehovih shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds 
 of the south " (ix. 14). 
 
 In David : 
 
 "God is gone up with a shout, and Jehovah with the sound of a trum- 
 pet " {I'salm xlvii. 5). 
 
 Also in the Apocalypse 
 
 (chap. iv. I ; viii. 2, 7, 8, 13 ; ix. i, 13, 14 ; x. 7 ; xviii. 22). 
 
 Because a "trumpet" signified Divine truth, when Divine truth 
 was first about to be revealed before the people of Israel, 
 
 Sounds of a trumpet were heard from Mount Sinai {Exod. xix. 16). 
 
 For this reason sounding the trumpet became representative with 
 them 
 
 When they were to assemble, and when they went forward, also in their 
 solemn observances at the beginnings of months, at burnt-offerings 
 and eucharistic sacrifices {Num. x. i-io) ; 
 
 They also sounded trumpets when they went forth to battle against the 
 Midianites {Num. xxxi. 6) ; 
 
 And when they took the city of Jericho {Joshua vi. 4-20) ; 
 
 for wars and battles signified spiritual combats, which are combats 
 of truth against falsity, and of falsity against truth. 
 
 56. IVerse 11] "Saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the 
 First and the Last," signifies who governs all things from first 
 principles through outmosts, thus all things of heaveyi to eternity, 
 as is evident from what is said and shown above (n. 41). 
 
 57, "And, what thou seest write in a book" signifies thai 
 the things revealed may be for posterity, as is clear without ex- 
 planation. 
 
CHAP. I., CONTEbTTS VERSES I 2-1 6. — X. 6o. 59 
 
 58. "And send to the [seven'} churches which are in Asia" 
 
 signifies anJ to all, then, who arc in tJic light of intelligence. — 
 This is evident from the signification of "the seven churches," as 
 meaning all who are in truths from good, or in faith from charity, 
 thus who are of the church (see above, n. 20) ; and from the signifi- 
 cation of "Asia," as meaning those who are in the light of intel- 
 ligence (see above, n. 21). 
 
 59, "Unto Ephesus, and Smyrna, and Pergamum, and Thya- 
 tira, and Sardis, and Philadelphia, and Laodicea," sli^uihcs in each 
 case according to reception. — This is exitlent from what follows, 
 where these churches are treated of in detail. It is said accord- 
 ing to reception, because the light of intelligence does not con- 
 stitute the church in man, but reception of light in heat, that is, 
 reception of truth in good. It is said reception of light in heat, 
 because spiritual light is Divine truth, and spiritual heat is Divine 
 good, and these two in the spiritual world answer to light and 
 heat in the natural world, in this, that so far as spring or summer 
 heat unites itself with light, so far all things grow and germinate, 
 but so far as that heat does not unite itself with light, so far all 
 
 things become torpid and die. (That light in the spiritual world is Divine 
 truth, and heat Divine good, and that they answer to the heat and light in the nat- 
 ural world, see Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140). 
 
 VERSE 12-16. 
 
 00» " And I turntd to see the voice which spal<e with me. And having turned, I saw 
 geven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands one like unto the Son of 
 man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about at the paps with a golden 
 girdle. And His head and hairs white as white wool, as snow ; and His eyes as a flame of 
 fire. And His feet lilie unto bur ni sited brass, as if glowing in a furnace ; and His voice 
 as the voice of many waters. And having in His right hand seven stars; and out of Hia 
 mouth a sharp two-edged sword going forth ; and His face as the sun shineth in liis power." 
 
 12. "And I turned to see the voice which spake with me" signifies i/ie under- 
 standing enlig/Uened [n. 61}; 'and having turned I saw seven golden 
 lampstands" signifies a ne-w heaven and a ne'u churih, '.i'Jneh are in 
 the good of love [n. 62] . 
 
 13 'And in the midst of the seven lampstands one like unto the Son of man" 
 signifies the Lord, from -whom is the Ail of heaven and of the chureh 
 [n. 63] ; "clothed with a garment down to the foot" signifies Divine 
 truth going forth fro?n Him [n. 64] ; "and girt about at the paps with 
 a golden girdle" signifies Divine good likewise [n. 65]. 
 
 14. 'And His head and hairs white" -signifies //is Divine iti firsts and in out- 
 
 rnosts [n. 66j ; "as white wool, as snow," signifies in respe<fl to good 
 and truth therein [n. 67] ; "and His eyes as a flame of fire" signifies 
 Divine Providence from His Divine /.eve [n. 6SJ. 
 
 15. 'And His feet like unto burnished brass, as if glowing in a furnace." sig- 
 
 nifies the outmost of Divine order, -vhieh is the natural [full of Di- 
 vine Love] [n. 69, 70] ; "and His voice as the voice of many waters ' 
 signifies Divine truth in out most s [n. 71]. 
 
60 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINEH. 
 
 i6. "And having in His right hand seven stars" signifies a// /«, ^vV.^w o/ 
 good ciiiU ti-itth from Him | n. 72 J ; "and out of His mouth a sharp 
 two-edged sword going forth" >ij^nitie.s //w dispersion 0/ ail falsi Ues 
 by the^ Word [n. 73J ; "and His face as the sun shineth in his power' 
 signifies His Divine Love, from which are all things 0/ heaven 
 [n. 74]. 
 
 61. [ Verse 12.] "And I turned to see the voice which spake 
 with me " signifies //z<? understanding enlightened. — This is evi- 
 dent in some degree from what was said above (n. 55), in the 
 explanation of what is signified by John's hearing a voice behind 
 him. It is clear that in these words is an arcanum that cannot be 
 known until it is known how the Divine flows-in out of heaven 
 with man ; for it was from influx that John heard the voice behind 
 him, and that afterwards, having turned to see the voice, he saw 
 the things that follow. Divine influx out of heaven is into man's 
 will, and through that into his understanding. Influx into the 
 will is into the occipital region, because into the cerebellum, and 
 from this it passes towards the foreparts into the cerebrum, where 
 the understanding is, and when it comes by that way into the 
 understanding it comes also into the sight ; for man sees by the 
 understanding. That there is such influx it has been granted me 
 to know by much experience. It is the same whether we say 
 influx into the will, or into the love, since the will is the receptacle 
 of love ; it is also the same whether we say influx into the under- 
 standing or into faith, since the understanding is the receptacle of 
 
 faith (see what is said in Tlie Do£lrine of the New fet-usalem, n. 28-35). But 
 
 it is not permitted to adduce more on these subjedls at present, 
 because up to this time they have been unknown : only these few 
 things have been said that it may be known what is involved in 
 John's hearing a voice behind him, and his turning to see it ; and 
 why it is that this signifies the understanding enlightened ; it is 
 because what enters through the will into the understanding, or 
 through love into faith, comes into clear light, since what man wills 
 or loves, that he clearly perceives. It is otherwise if it enters by 
 the way of the understanding alone. It is said " to see the voice," 
 because by "seeing," when predicated of spiritual things, is sig- 
 nified understanding from enlightenment (as was shown above, 
 n. 11); and unless "seeing" signified understanding it would not 
 have been said "to see the voice." 
 
 62. "And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands," 
 signifies a new heaven and a new church, zchich are in the good 
 of love. — This is evident from the signification of "having turned 
 to see," as meaning to understand from enlightenment (see just 
 before, n. 6i) ; and from the signification of "seven," as meaning 
 
CHAP. I., VERSE 12.— N. 62. 61 
 
 fulness and all, and as being predicated of the holy things of 
 heaven and the church (see above, n. 20, 24) ; and from the signi- 
 fication of " lampstands," as meaning a new heaven and a new 
 church (as will be seen in what follows) ; and from the signification 
 of "gold," as meaning good of love (sec ^.c, n. 113, 1551, 1552, 5658. 
 6914,6917, 9510, 9874,9881). That "seven lampstands" signify heaven 
 and the church is evident from the last verse of this chapter, 
 where it is said, "The seven lampstands which thou sawest are 
 the seven churches." That "the seven churches" signify all who 
 are of the church of the Lord, thus the church in general, may be 
 seen above (n. 20) : they also signify heaven, because heaven and 
 the church make one ; moreo'.er, those that have tlie church in 
 them have heaven in them ; for the reason that the good of lo\e 
 and faith makes the church with man, pnd makes heaven with him, 
 as it does with angels ; consequently, those that have the church, 
 that is, the goods and truths of the church, in them in the world, 
 
 come into heaven after death. (That this is so, see TAe DotUHne of the New 
 Jerusalem, n. 21 ; and Heaven and Hell, n. 57, 221-227.) The " SCVCn lamp- 
 
 stands" here mean a new heaven and a new church, for these are 
 treated of at the end of the Apocalypse (see chapter xxi.), and are 
 thus the conclusion of all things therein ; and because that which is 
 last is also first, the prediction respecting these is presented here at 
 the beginning. Moreover, it is usual in the Word to mention in 
 the beginning things that are to take place at the end, because 
 intermediates are thus included ; for, in the spiritual sense, the first 
 is the end for the sake of which, as that is both first and last, 
 
 and to it all other things look (see in The Dodrine of the New Jerusalem,w. 
 
 98). [2.] That "lampstand" signifies heaven and the church is 
 evident from the description of the lampstand which was in the 
 tabernacle, for by the tabernacle the whole heaven in the complex 
 was represented ; and by the lampstand therein, the spiritual 
 heaven, which is the second heaven (see A.c, n. 3478, 9457, 9481,9485, 
 9548-9577, 9783). That this is so is clearly evident from John's seeing 
 " in the midst of the seven lampstands one hke unto the Son of 
 man ;" "the Son of man" is the Lord in respe6l to His Divine 
 Human, from which is Divine truth, which is the All in all things of 
 heaven and the church. In the spiritual heaven lampstands ap- 
 pear in much magnificence ; by these that heaven is represented. 
 These it has been given me to see. From this it can be seen what 
 is meant in the Word, in the spiritual sense, by "lampstands" and 
 by "lamps," in the following passages. In the Apocalypse : 
 
62 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 "I will remove thy lampstand out of its place, except thou repent" 
 
 (ii. 5). 
 
 "To remove the lampstand" is to take away from them heaven 
 or the church. In Zechariah : 
 
 The angel said to the prophet, "What seest thou? And I said, I have 
 seen, and behold a lampstand all of gold, its bowl on the top of it, 
 and its seven lamps thereon, with seven pipes to the lamps " (iv. 
 2, 3)- 
 
 Here Zerubbabel is treated of, who was to lay the foundation of 
 the house of God, and to finish it. By Zerubbabel is represented 
 the Lord, that He was about to come and restore heaven and the 
 church: these are the "lampstand," and the holy truths thereof 
 are "the seven lamps." [3.] Because a lampstand takes its repre- 
 sentative meaning from the lamps, and the lamps from light, 
 which in heaven is Divine truth, so the Lord is called "a lamp.;" 
 as in the Apocalypse : 
 
 The holy Jerusalem " hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, 
 to shine in it ; the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the 
 lamp thereof " (xxi. 23 ; xxii. 5). 
 
 From this also it is that David, and the kings after him, are 
 called 
 
 " Lamps of Israel" (2 Sam. xxi, 17 ; i Kings xi. 36 ; xv. 4 ; 2 Kings viii. 
 19); 
 
 for the Lord in respe6l to His royalty was represented by 
 David, likewise by the kings of Judah and Israel. (For the repre- 
 sentation by " David," see A.C.,n. 1888,9954; ^^^ tiy " ^^'ngs," n. 3 1, above). The 
 lampstands that were seen were of gold; because "gold" sig- 
 nifies good of love, and all that goes forth from the Lord is 
 from Divine Love ; consequently the Divine of the Lord in the 
 heavens is love to Him and love towards the neighbor, which 
 
 is charity (as may be seen in Heaven and Hell, n. 13-19). This is why the 
 
 lampstand here, as well as the lampstand in the tabernacle, was 
 of gold. 
 
 63. IVerse 13.] "And in the midst of the seven lampstands one 
 like unto the Son of man" signifies the Lord, from whom is the All 
 of heaven and of the church. — This is evident from the signification 
 of "in the midst," as meaning in the inmost (see A.C., n. 1074, 2940, 
 2973); and as all things go forth from the inmost, as light goes forth 
 from centre to circumferences, so "in the midst" signifies y'rc'^w 
 whom; also from the signification of "the seven lampstands," 
 as meaning a new heaven and a new church (of which just above, 
 
ClIAl'. I., VERSE 13. — N. 63. 63 
 
 r». 62) ; and from the signification of "the Son of man," as mean- 
 ing the Lord in respe6l to the Divine Human, and in respe(5l to 
 Divine truth, because Divine truth goes forth from His Divine 
 Human. From all this it can be seen why the Lord appeared 
 "in the midst of seven lampstands," namely, that from Him the 
 All of heaven and the church goes forth ; for it is the good of 
 love and fliith that makes heaven and the church, and that this 
 good is from the Divine is known in the Christian world, and as 
 it is from the Divine, so it is from the Lord, for the Lord is the 
 God of heaven, and the Divine of the Lord makes heaven (see 
 
 Heaven and Hell, n. 2-6, 7-12 ; and that this is His Divine Human, see n. 78-86). 
 
 [2.] That the Son of man is the Lord in respect to the Divine 
 Human, and in respedt to Divine truth, because Divine truth 
 goes forth from His Divine Human, is evident from those pas- 
 sages in the Word where the Son of man is mentioned. Thus 
 in yohn: 
 
 The multitude said to Jesus, "How sayest Thou, The Son of man must 
 be lifted up? Who is this Son of man? Jesus answered them, Yet 
 a little while is the light with you ; walic while ye have the light, 
 
 lest darkness overtake you While ye have the light believe in 
 
 the light, that ye may be sons of light " (xii. 34-36). 
 
 From these words it is clear that "the Son of man" and " Light" 
 have like significations ; for when the people asked, Who is the 
 Son of man? the Lord answered that He was the Light in which 
 
 they should believe. (That " light " is Divine truth going forth from the Lord's 
 Divine Human, see Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140; and in The Doiirine of the New 
 yerusalem, n. 49 ; thus also the Son of man.) [3.] In Luke : 
 
 " Blessed are ye when men shall hate you for the Son of man's sake " 
 
 (vi. 22). 
 
 "For the Son of man's sake" is for the sake of Divine truth that 
 goes forth from the Lord. Divine truth is the All of faith in and 
 love to the Lord. Because the evil deny these things, and those 
 who deny also hate them, while the good acknowledge them, it 
 is said that the good are blessed. [4.] In the same, 
 
 " The days will come when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the 
 Son of man, and ye shall not see it. Then they shall say to you, 
 Lo here, or Lo there. Go not away, nor pursue after " (xvii. 22, 23). 
 
 "To desire [to see] one of the days of the Son of man" is to 
 desire Divine truth, which is genuine truth, as to something 
 thereof; the end of the church is here meant, when there will no 
 longer be any faith, because there will be no charity, at which 
 time all Divine truth will perish ; and because Divine truth is 
 
64 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 signified by "the Son of man," it is said, "Then shall they 
 say, . . . Lo here, or Lo there ;... pursue not after." [5.] In the 
 same, 
 
 "When the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith upon the earth?" 
 (xviii. 8) ; 
 
 which means that when Divine truth shall be revealed out of 
 heaven it will not be believed. Here also, "the Son of man" is 
 the Lord in respe6l to Divine truth ; the coming of the Lord is 
 revelation of Divine truth at the end of the church (see A.C., n, 
 3900,4060). [6.] \n Matthew: 
 
 " As the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto 
 
 the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be Then 
 
 shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven ; and then shall 
 all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of 
 man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and glory " (xxiv. 
 27, 30). 
 
 That by " the coming of the Lord in the clouds of heaven " is here 
 signified revelation of Divine truth at the end of the church, 
 see above (n. 36). [7.] In the same, 
 
 "I say unto you, Henceforth ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the 
 right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven " (xxvi. 
 64). 
 
 And in Licke : 
 
 "From henceforth shall the Son of man be seated at the right hand of 
 the power of God " (xxii. 69). 
 
 "The Son of man " is the Lord in respe6l to the Divine Human, 
 and in respe6l to Divine truth going forth from Him : " to sit at 
 the right hand of power" means that He has omnipotence; its 
 being said that they were now about to see this means that 
 Divine truth was in its omnipotence when the Lord in the world 
 had conquered the hells and reduced to order all things there and 
 in the heavens, and that thus those who received Him in faith and 
 
 love might be saved (see A.C., n. 9715. That to " sit at the right hand " means 
 omnipotence, see A.C., n. 3387, 4592, 4933, 7518, 8281, 9193 ; that all the power of 
 good is by means of truth, n. 6344, 6423, 8304, 9327, 9410, 9639, 9643. That Divine 
 power itself is by means of Divine truth going forth from the Lord's Divine Human, 
 see n. 6948 ; that the " clouds " in which the Son of man is to come are the Word in the 
 letter, which is Divine truth in the outmost of order, see the preface to chapter xviii. 
 of Genesis, n. 4060, 4391, 5922, 6343, 6752, 8443, 8781 ; and that " glory " is Divine 
 truth itself, such as it is in the internal sense of the Word, see n. 4809, 5922, 8267, 
 
 9429). [8.] From all this it can now be seen what is signified by 
 these words in the Apocalypse : 
 
 " I saw, and behold, a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto 
 the Son of man, having on His head a golden crown " (xiv. 14). 
 
CHAP. I., VERSE 13. — N. 63. 65 
 
 And in Daniel : 
 
 " I saw in the night visions, and behold, there came with the clouds ol 
 heaven one like unto the Son of man" (vii. 13). 
 
 Because all judgment is executed according to truth, it is said, 
 that it was given to the Lord 
 
 " To execute judgment, because He is the Son of man " {John v. 27) : 
 
 and that 
 
 "The Son of man.... shall render unto every man according to his 
 deeds " {Matt. xvi. 27) ; 
 
 ind tiiat 
 
 "When the Son of man shall come, He shall sit on the throne of 
 
 His glory," and shall judge {Matt. xxv. 31). 
 
 [9.] In Matthew : 
 
 " He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man, the field is the world, 
 the good seed are the sons of the kingdom, the tares are the sons 
 of the evil one " (xiii. 37, 38). 
 
 "Good seed" is Divine truth ; it is therefore said that the Son of 
 man soweth it; "the sons of the kingdom" are Divine truths in 
 heaven and the church ; for "son" is truth fsee A.C., n. 489, 491, 533, 
 1147,2623), and, in the contrary sense, falsity, which also is "the son 
 of the evil one." [lO.] In the same, 
 
 " The Son of man hath not where to lay His head" (viii. 20) ; 
 
 by which is meant that Divine truth had no place anywhere, that 
 is, with any man at that time. That the Son of man was about 
 to suffer and be put to death 
 
 {Matt. xvii. 12, 22, 23 ; xxvi. 2, 24, 45 ; Mari viii. 31 ; ix. 12, 31), 
 
 signifies that thus they were about to treat Divine truth, conse- 
 quently the Lord, who was Divine truth itself This He teaches 
 in Luke: 
 
 " But first must the Son of man suffer many things, and be rejecfled of 
 this generation " (xvii. 25). 
 
 [ t I .] In ye re mi ah 
 
 " No man \yir\ : 
 sojourn the 
 
 And in the same. 
 
 In the cities " nc 
 them " (li. a, 
 
 He who is unacquainted with the spiritual sense of the Word 
 
 " No man \yir\ shall dwell there ; neither shall a son of man \homims\ 
 sojourn there" (xlix. 18, 33). 
 
 In the cities "no man shall dwell, nor shall a son of man pass through 
 them " (li. 43). 
 
66 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 believes that by " cities " here are meant cities, and that by " man," 
 and "son of man," are meant a man and a son ; and that the 
 cities were to be so desolated that no one should dwell in them ; 
 but it is the state of the church in respe(5l to the do6lrine of truth 
 that is described by these words; for "cities" are the dodlrinals 
 of the church (see A.C., n. 402, 2449, 3216, 4492, 4493) ; and " man " is its 
 very truth conjoined with good (see n. 3134, 7716, 9007) ; therefore 
 a "son of man" is truth. [12.] As Divine truth going forth 
 from the Lord was signified by "the Son of man," the prophets 
 by whom it was revealed were called "sons of man" 
 
 (as Daniel viii. 17 ; Ezekiel ii. i, 3, 6, 8 ; iii. i, 3, 4, 10, 17, 25 ; iv. i, 16 ; 
 viii. 5, 6, 8, 12, 15 ; xii. 2, 3, g, iS, 22, 27). 
 
 As most things in the Word have also a contrary sense, so "son 
 of man " has a contrary signification, which is falsity, the opposite 
 of truth. Thus in Isaiah : 
 
 " What art thou, that thou art afraid of man, that dies ; and of the son 
 of man, which shall be as grass" (li. 12). 
 
 And in David : 
 
 " Put not your trust in princes, in the son of man, with whom there is no 
 salvation " {Psalm cxlvi. 3). 
 
 "Princes" are primary truths (see .4.C., n. 2089, 5044); so, in the 
 contrary sense, primary falsities ; and "the son of man" is falsity 
 itself. 
 
 64. "Clothed with a garment down to the foot" signifies Di- 
 vine truth going forth from Him. — This is evident from the 
 signification of "garments" as meaning truths that clothe good 
 
 (see A.C., n. 1073, 2576, 5248, S319, 59S4, 9212, 9216, 9252, 10536). Here it IS 
 
 "a garment down to the foot," which is a general covering; by 
 which, as the Lord is treated of, all Divine truth in general is 
 meant. Since the Lord is here described in respe6l to the Divine 
 Human, which is here the "Son of man seen in the midst of the 
 lampstands," and it is said that He was "clothed with a garment 
 down to the foot, and girt about at the paps with a golden girdle," 
 and afterwards that "His face shone as the sun in his power," I 
 would like to give an explanation of what is said in the Evangelists 
 about the Lord when He was transfigured, where some simi- 
 lar expressions are used ; and afterwards of what is said about 
 the soldiers dividing His garments, and casting lots upon His 
 tunic. 
 
 i.2.] Of the Lord's transfiguration it is thus written : 
 
CHAP. I.. VERSE 13. — N. 64. 67 
 
 Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, into a very hi^jh mount- 
 ain, "and lie was transfigured before them; and His face did 
 shine as the sun, and His garments became white as the light. 
 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with 
 Him And behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and be- 
 hold, a voice out of the cloud, saying. This is My beloved Son, in 
 whom I am well pleased ; hear ye Him " {Mail. xvii. 1-5 ; Mark 
 ix. 2-8 ; Luke ix. 28-36). 
 
 The Lord took Peter, James, and John, because by them the 
 church in respecl to faith, charity, and works of charity was 
 represented; He took them "into a high mountain," because 
 "mountain" signified heaven; "His face did shine as the sun," 
 because "face " signifies the interiors, and it did shine as the sun 
 because His interiors were Divine, for the " sun" is Divine Love ; 
 "His garments became white as the Hglit," because "garments" 
 signify Divine truth going forth from Him ; the same is signified 
 by "hght." "Moses and Elijah" appeared, because the two sig- 
 nify the Word, "Moses" the historical Word, and "Elijah" the 
 prophetical Word; "a bright cloud overshadowed them," be- 
 cause "a bright cloud" signifies the Word in the letter within 
 which is the internal sense ; "a voice out of the cloud said. This 
 is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye Him," 
 because "a voice out of the cloud" signifies Divine truth out of 
 the Word, and "beloved Son," the Lord's Divine Human. And 
 because Divine truth is from Him, and thus all truth of the 
 church, it was said out of the cloud, "in w^hom I am well pleased, 
 hear ye Him." [3.] It was plainly the Divine Human of the 
 Lord that was thus seen, for the Divine itself cannot be seen 
 by anyone, except through the Divine Human. This the Lord 
 teaches in yolm : 
 
 " Xo man hath seen God at any time ; the only begotten Son, which is 
 in the bosom of the Father, He hath brought Him forth to view " 
 (i. 18). 
 
 And in another place, 
 
 "Ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His shape" 
 {John v. 37). 
 
 (That such things are signified by these words in the Evangelists can be seen in 
 A.C., where the particulars are made known, namely, that by " Peter," "James," 
 and" John," in the Word, are signified faith, charity, and the works of charity, n. 
 3750, and above, n. 8, 9; by "high mountain" is signified heaven, n. 8327, 8S05, 
 9420, 9422. 9434, 10608 ; by " face," the interiors of the mind, n. 1999, 2434, 3527, 
 4066. 4796, 5102, 9306, 9546; and by " the face of the Lord," mercy, peace, and 
 every good, n. 222, 223, 5585, 9306, 9546, 9888 ; by " the sun," Divine Love, n. 
 2495, 4060, 7083; and in Heaven and Hell, n. 1 16-125 ; by "garments," when 
 the Lord is treated of, Divine truth, n. 9212, 9216; and the same by "light," n. 
 3195, 3222, 5400, 8644, 9399, 9548, 9684; .jnd in Heaver, and Hell.n. 126-140. 
 
68 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 That " Moses and Elias " signify the Word, " Moses" A.C., n. 5922, 6723, 6752 
 6771, 6827, 7010, 7014, 7089, 7382, 9372, 10234; and " Elias" n. 2762, 5247. That 
 " clouds " signify the Word in the letter, see above, n. 36 ; that " beloved Son " is the 
 
 Divine Human of the Lord is evident.) From the fadi that the " Lord's gar- 
 ments" signify Divine truth, it may be known what is signified by 
 the soldiers' dividing the garments of the Lord among them, and 
 casting lots upon His tunic, of which it is thus written in yo/in : 
 
 "The soldiers. . . .took His garments, and made four parts, to every sol- 
 dier a part, also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, wov'en 
 from the top throughout. They said therefore one to another. Let 
 us not rend it, but cast lots for it whose it shall be ; that the Scrip- 
 ture might be fulfilled which saith. They parted My garments 
 among them, and upon My vesture they did cast lots. These 
 things therefore the soldiers did " (xix. 23, 24). 
 
 [4.] He who is not aware that in every particular of the Word 
 there is an internal sense which is spiritual, cannot see any arca- 
 num in these things ; he knows only that the soldiers divided the 
 garments and not the tunic ; beyond this he perceives nothing ; 
 when not only in this fa6l is there a Divine arcanum, but also 
 in every particular of what is recorded concerning the Lord's 
 passion. The arcanum in this fa6l is that the garments of the 
 Lord signified Divine truth, thus the Word, because the Word is 
 Divine truth; the "garments" that they divided, the Word in 
 the letter, and the " tunic " the Word in the internal sense ; to 
 "divide them" signifies to disperse and falsify; and "soldiers" 
 signify those that are of the church, who should fight in behalf of 
 Divine truth. This is why it is said, " These things therefore the 
 soldiers did." From this it is clear that the meaning of these \\ ords 
 in the spiritual sense is that the Jewish Church dispersed the Di- 
 vine truth which is in the sense of the letter, but was not able to 
 disperse the Divine truth which is in the internal sense. (That the 
 
 " garments of the Lord " signified Divine truth, thus the Word, was shown above ; 
 that His " tunic " signified Divine truth, or the Word, in the internal sense, see A.C., 
 n. 9826, 9942 ; that to " divide " is to disperse and separate from good and truth, 
 thus to falsify, see n. 4424, 6360, 6361, 9094 ; that " soldiers " signify those that are 
 of the church, here of the Jewish church, who should fight in behalf of Divine truth, 
 is clear from the spiritual sense of " warfare " and of " war ;" that " war " signifies 
 spiritual combats, which are of truth against falsity, see n. 1659, 1664, 8295, 10455 ; 
 is it therefore said of the Levites, whose fundlion pertained to such things as are of the 
 church, that they were discharging military duty and were serving in war, when 
 they were exercising their ministry in the tent of the assembly {Num. iv. 23, 35, 
 39. 43. 47 ; viii. 23, 24). 
 
 65. " And girt about at the paps with a golden girdle " signi- 
 fies Divi7ie good likewise. — This is evident from the signification 
 of "being girt about at the paps with a girdle," as meaning to be 
 encompassed about the breast; "paps" and "girdle" are men- 
 tioned, because paps stand out from tlie breast, and a girdk 
 
CHAP. I., VERSE 14. — N. 65. 69 
 
 encompasses. Divine good going forth from the Lord is here 
 meant because this is signified by the "breast" in general and by 
 the "paps" in particular. Good going forth is meant because all 
 garments signify things that go forth, for they are outside the body 
 and clothe it ; as things that go forth are also outside the body 
 
 and encompass it. (That this is so can be seen from what is said in the 
 treatise on Heaven and Hell, of The Garments with which Angels are Clothed, n. 
 177-182; namely, that each is clothed with garments according to his affection for 
 becoming intelligent and wise, and this affecftion is what goes forth from them ; for 
 there is a sphere that goes forth from every angel and spirit, which is a sphere of affec- 
 tion, and is called the sphere of his life", and their garments are according to this 
 sphere. That this is so does not appear before their eyes, yet they know that it is so. 
 Of this sphere, see A.C., n. 2489, 4464, 5179, 7454, 8630.) [2.] From all this 
 
 it can be seen that the "Lord's garments" signify the proceed- 
 ing Divine, which is Divine truth united to Divine good, which fills 
 the whole heaven and enters into the interiors of the mind, and 
 gives to him who receives it intelligence and wisdom. This is 
 meant by being "clothed with white garments." Because the 
 proceeding Divine good is signified by "the girdle" with which 
 the Lord was girded, the girdle appeared golden, for "gold" sig- 
 nifies good of love (see A.C., n. 113, 1551, 1552, 5658, 6914, 6917, 9510, 9874, 
 
 9881). The "paps" are mentioned instead of the breast, which 
 was girt with the girdle, because "paps" signify spiritual love, and 
 "breast" signifies the good itself of that love. That love is signi- 
 fied by "paps" in Isaiah: 
 
 " I will put thee into the magnificence of eternity, the joy of generation 
 and generation. Thou shall suck the milk of the nations, and shalt 
 suck the paps of kings" (Ix. 15, 16). 
 
 "Kings" are truths out of good from the Lord (see above, n. 
 31); "paps" and "breast" are that good, which is the good 
 of spiritual love. [3.] That "breast" signifies the good of spir- 
 itual love is from correspondence with heaven ; for the whole 
 heaven corresponds to all things of man ; the ininost or third 
 heaven corresponding to the head ; the middle or second to the 
 breast ; and the outmost or first to the feet. Because of this cor- 
 respondence, heaven is called the Greatest Man. And as the 
 inmost or third heaven corresponds to the head, by "head" is 
 signified the good of celestial love, which is the good of love to 
 the Lord ; because that good rules and makes that heaven ; and 
 as the middle or second heaven corresponds to the breast, by 
 "breast" is signified the good of spiritual love, which is the good 
 of love to the neighbor, because that good rules and makes that 
 heaven ; and as the outmost or first heaven corresponds to the 
 
70 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 feet, by "feet" is signified the good of natural love from spiritual 
 love, which is the good of faith ; because that good rules and makes 
 that heaven. From all this it is clear why " paps " signify spiritual 
 
 love, and the "breast" its good. (But these things may be better under- 
 stood from what is shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, especially in the follow- 
 ing chapters : On the Three Heavens, n. 29-39 I That the Divine of the Lord in the 
 Heavens is Love to Him and Charity towards the Neighbor, n. 13-19 ; That the 
 Whole Heaven represents one Man, n. 59-67 ; That there is a Correspondence of 
 Heaven with all things of Man, n. 87-180; and in the Arcana Caelestia, n. 4938, 
 4939, 10087. It may be permitted to cite from that work, by way of illustration, this 
 further reason why the "breast" signifies the good of spiritual love, namely, that 
 within the breast are the heart and lungs, and the "heart" from correspondence 
 signifies celestial love, while the " lungs " signify spiritual love, and the lungs fill 
 the breast. That there is this correspondence, see A.C., n. 3383-3896, 9280, 9300; 
 what celestial love is, and what spiritual love, see Heaven arid Hell, n. 23.) 
 
 66» [ Verse 14.] "And His head and hairs white " signifies the 
 Divine in firsts and in outmosts. — This is evident from the sig- 
 nification of "head," when it refers to the Lord, of whom these 
 things are said, as meaning the Divine in firsts (of which pres- 
 ently) ; and from the signification of "hairs," as meaning the 
 Divine in outmosts (of which also presently) ; and from the signi- 
 fication of "white," as meaning what is pure. (That "white [aibumy 
 
 and " white \ca7ididum'\ " mean what is pure, see A.C., n. 3301, 3993, 4007, 5319.) 
 
 " Head," in reference to the Lord, means the Divine in firsts, 
 because the head is the highest part of man, and in it are his 
 firsts, which may be called beginnings, from which are derived all 
 things that have place in the body ; for in the head are the under- 
 standing and the will, from which, as ft-om their firsts or begin- 
 nings, flow all remaining things that relate to man's outer life, such 
 as speech and all actions. But "hairs," in reference to the Lord, 
 mean the Divine in outmosts, because hairs are outmost things, 
 for they grow out of the outmost parts of man, and firsts close 
 into them; when, therefore, "head" and "hairs" are mentioned 
 firsts and outmosts are meant. [2.] Any one who is aware that 
 in spiritual things also "head" signifies firsts and "hairs" out- 
 mosts, and that firsts and outmosts signify all things (see above, 
 n. 41), can understand many arcana of the internal sense where 
 " head " and " hairs " are mentioned ; as that 
 
 A Nazarite should not shave the hair of his head, for this, as it is said, 
 was the Nazariteship of God upon his head, and when the days 
 were accomplished, he was to shave it off and consecrate it {Num. 
 vi. 1-21) ; 
 
 also that 
 
 The strength of Samson was in his locks, and when they were shaven 
 off he became weak, and when they grew again his strength re- 
 turned {Judges xvi. 13 to the end) ; 
 
CHAP. I., VERSE 14. — N. 66. 7 1 
 
 also that 
 
 Forty-two children were torn in pieces by bears, because they mocked 
 Elisha. calling him bald-head (2 Kings ii. 23, 24); 
 
 also that 
 
 Elijah was clothed with a garment of hair (2 Kings i. 8) ; and John the 
 Baptist with camel's hair {Mark \. 6) ; 
 
 furthermore, what "head," "hairs," "beard," and "baldness" sig- 
 nify wherever they are mentioned in the Word. 
 
 [3.] That a Nazarite should not shave his hair, because this, as 
 is said, was the Nazariteship of God upon his head ; and that when 
 the days were accomplished he should shave it off and consecrate 
 it, was for the reason that Nazariteship represented the Lord in 
 firsts and in outmosts, and His Divine in outmosts was His Hu- 
 man, which He made Divine even to flesh and bones, which are 
 outmosts. That He made it Divine even to flesh and bones is evi- 
 dent from the facl that He left nothing in the sepulchre, and that 
 
 He said to His disciples that He had flesh and bones, which a spirit 
 hath not {Luke xxiv. 39, 40). 
 
 And when the Divine itself is Divine even in outmosts, then 
 it governs all things from firsts by means of outmosts (as can be 
 
 seen from what was said and shown above, n. 4I ; especially from what was cited 
 from the Arcana Caelestia, namely, that interior things flow-in successively into ex- 
 terior things, even into what is extreme or outmost, and there have existence and 
 subsistence, n. 634, 6239, 6465, 9215, 9216; that they not only flow in successively, 
 they also form what is simultaneous in the outmost, in what order see n. 5897, 6451, 
 8603, 10099 ; that therefore all interior things are held in connecftion from the first by 
 means of the outmost, n. 982S, and in Heaven and Hell, n. 297 ; that from this the 
 outmost is more holy than the interiors, n. 9824 ; and therefore in outmosts there is 
 
 strength and power, n. 9836.) These are the reasons why the Nazarite- 
 ship was instituted. The Nazarite was finally to consecrate his 
 hair by putting it into the fire of the altar, because it represented 
 the Divine holiness, and the "fire of the altar" signified that holi- 
 ness (n. 934,6314,6832). [4.] From all this it can be seen, moreover, 
 why the strength of Samson was in his locks {y^idges xvi. 13 to 
 the end), for it is said that 
 
 He was a Nazarite from his mother's womb {Judges xiii. 7 ; xvi. 17). 
 
 Moreover, for the same reason 
 
 It was not lawful for the chief priest and his sons, nor for the Levites, 
 to shave the head and make themselves bald {Levit. x. 6 ; x.\i. 5, 
 10; Ezek. xliv. 20). 
 
 Likewise, 
 
 With the Israelitish people to cut off the beard (which had a like signifi 
 cation) was disgraceful (2 Sam. x. 4, 5). 
 
72 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 The forty-two children were torn in pieces by bears because they 
 mocked Elisha, calling him bald-head, for the reason that Elijah 
 and Elisha represented the Lord in respe<5l to the Word, which 
 is Divine truth, the sanctity and strength of which are in out- 
 mosts from firsts, as was said just above. Because "baldness" 
 signified the deprivation of these, this took place. " Bears," 
 
 moreover, signify truth in OUtmostS. (That Elijah and Elisha represented 
 the Lord in respedt to the Word, see A. C, n. 2762, 5247.) From this it is clear 
 also why Elijah had a hairy garment and John one of camel's 
 hair ; for John the Baptist, as well as Elijah, represented the Lord 
 in respe6l to the Word ; for this reason also he was called Elijah 
 
 (see A.C., n. 7643, 9372). 
 
 [5.] When these things are understood, it can be known what 
 is signified in the Word by "head," "hairs," "beard," and "bald- 
 ness," as in Isaiah: 
 
 "In that time shall the Lord shave. . . .by the king of Assyria, the head, 
 and the hairs of the feet, and shall also consume the beard " (vii. 
 20). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "On all heads baldness, every beard cut off" (xv. 2). 
 
 In yererniah : 
 
 " Truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth. Cut ofif thine hair 
 and cast it away " (vii. 28, 29). 
 
 In Ezekiel : 
 
 " Take a razor and pass it upon the head and beard " (v. i). 
 In the same, 
 
 " Shame shall be upon every face, and baldness upon all heads " (vii. 18). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " Every head was made bald " (xxix. 18). 
 
 In Amos : 
 
 " I will bring up. . .baldness upon every head " (viii. 10). 
 
 In David : 
 
 "God shall bruise the head of His enemies, the hairy scalp of such as 
 go on still in their trespasses" {Psalm Ixviil. 21). 
 
 In these passages and in others, by "cutting off the hair of the 
 head," "shaving the beard," and inducing baldness, is signified 
 to deprive of all good and truth ; since he that is deprived ol 
 outmosts is also deprived of things prior, for prior things have 
 existence and subsistence in outmosts, as was said above. More- 
 
CHAP. I., VERSE 14. — N. 67. 73 
 
 over, in the world of spirits there are seen some that are bald, and 
 I have been told that they are such as have abused the Word, and 
 have applied the sense of the letter, which is Divine truth in 
 outmosts, to wicked purposes, and therefore have been deprived 
 of all truth. These are most malicious. Many of them are of 
 the Babylonish body. Angels, on the contrary, appear with 
 becomins^ hair. 
 
 67. "/ts white wool, as snow," signifies m respeH. to good 
 and truth therein. — This is evident from the signification of "white 
 wool," as meaning good in outmosts (of which presently) ; and 
 from the signification of "s'now," as meaning truth in outmosts. 
 " Snow " means truth in outmosts, by reason of the water of which 
 it is composed, and its whiteness and brightness. (That "water" 
 
 signifies truth, see below, n. 7I; and that "brightness" and "whiteness" sig- 
 nify truth from the transparency of hght, see A.C., n. 3301, 3993, 4007, 5319, 
 
 8459) "White wool" signifies good in outmosts, because wool 
 upon lambs and sheep has a signification like that of hair upon 
 man; and "lambs" and "sheep" signify good, "lambs" celes- 
 tial good (see ^.c, n. 3519, 3994, 10132), and "sheep" spiritual good 
 (n. 4169. 4809). From this it is that the "hairs," by which Di- 
 vine truth in outmosts is signified, are said to be "white as 
 white wool, and as snow." So of the Lord, wl-'en He was trans- 
 figured, 
 
 " His garments became glistering, exceeding white as snow, so as nc 
 fuller on earth can whiten them " {Afark ix. 3) ; 
 
 and of the "Ancient of days" in Daniel: 
 
 " I beheld till thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit ; 
 His raiment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like white 
 wool " (vii. g). 
 
 " Raiment " signifies the Divine in outmosts (see above, n. 64) ; 
 and " the Ancient of Days " the Lord from eternity. [2.] Because 
 " wool " signifies good in outmosts, good is sometimes described 
 in the Word by "wool," and truth by " linen" and by "snow," as 
 ii Hosca : 
 
 " She said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my 
 
 waters, my wool and my flax Therefore will I return and take 
 
 my corn in the time thereof, and I will pluck away my wool and 
 my flax " (ii. 5, 9). 
 
 In Ezekiel : 
 
 " Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool ; ye kill that which is the 
 best ; ye feed not the flock " (xxxiv. 3). 
 
74 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 In David : 
 
 " He sendeth out His word upon earth ; He giveth snow like wool " 
 
 {Ps. cxlvii, 15, 16). 
 
 In Isaiah: 
 
 " Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow ; though 
 they be red like purple they shall be as wool" (i. 18). 
 
 "Snow" is predicated of sins that be as scarlet, and "wool" of 
 sins that be red like purple, because "scarlet" signifies truth 
 from good, and in a contrary sense, falsity from evil (see A.C., n. 
 4922,9468); and "red" and "purple" signify good, and in a con- 
 trary sense, evil of every kind {A.c, n. 3300, 9467, 9865). 
 
 68. "And His eyes as a flame of fire " signifies Divine Prov- 
 idence from His Diviiie Love. — This is evident from the signifi- 
 cation of "eyes," as meaning the understanding (see above, n. 37) ; 
 and in reference to the Lord, as meaning presence, and thus prov- 
 idence (see A.c, n, 3869, 10569) of which in what follows ; also from 
 the signification of "a flame of fire," as meaning, in reference 
 to the Lord, Divine Love. "A flame of fire" means Divine 
 Love because from heaven the Lord appears as a sun, and the 
 Divine that goes forth from Him as light, — flaming light in the 
 inmost or third heaven, and white light in the middle or second 
 heaven. The Divine Love itself is what thus appears. From this 
 it is that in the Word "fire" and "flame" signify love (as can 
 
 be seen from what is shown in the Arcana Caelestia, namely, that in the Word " fire" 
 signifies love in each sense, n. 934, 4906, 5215. That sacred and celestial fire is Di- 
 vine Love, and every affedtion which is of that love, see n. 934, 6314, 6832. That 
 there are two origins of heat, one the sun of the world, by virtue of which all things 
 vegetate upon the earth, the other the sun of heaven, which is the Lord, from which 
 angels and men derive the all of life, see n. 3338, 5215, 7324. That love is the fire 
 of life, and that life itself is adtually therefrom, see n. 4906, 5071, 6032, 6314. That 
 flame is truth from the good of the inmost heaven, and light truth from the good of 
 the middle heaven, see n. 3222, 6832 ; the reason is, that light in the inmost heaven 
 appears flaming, and in the middle heaven white, see n. 9570 ; and likewise in Heaven 
 
 and Hell, n. 116-140.) In reference to the Lord, "eyes" signify Di- 
 vine Providence, because, in reference to man, they signify under- 
 standing ; and the Divine understanding, because it is infinite, is 
 Divine Providence. Nothing else is signified by the "eyes" of 
 Jehovah in Isaiah: 
 
 " Incline thine ear, O Jehovah, and hear; open thine eyes, O Jehovah, 
 and see" (xxxvii. 17). 
 
 In yere?niah : 
 
 " 1 will set Mine eye upon them for good, and I will bring them again to 
 this land, and I will build them " (xxiv. 6). 
 
CHAP. I., VERSE 15. — N. 09. 75 
 
 In David : 
 
 " Behold the eye of Jehovah is uoon them that fear Him" {Psalm xxxiii. 
 18); 
 
 and in the same, 
 
 "Jehovah is in the temple of His holiness, His eyes behold, and His 
 eyelids prove the sons of man " {Psalm xi. 4) ; 
 
 and elsewhere. (W'liat Divine Providence is. sec The DoLlrinc of Ihc \',-:o 
 ycrusalem, n. 267-279.) 
 
 69. [Vt-rs. 15] "And His feet like unto burnished brass, as if 
 glowing in a furnace," signifies Ihe outmost of Divine order, 
 which is the natural, full of Divine Love. — This is evident from 
 the signification of "feet," as meaning the natural (see^.C, n. 2162, 
 3147. 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952) ; therefore, in reference to the Lord, 
 as meaning the outmost of Di\'ine order, because that is the 
 natural ; also from the signification of "burnished brass," or brass 
 polished, as meaning natural good (of which presently) ; and from 
 the signification of " glowing," as meaning, in reference to the Lord, 
 what is from Divine Love (see n. 10055). It is said, "as if glowing 
 in a furnace," in order that the Divine Love in the greatest degree 
 and in its fulness may be represented, for the Divine is in its lul- 
 ness when it is in its outmost, and the outmost is the natural 
 (see above, n. 66). From this it is clear that by " His feet like 
 unto burnished brass, as if glowing in a furnace," is signified the 
 outmost of Divine order, which is the natural, full of Divine Lo\e. 
 These things, as w-ell as the preceding, are described by compari- 
 sons ; as that " His head and His hairs were white as white wool, 
 as snow," and that " His feet were like unto burnished brass, as 
 ^/glowing in a furnace ;" but it is to be noted, that all comparisons 
 in the Word are significative, for they are from correspondences 
 in like manner as the things themselves (see A.C., n. 3579, 4599, 8989). 
 [2.] In reference to the Lord, " feet " signify the outmost of Divine 
 order, and this is the natural, because heaven is heaven from the 
 Lord's Divine Human, and from this it is that heaven in the whole 
 complex represents one man ; and as there are three heavens, 
 that the highest heaven represents the head, the middle heaven 
 the body, and the lowest heaven the feet. The Divine that makes 
 the highest heaven is called the celestial Di\ine, the Divine that 
 makes the middle heaven is called the spiritual Divine, and the 
 Divine that makes the lowest heaven is called the natural Divine 
 from the spiritual and celestial. This makes it evident why the 
 Lord is here described in resj)e(5t to His Divine Human, which is 
 the Son of man seen in the midst of the lampstands, not only 
 
76 APOCALYPSE EXPLAliNKL.. 
 
 as regards His garments, but also His head, breast, and feet 
 
 (That the Son of man is the Lord in respect to His Divine Human, see above, n. 
 63 ; and that the " lampstands " are heaven, see n. 62. But since these things are 
 arcana hitherto unknown in the world, and yet must be understood in order that the 
 internal sense of this and the following parts of this prophetical book may be com- 
 prehended, they have been explained specifically and in detail in the work on Heaven 
 and Hell ; as That the Divine Human of the Lord makes Heaven, n. 7-12, 78-86, seq. ; 
 That on this account Heaven in the whole Complex represents one Man, n. 59-77; 
 That there are Three Heavens, and that the highest refers to the head, the middle to 
 the body, and the lowest to the feet, n. 29-40.) When this is understood it 
 
 can be seen what is signified in the Word by "the feet of Jehovah " 
 or "of the Lord," namely, the outmost of Divine order, or the 
 natural ; and since the external of the church, of worship, and of 
 the Word is the outmost of Divine order in the church, and is 
 the natural, this is specifically signified by "the feet of Jehovah" 
 or "of the Lord." [3.] Because of this signification of "the feet 
 of Jehovah" and "of the Lord," when the Lord was seen as an 
 Angel by the prophets elsewhere, He appeared in like manner. 
 Thus by Daniel : 
 
 " I lifted up mine eyes, and lookod, and behold a Man clothed in linen, 
 whose loins were girded with gold of Uphaz ; His body also was 
 like the beryl,. . . .and His eyes as lamps of fire, and His arms and 
 His feet like the brightness of polished brass" {Dan. x. 5, 6). 
 
 In like manner the cherubs, which mean the Lord in respedl to 
 providence and prote6lion (see ^.C, n. 9277, 9509, 9673), were seen by 
 Ezekiel : 
 
 Their feet " sparkled like the brightness of polished brass " {Ezek. i. 7). 
 
 The Lord was seen in like manner as an Angel as described fur- 
 ther on in the Apocalypse : 
 
 " I saw an Angel coming down out of heaven, arrayed with a cloud, and 
 a rainbow was about His head, and His face was as the sun, and 
 His feet as pillars of fire " (x. i). 
 
 As the Lord appeared in this manner as to His feet, so under His 
 feet there was seen by some of the children of Israel, 
 
 " As it were a work of sapphire stone, and as it were the substance of 
 heaven for clearness " {Exod. xxiv. 10). 
 
 Their vision of the Lord was not as to the feet, but " under the 
 feet," because they were not in, but under, the external of the 
 church, of worship, and of the Word (see The Doarine of the New yerusa- 
 /<:;«, n. 248). [4.] Since "the feet of Jehovah" or "of the Lord" 
 signify the outmost of Divine order, and this specifically is the 
 external of the church, of worship, and of the Word, this external 
 is called in the Word " His footstool ;" as in Isaiah: 
 
CHAP. I., VERSE 15. — N. 70. 77 
 
 "The glor>' of Lebanon shall come unto thee to beautify the place 
 
 of My saniRuary ; I will make the place of My feet honorable 
 
 And they shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet" (Ix. 
 13. 14). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool " (Ixvi. i). 
 
 In Jeremiah : 
 
 "God doth not remember His footstool in the day of anger" {Lam. ii. i). 
 
 In David, 
 
 " Worship Jehovah at His footstool " {Psalm xcix. 5). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "We will go into His tabernacles; we will worship at His footstool" 
 {Psalm cxxxii. 7). 
 
 In N'ahiim: 
 
 "Of Jehovah. . . .the clouds are the dust of His feet" (i. 3). 
 
 "Cloud" is the e.xternal of the Word, or the Word in respecfl to 
 the letter (see above, n. 36). Because "cloud" is the external of 
 the Word, it is also the external of the church and of worship ; 
 for the church and worship are from the Word. "Clouds" are 
 called "dust of His feet," because those things that are in the 
 sense of the letter of the Word, which is natural, appear dis- 
 connected. 
 
 70. The feet are said to be "like unto burnished brass," be- 
 cause burnished brass is polished brass, shining from something 
 fiery; and "brass" in the Word signifies natural good. Metals 
 as well as all other things in the Word are significative. "Gold" 
 in the Word signifies celestial good, which is inmost good ; "sil- 
 ver" signifies the truth thereof, which is spiritual good ; "brass" 
 natural good, which is outmost good, and " iron " the truth thereof, 
 which is natural truth. Metals have such significations from 
 correspondence ; many shining things as if of gold and silver are 
 seen in heaven, also many things as if of brass and iron ; and it is 
 there known that by these the goods and truths mentioned above 
 are signified. It was from this that the ancients, who had a know- 
 ledge of correspondences, named the ages from these metals ; call- 
 ing the first age the "golden," because innocence, love, and wisdom 
 therefrom then ruled ; the second "silver," because truth from that 
 good, or spiritual good, and intelligence therefrom then ruled ; 
 the third age "brazen" or "copper," because mere natural good, 
 
78 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 which is justness and sincerity in moral life, then ruled ; but the 
 last age they called "iron," because mere truth without good then 
 ruled, and when that rules, falsity rules. All this was from the 
 spiritual signification of these metals. [2.] From this it can be 
 known what is signified by the image seen in a dream by 
 Nebuchadnezzar, 
 
 The head of which was of gold, the breast and arms of silver, the belly 
 and thighs of brass, the legs of iron, and the feet partly of iron 
 and partly of clay {Dan. ii. 23, 33) ; 
 
 namely, the state of the church in respec?!; to good and truth, from 
 its first time to its last ; its last time was when the Lord came into 
 the world. When it is known that "gold " signifies celestial good, 
 "silver" spiritual good, "brass" natural good, and "iron" nat- 
 ural truth, many arcana in the Word, where these metals are 
 mentioned, can be understood. Thus what is signified by these 
 words in Isaiah: 
 
 "For brass I will bring gold, for iron I will bring silver, and for wood 
 brass, and for stones iron ; I will also make thy government peace, 
 and thine exacflors righteousness" (Ix. 17). 
 
 [3.] But as the signification of" brass," as meaning natural good, 
 is here treated of, I will cite a few passages where "brass" is 
 mentioned, as signifying that good. Thus in Moses : 
 
 Asher "acceptable unto his brethren, and dipping his foot in oil. Thy 
 shoe iron and brass, and as thy days thy fame " {Deut. xxxiii. 24, 
 25). 
 
 "Asher," as a tribe, signifies blessedness of life, and the delight 
 of affe6lions (see ^.c, n. 3938, 3939, 6408) ; "to dip the foot in oil" 
 signifies natural delight, "oil" is delight (see n. 9954), "foot" the 
 natural (see above, n. 69) ; " the shoe iron and brass " signifies the 
 lowest natural from truth and good, "the shoe" is the lowest nat- 
 ural (see n. 1748, i860, 6844), " it"on " is its truth, and "brass" its 
 good (as above). In the same, 
 
 "Jehovah thy God will bring thee into a wealthy land ;. . . .a land out 
 of whose stones thou mayest mine iron, and out of its mountains 
 brass " {Deut. viii. 7, 9). 
 
 In yeremiah : 
 
 " I will give thee unto this people for a fortified wall of brass, that 
 they may fight against thee and not prevail against thee " (xv. 
 20). 
 
 And in Ezekiel: 
 
CHAP. I., VERSE 15. — N. 70. 79 
 
 "Javan, Tubal, and Mesech, they were thy traffickers; with the soul of 
 man and with vessels of brass they traded thy merchandise " (xxviL 
 
 In this chapter the traffickings of Tyre are treated of, by which 
 are signified knowledges of good and truth ; by the names 
 "Javan," " Tubal," and " Mesech," are signified such things as be- 
 long to good and truth, of which knowledges treat ; the "soul of 
 man " is truth of life ; "vessels of brass" are scientifics of natural 
 
 good. (Wliat is signified by "Tyre" may beseen y4.C, n. 1201 ; what by" traffick- 
 ings," n. 2967, 4453; wliat by " Tubal and Mesech," n. 1151 ; what by "Javan," n. 
 1152,1153, 1 155; what by the " soul of man," n. 2930, 9050, 9281 ; what by " ves- 
 sels," n. 3068, 3079, 3316, 3318.) In the same, 
 
 The feet of the cherubs " sparkled like the appearance of polished brass " 
 
 (i. 7). 
 
 What "cherubs" and "feet" signify, see above (n. 69). [4.] In 
 the same, 
 
 I saw "and behold there was a man, whose appearance was like the 
 appearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand;.... and he 
 was standing in the gate " (xl. 3). 
 
 It was because this angel measured the wall and gates of the 
 house of God, which signify the externals of the church, that his 
 appearance was seen as the appearance of brass. He who knows 
 that "brass" signifies the external of the church, which in itself is 
 natural, can in some measure understand why 
 
 The altar of burnt-offering was overlaid with brass, and the grating about 
 it was of brass, and the vessels were of brass {Exod. xxvii. 1-4) ; 
 
 as also why 
 
 The great vessel, which was called the sea, with the twelve oxen under 
 it, and the ten lavers with the bases, and also all the vessels of the 
 tabernacle for the house of God, were made by Solomon of polished 
 brass (i Kings vii. 43-47). 
 
 [3.] He who knows what "brass" signifies may also enter into 
 the arcanum why it was commanded that a serpent of brass be set 
 up for the children of Israel to look at, of which it is thus written 
 in Moses : 
 
 "Jehovah sent serpents among the people, and they bit the people 
 
 And Jehovah said unto Moses, Make thee a serpent, and set it upon 
 a standard, and it shall come to pass that every one that is bitten, 
 when he looketh upon it shall live. And Moses made a serpent of 
 brass, and set it upon the standard ; and it came to pass that if a 
 serpent had bitten any man, when he looked unto the serpent of 
 brass he lived " {Num. xxi. 6, 8, 9). 
 
 That this "serpent" signified the Lord, He teaches in John: 
 
8o APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, ev'en so must the Son 
 of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him may not 
 perish, but may have everlasting life" (iii. 14, 15). 
 
 By the "serpent" is signified that which is the outmost of Hfe with 
 man, and is called the external sensual, which is the natural. 
 Because this outmost in the Lord was Divine, a serpent of brass 
 was made among the children of Israel, with whom all things were 
 representative ; and this signified that if they would look to the 
 Divine Human of the Lord they would live again, that is, if 
 they would believe in Him they would have eternal life, as the 
 
 Lord Himself teaches. (That to " see " is in the spiritual sense to believe, see 
 above, n. 37, 68 ; and that the " serpent " is the external sensual, which is the out- 
 most of man's life, see A.C., n. 195-197, 6398, 6949, 10313.) That " brasS " 
 
 and "iron" in the Word also signify what is hard 
 
 (as in Isaiah xlviii. 4 ; Dan. vii. ig ; and elsewhere), 
 
 will be seen in what follows. 
 
 7r. "And His voice as Me voice of many waters " signifies 
 Divine truth in outinosts. — This is evident from the signification 
 of a " voice," when it is from the Lord, as meaning Divine truth 
 
 (see A.C., n. 219, 220, 3563, 6971, 8813, 8914, and above, n. 55) ; and from the 
 
 signification of "waters," as meaning truths of faith, also know- 
 ledges of truth (of which see n. 2702, 3058, 5668, 8568, 10238) ; and since 
 knowledges of truth are in outmosts; "the voice as the voice 
 of many waters," because it is said of the Lord, signifies Divine 
 
 truth in OUtmostS. (That knowledges and scientifics are of the external or 
 natural man, because they are in the light of the world, thus in outmosts, see A.C., 
 n. 52x2, and in general, in The Dodrifie of the A'ew Jerusalem, n. 51.) As It is 
 
 not yet known that "waters" in the Word signify truths of faith 
 and knowledges of truth, I would like, since this significance 
 may possibly appear far-fetched, to show here briefly that this is 
 what is meant in the Word by "waters." This, moreover, is 
 necessary, for without a knowledge of what "waters" signify, it 
 cannot be known what baptism signifies, nor the "washings" in 
 the Israelitish church so frequendy referred to. "Waters" sig- 
 nify truths of faith, as " bread " signifies good of love. " Waters " 
 and "bread" have this signification because things that pertain 
 to spiritual nourishment are portrayed in the sense of the letter 
 by such things as belong to natural nourishment ; for bread and 
 water, which include in general all food and drink, nourish the 
 body, while truths of faith and good of love nourish the soul. 
 This also is from correspondence, for when "bread" and "water" 
 are read of in the Word, angels, because they are spiritual, under- 
 stand the things by which they are nourished, which are goods of 
 
CHAP. 1., VERSE 15. — N. 7 I. Ol 
 
 love and truths of faith. [2.] But I will cite some passages from 
 which it can be learned that "waters" signify truths of faith, 
 likewise knowledges of truth. Thus in Isaiah: 
 
 "The earth is full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the 
 sea " (xi. 9). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " Then with joy shall ye draw waters out of the fountains of salvation " 
 (xii. 3). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly bread shall be 
 
 given him, and his waters shall be sure " (xxxiii. 15, 16). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " The poor and the needy seek water, but there is none ; their tongue 
 
 faileth for thirst I will open rivers upon the heights, and 
 
 will place fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the 
 wilderness into a pool of waters, and the dry land into springs of 
 waters ;. . . .that they may see, and know, and consider, and un- 
 derstand" (xli. 17, 18, 20). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " I will pour waters upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry 
 ground ; I will pour My spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon 
 thine offspring" (xliv. 3). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Thy light shall arise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon-day ; 
 . . . .that thou mayest be like a watered garden, and like a going 
 forth of waters, whose waters shall not deceive" (Iviii. 10, 11). 
 
 In yeremiah: 
 
 " My people have committed two evils ; they have forsaken Me, the 
 fountain of living waters, to hew out for themselves pits that hold 
 no water " (ii. 13). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " Their nobles sent their little ones for water ; they came to the pits and 
 found no waters ; they returned with their vessels empty ; they 
 were ashamed and confounded " (xiv. 3). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "They have forsaken Jehovah, the fountain of living waters " (xvii. 13). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them ; 
 I will lead them unto fountains of waters, in the way of right" 
 (xxxi. 9). 
 
 In Ezekiel: 
 
 "I will break the staff of bread,. . . .and they shall eat bread by weight 
 and with carefulness ; and they shall drink water by measure and 
 with astonishment ; that they may want bread and water, and be 
 desolated, a man and his brother, and pine away for their iniqui- 
 ties " (iv. 16, 17 ; xii. 18, ig ; Isaiah li. 14). 
 
82 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 In A mos : 
 
 "Behold the days come,. . . .that I will send a famine in the land, not a 
 famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but for hearing the Word of 
 Jehovah. They shall wander from sea to sea;. . . .they shall run to 
 and fro, to seek the Word of Jehovah, and shall not find it ; in that 
 day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst " (viii. 
 
 In Zechariah : 
 
 " In that day living waters shall go out from Jerusalem " (xiv. 8). 
 
 In David : 
 
 " Jehovah is my Shepherd, I shall not want He will lead me to 
 
 the waters of rest " {Psalm xxiii. i, 2). 
 
 In Isaiah: 
 
 " They shall not thirst,. ... He will cause waters to flow out of the rock 
 for them, and He will cleave the rock, that the waters may flow 
 out" (xlviii. 21). 
 
 In David : 
 
 "O God,. . . .early will I seek Thee ; my soul thirsteth,. . .1 am weary 
 without waters " {Psalm Ixiii. i). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Jehovah sendeth His word,. . . .He maketh the wind to blow, that the 
 waters may flow " {Psalm cxlvii, 18). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Praise Jehovah, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above 
 the heavens " (cxlviii. 4). 
 
 In yohn: 
 
 When Jesus came to the fountain of Jacob, a woman of Samaria came 
 to draw water ; Jesus said to her, " Give Me to drink ... .If thou 
 knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith unto thee, Give 
 Me to drink, thou wouldest ask of Him, and He would give thee 
 living water. The woman said unto Him,.... From whence hast 
 Thou that living water? .... Jesus said to her, Everyone that 
 drinketh of this water shall thirst again ; but whosoever shall drink 
 of the water that I shall give him shall not thirst forever ; but 
 the water that I shall give him shall become in him a fountain of 
 water, springing up unto everlasting life " (iv. 7-15). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 Jesus said, " If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink. He 
 that believeth on Me, as the Scripture saith, out of his belly shall 
 flow rivers of living water " (vii. 37, 38). 
 
 In the Apocalypse : 
 
 " I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life 
 freely " (xxi. 6). 
 
 And in another place, 
 
 The angel showed unto him "a river of water of life, bright as crystal, 
 proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb " (xxii. i). 
 
CHAP. I., VERSE 15. — N. 7 I. 83 
 
 And again, 
 
 " The spirit and the bride say, Come. He that hcareth, let him say. Come. 
 And he that is aihirst, let him come. And he that wishcth, let him 
 take the water of life freely " (xxii. 17). 
 
 [3.] These passages have been cited to make known that in the 
 Word "waters" signify truths of faith, consequently what is meant 
 by the water of baptisnj, about which the Lord thus teaches in 
 yohn : 
 
 " Except a man be born of water and of spirit he cannot enter into the 
 kingdom of God" (iii. 5). 
 
 "Waters" here are truths of faith, and "spirit" a Hfe according 
 
 to them (see The Dodrirte of the New yerusalem, n. 202-209, seq.). Because 
 
 it had not been known that "waters" signified truths of faith, 
 and that all things that were instituted among the children of 
 Israel were representative -of spiritual things, it was believed that 
 by the washings that were prescribed for them their sins were 
 wiped away ; yet this was not at all the case ; those washings 
 only represented purification from evils and falsities by means of 
 truths of faith and a life according to them (see A.c, n. 3147, 5954, 
 10237, 10240K From all this it is now clear that by "the voice," 
 which was " as the voice of many waters," is meant Divine truth ; 
 as likewise in Ezekiel: 
 
 " Behold the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east, 
 and His voice was like the voice of many waters; and the earth 
 was enlightened by His glory" (xliii. 2). 
 
 And in David : 
 
 "The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters,. . . .Jehovah upon many wa- 
 ters " {Psalm xxix. 3). 
 
 And in the following words in the Apocalypse : 
 
 " I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters " (xiv. 2). 
 
 [4.] I know that some will wonder why "waters" are mentioned 
 in the Word, and not trtcths of faith, since the Word is to teach 
 man about his spiritual life ; and since, if the expression truths of 
 faith had been used, instead of "waters," man would have known 
 that the waters of baptism and of washmgs contribute nothing to 
 the purifying of man from evils and falsities. But let it be known, 
 that the Word in order to be Divine, and at the same time profita- 
 ble to heaven and the church, must be wholly natural in the letter, 
 for if it were not natural in the letter there could be no conjun<5lion 
 of heaven with the church by means of it ; for it would be like a 
 house without a foundation, and like a soul without a body, for 
 
84 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 outmosts enclose all interiors, and are a foundation for them (see 
 above, n. 41). Man also is in outmosts, and upon the church in 
 him heaven has its foundations. For this reason the style of the 
 Word is such as it is ; and as a consequence, when man from the 
 natural things that are in the sense of the letter of the Word 
 thinks spiritually, he is conjoined with heaven, and in no other 
 way could he be conjoined with it. 
 
 72. [Verse 16] "And having in His right hand seven stars" 
 signifies all knowledges of good and truth from Him. — This is 
 evident from the signification of "having in His right hand," as 
 meaning from Him ; for "hand" signifies power, thus it signifies 
 whatever pertains to one, and so whatever is from him. It is 
 said "right hand," because "right hand" signifies the power of 
 
 good through truth. (That "hand " signifies power, see A.C., n. 878, 3091, 
 4931-4937, 6947, 10019 ; consequently that it signifies whatever pertains to one, 
 and so whatever is from him, n. 9133, 10019, 10405 ; that " right hand" signifies the 
 power of good through truth, see n. 9604, 9736, 10061 ; and that " the right hand ol 
 Jehovah" signifies the Lord's Divine power, thus omnipotence, see n. 3387, 4592, 
 
 4933,7518,7673,8281,9133,10019.) This is evident also from the sig- 
 nification of "stars," as meaning knowledges of good and truth, of 
 which more in what follows ; and from the signification of "seven," 
 as meaning all (see above, n. 20, 24). [2.] That "stars" signify 
 knowledges of good and truth, thus goods and truths, is from the 
 appearance in the spiritual world ; for there the Lord appears as 
 a sun, and angels as stars afar ofif. Angels appear thus from their 
 reception of light from the Lord as a sun, thus from their recep- 
 tion of Divine truth, which is from the Lord, for this is the light 
 of heaven. From this it is that it is said in Daniel: 
 
 "The intelligent shall shine as the brightness of the firmament ; and they 
 that justify many, as the stars forever and ever " (xii. 3). 
 
 The "intelligent" are those that are in truths, and "they that jus- 
 tify many " are those that are in good (see Heaven and Hell, n. 346-348). 
 [3.] When it is known to any that the "sun" signifies the Lord 
 in respe6l to Divine Love, thus Divine Love from the Lord, and 
 that "stars" signify the truths of the church and knowledges 
 thereof, these can also know what is signified in the Word where 
 it is said that "the sun shall be darkened," and that "the stars 
 shall not give light," also that they "shall fall from heaven;" 
 also what "stars" signify when mentioned elsewhere in the Word, 
 as in the following passages. In Isaiah: 
 
 " 1 will make the land a waste, to destroy the sinners thereof out of it , 
 the stars of the heavens and the constellations thereof shall not 
 give their light ; the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and 
 the moon shall not cause her light to shine " (xiii. q, 10). 
 
CHAP. I., VERSE l6. — N. 72. S5 
 
 The vastation of the church is here treated of, which is when there 
 
 is no <^ood of love anv more, nor any truths of faith. The " land " 
 
 that shall be laid waste is the church (as may be seen above, n. 
 
 29). [4.] In Ezckicl : 
 
 "When I shall extinguish thee I will cover the heavens, and will make 
 the stars dark ; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon 
 shall not give her light ; all luminaries of light. . . . will I make dark 
 over thee, and I will set darkness upon thy land " (xxxii. 7, 8). 
 
 "darkness over the land" means falsities in the church. In yocl: 
 
 " The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars withdraw their 
 shining" (ii. 10, 11 ; iii. 15). 
 
 In Matthew: 
 
 In the consummation of the age, "after the afflicflion of those days the 
 sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and 
 the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens 
 shall be shaken " (xxiv. 29 ; Mark xiii. 24) 
 
 In Daniel : 
 
 " From one of the horns of the he-goat went forth a horn, a little one, and 
 it waxed exceeding great towards the south, and towards the east, 
 and towards honor ; and it waxed great towards the host of the 
 
 heavens ; and some of the host and of the stars it cast down 
 
 and trampled upon them. Yea, it magnified itself even to the 
 Prince of the host" (viii. 9-11). 
 
 Here by the " host of heaven " the goods and truths of the church 
 in the complex are meant (see A.C., n. 3448, 7236, 7988, 8019) ; in par- 
 ticular, such as combat against falsities (see n. 7277)- From this 
 Jehovah is called "Jehovah Zebaoth," that is, Jehovah of hosts 
 (see n. 3.J48, 7988). [5.] In the Apocalypse : 
 
 The dragon with his tail "drew the third part of the stars of heaven .... 
 to the earth " (xii. 4). 
 
 the "stars" here also are goods and truths of the church, and 
 knowledges thereof; the "third part" is a great part; but what 
 is signified by the "dragon" will be told in what follows. In 
 the same, 
 
 " The stars of heaven fell unto the earth " (vi. 13). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " A star from heaven is fallen unto the earth " (ix. i). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " There fell from heaven a great star burning as a torch ; it fell upon 
 the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters" 
 viii. 10). 
 
 As "stars" signify goods and truths of the church and know- 
 ledges thereof, by their "falling from heaven" is signified that 
 these perish. In David : 
 
86 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 "Jehovah telleth the number of the stars. He giveth them all their 
 names " {Psalm cxlvii. 4). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " Praise ye " Jehovah, " sun and moon ; praise Him, all ye stars of light" 
 {Psalm cxlviii. 3). 
 
 In the Book of Judges: 
 
 "The kings came,. .. .they fought from heaven; the stars in their 
 courses fought " (v. 19, 20). 
 
 Since angels in the spiritual heaven shine as stars, and since all 
 truths and goods that are in angels are from the Lord, so the 
 Lord, as He is called an "Angel," is likewise called a "Star ;" as 
 m Moses : 
 
 " There shall arise a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of 
 Israel" {Nzim. xxiv. 17). 
 
 In the Apocalypse : 
 
 "Jesus the bright and morning Star " (xxii. 16). 
 
 From this it can be seen 
 
 Why the wise men from the east saw a star, and followed it, and why 
 it stood where Jesus had been born {Matt. ii. i, 2, g). 
 
 From all this it can now be known what is signified by the 
 " seven stars " that were in the right hand of the Son of man, 
 who is the Lord in respe6l to the Divine Human (see above, n. 
 
 63)- 
 
 73« "And out of His mouth a sharp two-edged sword going 
 forth" signifies the dispers7o?i of falsities by the IVord. — This is 
 evident from the signification of "going forth out of the mouth," 
 as meaning, in reference to the Lord, Divine truth, thus the 
 Word, for the Word goes forth out of the Lord's mouth. This 
 is evident also from the signification of "sword," as meaning truth 
 combating ; and as truth, when it combats, disperses falsities, 
 therefore a "sword" also signifies the dispersion of falsities. The 
 sword is called "two-edged and sharp," because truth completely 
 
 disperses. (That " sword " signifies truth combating against falsities and destroy- 
 ing them, see A.C., n. 2799, 6353, 8294.) As " sword " is frequently men- 
 tioned in the following pages 
 
 (as in chap. ii. 12, 16 ; vi. 4, 8 ; xiii. 10, 14 ; xix. 15, 21), 
 
 passages from the Word, explaining and proving that it signifies 
 truth combating and dispersing falsities, will here be omitted. 
 This will be explained and proved in those places. 
 
 74« "And His face as the sun shineth in his power" signifies 
 
CHAP. I., VERSE 17. — X. 76. 87 
 
 His Divme Love, from which are all things of heaven. — This is 
 evident from the signification of "face," as meaning, in reference 
 to the Lord, Divine Love, from which is all good, thus all tilings 
 
 of heaven [A.C., n. 5585, 9306, 9546, 9888; and that the Lord in the Word in 
 respect to His Divine Human is called " the face of Jehovah," see n. 10579. That 
 the Lord from Divine Love appears from heaven as a sun shining, and that from 
 Him, as a sun, all things of heaven have existence and subsistence, see Heaven and 
 Hell, n. 116-125, and what follows). 
 
 VERSES 17-ao. 
 
 y K« "And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His right hand 
 upon me, saying unto me. Fear not ; I am the First and the Last ; and the Living One ; and I 
 became dead ; and behold I am alive unto the ages of the ages. Amen : and I have the keys of 
 hell and of death. Write the things which thou sawest, and the things which are, and the 
 things which are to be hereafter. The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in My 
 right hand, and the seven golden lanipstands. The seven stars are the angels of the seven 
 churches ; and the seven lanipstands which thou sawest are the seven churches." 
 
 17. "And when I saw Him" signifies the presence of the Divine majesty [n. 76]; 
 
 "/ fell at His feet" signifies adoration from humiliation 0/ heart in 
 presence of the Divine [n. 77] ; "as dead" s\gn\i\t=, failure cf self life 
 [n. 78] ; "And He laid His right hand upon me" signifies life from Him 
 [n. 79] ; "saying unto me. Fear not," signifies rez'ival [n. 80] ; "/ am 
 the First and the Last" signifies who governs all things from firsts by 
 means of outmosts, thus all things of heaven [n. 81]. 
 
 18. "And the Living One" signifies -who is from eternity [n. 82] : "and I became 
 
 dead " signifies that He was rejected [n. 83] ; "and behold I am alive 
 unto the ages of the ages" signifies that eternal life is from Hi»i [n. 
 84]; "amen" signifies Divine confirmation [n. 85]; "and I have 
 the keys of hell and of death " signifies that He has poiaer to save [n. 
 86]. 
 
 19. "Write the things which thou sawest, and the things which are, and the 
 
 things which are to be hereafter," signifies that all these things are fot 
 posterity, because Divine [n. 87]. 
 
 20. "The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in My right hand" sig- 
 
 nifies revelation 0/' goods and truths, 'which are all from Him [n. 88] ; 
 "and the seven golden lampstands" signifies also of the things in the 
 7tew heaven and ne-w earth [n. 89] ; "the seven stars are the angels 
 of the seven churches " signifies those who receive goods and truths 
 from the Lord [n. 90] ; "and the seven lampstands which thou sawest 
 are the seven churches" signifies that all such are in the new heaven 
 and the new church [n. 91]. 
 
 76. [I'erse 17.] "And when I saw Him" signifies the presence of 
 the Divine majesty. — This is evident from the things that precede 
 relating to the Son of man, all which are of the Divine majesty, 
 as is clear from the explanation of them in the internal sense ; as 
 that "He was clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt 
 about at the paps with a golden girdle," signifying that Divine 
 truth and Divine good go forth from Him ; that "His head and 
 His hairs were white as white wool, as snow," signifying the 
 
88 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 Divine in firsts and in outmosts ; that " His feet were like unto 
 burnished brass, as if glowing in a furnace," signifying that His 
 Human, even in outmosts, was full of Divine Love ; that "His 
 voice was as the voice of many waters," signifying that all Di- 
 vine truth is from Him ; that " He had in His right hand seven 
 stars," signifying that all goods and truths of heaven and the 
 church are therefrom; that "out of His mouth a sharp two- 
 edged swOrd went forth," signifying that by Him all falsities are 
 dispersed ; that " His face was as the sun shineth in his power," 
 signifying that from His Divine Love were all things of heaven. 
 It is clear that these things are Divine, and that they appeared 
 full of Divine majesty. That to "see" signifies here the presence, 
 now most interior, of these things, is evident from this, that it was 
 said before that John saw them (verse 12), and according to that 
 seeing they were described ; and now again it is said " I saw 
 Him," and on account of this seeing he fell at His feet as dead ; 
 therefore it is that by "seeing" is here signified the presence of 
 the Divine majesty. This presence came to John, when he saw 
 " His face as the sun in his power," for from this he was dazed and 
 filled with awe, in presence of the Divine ; for all Divine light is 
 from the Lord as a sun, and Divine light passes into the inte- 
 riors ; from this comes such presence and such filling with awe 
 
 (as can be seen in Heaven and Hell, on The Lord as a Sun, n. 116-225 ! oi^ Light 
 and Heat therefrom in Heaven, n. 126-140; and on turning to Him, n. 17, 123, 
 
 144, 14s, 151, 255, 272, 510, 548, 561). It is to be noted, moreover, 
 that man has two kinds of sight, one from cogitative faith, 
 the other from love : when he has sight from cogitative faith 
 only his sight is unattended with awe before the Lord's Divine 
 majesty ; but when his sight is from love it is attended with 
 awe at the Divine majesty : this is because the man is then 
 turned to the Lord, for love turns, but cogitative faith apart 
 
 from love does not (as can be seen from the passages cited above from 
 
 Heaven and Hell, about turning). That this is SO is well known in the 
 spiritual world. It is clear, therefore, that by "I saw him," 
 stated a second time, is signified the presence of the Divine 
 majesty. 
 
 77. "And I fell at Mis feet " signifies adoration from Jncmilia- 
 tion of heart in presence of the Divine. — This is evident from the 
 signification of "falling at the feet," as meaning adoration from 
 humiliation. Humiliation of heart is meant, because humiliation 
 that springs from the heart in presence of the Divine produces 
 that prostration. All afife6lions, whatsoever they are. have cor- 
 responding gestures in the body. Into these gestures the body is 
 
CHAP. I., VERSE 17. — N, 77. 89 
 
 ^'orne and falls as of itself, when the man is intenorly in the affec- 
 tion. Humiliation before a man proclucts a bowing clown, acccMci- 
 ing to the estimation of him ; but in presence of the Divine it 
 produces total prostration, especially when man thinks that the 
 Divine in respecl to power and wisdom is everything, and man 
 in comparison is nothing, or that from the Divine is all good and 
 from man nothing but evil. When man is in this acknowledgment 
 from the heart he comes as it were out of himself, and thence falls 
 upon his f ice, and when he is thus out of himself he is removed 
 ixQvw propriiun [what is his own], which in itself is wholly evil ; 
 when this is removed, the Divine fills him and raises him up ; 
 not that the Divine desires such humiliation on its account, 
 but because evil is then removed, and so far as evil is re- 
 mo\'ed with man so far the Divine flows- in ; for evil alone stands 
 
 m the way. (.An example of such humiliation may be seen in Earths in 
 
 the Universe, n. 91.) Man's State when the Divine Presence with 
 him removes proprhim [what is his own], and afterwards infills 
 him, is thus described in this verse: "When I saw Him I fell 
 at His feet as dead ; and He laid His right hand upon me, 
 saying unto me. Fear not." This state is described further in 
 Dayiiel: 
 
 " I lifted up mine eyes and looked, and behold a Man clothed in linen, 
 .... His face as the appearance of lightning, and His eyes as lamps 
 of fire,. . .and His feet like the splendor of burnished brass. ... I 
 alone saw the vision ; the men that were with me saw it not ; but 
 
 great fear fell upon them, and they fled And there remained 
 
 no strength in me ; and I came into a deep sleep and my face 
 
 upon the ground. But lo, a hand touched me, which set me upon 
 my knees and upon the palms of my hands,. . . .and He said. Fear 
 not" (.X. 5-12). 
 
 This State is also described in Ezekiel, when he saw the cherubs, 
 by which is signified the Lord in respe<5l to Providence : 
 
 When I saw the glory of Jehovah, " I fell upon my face, and I heard 
 a voice of One that spake. And He said unto me, Son of man, 
 stand upon thy feet, that I may speak to thee. And the spirit 
 entered into me when He spake unto me, and set me upon my 
 feet, and I heard Him that spake unto me" (i. 28 ; ii. i, 2; iii. 
 24). 
 
 Likewise, when Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and 
 John, of which it is thus written in Matthew : 
 
 "While Peter was yet speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed 
 them ; and behold, a voice out of the cloud saying. This is My be- 
 loved Son, in whom I am well pleased ; hear ye Him. And when 
 the disciples heard these things they fell on their face, and were 
 sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, 
 
90 
 
 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes they saw 
 no one save Jesus only " (xvii. 5-S). 
 
 From all this it is apparent what the effedl; is of the presence of the 
 Divine Human of the Lord with man, when man is in a state ol 
 humiliation of heart, namely, that he falls upon his face, and b) 
 the touch of the Lord's hand is raised upon his feet. It was 
 plainly the presence of the Lord in respecl to the Divine Human ; 
 since it was the "Son of man" who was in the niidst of the lamp- 
 stands that appeared in this way before John ; and the "Son of 
 man" is the Lord in respe6l to the Divine Human, see above 
 (n. 63). It was the same with the disciples when the Lord was 
 transfigured; it is therefore said that "when they had lifted 
 up their eyes they saw no one save Jesus only." That it was 
 the Lord in respe6l to the Divine Human who was seen by Dan- 
 iel and Ezekiel, is evident from the words of the Lord himself, 
 that 
 
 No one hath heard the Father's voice at any time, nor seen His fort 
 {John V. 37 ; i- 18). 
 
 Moreover, that men worshipped the Lord, when He was in the 
 world, by falling upon the face at His feet, may be seen in 
 
 Matthew xxviii. 9 ; and in Mark vii. 25, 26 ; Luke viii. 41 ; xvii. 15, 16 
 18 ; and in Johti xi. 32. 
 
 78. "As dead" s\gn\^es fai hire of self- life. — This is evident 
 from the signification of "as dead," in reference to the Divine 
 presence with man, as meaning the failure of self-life ; for man's 
 self life is that into which he is born, which is in itself nothing but 
 evil, for it is wholly inverted, for it has regard to itself and the 
 world only, and therefore turns itself back away from God and 
 from heaven. The life that is not man's self-life is that into which 
 he is led when he is being regenerated by the Lord ; and when he 
 comes into that life he regards God and heaven in the first place, 
 and self and the world in the second. That life flows-in with man 
 when the Lord is present ; consequently so far as that life flows-in, 
 so far there is effe6led a turning of the life. This turning, when 
 efife6led suddenly, causes man to appear to himself as dead ; thus 
 it is that by "as dead " is signified the failure of self-life. But these 
 two states cannot be so described as to be apprehended. More- 
 over, they are not the same with a man and with a spirit, and they 
 are wholly different with' the evil and with the good. Man in the 
 body cannot live in the presence of the Divine ; those who do live 
 
CHAP. I., VERSE 17. — N. 78. 9I 
 
 are encompassed by an angelic column, which moderates the 
 Divine influx ; for the body of e\ery man is non-receptive of the 
 Divine, consequently it dies and is cast off. That man in the 
 body cannot live in the presence of the Divine can be seen from 
 the words of the Lord to Moses, 
 
 " Thou canst not see My faces ; for man shall not see Me and live " 
 {Exod. xxxiii. 20) ; 
 
 Moses, therefore, because he desired to see, was placed in a 
 cleft of a rock and was covered until the Lord had passed by. 
 Furthermore, it was known to the ancients that man cannot see 
 God and live, as is e\ident from the Book of judges : 
 
 " Manoah said unto his wife, Dying we shall die, because we have seen 
 God " (xiii. 22) ; 
 
 and this was attested to the children of Israel, when the Lord 
 was seen from Mount Sinai, of which it is thus written in 
 Moses : 
 
 " Be ready against the third day : for the third day Jehovah will come 
 down in the sight of all the people, upon Mount Sinai. And thou 
 shalt set bounds unto the people roundabout, saying, Take heed to 
 yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border 
 of it ; whosoever touchelh the mount dying he shall die." And 
 because terror seized upon them, they said unto Moses, "Speak 
 thou with us and we will hear ; but let not God speak with us lest 
 we die " {Exod. xix. 11, 12 ; xx. 19). 
 
 (That by " Mount Sinai " is signified heaven, where the Lord is, and that by " touch- 
 ing " is signified to communicate, to transfer, and to receive, and for this reason it 
 was forbidden to touch the border of that mountain, see in the explanation of that 
 
 passage in the Arcana Caelestia.) Jehovah has been Seen by many, as 
 recorded in the Word, but they were encompassed at the time by 
 a column of spirits, and thus were preser\'ed, as was said above. 
 In this way the Lord has been seen at different times bv me. 
 But the state of spirits in the Divine presence is different from the 
 state of men ; spirits cannot die, consequently if they are e\il they 
 die a spiritual death in the Divine presence, the nature of which 
 will be spoken of presently ; but those w ho are good are con- 
 \'eyed into societies, where the sphere of the Divine presence is 
 tempered and accommodated to reception. On account of this 
 there are three heavens, and in each heaven many societies, and 
 those who are in the higher hea\ens are nearer to the Lord, and 
 those who are in the lower are more remote from Him (see Heaven 
 and Hell, n. 20-28, 29-40, 41-50, 206-209). What the Spiritual death is 
 that evil spirits die in the Divine presence, shall be briefly stated. 
 
92 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 Spiritual death is a turning away and removal from the Lord. 
 When evil spirits who have not yet been vastated, that is, have not 
 yet become fixed in their ruling love, enter any angelic society, 
 because the Divine of the Lord is there present they are direfully 
 tormented, and not only turn away but even cast themselves down 
 into the depths, where no light from heaven enters ; some into dark 
 
 caverns of rocks ; in a word, into the hells (see Heaven and Hell, n. 54, 
 
 400, 410, 510, 525, 527). This turning away and removal from the 
 Lord is what is called spiritual death ; and with such the spiritual 
 of heaven is dead. 
 
 79. "And He laid His right fiand upon me " signifies life from 
 Him. — This is evident from the signification of "right hand," as 
 meaning, in reference to the Lord, life from Him (see above, n. 
 72). It signifies life from Him, because it immediately follows 
 the words, " I fell at His feet as dead ;" moreover, "to touch with 
 the hand" signifies to communicate and transfer to another what 
 pertains to oneself, also to receive from another. To communicate 
 and transfer to another what pertains to oneself, in reference to 
 the Lord, as here, is to communicate and transfer life such as 
 those have who are in a state of enlightenment and who see and 
 hear such things as are in heaven. This took place with John, 
 for he was in such enlightenment when he saw and heard the things 
 that are described in the Apocalypse. "To touch with the hand" 
 is to communicate and transfer to another, because the whole 
 power of man is transferred from the body into the hands ; con- 
 sequently what the mind wills that the body should do, that 
 
 the arms and hands do (from this it is that by " arms " and " hands " in the 
 Word is signified power, see A.C., n. 878, 3091, 4931-4937, 6947, 7673, 10019) ; 
 
 But this power is natural power, and communication thereby is 
 an exertion of the bodily forces ; spiritual power is to will the 
 good of another, and to will to convey to another as far as possible 
 what belongs to oneself This power is what "hand" in the spir- 
 itual sense signifies, and its communication and transference are 
 signified by "touching with the hand." From this it can be seen 
 what is signified by this, that the Lord, who is here called the " Son 
 of man," laid His right hand upon John, when John lay as dead, 
 namely, that He communicated and transferred to him life from 
 Himself (see above). " To touch," and " to touch with the hand," 
 has a similiar signification in many passages in the Word, as in 
 the following. In Daniel : 
 
 The Lord, who there appeared to him as a man clothed in linen, whose 
 countenance was as the appearance of lightning, and His eyes as 
 
CHAP. I., VKRSE 17. — X. 79. 93 
 
 torches of fire, and His feet as the bri^fhtncss of polished brass, 
 touched him; restored him to his standing; lifted him upon his 
 knees; touched his lips, and opened his mouth; and still again 
 touched him, and strengthened him (x. 4 to the end) 
 
 In yc frill ia h : 
 
 "Jehovah put forth His hand, and touched mv mouth, and said, I put 
 My words into thy mouth " (i. 9). 
 
 And in Matthew : 
 
 Jesus stretching forth His hand to the leper, "touched him, saying, I 
 will ; be thou made clean. And straightway his leprosy was 
 cleansed " (viii. 3). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 Jesus saw Peter's wife's mother sick of a fever, "and He touched her 
 hand, and the fever left her" (viii. 14, 15). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 Jesus touched the eyes of the two blind men, and their eyes were opened 
 (ix. 29, 30). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 While Peter was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed the 
 disciples," and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My 
 beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased ; hear ye Him. And when 
 the disciples heard these things they fell on their face, and were 
 sore afraid. Then came Jesus and touched them, and said. Arise, 
 be not afraid " (xvii. 5-8). 
 
 In Luke : 
 
 Jesus came and touched the bier of the dead, and said, "Young man, I 
 say unto thee. Arise. Then he that was dead sat up, and began to 
 speak" (vii. 14, 15). 
 
 In tlie same, 
 
 Jesus touched the ear of the servant, and healed him (xxii. 51). 
 
 In Mark : 
 
 "And they brought [to Jesus] little children, that He should touch them ; 
 . . .and He took them in His arms, put His hands upon them, and 
 blessed them " (x. 13, 16). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 They brought unto Jesus those that were ill, " that they might touch if it 
 were but the border of His garment ; and as many as touched were 
 made whole" (vi. 56; Alatt. xiv. 35, 36). 
 
 In Luke : 
 
 "A woman suffering from an issue of blood. . . .touched the border of 
 His garment ; and immediately the issue of her blood stanched. 
 Jesus said. Who is it that touched Me?.... Some one did touch 
 Me ; I perceived that power went forth from Me " (viii. 43-46). 
 
94 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 Because "touching" and "laying on of hands" signify com- 
 municating and transferring to another what pertains to one- 
 seh", it has been customary in the churches from ancient times 
 to lay hands upon the head of those who are inaugurated and 
 blessed. 
 
 This Moses was commanded to do to Joshua {iVum. xxvii. 18-23 ; Deut. 
 xxxiv. 9). 
 
 As all things among the children of Israel were representative and 
 significative of spiritual things, so was touch ; wherefore those who 
 touched what was holy were san6lified, and those who touched 
 what was unclean were polluted ; for "touch" signified communi- 
 cation and transference to another, and reception from another, 
 as can be seen from the following passages in Moses : 
 
 Whosoever shall touch the tent of meeting; the ark of the testimony; 
 the table and all the vessels thereof ; the lampstand and the ves- 
 sels thereof ; the altar of incense ; the altar of burnt offering, with 
 all the vessels thereof, and the laver and the base thereof, shall be 
 holy (Exod. xxx. 26-29). 
 
 " Whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy " {Exod. xxix. 37). 
 
 Every thing that toucheth the remainder of the meat-offering, and the re- 
 mainder of the flesh from the sacrifice, shall be holy (Lev.v'i. 18, 27). 
 
 "Whosoever toucheth the dead,. . . .and purifieth not himself. . . ., defil- 
 eth the tabernacle of Jehovah ; and that soul shall be cut off from 
 Israel." "And whosoever in the open field toucheth one that is 
 slain with a sword,. . . .or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be 
 unclean seven days." " He that toucheth the waters of separation 
 shall be unclean until even." "And whatsoever the unclean person 
 toucheth shall be unclean, and the soul that toucheth it shall be 
 unclean until even" {A'tim. xix. 11, 13, 16, 21, 22). 
 
 He that toucheth unclean beasts and unclean reptiles shall be unclean. 
 Everything upon which they shall fall shall be unclean, whether it 
 be a vessel of wood, raiment, water, an earthen vessel, food, drink, 
 an oven (but not a fountain, pit or receptacle of water) shall be 
 unclean {Lev. xi. 31-36 ;) 
 
 (Besides other places, as Lev. v. 2, 3 ; vii. 21 ; xi. 37, 38 ; xv. i to the end ; 
 xxii. 4 ; A'um. xvi. 26 ; Lsaiah lii. 11 ; Lam. iv. 14, 15 ; Hos. iv. 2, 3 ; 
 Hagg. ii. 12, 13, 14). 
 
 8o» "Saying unto me, Fear noi," signifies renewal of life. — 
 This is evident from the series of things in the internal' sense. For 
 John lay as dead, and the Loi"d, seen as the Son of man, laid His 
 right hand upon him, and said to him, " Fear not." His " lying as 
 dead" signified failure of his self-life ; the Lord's "laying His right 
 hand upon him " signified life from Him ; therefore His saying to 
 him "Fear not" signified renewal of life; for all who come sud- 
 denly from self-life into any spiritual life are at first afraid, but their 
 life is renewed by the Lord. This renewal is effected in this way 
 that the Divine presence, and fear on account of it, are accom- 
 
CHAP. I., VERSE l8. — N. 82. 95 
 
 modated to reception. The Lord is present with all in the universe, 
 but more nearly or remotely according to reception of good by 
 means of truths with them from Him. For good is that in which 
 the Lord is present with angel, spirit, and man ; therefore the extent 
 and (juality of good from the Lord with them are what determine 
 Uie (?xtent and quality of His presence ; if the presence goes be- 
 yond this, there is anguish and tremor ; but by accommodation to 
 reception there is renewal of life (as can be seen from what has 
 just been said and shown above, n. 78). This renewal is what is 
 signified here by " Fear not ;" also in other places, where it is said 
 by the Lord or by the angel of the Lord when seen, 
 
 "Fear not" (as in Daniel x. 12, ig ; Luke i. 12, 13; ii. 8, 9, 10; Matt. 
 .\xviii. 5, 9, 10). 
 
 Renewal of life, that comes by accommodation to reception, ap- 
 pears in the spiritual world, when it is presented to view, as a cloud. 
 All societies there are encompassed by such a cloud, denser or rarer 
 
 according to reception. (That angels are encompassed by a thin correspond- 
 ent cloud, lest they should be hurt by a nearer influx of the Divine of the Lord. 
 see n. 6849. What " clouds " are in the spiritual world, and therefore in the spirit- 
 ual sense, see above, n. 36.) 
 
 81. "/ am the First and the Last" signifies who governs 
 all things from Jirsts In' means of outmosts, thus all thi?igs of 
 heaven. — This is evident from the explanation given above (n. 
 
 41). 
 
 82. [ Verse 18.] "And the Living One " signifies who is froju eter- 
 nity. — This is evident from this, that He who is from eternity is the 
 only Living One, and that all others, who are not from eternity, 
 have been created by Him, and thus made recipients of life from 
 Him. Therefore He only who is from eternity has life in Him- 
 self, and no one besides Him. That the Lord, in respe(5l both to 
 the Divine and to the Human, has life in Himself, is evident from 
 what is said in fohn : 
 
 ■' In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the 
 
 Word was God In Him was life, and the life was the light of 
 
 men And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us " (i, 
 
 1,4. 14)- 
 
 That the Lord is here meant by the "Word" is clear, for it is 
 said, "the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us." In the 
 same, 
 
 " As the Father hath life in Himself, even so gave He to the Son to have 
 life in Himself" (v. 26). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Jesus said, I am the resurrccftion and the life" (xi. 25). 
 
95 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 And in the same, 
 
 " Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life " (xiv. 6). 
 
 It is believed in the world that man has life implanted in him by 
 birth, and that it does not therefore flow-in unceasingly from the 
 Lord, who alone has life in Himself, and who thus alone is life. 
 
 But this belief is a belief in what is false (see Heaven and Hell, n. 9). 
 
 83. "And I became dead " signifies that He was rejeBed. — 
 This is evident from this, that the Lord is said to be " dead" when 
 faith in and love towards Him are no more ; for with those who 
 are in love towards Him and faith in Him the Lord lives, but with 
 those who are not in love and faith He does not live. With such 
 He is said to be "dead" because He is rejeded. This is what is 
 here meant in the internal sense by the words " I became dead ;" 
 but in the sense of the letter it is meant that He was crucified. 
 The Lord's being crucified has a like signification in the internal 
 sense, namely, that He was rejected and ill-treated by the Jews ; 
 for the Lord, when He was in the world, was Divine truth itself, 
 and as Divine truth was wholly rejeded by the Jews, so the Lord, 
 who was Divine truth, suffered Himself to be crucified. Such 
 things are signified by all that is related by the Evangelists con- 
 cerning the Lord's passion ; the particulars, even to every minutest 
 particular, involve this. Whenever, therefore, the Lord speaks of 
 His passion He calls Himself the Son of man, that is, Divine truth 
 (see above, n. 63). That Divine truth was wholly rejedled by the 
 Jews is well known ; for they accepted nothing that the Lord said, 
 not even that He was the Son of God. From this it may be known 
 how those things that the Lord said to the disciples about the Jews 
 rejection of Him are to be understood. Thus in Liike : 
 
 " The Son of man must suffer many things, and be repudiated by the 
 elders and chief priests and scribes" (ix. 22). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 The Son of man "must suffer many things, and be repudiated by this 
 generation" (xvii. 25). 
 
 In Mark : 
 
 "It is written of the Son of man, that He should suffer many things and 
 be set at naught" (ix. 12). 
 
 In Luke : 
 
 "Jesus took unto Him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up 
 to Jerusalem, and all the things that are foretold through the 
 prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For 
 He shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and 
 shamefully entreated, and spit upon ; and after they have scourged 
 
CHAP. I., \i:.KSE la.-N. .S3. 97 
 
 Him, they shall put Him to death ; but the third day He shall rise 
 again" (xviii. 31-33). 
 
 The way in which the Jews treated Di\'ine truth, which was from 
 the Word, is signitied by these particulars. "Jerusalem" here 
 is the Jewish Church; "to be delivered unto the Gentiles, to 
 be mocked, to be shamefully entreated, to be spit upon, to be 
 scourged, to be put to death," are the wicked ways in which the 
 Jews treated Divine truth ; and as the Lord was Divine truth itself, 
 because He was the Word {yohn i. 14), and as it was foretold in 
 the prophets that Divine truth would be so dealt with in the end of 
 the church, it is said, "that all things may be accomplished that 
 have been foretold through the prophets concerning the Son of 
 man." So in another passage in the same Gospel : 
 
 " These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, 
 that all things must needs be fulfilled which are written in the law 
 of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning Me " 
 {Luke xxiv. 44). 
 
 That all things were accomplished when Jesus was crucified He 
 Himself said, when He was upon the cross : 
 
 "Jesus, knowing that all things were accomplished, that the Scripture 
 might be fulfilled, said, I thirst " {John xix. 28). 
 
 He then said, " I thirst," because He longed for a new church that 
 
 would acknowledge Him. (That to "thirst," in the spiritual sense, signi- 
 fies to long for, and that it is predicated of the truths of the church, see A.C., n. 4958, 
 
 4976, 856S.J These are also the things that were predicted by Dan- 
 iel concerning vastation and desolation : 
 
 " After sixty and two weeks shall the Anointed One be cut off, but not 
 for Himself; then the people of the Prince that shall come shall 
 destroy the city and the sanctuary, so that its end shall be with a 
 flood At last upon the bird of abominations shall be desola- 
 tion, and even to the consummation and decision it shall drop upon 
 the devastation " {Dan. ix. 26, 27). 
 
 "Desolation" and "vastation" signify repudiation and reje6lion of 
 Divine truth with those that are of the church (see A.C.. n. 5360, 
 5376). That Divine truth, which is the Word, was so repudiated 
 by the Jews, is also meant by these words in Matthew : 
 
 " I say unto you that Elijah is come already, and they have not recognized 
 him, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Even so shalJ 
 the Son of man suffer of them " (xvii. 12). 
 
 By " Elijah " the Word is signified (see A C. preface to chap. wiii. Gen., and 
 
 in n. 2762, 52471, also by "John the Baptist ;" therefore he was called 
 
98 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 "Elijah" (n. 7643, 9372). From this it can be seen what is signified 
 by "Elijah has come," and that "they have done to him whatso- 
 ever they listed," and that "the Son of man is to suffer of them." 
 How the Jews explained and thus rejected the Word is clear from 
 many passages in the Gospels, where the Lord makes this manifest. 
 From all this it can now be seen that "I became dead" signifies 
 
 that He was rejected. (Moreover, that the Lord, by the passion of the cross, 
 glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine, see The Do£lrine of the New Jerusalcin, 
 n. 294, 29s, 302, 305.) 
 
 84. "And behold I am alive unto the ages of the ages " sig- 
 nifies ^/lai eternal life is from Him. — This is evident from the 
 signification of " I am alive," as meaning to be from eternity, and 
 that in Him alone is life from Himself (on which see above, n. 82) ; 
 but here as meaning life in others, and His life in others is eternal 
 life. For it is said just before that He " became dead," which sig- 
 nifies that He was reje6led, because not received in faith and love ; 
 here, therefore, " I am alive" signifies that He is received by those 
 who are in His life, which life is in faith and love with man, and 
 that life is eternal life. That "unto the ages of the ages" signifies 
 to eternity is clear without explanation. That the life of the Lord 
 is a life of faith in Him and love to Him, and that this life is eternal 
 life is evident from many passages in the Word, as the following. 
 In Jolm : 
 
 "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son 
 of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him may not 
 
 perish, but may have eternal life He that believeth on the Son 
 
 hath eternal life ; but he that believeth not on the Son shall not see 
 life" (iii. 14-16, 36). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " The water that I shall give him. . . .shall become in him a fountain of 
 water, springing up unto eternal life" (iv. 10, 11, 14). 
 
 "Water" is truth of faith (see above, n. 71). In the same, 
 
 "Every one that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on Him, hath eternal 
 
 life The words that I speak unto you are spirit and are life " 
 
 (vi. 40, 63). 
 
 The "words" that the Lord speaks are also truths of faith. In 
 the same, 
 
 " I am the resurre(flion and the life ; he that believeth in Me, though he 
 die, yet shall he live " (xi. 25, 26). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " Work for the meat which abideth unto eternal life, which the Son of 
 man giveth " (vi. 27). 
 
CHAP. I., VERSE iS. — N. S6. 99 
 
 The "meat" which the Lord g^ives is also the truth and good of 
 faith, because spiritual meat is meant (see^.c. n. 3114. 4459, 4792, 5147, 
 5293. 5340, 5342, S410, 5426, 8562, 9003). It was said that the life of the 
 Lord is in faith in Him and love to Him with man ; this is because 
 everything of faith and love is from Him, and that which is from 
 Him is also Himself, for it is His proceeding Divine, which is 
 called "the Spirit of Truth" and "the Holy Spirit;" and as the 
 Lord is therein, and it is Himself, it is said that they should abide 
 in the Lord, which means in faith in Him and love to Him, from 
 Him ; as in yohn : 
 
 Jesus said, "Abide in Me, and I in you If ye abide in Me, and 
 
 My words abide in you, ye shall ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall 
 
 be done unto you Abide in My love If ye keep My 
 
 commandments, ye shall abide in My love." " He that abideth in 
 Me, and I in Him, the same beareth much fruit ; for apart from Me 
 ye cannot do anything" (xv. 4-10). 
 
 From this it mav be known what is meant by these words in 
 Johi : 
 
 " Ye see Me ; because I live ye shall live also " (xiv. 19). 
 
 That to "see" the Lord is to believe in Him, see above (n. 14, 
 25. 37) ; ^nd that "to have faith," or "to believe" in the Lord, 
 
 is to be in love and charity (see TAe Last yudgm^nt, n. 33-39; and The 
 Do£lrine of the New ycrusalem, n. 108-142). 
 
 85. "Amen " signifies Divine co7ifirination, -as may be seen 
 above (n. 34). 
 
 86. " And I have ihe keys of hell and of death " signifies that 
 He has power to save. — This is evident from the signification of 
 " keys," as meaning power to open and shut (see A.c, n. 9410) ; and 
 from the signification of "hell," as meaning evils, for all evils are 
 from hell and belong to hell ; and from the signification of " death," 
 as meaning damnation, which is also called spiritual death (see n. 
 5407,6119, 9008). "To have the keys of hell and of death" means 
 the power to save, for the further reason, that the Lord alone 
 removes the hells with man and thereby damnation ; and when the 
 hells are removed man is saved, for in their place heaven and eter- 
 nal life flow in ; for the Lord is unceasingly present with man, and 
 desires to fill him with heaven, but evils stand in the way of its 
 being received ; so far, therefore, as the hells are removed, that is, 
 so far as man refrains from evils, so far the Lord with heaven flows 
 in. The Lord here says that He "has the keys of hell and of 
 death," because it is said immediately before that He is "alive unto 
 the ages of the ages," by which is meant that from Him is eternal 
 
lOO APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 life ; and so far as the Lord is received in faith and in love so far is 
 He in man, and so far as He is in man so far does He remove evils, 
 thus the hells and eternal death. This the Lord alone does, and 
 for this reason He ought to be received, as is evident from the pas- 
 sages from the Word cited just above (n. 83). By "hell" evils of 
 every kind are signified, because all evils are from hell. What- 
 ever man thinks or wills is either from hell or from heaven. If he 
 thinks and wills evil it is from hell, but if he thinks and wills good 
 it is from heaven. Thought and will in man are not possible from 
 any other source. The man who supposes that he thinks and 
 wills from himself is not aware of this ; but I can assert from all 
 experience on this subje6l that every thing that a man thinks and 
 wills is either from one or the other of these sources. For this 
 reason, moreover, the man who thinks and wills evil is a6lually 
 in hell ; and where one actually is while he lives in the world 
 thither will he come after death. He can come into no other place, 
 because man's spirit is formed and made up of those things that 
 he thinks and wills. When, therefore, he thinks and wills evil, the 
 whole man is formed and made up of evil, so that he is his own evil 
 in form. From this it is that infernal spirits are absolutely images 
 of their own evil, and are monstrosities, horrible according to the 
 kind of evil. Furthermore, the only means whereby a spirit can 
 be formed and constituted for heaven is receiving the Lord in 
 faith and love ; for the Lord alone, by His presence in faith and 
 love with man, removes evils, and forms man into an image of 
 heaven, which is an angel. From all this it can be seen what 
 is signified by "having the keys of hell and of death." The 
 word " keys " is used because all the hells are closed up, and are 
 opened only when evil spirits are cast into them, or when any 
 are let out of them, which occurs when evils increase with men. 
 The openings that are then made are called "gates," and as 
 "gates" are spoken of, so also are "keys," and these signify the 
 power to open and to shut, since the opening and shutting of gates 
 is efife61;ecl by means of keys. The keys given to Peter (^Matthew 
 xvi. 18, 19) have a like signification ; for by " Peter" is there signi- 
 fied truth from the good which is from the Lord, thus it is meant 
 that the Lord alone, from whom is all truth of faith and good of 
 
 love, has that power (see Last Judgment, n. 57). 
 
 87. [ Trrff 19] "Write ihe things which thou sawesf, and the 
 things which are, and the things which are to be hereafter," sig- 
 nifies //za/ al/ these things are for posterity, because Divine. — This 
 is evident from the signification of "writing," as meaning that it 
 
CHAP. I., VERSE 20. — N. 90. lOI 
 
 is for remembnince (see A.C., n. 8620), thus that these things are for 
 posterity ; and from tlie signification of" uhicli thou sawest," and 
 "which are," and "which are to be hereafter," as meaning all 
 things ; for the three times, namely, past, present, and future, sig- 
 nify all things ; and since the things he was to write were from the 
 Lord, therefore they signify things Divine, since nothing goes 
 forth from the Lord except what is Divine. Moreover, every 
 particular recorded in the Apocalypse, as well as every particular 
 in the prophetical parts of the Word elsewhere, has an internal 
 sense, and the internal sense is in the light of heaven, which is 
 Divine truth going forth from the Lord. It is said here, "which 
 thou sawest," and "which are/' and "which are to be hereafter," 
 as above it was said in respe<5l to the Lord, "who is, and who 
 was, and who is to come." What was there treated of was the 
 Lord Himself; here things Divine from the Lord with man are 
 treated of, as can be seen from what precedes and follows in the 
 series. 
 
 88. [Verse 20.1 "The mysiery of the seven stars which thou 
 sawest in My right hand" signifies revelation of goods and truths, 
 ivhich are all from Him. — This is evident from the signification 
 of " mystery," as meaning what lies concealed in the vision that 
 John had, but here that vision revealed, since in what now follows 
 it is told what is meant by the "seven stars" and the "seven lamp- 
 stands." This is evident also from the signification of die "seven 
 stars," as meaning knowledges of all things of good and truth, 
 thus as meaning all goods and truths (see above, n. 72) ; and from 
 the signification of "in My right hand," as meaning, in reference 
 to the Lord, what is from Him (see also, n. 72). From this it is 
 clear that by "the mystery of the seven stars which thou saw- 
 est" is signified revelation of goods and truths, which are all from 
 Him. 
 
 89. "And the seven golden lampstands" signifies also of the 
 things in the new heaven and 7iezc earth. — This is evident from 
 the signification of the "seven lampstands," as meaning the new 
 heaven and the new church (see above, n.62). They mean goods 
 and truths for those who are in the new heaven and the new 
 church, because in the internal sense they are thus closely con- 
 nected with what immediately precedes ; for things that appear 
 disconneded in the sense of the letter, in the internal sense are 
 continuous (see above, n. 17). 
 
 90. " The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches" 
 signifies those who receive goods and tniths from the Lord. — This 
 
I02 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 is evident from the sig-nification of the "seven stars," as meaning 
 goods and truths, all from the Lord (see above, n. 72) ; also from 
 the signification of "angels," as meaning those in the heavens who 
 are in like correspondent good and truth with those in the church 
 (of which more in what follows) ; also from the signification of 
 "seven churches," as meaning all who are in truths from good, or 
 in faith from charity, thus all who are of the church (see above, n. 
 20). From all this together, it follows as a conclusion that by 
 "the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches" are signi- 
 fied all who receive goods and truths from the Lord. By " angels " 
 are here signified those in heaven who are in like correspondent 
 good and truth with those in the church, because the whole heaven 
 is divided into societies, and the societies are arranged according 
 to affections for good and truth in general and in particular. 
 These societies correspond to those on earth who are in like affec- 
 tions for good and truth. All these societies are called "angels ;" 
 and each one is called an " angel ;" and a society when viewed 
 from a distance, and so presented as to be seen as a one, appears 
 as a single angel (see Heaven and Hell, n. 62, 68-72). Moreover, there is 
 a complete correspondence of heaven with the church, or of an- 
 gels of heaven with men of the church ; through this correspond- 
 ence heaven makes a one w-ith the church. From all this it is 
 clear what is here signified by the " angels of the seven churches," 
 and in the following chapter by the "angel" of each church, where 
 it is said, "Write to the angel of the Ephesian church," "to the 
 angel of the church of the Smyrnaeans," "to the angel of the 
 Pergamean church," "to the angel of the church of Thyatira," "to 
 the angel of the church in Sardis," "to the angel of the Phila- 
 delphian church," and "to the angel of the Laodicean church;" 
 the command evidently was to write, not to angels but to church- 
 es, that is, to those who are in such good and truth from the Lord 
 and who are described by each church (of whom we shall treat 
 
 in what follows). (That in the Word by " angel " nothing else is meant but 
 good and truth which are from the I^ord with angel and man, will be more fully 
 shown in the following pages ; in the meantime see what is shown concerning the 
 heavens and angelic societies in Heaven and Hell, since without knowledge of 
 these things from that source, what is said of angels in the following pages can 
 be but little understood ; for knowledge must precede if the understanding is to be 
 enlightened.) 
 
 91. "And the seven lampsiands which fhou sawesf are the 
 seven churches" signifies f/iai all such are i7i the 7iew heaven 
 and the new church. — This is evident from the signification of the 
 "seven lampstands," as meaning the new heaven and the new 
 
CHAP. I.. VERSE 20.— N. 9I. IO3 
 
 church (see above, n. 62) ; also from the signification of the "seven 
 churches," as meaning; those who are in truths from good or in 
 faith from charity (see above, n. 20). From this it is clear that by 
 the "seven lampstands are the seven churches" all who will be 
 in the new heaven and the new church are signified. 
 
 All things in the Apocalypse have regard to that which is t-ig- 
 nified by the "seven golden lampstands," that is, to the new 
 heaven and the new church, as their end and conclusion ; conse- 
 quently, these are treated of in the final chapters. The remaining 
 things that come between are such things as stand in the way, and 
 are to be removed, as what is said of the "dragon" and of the 
 "beasts of Babylon." When these no longer oppose, or when 
 they are remo\'ed, the new heaven and the new church come forth 
 and are manifest. 
 
I04 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 CHAPTER I I . 
 
 TO the angel of the Ephesian Church write : 
 These things saith He that holdeth the seven 
 stars in His right hand ; He that walketh in 
 the midst of the seven golden lampstands ; 
 
 2. I know thy works, and thy toil, and thy endur- 
 ance, and that thou canst not bear the evil, and hast 
 tried them that say that they are apostles, and they are 
 not, and hast found them liars ; 
 
 3. And hast borne and hast endurance, and for My 
 name's sake hast toiled, and hast not failed. 
 
 4. But I have against thee, that thou hast left thy 
 first charity. 
 
 5. Be mindful, therefore, of whence thou hast fallen, 
 and repent, and do the first works ; but if not, I will 
 come unto thee quickly, and will move thy lampstand 
 out of its place, except thou repent. 
 
 6. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the works of 
 the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 
 
 7. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit 
 saith to the churches. To him that overcometh will I 
 give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of 
 the paradise of God. 
 
 8. And to the angel of the church of the Smyrneans 
 write : These things saith the First and the Last, who 
 was dead and is alive : 
 
 9. I know thy works, and afili6lion, and poverty, but 
 thou art rich ; and the blasphemy of them who say that 
 
CHAP IKK II. 105 
 
 tluy arc Jews, and they are not, but are a synagogue 
 of Satan. 
 
 10. Fear not the things which thou art to suffer. 
 Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into con- 
 finement, that ye may be tried ; and ye shall have 
 aftliclion ten days : be thou faithful even till death, and 
 I will give thee the crown of life. 
 
 I I. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit 
 saith to the churches. He that overcometh shall not 
 be hurt by the second death. 
 
 12. And to the angel of the church jn Pergamum 
 write : These things saith He that hath the sharp two- 
 edged sword, 
 
 13. I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, 
 where Satan's throne is ; and thou boldest My name, 
 and didst not deny My faith, even in the days wherein 
 Antipas was My faithful martyr, w^ho was slain among 
 you. where Satan dwelleth. 
 
 14. But I have against thee a few^ things : that thou 
 hast there them that hold the doclrine of Balaam, 
 w^ho tauofht Balak to cast a stumblinsf-block before the 
 children of Israel, to eat idol-sacrifices, and to commit 
 whoredom. 
 
 15. So thou also hast them that hold the doctrine 
 of the Xicolaitans, w^hich thing I hate. 
 
 16. Repent ; or else I will come to thee quickly, and 
 vi^ill fight against them with the sw^ord of My mouth. 
 
 17. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit 
 saith to the churches. To him that overcometh, to him 
 will I give to eat of the hidden manna ; and will give him 
 a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, 
 w'hich no one know^eth except he that receiveth. 
 
 1 8. And to the angel of the church in ThyatirawTite : 
 These things saith the Son of God, that hath His eyes 
 as a flame of fire, and His feet like burnished brass, 
 
I06 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 19. I know thy works and charity, and ministry 
 and faith, and thine endurance, and thy works, and 
 the last to be more than the first. 
 
 20. But I have arainst thee a few thingfs ; that thou 
 sufferest the woman Jezebel, that calleth herself a 
 prophetess, to teach and to seduce My servants to 
 commit whoredom, and to eat idol-sacrifices. 
 
 21. And I gave her time that she might repent of 
 her whoredom ; and she repented not. 
 
 22. Behold, I cast her into a bed, and those that 
 commit adultery with her into great aftliction, except 
 they repent of their works. 
 
 23. And her sons I will kill with death ; and all the 
 churches shall know that I am He that searcheth the 
 reins and hearts ; and I will give to each one of you 
 according to your works. 
 
 24. But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thy- 
 atira, as many as have not this doctrine, and who have 
 not known the depths of Satan, as they say; I put 
 upon you no other burden. 
 
 25. Howbeit, that which ye have, hold till I come. 
 
 26. And he that overcometh and keepeth My works 
 unto the end, I will give him power over the nations. 
 
 27. And he shall rule them with an iron rod; as 
 earthen vessels shall they be shivered, as I also have 
 received from My Father. 
 
 28. And I will give him the morning star. 
 
 29. He that hath an ear let him hear what the 
 Spirit saith to the churches. 
 
 92. In the preceding pages it has been told what is meant 
 by the "seven churches" and by the "angels" thereof; namely, 
 by the "seven churches" all who are in truths from good, and by 
 the "seven angels " all in heaven that correspond to these (see n. 
 20, 90) ; and smce heaven and the church make one by corre- 
 spondence, it is said in what follows, "To the angel of the church 
 write," and not, Write to the church. It is so said for this rea- 
 
CHAP. II., PKKl ACi:. — X. 93. 107 
 
 son also, that there must be correspondence in order that tlie 
 church may be a church with man ; if there were no corre- 
 spondence, there would be no communication of heaven, thus 
 no heaven, with man ; and if heaven were not with him neither 
 
 would the church be with him. {'^ccThe Doflrine of the Nnv yerusalem, 
 n. 241-248. What the correspondence of the man of the church with heaven is, 
 cannot be told in a few words, but whoever desires may be taught what it is in what 
 is said and shown in Heaven and Hell, n. 87-115 and 291-310.) In a word, 
 
 there is correspondence when man has become spiritual, and man 
 becomes spiritual when he acknowledges the Divine and espe- 
 ciallv the Lord, and loves to live according to the precepts in the 
 Word, for when he does this he is conjoined with heaven ; and 
 then between the spiritual and the natural with him there is corre- 
 spondence. I am aware that to many these things seem to be 
 beyond comprehension ; but the reason is that it is not the delight 
 of their love to know about them ; if it were, not only would they 
 perceive them clearly, they would also be eager to know much 
 more of such things ; for a man earnestly desires what he loves, 
 and what he loves is his delight ; moreover, whatever is loved 
 enters both with joy and with light into the idea of the mind. 
 
 93, The angel of the Ephesian church is the first here writ- 
 ten to ; and by the angel of that church all those in the church are 
 meant who are in knowledges of truth and good, thus in know- 
 ledges of such things as are of heaven and of the church, and who 
 still are not, or not yet, in a life according to them. By these know- 
 ledges are especially meant doctrinals ; and do6trinals alone, or 
 knowledges of good and truth alone, do not make a man spiritual, 
 but a life according to them ; for doflrinals or knowledges without 
 a life according to them abide only in the memor\' and in thought 
 therefrom, and all things that abide there only, abide in the natural 
 man ; consequently a man does not become spiritual until these 
 enter the life, and they enter the life when a man wills the things 
 which he thinks, and consequently does them. That this is so any 
 one can see from this alone, that although one knows all the laws 
 of moral and civil life, if he does not live according to them he is 
 not a moral and civil man ; he may talk about them more learn- 
 edly than others, but still he is condemned. It is the same with 
 one who knows the ten precepts of the decalogue, so as to be able 
 even to e.xplain and discourse about them with intelligence, and 
 yet does not live according to them. Those, therefore, within the 
 church who are in knowledges of such things as pertain to the 
 church, that is, who are in knowledges of truth and good from the 
 Word, but are not, or not vet, in a life according to them, are here 
 first treated of and these are described by the things written to 
 the angel of the Ephesian church.. 
 
I08 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 EXPOSITION. 
 
 VERSES 1-7. 
 
 Q^» " To the angel of the Ephesian church write : These things saith He that hold- 
 eth the seven stars in His right hand ; He that walheth in the midst of the seven golden 
 lampstands ; I know thy worlis and thy toil, and thy endurance, and that thou canst not bear 
 the evil, and hast tried them that say that they are apostles and they are not, and hast 
 found them liars : and hast borne and hast endurance, and for My name's sahe hast toiled, 
 and hast not failed. But I have against thee that thou hast left thy first charity. Be 
 mindful therefore of whence thou hast fallen, and repent, and do the first works ; but if not I 
 will come unto thee quickly, and will move thy lampstand out of its place, except thou repent. 
 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He that 
 hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches ; To him that overcometh will 
 I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God." 
 
 I. "To the angel of the Ephesian church write" signifies to those ivithin the 
 church 7vho are in kno7i<lcdges of truth and good from the Word, for 
 remembrance [11. 95] ; "these things saith He that holdeth the seven 
 stars in His right hand" signifies from ivhotn are all knozvledges of 
 good and truth [n. 96] ; "He that wal/ceth in the midst of the seven 
 golden lampstands " signifies y)-^w ichom is life to all in the new heaven 
 aftd the netu church [n. 97]. 
 
 3. "/ know thy works, and thy toil, and thy endurance," signifies all things 
 that they think, loill, and do, thus all things of love and faith in the 
 spiritual and in the natural man [n. 98] ; ["and that thou canst not 
 bear the evil" signifies that they put aioay eiils, n. 99] ; "and hast 
 tried them that say they are apostles and they are not, and hast 
 found them liars," signifies and falsities, so far as they are able to search 
 them out [n. 100]. 
 
 3. "And hast borne, and hast endurance," signifies resistance against those 
 
 who assail truths of faith, and diligence in instructing [n. loi] ; "and 
 for My name's sake hast toiled" signifies acknowledgment of the Lord 
 and of kjiowledges of truth that have respect to Him [n. 102]; "and 
 hast not failed" signifies so far as they could [n. 103]. 
 
 4. "But I have against thee that thou hast left thy first charity" signifies 
 
 that thcv do not make such a life as those lived Tcho locre in the church 
 at its beginning the essential of kno7vledges [n. 104]. 
 
 5. "Be mindful therefore of whence thou hast fallen, and repent, and do the 
 
 first works," signifies remembrance of former things, and thus remem- 
 brance of having deviated from the truth, and this in order that the 
 good of life of the church at its begintiing may come into mind [n. 105] ; 
 "but if not I will come unto thee quickly, and will move thy lampstand 
 out of its place, except thou repent," signifies that if not, it is certain 
 that hear' en cannot be gi^'en [n. 106]. 
 
 6. "But this thou hast, that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitans, which 
 
 I also hate," signifies att aversion, given from the Divine, tozvards those 
 7vho separate good from truth, or charity from faith, frotn which sep- 
 aration there is no life [n. roy]. 
 
 7. "He thai hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches" 
 
 signifies that he 7vho understands should hearken to 7vhat Divine truth 
 going forth from the Lord teaches and says to those who are of His 
 church [n. 108] ; "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the 
 tree of life" signifies that he 'who receives in the heart shall be filled 
 with good of love, and zvitli heavenly joy therefrom [n. 109]; "which is 
 in the midst of the paradise of God" signifies that all kno7vledges of 
 good and truth ?« heaven and in the church look thereto and go forth 
 therefrom [n. no]. 
 
 95. [ Verse I.] " To the angel of the Ephesian church write " 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE I. — N. 96. IO9 
 
 signifies to those -within the church icho arc in knowledges of trtith 
 ayid good from the Word, for remembrance. — This is evident 
 from the signification of "writing," as meaning for remembrance 
 {A.C., n. 8620). It means to those within the church who are in 
 knowledges of truth and good from the Word, because these are 
 meant by the "angel of the Ephesian church." That these are 
 meant isevident from the things written to the angel of that church. 
 What is meant by the angel of each church can be known only 
 from the internal sense of the things written to each church. It 
 is SA\<\, from the internal sense, since all things in the Apocalypse 
 are prophetic, and things prophetic can be explained only by the 
 internal sense. Who that reads the Prophets does not see that 
 there are arcana therein that are more abstruse than the plain 
 meaning of the letter? And since these arcana cannot be seen by 
 the merely natural man, those who account the Word holy pass 
 those things by that they do not understand, acknowledging that 
 there is a hidden meaning therein that is unknown to them, and 
 that some call mystical. That this is the spiritual of the Word 
 is recognized by some, because they think of the Word as being 
 in its bosom spiritual for the reason that it is Divine. Never- 
 theless, it has been unknown heretofore that this is the spiritual 
 sense of the Word, that the W' ord is understood in this sense by 
 angels, and that by means of this sense there is conjunction of 
 
 heaven with the man of the church (see Heaven and Hcll, n. 303-310). 
 
 Those who are in knowledges of truth and goody;-<?;« the VVo?'da.re 
 meant by the "angel of the Ephesian church," because by know- 
 ledges of truth and good are meant the do6lrinals of the church, 
 and only from the Word can dodlrinals be obtained. Why it is 
 said, "To the angel of the church .... write," and not, To the 
 church, may be seen above (n. 92). 
 
 96. "These things saifh He that holdeih the seven stars in 
 His right hand" signifies from whom are all knowledges of good 
 arid truth. — This is evident from the signification of " seven stars," 
 as meaning all knowledges of good and truth (see above, n. 72) ; 
 and from the signification of " right hand," as meaning, in reference 
 to the Lord, what is from Him (see above, n. 72, 79) ; therefore by 
 these words, " that holdeth the seven stars irt His right hand," is sig- 
 nified that from the Lord are all knowledges of good and truth. It 
 is said that He saith this " who holdeth the seven stars in His right 
 hand, and walketh in the midst of the [seven] golden lampstands," 
 because by "stars" are signified knowledges of good and truth, 
 and by " golden lampstands '' a new heaven and a new church. 
 There is thus prefixed to each description of a church a Divine 
 
no APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 charadleristic that indicates the subjeci; treated of (as to the de- 
 scriptions of the churches that follow, verses 8, 12, 18 ; chap. iii. i, 
 7, 14). It is so prefixed because everything of the church is from 
 the Lord. From this it is clear also why the Lord, in respect to 
 His Divine Human, is described in the first chapter by the repre- 
 sentatives that were seen by John, namely,' that from these might 
 be taken what was to be prefixed to the description of each church, 
 for a testimony and a memorial that everything of the church is 
 from the Lord, and in fa6l from His Divine Human ; for from this 
 every good of love goes forth and every truth of faith, and these 
 constitute the church. What immediately goes forth from His 
 Divine itself does not reach man, because His Divine itself is in- 
 visible and therefore does not come into the thought, and what 
 does not come into thought does not come into faith ; for every- 
 thing that is of faith must be thought. That the Son of man, who 
 is described (in chap, i.) by the representatives seen by John, is 
 the Lord in respe6l to the Divine Human, and Divine truth going 
 forth therefrom, see above (n. 63). Knowledges of truth and 
 good are here treated of first, because they are the first things of 
 the church ; for no one can be initiated into faith and charity, 
 which constitute the church, except by means of knowledges from 
 
 the Word that pertain to the church (see what is appended to n. 356 of 
 Heaven and Hell horn the Arcana Caelestia). 
 
 97, "He that walketh in the midst of the seven golden lamp- 
 stands" signifies y)-^;;/ rvhom is life to all in the nezv heaven atid 
 the new church. — This is evident from the signification of "walk- 
 ing," as meaning to live, and in reference to the Lord, Life itself 
 (of which more will be said in what follows) ; and from the signi- 
 fication of "seven golden lampstands," as meaning all in the new 
 heaven and in the new church (see above, n. 62). From this it is 
 clear that the Lord was seen " [walking] in the midst of the lamp- 
 stands," because "midst" signifies inmost; "lampstands" signify 
 heaven and the church, and "walking" signifies life; and to be 
 "in the midst" signifies, in reference to the Lord, to be in all that 
 are round about Him. By this, therefore, it was represented that 
 all life of faith and love in heaven and in the church is from Him 
 
 (see above, n. 84). (That "midst" denotes the inmost and the centre from 
 which, see A.C.. n. 1704, 2940, 2973, 7777. That the Lord is the common centre 
 from whom is all diredlion and determination in heaven, see Heaven and Hell, n. 
 123, 124. That the extension of the light of heaven, which is Divine truth going 
 forth from the Lord, from which angels have intelligence and wisdom, is effected 
 also from the midst into those who are round about, see the same, n. 43, 50, 189.) 
 
 That "walking" signifies living, and in reference to the Lord, Life 
 itself, is from appearances in the spiritual world, where every one 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE I. — X. 97. Ill 
 
 walks according to his life, the evil in no other ways than those 
 that lead to hell, and the good in no other ways than those that 
 lead to heaven ; consequently all spirits are known there from the 
 ways wherein the^• are walking. Moreo\'er, ways actually appear 
 there ; but to the evil ways towards hell only, and to the good, 
 wavs towards heaven only ; and thus every one is brought to his 
 own society. From this it is that "walking" signifies living. (Of 
 
 these ways, and walking therein, in the spiritual world, see Heaven and Hell, n. 195, 
 
 479, 534, 590 ; and Last Judgment, n. 48.) That in the Word " ways " sig- 
 nify truths or falsities, and " walking" signifies living, may be seen 
 from many passages therein ; I will cite only a few here by way 
 of proof. In Isaiah : 
 
 "We have sinned against Jehovah; they would not walk in His ways, 
 neither have they heard His law" (xlii. 24). 
 
 In Moses : 
 
 "If ye shall keep the commandments,. . . .by loving Jehovah your God. 
 by walking in all His ways" {Deut. xi. 22). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Thou shalt keep all this commandment to do it by loving Jehovah 
 
 thy God, and walking in His ways all the days " {Deut. xix. g ; 
 xxvi. 17). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " I will set My tabernacle in the midst of you,. . . .and I will walk in the 
 midst of you, and I will be to you for a God" {Lev. xxvi. 11, 12). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Jehovah thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp,. . . . therefore shall 
 thy camp be holy " {Deut. xxiii. 14). 
 
 In Isaiah : 
 
 " Remember, O Jehovah, how I have walked before Thee in truth " 
 
 (xxxviii. 3). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " He entereth into peace, .... walking in uprightness " (Ivii. 2). 
 
 In Malachi: 
 
 " He walked with me in peace and uprightness" (ii. 6). 
 
 In David : 
 
 "Thou hast delivered my feet from falling, that I may walk before God 
 in the light of the living" {Psalm Ivi. 13). 
 
 In John : 
 
112 APOCALYPSE EXPLAIM:1J. 
 
 Jesus said, " I am the light of the world ; he that followeth Me shall not 
 walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life" (viii. 12). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Yet a little while is the light with you ; walk while ye have the light, 
 that darkness overtake you not ; and he that walketh in darkness 
 knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have the light believe on 
 the light " (xii. 35, 36). 
 
 In Mark : 
 
 "The Pharisees and Scribes ask Him, Why walk not Thy disciples accord- 
 ing to the tradition of the elders?" (vii. 5.) 
 
 In Moses : 
 
 " If ye walk contrary to Me, and will not hearken to My voice, I will also 
 walk contrary to you" (Lev. xxvi. 21, 23, 24, 27). 
 
 In Isaiah : 
 
 " This people that walk in darkness have seen a great light ; they that 
 dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light 
 shined " (ix. 2). 
 
 In Micah : 
 
 "All the peoples walk in the name of their god, and we will walk in the 
 name of Jehovah our God " (iv, 5). 
 
 In Isaiah : 
 
 " Who among you feareth Jehovah ? .... he that walketh in darkness, who 
 hath no light" (1. 10); 
 
 besides many other passages 
 
 (as in Jer. xxvi. 4; Ezek. v. 6 ; xx. 13, 16 ; Zech. x. 12 ; Luke i. 6). 
 
 From these passages it can be seen that "walking," in the spiritual 
 sense, signifies living ; and as it signifies living, so in reference to 
 the Lord, as in this passage, it signifies Life itself, for the Lord 
 is Life itself, and all others are recipients of life from Him (see 
 above, n. 82, 84). 
 
 98. ^Verse 2.] "/ knoM thy works, and thy toil, and thy endur- 
 ance," signifies all things that they zcill, think, and do, tints all 
 things of love and faith in the spiritual and in the iiatural mail. — 
 This is evident from the signification of "works," as meaning the 
 things that are of the will and love (of which in what follows) ; 
 and from the signification of " toil," as meaning the things that are 
 of thought and faith (of which also in what follows) ; and from the 
 signification of "endurance," as meaning things done from will 
 and thought, or the things that these do. But it can hardly be 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE 2. — N. 9S. II3 
 
 comprehended that this is the meaning- of these words, unless it is 
 known that all things done by man flow out from interiors belong- 
 ing to his mind, also that the mind is the all in everything that 
 man does, and that the body is a mere obedience through which 
 is exhibited, in a form visible to the eye, that which the min<l wills 
 and thinks. This is why the external things here mentioned, 
 "works," "toil," and "endurance," signify willing, thinking, and 
 consequent doing, or what is the same, loving, believing, and con- 
 sequent bringing forth in a<5l. Even yet these things are not com- 
 prehensible, unless it is also known that man has two capacities, 
 called will and understanding, and that these two capacities are 
 meant by the term " mind ;" also that man has an internal and an 
 external, — an internal in the light of the spiritual world, and an 
 
 external in the light of the natural world. (Thi Will and the Under- 
 standing are treated of in The Dodrine of the New yerusalem, n. 28-35 ; and the 
 Internal and the External Man, n. 36-52.) When this is understood, it may 
 
 be known that by "works," in the spiritual sense, is meant every- 
 thing that man wills and loves, and by "toil" everything that man 
 thinks or believes, and by "endurance" everything that man does 
 from these. [2.] But leaving these matters, as being, perhaps, 
 too little known about and therefore too obscure to be clearly 
 apprehended, let us consider this point only, that by "works," in 
 the spiritual sense, are meant all things that are of man's will or 
 love ; and this, for the reason that in these descriptions of the 
 seven churches, it is said first to each of them, "I know thy 
 works ;" as in verses 8, 9, 
 
 " To the angel of the church in Symrna write : these things saith the First 
 and the Last, .... I know thy works, and afflicflion, and poverty ;" 
 
 verses 12, 13, 
 
 "To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These things saith He 
 that hath the sharp two-edged sword, I know thy works, and where 
 thou dwellest ;" 
 
 verses iS, 19, 
 
 "To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These things saith the 
 Son of God, .... I know thy works and charity ;" 
 
 chap, iii., verse 1, 
 
 "To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things saith He that 
 
 hath the seven spirits of God, I know thy works, that thou art 
 
 said to live ;" 
 
 verses 7,8, 
 
 "To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These things saith 
 He that is holy. He that is true I know thy works ;" 
 
114 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 and verses 14, 15, 
 
 "To the angel of the Laodicean church write: These things saith the 
 Amen, the faithful and true witness, .... I know thy works." 
 
 [3.] As it is here said to each, " I know thy works," it is clear 
 that "works" signify, in general, all things of the church ; and as 
 all things of the church have reference to love and faith, these are 
 what are meant in the spiritual sense by "works." These are 
 meant in the spiritual sense by "works," because every work or 
 deed or acl, that to all appearance is done from the body, is not 
 done from the body, but is done by means of the body from 
 man's will and thought, for not a particle of the body moves itself 
 except from the will and thought. From this it is that "works" 
 signify, not the things that appear in outward form, but the things 
 of will and thought. That this is so is known to every one who 
 refle6ts. Who that is wise estimates a man by his deeds alone, 
 and not by his will? If the will is good he approves of the deeds ; 
 but if the will is evil he does not approve of the deeds. He sees 
 the deeds, but interprets them according to the intention of the 
 will. He who is spiritual is still less concerned with the deeds, 
 but explores the will ; for the reason already given, that deeds 
 in themselves are nothing, but all that they are is from the will, 
 for deeds are the will in a6l. It is said will^ but in the spiritual 
 sense love is meant, for a man wills what he loves, and he loves 
 what he wills. Man's will is only a receptacle of his love. (See 
 
 what is said and shown in The Dofirineof the Neivycrusalem, on that facuUy of man, 
 
 n. 28-35; andinj^^az'^^fl^^j^z/.n. 358,470-484.) [4.] Because " works " or 
 deeds in the Word signify specifically the things that go forth from 
 man's love or will, it is often said in the Word that a man shall be 
 judged and it shall be rendered unto him according to his works ; 
 and the meaning is according to works in internal form, not ex- 
 ternal ; as in the following passages : 
 
 " The Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels, 
 and then shall He render unto every man according to his works" 
 {Matt. xvi. 27). 
 
 "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord . . : Yea, saith the Spirit, 
 that they may rest from their labors ; their works do follow them " 
 (Apoc. xiv. 13). 
 
 " I will give unto each one of you according to his works " (Apoc. ii. 23). 
 
 " I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God ; and the books were 
 opened ; . . . . and the dead were judged out of the things which 
 were written in the books, according to their works. The sea gave 
 up the dead which were in it ; and death and hell gave up those 
 that were in them ; and they were judged every one according to 
 their works" {Apoc. xx. 12, 13). 
 
 " Behold I come, and My reward is with Me, to render to each man ac- 
 cording to his works" {Apoc. xxii. 12). 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE 2. — N. 98. II5 
 
 In ycrcmiah : 
 
 " I will recompense them according to their work, and according to the 
 
 doiny of their hands" (.\xv. 14). 
 Jehovah, " whose eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men, to 
 
 give every one according to his ways and according to the fruit of 
 
 his works" (xxxii. 19). 
 
 Elsewhere, 
 
 " I will punish him for his ways, and will recompense him for his works " 
 
 {Hosea iv. 9). 
 "According to our ways and according to our works Jehovah deals with 
 
 us " (Zich. i. 6). 
 
 Where the Lord prophesies respe<5^ing the last j'udgment He 
 considers works only, and declares that 
 
 Those who have done good works shall enter into life eternal, and those 
 who have done evil works into condemnation {Alatt. xxv. 32-46). 
 
 [5.] That "works" signify the things that are of love and faith 
 the Lord also shows in these words : 
 
 They said to Jesus, " What shall we do that we may work the works of 
 God? J6sus answered, This is the work of God. that ye believe on 
 Him whom [the Father] hath sent" (John vi. 28, 29). 
 
 In another place, 
 
 "The night cometh, when no man can work" {jfohn ix. 4). 
 
 "Night" signifies the last time of the church, when there is no 
 faith, because there is no charit}^ {seeA.C, n. 2353, 6000). " Works " are 
 so frequently mentioned, because the sense of the letter of the 
 Word is made up solely of things external, which belong to nature, 
 and which appear before the eyes ; and this in order that there 
 may be a spiritual sense in each particular, as a soul in a body, 
 for otherwise the Word would not be a means of communication 
 with angels, for it would be like a house without a foundation (see 
 above, n. 8, 16). From this also it is that when "works" are 
 mentioned, angels, who are spiritual, do not understand works, 
 but the things from which works spring, which are, as was said 
 above, the will or love, and thought therefrom which is of faith. 
 
 (This subject you will find more clearly explained in Heaven and Hell. n. 470-483. 
 where it is shown that man is after death such as his life was in the world.) 
 
 "Toil," in the spiritual sense, means all things that man thinks, 
 because spiritual toiling is thinking. And "endurance" signifies 
 all things that man does, because "to endure" here means to be 
 assiduous, and to put away the obstructions in the natural man 
 that are continually rising up and hindering. 
 
Il6 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 99. "And that thou canst not bear the evil" signifies that they 
 put away evils. — This is evident from the signification of " canst 
 not bear," as meaning to put away, for what a man cannot bear 
 he puts away. "The evil" signify evils, because the thought of 
 angels is abstra<5led from persons ; when, therefore, in the sense of 
 the letter of the Word "the evil" are mentioned, angels think of 
 evils ; for by " the evil," men who are evil, thus persons, are meant 
 The thought of angels is of this charader because they are in 
 heavenly wisdom, and that wisdom has extension into the whole 
 of heaven ; if therefore they should think with thought limited to 
 persons, that extension would cease, and their wisdom with it. 
 In this way does the spiritual differ from the natural. This is why 
 
 "the evil" signify evils. (Of the wisdom of angels, that it is extended into 
 the whole of heaven because their thought is abstradted from space, time, and matter, 
 see Heaven and Hell, n. 169, 191-199, 265-275 ; and that their thought is abstradled 
 from persons, see A.C., n. 8343, 8985, 9007.) 
 
 100. "And hast tried them thai say thai they are apostles 
 and they are not, and hast found them liars," signifies, aiid falsi- 
 ties, so far as they are able to search them otit. — This is evident 
 from the signification of "to try," as meaning to inquire into and 
 search out; and from the signification of "apostles," as meaning 
 those who teach the truths of the church, and in a sense abstracted 
 from persons, the truths themselves that are taught (of which in 
 what follows) ; also from the signification of " and are not, and 
 are found liars," as meaning not truths but falsities; for a "lie" 
 and a " liar" signify falsity {A.C., n. 8908, 9248). From this and what 
 precedes it is evident that "I know .... that thou canst not bear 
 the evil, and hast tried them that say they are apostles and they 
 are not, and hast found them liars," signifies that they put away 
 evils, and falsities also, so far as they are able to search them out. 
 For in the things written to this church those who are in know- 
 ledges of truth and good, thus in knowledges of such things as are 
 of heaven and of the church, are treated of (see above, n. 93) ; here, 
 therefore, it is first said of them that, they put away evils, and falsi- 
 ties also, so far as they are able to search them out ; for those who 
 are in knowledges of the holy things of the church need first to 
 know in general what good and truth are, also what evil and falsity 
 are, for upon this knowledge all other knowledges are founded. 
 
 (For this reason The Doctrine of the New Jertisalem first of all treats of Good and 
 Truth, n. 11-27, and from these it can be seen what evil and falsity are.) [2.] By 
 
 "apostles" those who teach the truths of the church are meant, 
 because the aposdes [those sent] were so called from their having 
 been .sent to teach and to preach the Gospel concerning the Lord 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE 2. — N. lOO. II7 
 
 and the drawing nigh of the kingdom of God through Him ; thus 
 to teach the truths of the church, by which the Lord is known and 
 the kingdom of God is brought nigh. The kingdom of God on 
 the earth is the church. From this it is evident what is meant by 
 " apostles " in the spiritual sense of the Word, namely, not the twelve 
 apostles who were sent by the Lord to teach concerning Him and 
 His kingdom, but all who are in the truths of the church, and in a 
 sense abstracted from persons, the truths themselves. For in the 
 Word persons are frequently spoken of; but those who are in its 
 spiritual sense, as angels are, do not think of persons at all, but 
 their thought is abstracted from persons, and has respe<5l therefore 
 solely to things {de rebus). For it is material to think of persons, but 
 spiritual to think apart from the idea of person ; for instance, 
 where the "disciples" are mentioned in the Word, or "prophets," 
 " priests," " kings," "Jews," " Israel," " inhabitants of Zion " and of 
 
 "Jerusalem," and so on. (Moreover, the very names of persons and places 
 are changed with angels into things, see A.C., n. 768, 1224, 1264, 1876, 1888, 4310, 
 4442, 5095, 5225, 6516, 10216, 10282, 10329, 10432; and that the thought of angels 
 is abstracted from persons, n. 8343, 8985, 9007.) [3.] That the disciples of 
 
 the Lord were called apostles from their having been sent to teach 
 concerning Him and His kingdom, is clear in Luke : 
 
 Jesus sent His twelve disciples " to preach the kingdom of God And 
 
 the apostles, when they were returned, declared unlo Him what 
 
 things they had done And He spake to them of the kingdom 
 
 of God " (ix. I, 2, 10, 11). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "When it was day. Jesus called His disciples; and He chose from 
 them twelve, whom also He named apostles" (vi. 13). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " I will send unto them prophets and apostles, and some of them they 
 shall kill and persecute " (xi. 49). 
 
 They are called "prophets and apostles," because by "prophets," 
 as well as by "apostles," are meant those who were sent to teach 
 truths; by "prophets" those of the Old Testament, and by 
 
 " apostles " those of the New. (Tha* " prophets " in the Word signify those 
 who teach truths, and in a sense abstracfled from persons truths themselves, see A.C., 
 
 n. 2534.) As the " twelve apostles " signify the truths themselves of 
 the church, it is said in the Apocalypse : 
 
 "The wall " of the New Jerusalem "had twelve foundations, and on them 
 the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb" (xxi. 14). 
 
 (That by " New Jerusalem " is meant the church in respedl to do(5lrine, see TTu 
 S'ew yerusalem and its Do{lrine, n. 6 ; that by its " wall " are signified truths of doc- 
 trine for defence, see A.C.. n. 6419; by the " foundations of the wall" are sig^iified 
 knowledges of truth, on which dodlrine is founded, n. 9643; by " twelve" are signi- 
 
MS APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 fied all truths in the complex, n. 57/, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3858, 3913. From this 
 it is clear why it is said that in the foundations of the wall were the " names of the 
 twelve apostles of the Lamb.") 
 
 lOl* [ i^erse 3.] "/Ind hast borne and hast endurance " signi- 
 fies resistance against those who assail truths 0/ faith, and dili- 
 ge7ice in instru5li7ig . — This is evident from the signification of 
 "bearing," in reference to those who are in knowledges of truth 
 and good, as meaning resistance against those who assail truths of 
 faith, for those who are in knowledges defend those truths, and resist 
 those who are against them ; also from the signification of having 
 "endurance" or "patience," as meaning diligence in instructing. 
 
 I02[ct]. "And for My name's sake hast toiled" signifies ac- 
 knowledgme7it of the Lord and of k7iowledges of truth that have . 
 respefl to Him. — This is evident from the signification of "the 
 name" of Jehovah, or of the Lord, as meaning, in the highest 
 sense, His Divine Human (see A.c, n. 2628, 6887), and in a relative 
 sense, all things of love and faith by which the Lord is worshipped, 
 because these are things Divine that go forth from His Divine 
 Human (n. 2724, 3006, 6674, 9310). This is evident also from the sig- 
 nification of " toiling," as meaning to strive with mind and zeal 
 that these things may be known and acknowledged ; for this is 
 signified by "toiling" when it is said of those who apply them- 
 selves to knowledges of truth and good. From this it follows that 
 " for My name's sake hast toiled " signifies acknowledgment of 
 the Lord, and of knowledges that have respe6l to Him. Know- 
 ledges that have respe6l to the Lord are all things that are of 
 love and faith. In many passages of the Word it is said, "for the 
 sake of Jehovah's name," " for the sake of the Lord's name," "for 
 the sake of the name of Jesus Christ," that "the name of God 
 should be san6lified," and the like. Those whose thoughts do not 
 go beyond the sense of the letter suppose that name alone is 
 meant ; but what is meant is not name, but everything whereby 
 the Lord is worshipped ; and this has relation wholly to love and 
 faith. Therefore by "the Lord's name" in the Word all things 
 of love and of faith by which He is worshipped are meant ; and 
 here acknowledgment of the Lord and of knowledges of truth that 
 have respe6l to Him, because this is said to those who are only 
 zealous about knowledges. [2.] That "Jehovah's name" or the 
 "Lord's name" does not mean the name itself, but all things of 
 love and faith, is from the spiritual world. There the names 
 used on the earth are not uttered ; but the names of the persons 
 spoken of are formed from the idea of all things known about 
 them combined into a single word. In this way names in the 
 spiritual world are expressed ; consequently names there, like all 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE 3. — N. I02[<7]. II9 
 
 the Other things, are spiritual. The names "Lord" and "Jesus 
 Christ." even, are not uttered there as on the earth, but in place 
 of those names a name is formed from the idea of all things 
 known and believed respecting Him ; and tliis idea is made up 
 of all things of love to Him and faith in Him. This is because 
 these in the complex are the Lord in them ; for the Lord is in 
 every one in the goods of love and of faith that are from Him. 
 As this is so, the quality of every one there, in respefl to love to 
 the Lord and faith in the Lord, is immediately known if he only 
 utters " Lord " or "Jesus Christ" by a spiritual expression or spirit- 
 ual name ; and for the same reason, those who are not in any love 
 to Him or faith in Him are unable to speak His name, that is, 
 to form any spiritual name of Him. From this it is now clear why 
 by the "name" of Jehovah, of the Lord, or of Jesus Christ, name 
 is not meant in the Word, but everything of love and of faith 
 whereby He is worshipped. [3.] Lest, therefore, the opinion that is 
 entertained by many should prevail, that the mere name Jesus 
 Christ, without love to Him or fi\ith in Him, thus without the 
 knowledges by which love and fliith e.xist, contributes somewhat 
 to salvation, I will introduce some passages from the Word in 
 which the expressions "for His name's sake" and "in His name" 
 are used, from which those who think more deeply may see that 
 name alone is not meant : 
 
 Jesus said, " Ye shall be hated of all men for My name's sake " {Matt. x. 
 
 22 ; xxiv. 9, lo). 
 "Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in 
 
 the midst of them " {Matt, xviii. 20). 
 *'As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become sons of 
 
 God, even to them that believe in His name" {John i. 12). 
 When Jesus was in Jerusalem "many believed in His name" {John ii. 
 
 23)- 
 " He that believeth not hath been judged already, because he hath not 
 
 believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" {yokn iii. 
 
 18). 
 "These are written that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son 
 
 of God ; and that believing ye may have life in His name" {John 
 
 XX. 31). 
 " Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord " {Matt. xxi. 9 ; xxiii. 
 
 39 ; Luke xiii. 35 ; xix. 38). 
 "Every one that hath left houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or 
 
 mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My name's sake, shall re- 
 ceive a hundred fold, and eternal life " {Matt. xix. 29). 
 
 (What is here signified by " houses, brethren, sisters, father, mother, wife, children, 
 and lands," which are to be left for the name of the Lord, see A.C., n. 10490.) 
 
 Jesus said, " Whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that I will do" {John 
 xiv. 13, 14) ; 
 
 "to ask in My name" is to ask from love and faith. 
 
I20 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 "Many shall come in My name, saying, I am He ; go ye not there- 
 fore after them " {Luke xxi. 8 ; Mark xiii. 6) ; 
 
 "to come in My name " and "to say that I am He" is to proclaim 
 falsities and to say that they are truths, and thus to lead astray. 
 The same is signified by saying that they are the Christ, when 
 they are not, in Matthew : 
 
 "Many shall come in My name, saying, I am the Christ, and shall lead 
 many astray" (xxiv. 5, 11, 23-27) ; 
 
 for by "Jesus" is meant the Lord in respe6l to Divine good ; and 
 by "Christ" the Lord in respe<5l to Divine truth (^.c, n. 3004, 3005, 
 3009, 5502), and by not being Christ, truth not Divine, but falsity. 
 [4.] The "name of the Lord," in the New Testament means the 
 same as the "name of Jehovah" in the Old, because the Lord 
 there is Jehovah. Thus in Isaiah : 
 
 "And in that day shall ye say. Confess ye to Jehovah, call upon His 
 name" (xii. 4). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "O Jehovah, we have waited for Thee ; to Thy name and to Thy memo- 
 rial is the desire of our soul By Thee will we make mention 
 
 of Thy name " (xxvi. 8, 13). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "From the rising of the sun shall My name be called upon" (xH. 25). 
 
 In Malachi : 
 
 " From the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same My 
 name is great among the nations ; and in every place incense is 
 offered unto My name ; ... .for My name is great among the na- 
 tions" (i. 11). 
 
 In Isaiah: 
 
 " Every one that is called in My name I have created in My glory, I 
 have formed him " (xliii. 7). 
 
 In Micah : 
 
 "All peoples walk in the name of their god, and we will walk in the 
 name of Jehovah our God " (iv. 5). 
 
 In Moses : 
 
 "Thou shalt not take the name of thy God In vain ; for Jehovah will not 
 hold him guiltless that hath taken His name in vain " {Deut. v. 11). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Jehovah separated the tribe of Levi, .... that they should minister and 
 bless in the name of Jehovah " {Deut. x. 8). 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE 3. — N. I02[<^]. 121 
 
 In the same, 
 
 They shall worship Jehovah in one place, "where He shall place His 
 name" {Dent. xii. 5. 11, 13, 14, 18, 26; xvi. 2, 6, 11, 15, 16). 
 
 "Where He shall place His name" means where there shall be 
 worship from good of love and truths of faith. This was done at 
 Jerusalem; therefore by "Jerusalem" the church in respe(5^ to 
 
 doctrine and worship is signified (see The New Jerusalem and ils Dodrine, 
 n. 6). 
 
 [&.] [5.] Since by "name of Jehovah "or "name of the Lord" 
 is signified in the spiritual sense all worship from good of lo\e and 
 truths of faith, in the highest sense by "name of Jehovah" is 
 meant the Lord in respecl to the Divine Human, for the reason 
 that from His Divine Human everything of love and of faith goes 
 forth. That by " name of Jehovah," in the highest sense, the Lord 
 is meant, is evident in yohn, 
 
 Jesus said," Father, glorify Thy name. There came a voice out of heaven, 
 saying, I have both glorified and will glorify again " (xii. 28). 
 
 In Isaiah : 
 
 " I will give thee for a covenant to the people, for a light of the nations. 
 .... I am Jehovah, this is My name, and My glory will I not give 
 to another" (xlii. 6, S) ; 
 
 the coming of the Lord is here treated of. In yeremiah : 
 
 "Behold the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will raise unto David a 
 righteous Branch, and He shall reign as king . . . . , and this is His 
 name, by which they shall call Him, Jehovah, our righteousness" 
 (xxiii. 5, 6). 
 
 From this it is clear what is meant in the Lord's prayer by the 
 words 
 
 " Hallowed be Thy name " {Matt. vi. 9) ; 
 
 namely, that the Divine Human of the Lord is to be accounted 
 holy, and to be worshipped. [6.] As this is meant by " the name 
 of the Lord," the meaning of the following passages can be seen. 
 In yohyi : 
 
 The shepherd of the sheep " calleth his own sheep by their name " (x. 3). 
 
 In Luke : 
 
 " Rejoice that your names are written in heaven " (x. 20). 
 
 And in the Apocalypse : 
 
 "Thou hast a few names in Sardis" (iii. 4). 
 
 He who does not know what "name" signifies in the Word can- 
 
122 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 not possibly know how these words are to be understood, in 
 Alatthcw : 
 
 " He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a 
 prophet's reward ; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the 
 name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward ; 
 and whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a 
 cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily 1 say unto 
 you he shall in nowise lose his reward " (x. 41, 42). 
 
 "To receive a prophet in the name of a prophet," "a righteous 
 man in the name of a righteous man," and "to give drink in the 
 name of a disciple," signifies to love truth for the sake of truth, 
 good for the sake of good, aiid to exercise charity from the faith 
 of truth ; for by "prophet" is signified truth, by "righteous man" 
 is signified good, and by "disciple" good from truth ; and "to 
 give to drink of cold water" is to exercise charity from obedience ; 
 "in the name" of these is for the sake of what they are, thus for 
 their sake. Who could ever understand these things unless he 
 knew what "name " signifies? [7.] To love and to do truth for 
 the sake of truth, and good for the sake of good, is to have affec- 
 tion for truth and good for their sake, and not for the sake of one's 
 own reputation, honor, or gain. Such affe6lion for truth and good 
 is a truly spiritual affe6lion ; but affe<5lion for truth and good for 
 the sake of one's own reputation, honor, or gain, is a merely nat- 
 ural affe6lion. And as those who love truth and good for the sake 
 of truth and good, or because they are truth and good, are in a 
 spiritual affe6lion for truth and good, it is said that they shall re- 
 ceive "a prophet's reward" and "a righteous man's reward;" 
 which means that they are in a spiritual affe6lion for truth and 
 good, and this affection has reward in itself, because it has heaven 
 
 in itself. (That the happiness of heaven is in the affedlion for loving and doing 
 truth and good, without regard to reward as an end, thus for the sake of truth and 
 good, see A.C.,r\.. 6388, 6478, 9174, 9984. That "prophet" signifies one who 
 teaches truth, thus also in the abstradl, truth that is taught, see n. 2534, 7269. That 
 " righteous man " signifies good of love to the Lord, n. 2235, 9857. That " disciple " 
 signifies good from truth, which is the good of charity, n. 2129, 3354, 3488, 3858, 
 6397. That " to give to drink " is to instru<5t in the goods and truths of faith, thus 
 to exercise charity, n. 3069, 3772, 4017, 4018, 8562, 9412; and that " name" signi- 
 fies the quality of a thing, n. 144, 145, 1754, 1896, 2009, 3237 ; hence " name of Je- 
 hovah," or " name of the Lord," signifies every quality by which He is worshipped, 
 n. 2724, 3006, 6674, 9310) 
 
 103. "And hast not failed" signifies so far as they could. — 
 This is evident from the signification of" not failing," in reference 
 to those who are eager for knowledges of truth and good, as mean- 
 ing so far as they could ; for in what now follows, a life according 
 to these knowledges is treate(i of Those who are in a life accord- 
 ing to these go forward and do not fail ; but those who are yet in 
 
CHAP. II., VEFiSn 5. — N. 105. 123 
 
 knowledges alone, go forward as far as they can, but do not yet 
 luive the light of life, from which is \ iiL^or. 
 
 X04. [I'frse^.] "But I have against thee that thou hast left 
 thy first charity" signifies that they do 7iot viake such a life as 
 those lived who were in the church at its beginning , the essential 
 of knowledges. — This is evident from the signification of "first 
 charity," as meaning a life according to knowledges of good and 
 truth, such as those lived who were in the church at its beginning 
 (of which presently); and from the signification of "leaving that 
 charity," as meaning not to make it the essential of knowledges ; 
 for those who are eager for know-ledges of truth and good, and 
 who believe that they are saved thereby, make knowledges essen- 
 tial, and not life, when yet a life according to knowledges is the 
 essential. But as this essential of the church and of salvation is 
 treated of m what follows, more will there be said about it. Char- 
 ity means life, because all life in accordance with the precepts of 
 the Lord in the Word is called "charity;" therefore to exercise 
 charity is to live according to those precepts. (That this is so, see 
 
 Doilrine of the New Jerusalem, in the cliapter on Love to the Neighbor or Charity. 
 n. 84-106; and Last Judgment, n. 33-39.) The life of the church at itS 
 
 beginning is here meant by " first charity ;" for every church 
 begins in charity, and gradually turns away from it to faith alone 
 
 or to meritorious works. (On which subjedl, and on charity, see what is 
 said in the Arcana Caelestia, namely, that every church begins from charity, but in 
 process of time turns away from it, n. 494, 501, 1327, 3773, 4689; thus to falsities 
 from evil, and at length to evils, n. 1834, 1835, 2910, 4683, 4689; commonly to faith 
 alone, n. 1834, 1835,2231,4683,8094. A comparison of the church in its begin- 
 ning and in its decline, with the rising and setting of the sun, n. 1837; and with 
 the infancy and old age of man, n. 10134; that the church is not in man until 
 knowledges of good and truth have been implanted in the life, n. 3310; that charity 
 constitutes the church, n. 809, 916, 1798, 1799, 1844, 1894; that the internal of the 
 church is charity, n. 4766, 5826 ; that there would be one church, and not many, as 
 at this day, if all were regarded from charity, although they might differ in respeefl to 
 doctrinais of faith and rituals of worship, n. 1286, 1316, 1798, 1799, 1834, 1844, 2385, 
 2982, 3267, 3451 ; that worship of the Lord consists in a life of charity, n. 8254, 8256 ; 
 that the quality of worship is' according to the quality of charity, n. 2190.) 
 
 105. yverse s-^ "Be mindful therefore of whence thou hast 
 fallen ; and repent, and do the first works," signifies 7-emenibrance 
 of former things, and thus remembrance of having deviated from 
 the truth ; and this, in order that the good of life of the church at its 
 beginniyig may come into mind. — This is evident from the signifi- 
 cation of "be mindful," as meaning here remembrance of former 
 things ; from the signification of" whence thou hast fallen,"as mean- 
 ing deviation therefrom, thus deviation from the truth ; from the 
 signification of "rej)ent,"as meaning that it may come into mind ; 
 and from the signification of " doing the first works," as meaning 
 the good of life of the church at its beginning. (That " works " mean all 
 
124 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 those things of life that go forth from love and faith, see n. 98 ; and that " first works," 
 which are of charity, are those of the church at its beginning, see just above, n. IO4.) 
 
 That a life in accordance with knowledges is the essential of the 
 church, and not knowledges apart from such a life, can be seen by 
 every one who thinks about it ; for knowledges, so long as there is 
 no life according to them, reside in the memory only ; and so long 
 as they reside there only they do not affedl the man's interiors ; for 
 memory is given to man to be a receptacle, from which may be 
 taken what will be serviceable to the life ; and things are service- 
 able to the life when a man wills them and does them. [2.] The 
 whole spirit of man is nothing but his will ; when, therefore, man 
 becomes a spirit, he is unable to resist anything that is favored by 
 his will, for the whole man strives after it. That this is so is well 
 known in the spiritual world ; and I have occasionally seen the 
 trial made, whether a spirit could do anything contrary to his will, 
 from which he exists, and it was found that he could not. From 
 this it was clear that man's will is what gives form to his spirit, and 
 that man's spirit after it has left the body is his will. Whether you 
 say will or love it is the same, for what a man loves he wills ; so 
 whether you say that the spirit of man cannot resist his will, or 
 that it cannot resist his love, it is the same. Knowledges of good 
 and truth, before they enter a man's will or love, contribute no- 
 thing whatever to his salvation, because they are not within the man, 
 but out of him. Still, knowledges are necessary, for without them 
 man can know nothing of spiritual life, and he who knows nothing 
 of spiritual life cannot become spiritual ; for that which a man 
 knows he can think, can will, and can do, but not that which he 
 does not know. But if knowledges enter no deeper than into the 
 memory and into thought therefrom, they do not affe6l him, and 
 consequently do not save him. [3.] It is believed by many in 
 the world at this day, especially by those who make faith alone 
 the essential of the church, that to know do<5lrinals and from mere 
 knowing to believe that they are true, saves man, however he may 
 live ; but I can assert that no one is saved by these alone. I have 
 seen many, even the most learned, cast into hell ; on the other 
 hand, those who have lived according to knowledges of truth and 
 good from the Word I have seen raised up into heaven. From this 
 it is clear that knowledges are of no avail, but only a life accord- 
 ing to them ; and that knowledges merely teach how man ought 
 to live. To live according to knowledges of truth and good is to 
 think that one must do thus and not otherwise because it is com- 
 manded by the Lord in the Word. When man thus thinks, and 
 thus wills and does, he becomes spiritual. Yet it is necessary for 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE 6. — N. I07. I25 
 
 those within the church to believe in the Lord, and when they 
 think of Him to think of His Divine in the Human, since from 
 His Divine Human e\erythin<j;- of charity and faitli i^oes forth. 
 
 106. "But if not, I will come unto thee quickly, and will move 
 thy lampstand out of Its place, except thou repent," signifies that if 
 not, it is certain that heaven cannot be given. — This is evident from 
 the signification of "coming quickly," as meaning for certain ; 
 (that "quickly" means what is certain, see above, n. 7 ;) also from 
 the signification of" lampstand," as meaning the church and heaven 
 (of which also see above, n. 62). Therefore, to " move the lamp- 
 stand out of its place " means to separate from the church and 
 heaven, or in other words, that heaven is not given to them. 
 That to those who are in knowledges alone, and not in a life ac- 
 cording to them, heaven is not gi\en, see abo\e (n. 104). 
 
 107. [/Vrf^e.] "But \this\ thou hast, that thou hatest the 
 works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate," signifies an aversion, 
 given from the Divine, towards those who separate good from 
 truth or charity from faith, from which separation there is no 
 life. — This is evident from the signification of "thou hast that 
 thou hatest," as meaning aversion ; (it means aversion that comes 
 from the Divine, because it is said, " which I also hate ;") also from 
 the signification of "works," as meaning the things of the mind, 
 that works spring from (see above, n. 98) ; also from the significa- 
 tion of the "Nicolaitans," as meaning those who separate good 
 from truth, or charity from faith, such as do this being with- 
 out life. These have no life, because all spiritual life is from 
 charity, and from faith separate from charity there is no life. For 
 to know and think are of faith, but to will and to do are of char- 
 ity. Those that sej^arate charity from faith can have no know- 
 ledge whatever of what makes heaven and the church with man, 
 thus of what makes spiritual life ; for they do not think within 
 themselves, but outside of themselves. To think outside of oneself 
 is to think from memory only ; for the memory is outside of the 
 man, being as it were a court, through which is an entrance into the 
 house and its inner chambers ; and into the thought that is outside 
 of man heaven cannot flow, for heaven flows into the things that 
 are within man, and through these into the things that are outside 
 of him. .Such, therefore, cannot be taught what makes heaven and 
 the church, or life eternal; for every one is taught from heaven, 
 that is, through heaven from the Lord, about the things that per- 
 tain to life eternal ; thus he is taught by way of his life, which is by 
 way of his soul and heart. He is greatly deceived who supposes 
 that those who separate charity from faith can be in knowledges 
 
126 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 of truth. For such apprehend all things from themselves, and 
 nothing from heaven ; and the things that man apprehends from 
 self, and not from heaven, are falsities, because he then thinks in 
 darkness, and not in light. All light in such things as pertain to 
 the church must come from heaven. [2.] It is true that there are 
 many in the church who say that charity is the essential of the 
 church, and not faith separate ; but to say it and believe it, and not 
 to live a life of charity, is not to make it the essential, but only 
 to say that it is. Such, therefore, are in the same position as those 
 who say that faith is the essential, for to them charity is a matter 
 of faith alone, and not of life ; consequently they cannot be en- 
 lightened. About such in the spiritual world something snow- 
 like, as if of light, appears ; but the light from which the snowlike 
 appearance is derived is natural ; and this light is such that when 
 light from heaven, which is spiritual light, flows in, it is changed into 
 darkness. Such dwell there towards the left, almost in the angle 
 of the north and west. These are intelligent only so far as they 
 have applied knowledges of truth and good to life. [3.] All who 
 are in knowledges of truth and good, but not, conformably to these, 
 in good of life, may live a moral life the same as those who are in 
 knowledges and through these in good of life ; yet their moral 
 life is not spiritual but natural, because in their life they do not live 
 sincerely, justly, and well from religion ; and those who do not live 
 well from religion cannot be conjoined with heaven ; for it is re- 
 ligion that makes a man spiritual and conjoins him with angels, 
 who are purely spiritual. To live well from religion is to think, to 
 will and to do because it has been so enjoined in the Word, and 
 because the Lord has commanded it ; but to live not from religion 
 is to think, to will, and to do from a regard solely to civil and 
 moral laws. Such as these, since they have regard only to these 
 laws, conjoin themselves to this world alone, to which these laws 
 pertiin ; but the former have regard to the Lord, and thereby 
 conjoin themselves to Him. The nations are saved solely by this, 
 that in their life they have regard to religion, thinking and saying 
 that they ought to do thus and not otherwise, because to do other- 
 wise would be contrary to the laws of their religion, thus contrary 
 to the Divine ; and when they thus think, and a6l accordingly, 
 they are endowed with spiritual life, which with them is of such 
 quality that afterwards, in the spiritual world, they receive truths 
 more readily than those Christians who, in what they do, give 
 no thought to the Word, or to the do61;rine of the church, 
 which is from the Word. [4.] Those who do not think from 
 religion do not have conscience, because they are not spiritual ; 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE 7. — X. I08. I27 
 
 consequently, if external bonds, w hich are fears respe<fling the law 
 and reputation, should be removed with them, they would rush 
 into every wickedness ; while on the other hand, if external bonds, 
 which are fears respe(5ling the law and reinitation, should be taken 
 away from those who think from religion, they would still a6l sin- 
 cerely, justly, and well ; for they fear God, and are kept in a life of 
 obedience and charity out of heaven from the Lord, to whom they 
 are conjoined. Those who separate charity from faith are called 
 "Nicolaitans" chiefly from the sound of that word in heaven, for 
 its sound is from truth or faith, and not from good or charity. 
 
 (That from the expressions in the Word it may be known whether they involve good 
 or truth, thus also whether they involve the one sepanite from the other, see Heaven 
 and Hell, n. 241.) 
 
 108. [rerse7.] "He that hath an ear let him hear what the 
 Spirit saith to the cAt/rcAei" signifies that he who taiderstayids 
 should hearken to what Divine truth going forth from the Lord 
 teaches and says to those who are of His chnrch. — This is evident 
 from the signification of " He that hath an ear let him hear," as 
 meaning that he who understands should hearken, that is, obey 
 (that to " hear" is to understand and to do, that is, to hearken, see 
 above, n. 14) ; also from the signification of "the Spirit," here the 
 Spirit of God, as meaning Divine truth going forth from the Lord 
 (see A.C., n. 3704, 5307, 6788, 6982, 6993, 7004, 7499, 8302, 9199, 9228, 9229, 9303, 
 9407, 9818, 9820, 10330) ; and from the signification of "churches," as 
 meaning those who are in truths from good, or in faith from 
 charity, that is, who are of the church, for no others are of the 
 church. These words, namely, " He that hath an ear let him 
 hear what the Spirit saith to the churches," are said to each of 
 the churches (here to the church of Ephesus ; afterwards to the 
 church in Smyrna, verse 11 ; in Pergamum, verse 17 ; in Thya- 
 tira, verse 29 ; in Sardis, chap. iii. verse 6 ; in Philadelphia, verse 
 13 ; and in Laodicea, verse 22), in order that every one who is 
 of the church may know that it is not knowing and understanding 
 truths and goods of faith, or do6lrinals, or even the Word, that 
 makes the church, but hearkening, that is, understanding and do- 
 ing ; for this is signified by the words " He that hath an ear let 
 him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches." Because this 
 makes the church and forms heaven with man, and knowing and 
 understanding, apart from doing, does not, the Lord uses the 
 same words in several other places : 
 
 " He that hath an ear to hear let him hear" (as in Matt. xi. 15 ; xiii. 43 ; 
 Alark iv. 9, 23 ; vii. 16 ; Luke viii. 8 ; xiv. 35). 
 
 In the Apocalypse it is added, "what the Spirit saith to tlie 
 
128 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 churches ;" since by this is signified what Divine truth teaches 
 and says to those who are of the church, or what is the same, 
 what the Lord teaches and says, for all Divine truth goes forth 
 from Him (see Heaven and Hell, n. 13, 133, 137, 139) ; for this reason the 
 Lord did not Himself say, "what the Spirit saith," because He 
 who spake was Divine truth. [2.] That knowing and under- 
 standing Divine truths does not make the church and form 
 heaven with man, but knowing, understanding, and doing, the 
 Lord teaches plainly in many passages ; as in Matthew : 
 
 "He that heareth these words of Mine and doeth them, is likened unto 
 a wise man, .... but he that heareth these words of Mine and 
 doeth them not, is likened unto a foolish man " (vii. 24, 26). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " He that was sown upon good ground, this is he that heareth the Word, 
 and taketh heed and thus beareth fruit " (xiii. 23). 
 
 In Luke : 
 
 "Every one that cometh to Me and heareth My words, and doeth them, 
 I will show to whom he is like. He is like a man building a 
 
 house, who .... laid the foundation on a rock But he that 
 
 heareth and doeth not is like a man that built a house upon the 
 earth, without a foundation " (vi. 47-49). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " My mother and My brethren are these who hear the Word of God and 
 do it" (viii. 21): 
 
 and in many oth^r places. In these passages, "hearing " signifies 
 simply hearing, which is knowing and understanding. "Hear- 
 ing," in common discourse, has this meaning when one is said "to 
 hear " a thing ; but it means both understanding and doing when 
 it is said "give ear to," or "hearken to," also "listen to." More- 
 over, those who have separated life from faith are like those of 
 whom the Lord speaks in Matthew : 
 
 " Seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they under- 
 stand" (xiii. 13-15 ; Ezek. xii. 2). 
 
 109. "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree 
 
 of life" signifies that he who receives in the heart shall be filled 
 with good of love and with heavenly joy therefrom. — This is caI- 
 dent from the signification of" overcoming," as meaning to receive 
 in the heart (of which in what follows) ; also from the significa- 
 tion of "eating," as meaning to be appropriated and to be con- 
 joined (see A.C.. n. 2187, 2343, 3168, 3813, 5643) ; and from the significa- 
 tion of "the tree of life," as meaning good of love and heavenly 
 joy therefrom (of which also in what follows). "To overcome" 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE 7. — N. I09. I29 
 
 is to receive in the heart, because everyone who is to receive spir- 
 itual Hfe must fight against evils and falsities which belong to his 
 natural life ; and when he overcomes these he receives in the heart 
 gdods and truths which belong to the spiritual life. To receive 
 in the heart is to receive in the will and love, for "heart" in the 
 Word signifies the will and love (see A.C.. n. 2930, 3313. 7542, 8910. 9050, 
 9113. 10336). To receive in the heart, then, is to do these from Mie 
 will or love; this is what is meant by "overcoming." [2.] "The 
 tree of life " signifies good of love and heavenly joy therefrom, 
 because "trees" signify such things as are with man in his 
 interiors, which are of his mind ^mens) or disposition (animus); 
 "boughs" and "leaves" signifying those things that are of the 
 knowledges of truth and good, and "fruits" goods of life them- 
 selves. This signification of trees originates in the spiritual world ; 
 for in that world trees of every kind are seen, and the trees that 
 are seen correspond to the interiors of angels and spirits which 
 are of their mind ; beautiful and fruitful trees to the interiors of 
 those who are in the good of love and in wisdom therefrom ; 
 trees less beautiful and fruitful to those who are in the good of 
 faith ; but trees bearing leaves only, without fruits, to those who are 
 only in knowledges of truth ; and vile trees, with noxious fruits, 
 to those who are in knowledges and in evil of life. To those, 
 however, who are not in knowledges, and who are in evil of life, 
 no trees appear, but stones and sands instead. These appearances 
 in the sjjiritual world really flow out according to correspondence, 
 for the interiors of the minds of those there are by such images 
 presented a6lually before their eyes. (These things may be better seen 
 from two chapters in Heaven and Hell ; first, where the Correspondence of Heaven 
 with all things of Earth is treated of, n. 103-115 ; and the other, where Representa- 
 tives and Appearances in Heaven are treated of, n. 170-176, and in what follows, n. 
 
 177-190.) [3.] It is from this that "trees" are so often mentioned 
 in the Word, and by them are signified the things with men that be- 
 long to their minds ; and from this it is also that in the first chapters 
 of Genesis two trees are said to have been placed in the garden 
 of Eden, one called "the tree of life," and the other "the tree of 
 knowledge." "The tree of life" there signifies good of love 
 to the Lord, and heavenly joy therefrom, which those who were 
 then of the church possessed, and who are meant by the "man " 
 and his "wife;" and by "the tree of knowledge" is signified de- 
 light in knowledges apart from any other use than to be accounted 
 learned and to acquire repute for erudition solely for the sake of 
 honor or gain. "The tree of life" also signifies heavenly joy, be- 
 cause good of love to the Lord, w-hich is specifically signified by 
 
 that tree, has heavenly joy in it (see Heaven and Hell, n. 395-414, and 
 Dodlrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 230-239). [4.] That " trees," which 
 
130 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 are so often mentioned in the Word, signify the interiors of man 
 which belong to his mind or disposition, and the things that are 
 on trees, as leaves and fruit, signify such things as are from these 
 interiors, can be seen from the following passages : 
 
 " I will give in the desert the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and 
 the oil tree ; I will set in the wilderness the fir tree, the pine, and 
 the box tree " {Isa. xli. 19). 
 
 The establishment of the church is there treated of. 
 
 "The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine, and 
 
 the box tree together, to beautify the place of My sancfluary " {Isa. 
 
 Ix. 13). 
 " All the trees of the field shall know that I, Jehovah, humble the high 
 
 tree, exalt the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry 
 
 tree to bud " (Ezek. xvii. 24). 
 " Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree 
 
 in thee, and every dry tree" {Ezek. xx. 47). 
 "The vine is withered, and the fig tree languisheth ; the pomegranate 
 
 tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, all the trees of the field 
 
 are withered : joy is withered away from the sons of men" {Joel i. 
 
 12). 
 When the angel sounded, "there followed hail and fire which fell 
 
 upon the earth ; . . . . and the third part of the trees was burnt up " 
 
 {Apoc. viii. 7). 
 Nebuchadnezzar saw in a dream " a tree in the midst of the earth, and 
 
 the height thereof was great The leaf thereof was fair, and 
 
 the fruit much, and in it was food for all " {Dan. iv. 10-12). 
 
 (Because " trees " in general signify such things as are in man and constitute the inte- 
 riors of his mind, so also the spiritual things that are of the church ; and because both 
 are of various kinds there are so many kinds of trees mentioned, each signifying 
 something different. What the various kinds signify is shown in the Arcana Caelestia, 
 as what is signified by the " oil tree," n. 9277, 10261 ; what by the " cedar," n. 9472, 
 9486, 9528, 9715, 10178 ; what by the " vine," n. 1069, 5113, 6375, 6378, 9277 ; what 
 
 by the " fig," n. 217, 4231, 5113, etc.) [5.] Moreover, the things that are 
 on trees, as leaves and fruit, signify the things in man ; "leaves," 
 truths with him, and "fruits" goods, as in the following passages: 
 
 "He shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out 
 his roots by the river ; . . . . his leaf shall be green ; . . . . neither shall 
 he cease from yielding fruit" {yi'r. xvii. 8). 
 
 " By the river flowing out from the house of God, upon the bank on 
 this side and on that, ascendeth the tree of food, whose leaf fall- 
 eth not off, nor is its fruit consumed ; it is renewed in its months, 
 because its waters issue out of the sancfluary, whence its fruit is 
 for food, and its leaf for medicine" (Ezek. xlvii. 12). 
 
 "In the midst of the street and of the river (flowing out from the throne 
 of God and of the Lamb), on this side and on that, was the tree of 
 life, bearing twelve fruits, yielding its fruit every month, and the 
 leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nalions" {Apoc. xxii. i, 2). 
 
 " Blessed is the man .... whose delight is in the law ; .... he shall be like 
 a tree planted by the streams of waters, that bringeth forth its fruit 
 in its season, whose leaf also doth not fade" {Psalm i. 1-3). 
 
 "Be not afraid, .... for the tree shall bear her fruit, the fig tree and the 
 vine shall yield their strength" {Joel ii. 22). 
 
 "The trees of Jehovah are satisfied, the cedars of Lebanon which He 
 hath planted" {Psalm civ. 16). 
 
CHAP. II., VEUSE 7. — X. 109. 131 
 
 "Praise Jehovah ye fruitful trees, and all cedars" [Psalm cxlviii 
 
 7.9)- 
 
 [6.] Because "fruits" signified goods of life with man, it was 
 comnianilcd in the Israclitish church, which was a representative 
 church, that fruits of trees, like men themselves, should be cir- 
 cumcised, concerning which it is thus written : 
 
 The fruit of the tree serving for food in the Land of Canaan shall be 
 
 uncircumcised ; " three years shall they be uncircumcised But 
 
 in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy, praises to Je- 
 hovah. And in the fifth year shall ye eat [of the fruit thereof] " 
 {Lev. xix. 23-25). 
 
 Because the "fruits of the tree" signified goods of life, it was also 
 
 commanded 
 
 That in the feast of tabernacles they should take the fruits of the tree 
 of honor, and the boughs, and should rejoice before Jehovah, and 
 thus should keep the feast {Lev. xxiii. 40, 41) ; 
 
 for by "tabernacles" were signified goods of heavenly love, and 
 holy worship therefrom [see A.C., n.414, 1102, 2145, 2152, 3312, 4391, 10545) ; 
 and by the "feast of tabernacles" was signified the implantation 
 of that good or love (n. 9296). Because "fruits" signified goods 
 of love which are goods of life, 
 
 It was amongst the blessings that the tree of the field should give its 
 fruit, and among the curses that it should not bear fruit {Lev. xxxv. 
 4, 20). 
 
 So also it was a command that when any city was besieged 
 
 They should not lay the axe to any tree of good fruit {Deut. xx. 19, 20). 
 
 From all this it can be seen that "fruits" signify goods of love, or 
 what is the same, goods of life, which are called " works ;" as like- 
 wise in these passages in the Evangelists : 
 
 "The axe lies unto the root of the tree; every tree that bringeth not 
 forth good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire" {Matt. 
 iii. 10 ; vii. 16-21). 
 
 " Either make the tree good and the fruit good, or else make the tree cor- 
 rupt and the fruit corrupt ; for the tree is known by its fruit " {Matt. 
 xii. 33 ; Ltike vi. 43, 44). 
 
 "Every branch that beareth not fruit shall be taken away; but every 
 branch that beareth fruit shall be pruned, that it may bring forth 
 more fruit" {John xv. 2-8). 
 
 "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came 
 seeking fruit thereon, but found none. And he saith unto the vine 
 dresser. Behold, for three years I come seeking fruit from the fig 
 tree, and find none : cut it down ; why should it make the ground 
 unfruitful?" (Luke xiii. 6-9.) 
 
 Jesus saw a fig tree by the wayside ; He came to it, and found nothing 
 thereon but leaves only; "and He said. Nevermore from the* 
 shall there be fruit. And irnned'-'te'y the fig tree withered away'' 
 {Matt. xxi. Kj; Mark : i '-. •. ' \ 
 
13? APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 The "fig tree" signifies the natural man and its interiors, and 
 "fruits" signify his goods {A.C., n. 217, 4231, 5113) ; but "leaves" sig- 
 nify knowledges (n. 885). This makes clear what is signified by 
 the fig tree's withering away because the Lord found on it leaves 
 only and no fruit. All these passages are cited that it may be 
 known what is signified by the "tree of life in the midst of the 
 paradise of God," namely, good of love going forth from the Lord, 
 and heavenly joy therefrom. 
 
 no. " Which is in the midst of the paradise of God " signifies 
 that all hiowledges of good a7id truth in heaven and in the church 
 look thereto and go forth therefrom. — This is evident from the sig- 
 nification of "the midst," as meaning the centre to which all things 
 that are round about look and from which they go forth (of 
 which above, n. 97) ; and from the signification of "paradise," as 
 meaning knowledges of good and truth and intelligence therefrom 
 (^.C, n. 100, 108, 1588, 2702, 3220) ; and because these are signified by 
 "paradise," by the "paradise of God" heaven is signified, and as 
 heaven so also the church is signified, for the church is the Lord's 
 heaven on the earth. Heaven and the church are called the " para- 
 dise of God," because the Lord is in the midst of them, and from 
 Him is all intelligence and wisdom. Since it has not been known 
 heretofore that all things in the Word are written by correspond- 
 ences, consequently that there are spiritual things in every par- 
 ticular that is mentioned therein, it is believed that by the "para- 
 dise" described in the second chapter of Genesis, a paradisaical 
 garden is meant. But no earthly paradise is there meant, but the 
 heavenly paradise which those possess who are in intelligence and 
 wisdom from knowledges of good and truth (see above, n. 109; and 
 Heaven and Hell, n. 176,12,$). [2.] From this it can be seen not only 
 what is signified by the "paradise" or "garden in Eden," but also 
 by the "paradises" or "gardens of God" elsewhere in the Word, 
 as in Isaiah : 
 
 "Jehovah shall comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places, even 
 that He may make her desert into Eden, and her wilderness into 
 a garden of Jehovah ; joy and gladness shall be found therein " 
 (li. 3). 
 
 In Ezekiel : 
 
 "Thou hast been in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone 
 was thy covering" (xxviii. 13). 
 
 These things are said of Tyre, because by "Tyre" in the Word 
 a church that is in knowledges ol truth and good and in intelli- 
 gence therefrom is signified (see A.c, n. 1201) ; its mtelligence there- 
 from is "Eden, the garden of God," likewise "the precious stone" 
 
CHAP. 11., VERSE 7. — N. I lO. I33 
 
 its "covering" (seen. 114,9863,9865,9868,9873). In the same, 
 
 "Behold Asshur a cedar in Lebanon. ... The cedais have not hid it 
 in the garden of God ; . . . . nor was any tree in the garden of God 
 equal to it in beauty. I have made it beautiful by the multitude 
 of its branches ; and all the trees of Eden in the garden of God 
 envied it " (.\.\.\i. 3, 8, 9). 
 
 By "Asshur" in the Word those who have become rational by 
 knowledges of good and truth, thus whose minds are enlight- 
 ened from heaven, are meant. (That "Asshur" is the rational of man. 
 
 see .-i.e.. n. 119, 1186.) [3.] Something shall now be said to explain 
 how it is to be understood that all knowledges of good and truth 
 look to the good of love to the Lord and go forth therefrom, which 
 is the significance of these words : "To him that overcometh will 
 I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise 
 of God." Good of love to the Lord is the Lord Himself, since 
 the Lord is in the good of His love with man, spirit, and angel. 
 That all knowledges of good and truth look thereto, that is, to the 
 Lord, is known in the Christian church ; for the dodlrine of the 
 church teaches that there is no salvation apart from the Lord, 
 also that all salvation is in the Lord. Knowledges of good and 
 truth, that is, doclrinals from the Word, teach how man can come 
 
 to God and be conjoined to Him. (That no one can be conjoined to 
 God except from the Lord and in the Lord, see DoCtrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 
 
 283, 296.) From this it can be seen that all things taught by the 
 church from the Word look to the Lord and to love to Him, as 
 the end to which (adguem). That all knowledges of good and 
 truth, that is, all doclrinals from the Word, go forth from the Lord 
 is also known in the church, for it is there taught that everything 
 of love and everything of faith is from heaven, and that nothing is 
 from man ; and that no one can love God and believe in Him from 
 himself To love God and to believe in Him involve all things 
 that the church teaches, called doclrinals and knowledges, since 
 from these is God loved and believed in. Love and faith without 
 previous knowledges are not possible ; for without knowledges 
 man would be empt)'. [4.] From this it follows that as everything 
 of love and of faith goes forth from the Lord, so do all knowledges 
 of good and truth which make and form love and faith. Because 
 all knowledges of good and truth look to the Lord, and go forth 
 from Him, and this is what is signified by " the tree of life in the 
 midst of the paradise of God," all the trees in paradise are called 
 "trees of life" and "trees of Jehovah ;" in xh^ Apocalypse "trees 
 of life:" 
 
 "In the midst of the street and of the river (flowing out from the tbtone 
 
134 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 of God and of the Lamb) on this side and on that was the tree of 
 life, bearing twelve fruits " (xxii. 2). 
 
 In David they are called "trees of Jehovah :" 
 
 "The trees of Jehovah are satisfied, the cedars of Lebanon which He 
 hath planted " {Psalm civ. 16). 
 
 From this also it is clear that by the "tree of life in the midst of 
 paradise " is meant every tree there, in other words, every man in 
 the midst of whom, that is, in whom is the Lord. From what has 
 been shown here and in the preceding article, what is signified by 
 the words. The Lord "will give to him that overcometh to eat of 
 the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God," may 
 be learned. 
 
 VERSES 8-II. 
 
 Ill* "And to the angel of the church of the Smyrneans write : These things salth 
 the First and the Last, who was dead and is alive. I know thy works, and afflictionj and 
 poverty, but thou art rich ; and the blasphemy of them who say that they are Jews, and 
 they are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Fear not the things which thou art to suffer. 
 Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into confinement, that ye may be tried, and ye 
 shall have affliction ten days : be thou faithful even till death, and I will give thee the crown 
 of life. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit snith to the churches. He that 
 overcometh shall not be hurt by the second death." 
 
 8. "And to the angel of the church of the Smy means write " signifies to those 
 
 within the church, luho luish to understand the Word, but do not yet 
 understand, and are therefore as yet but little in knowledges of truth 
 and good, 7vhich nevertheless they desire in heart, for remembrance [n. 
 112] ; " These things saith the First and the Last " signifies the Lord, 
 xvho governs all things frojn the Divine Hiifnan, from firsts by means 
 of otitmosts [n. 113] ; "who was dead and is alive" signifies that He has 
 beett rejected, and yet eternal life is from Him [n. 114, 115]. 
 
 9. "/ l(now thy works " signifies love [n. 116] ; "and affliction " signifies anxiety 
 
 from a longing to know truths [n. 117] ; "and poverty, but thou art 
 rich," signifies ackno7C'ledgment that they kmnv nothing frof>i tliemselves 
 [n. 118] ; "and the blasphemy of them who say that they are Jews 
 and they are not," signifies denunciation by those who think themselves 
 to be in knoiu ledges of good and truth because they have the Word, and 
 yet are not [n. 119] ; "but are a synagogue of Satan " signifies docfirine 
 of all falsities ivith these [n. 120]. 
 
 10. "Fear not the things which thou art to suffer " signifies that they should not 
 
 grieve on account of such persecution [n. 121] ; "Behold, the devil is 
 about to cast some of you into confinement," signifies that those who are 
 i7i falsities from evil will set about to deprive them of all truth from the 
 Word [n. 122] ; "that ye may be tried " signifies consequent increase of 
 lottging for truth [n. 123] ; "and ye shall have affliction ten days" 
 signifies that infestation and tet?iftation therefrom 'will last for some tif/te 
 [n. 124]; "be thou faithful even f/// «/eaM" signifies steadfastness in 
 truths to the end [n. 125] ; "and I will give thee the crown of life '' 
 signifies 7tnsdom and eternal happiness therefrom [n. 126]. 
 
 11. "He that hath an ear let Him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches" 
 
 signifies that he that understands should hearken to what Divine truth 
 going forth from the Lord teaches and says to those who are of His 
 church [n. 217]. "He that overcometh shall not be hurt by the secona 
 
CHAP. II., VEK.SI-: 12. — N. 55. »35 
 
 death " signifies /hat he who is steadfast in genuine affe<flion for truth 
 to the end of his life in the world shall come into the new heaven [n. 
 12S]. 
 
 112. [Terse 8.] "And to the angel of the church of the Smyr- 
 neans write" sij^nifie.s lo t/iost: uithin the church u'ho wish to 
 understand the Word, but do not yet understand, and are therefore 
 as yet but little in knowledges of truth and good, which never- 
 theless they desire in heart, for remembrance. — This is evident 
 from the signification of " writing," as meaning for remembrance 
 (see above, n. 95) ; and from tlie signification of the "angel of the 
 church of the Smyrneans," as meaning those within the church 
 who are wilHng to understand the Word but do not yet under- 
 stand, and are therefore but httle in knowledges of truth and 
 good, which nevertheless they desire in heart. That these are 
 meant by the "angel of the church of the Smyrneans" is clear 
 from the things written to that angel which now follow : for who 
 are meant by the angel of each church can be known only from 
 ".he internal sense of the things written to him. [2.] In the things 
 written to the angel of the Ephesian church, explained above, 
 those are described who are in knowledges of truth and good, 
 and not also, or not yet, in a life according to them. Here those 
 are described who are in knowledges of truth and good, and also 
 in a life according to them ; these, therefore, are in an affe6lion 
 for truth from a spiritual source ; but the former are in an affec- 
 tion for truth from a natural source. In general, there are af- 
 fedlions for truth from two sources, namely, a natural and a spirit- 
 ual source. Those who are in an affection for truth from a natural 
 source look first to self and the world, and are therefore natural; 
 but those who are in an affection for truth from a si)iritual source 
 look first to the Lord and heaven, and are therefore spiritual. 
 Man's affecftion or love looks either downwards or upwards ; 
 those who look to self and the world look downwards, but those 
 who look to the Lord and to heaven look upwards. A man's 
 interiors, which are of his mind, adlually look in the same dire6lion 
 as his love or affection does, for love determines them ; and such as 
 is the determination of his interiors, which are of his mind, such 
 after death does the man remain to eternity. Looking down- 
 wards or upwards is looking from lo\'e through the understanding, 
 thus through the things that form and make the understanding, 
 which are knowledges of truth and good. [3.] In what is writ- 
 ten to the angel of the Ephesian church, those within the church 
 who are in knowledges of truth and good, and not also, or not 
 yet, in a life according to them, thus those who are in an affec- 
 tion for truth from a natural source, are described ; and now in wh.at 
 
136 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 is written to the angel of the church of the Smyrneans, those who 
 are in knowledges of truth and good, and also in a life according 
 to them, thus those who are in an affedion for truth from a spiritual 
 source are described ; and this because the former is the. first [state] 
 of the church, and the latter is the second. For no one can be in- 
 troduced into the church, and formed for heaven, except by know- 
 ledges from the Word. Without these man does not know the way 
 to heaven, and without these the Lord cannot dwell with him. It 
 can be seen that without knowledges of truth and good from the 
 Word no one can know anything of the Lord, of the angelic 
 heaven, or of charity and faith ; and that which a man does not 
 know he cannot think, thus cannot will, and accordingly cannot be- 
 lieve and love. It is evident, therefore, that by means of knowledges 
 man learns the way to heaven. It can also be seen that without 
 knowledges of truth and good from the Word the Lord cannot be 
 present with man and lead him, for when man knows nothing of 
 the Lord, of heaven, of charity and faith, his spiritual mind, which 
 is the higher mind, and is intended to see by the light of heaven, 
 is empty, and has nothing from the Divine in it. But the Lord 
 cannot be with man except in His own with man, that is, in the 
 things that are from Him. For this reason it was said that un- 
 less a man is in knowledges of truth and good from the Word 
 and in the life thereof, the Lord cannot dwell with him. From 
 all this, taken together, it follows that the natural man can by 
 no means become spiritual without knowledges of good and 
 truth from the Word. [4.] By "the angel of the church of the 
 Smyrneans" are meant those within the church who wish to un- 
 derstand the Word, but do not yet understand, and therefore are 
 as yet but litde in knowledges of truth and good, which never- 
 theless they desire because they are in a spiritual affe<5lion for 
 truth ; and those who are in a spiritual affedion for truth are 
 also in a life of charity, for from that they have spiritual affedion. 
 The spiritual comes to man from no other source than charity. 
 Those who are in spiritual affedlion are interested in the Word, 
 and desire nothing more earnestly than to understand it. But 
 as there are innumerable things therein that they do not understand, 
 because the Word in its bosom is spiritual and the spiritual includes 
 infinite arcana, therefore, so long as man lives in the world and 
 sees from the natural man, he can be but little in knowledges of 
 truth and good, and in generals only, in which, however, innum- 
 erable things may be implanted when he comes into the spiritual 
 world or heaven. [5.] A man who is in an afTe6lion for truth from 
 a spiritual origin knows many more things than he knew before; for 
 
CHAP. 11., VERSE 8. — N. II3. I37 
 
 the general knowledges that he has are like vessels that can be 
 filled with many things, and they are actually filled when he comes 
 into heaven. That this is so can be seen merely from this, that all 
 the angels in heaven are from the human race, and yet they pos- 
 sess wisdom such as could be described only by what is unutter- 
 able and incomprehensible, as is well known. (That the angels of 
 
 heaven are from no other source than the human race, see Heaven and Hell, n. 
 
 311-317; and The Last Judgment, n. 14-22.) This fulness of intelligence 
 and wisdom is what is meant by the words of the Lord in Luke : 
 
 " Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, shall 
 be given into your bosom " (vi. 38) ; 
 
 and in Matthew : 
 
 "Whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abun- 
 dantly " (xiii. 12 ; XXV. 29) ; 
 
 and in Luke : 
 
 The Lord said to the servant who from the pound given him gained ten 
 pounds, " Because thou hast been faithful in a very little, thou 
 shalt have authority over ten cities" (xix. 16, 17). 
 
 By "ten" is here signified much and full, and by "cities" intelli- 
 gence and wisdom. (That " ten " signifies much and full, see A.C., n. 1988, 
 3107, 4638; and that "cities" signify those things that are of intelligence and wis- 
 dom, n. 2449, 2712, 2943, 3216, 3584, 4492, 4493, 5297.) 
 
 113. "These things saith the First and Me ^as^" signifies 
 the Lord, who governs all thi^igs from the Divine Htiman, from 
 firsts by means of outmosts. — This is evident from the significa- 
 tion of "the First and the Last," as meaning, in reference to the 
 Lord, His ruling all things from firsts by means of outmosts (see 
 above, n. 41). That it is the Lord in respe6l to the Divine 
 Human who here and in what follows speaks to the angels of 
 the churches, can be seen from the preceding chapter, where 
 similar things are said of the Son of man ; and the Son of man is 
 the Lord in respe6l to the Divine Human (see above, n. 63). 
 This is clearly shown by bringing the passages together ; for 
 example, the Son of man is described in the preceding chapter as 
 
 seen 
 
 " In the midst of the golden lampstands having in His right hand 
 
 seven stars" (i. 13, 16). 
 
 These same things introduce what is written to the angel of the 
 Ephesian Church in these words, "These things saith He that 
 holdeth the seven stars in His right hand, that walketh in the 
 midst of the seven golden lampstands " (verse i of this chapter). 
 [2.] In the preceding chapter the Son of man is described thus : 
 
138 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 "I am the First and the Last; and the Living One; and I became 
 dead; and behold I am alive unto the ages of the ages" (verses 
 17. 18). 
 
 These things here introduce what is written to the angel of the 
 church of the Smyrneans, in these words : " These things saith 
 the First and the Last, who was dead and is aUve" (verse 8). In 
 the preceding chapter the Son of man is described, that there was 
 seen 
 
 "Out of His mouth a sharp two-edged sword going forth" (verse 16). 
 
 This introduces what is written to the angel of the church in Per- 
 gamum, in these words: "These things saith He that hath the 
 sharp two-edged sword" (verse 12). In the preceding chapter 
 the Son of man is described, that He was seen to have 
 
 " Eyes as a flame of fire ; and feet like unto burnished brass, as if glowing 
 in a furnace" (verses 14, 15). 
 
 These things introduce what is written to the angel of the church 
 in Thyatira, in these words : "These things saith the Son of God, 
 that hath His eyes as a flame of fire, and His feet like unto bur- 
 nished brass" (verse 18). [3.] Similar things introduce what is 
 written to the angels of the other three churches (of which in 
 the following chapter). From this it can be seen that it is the Son 
 of man who says the things that are written to the churches ; and 
 as by the "Son of man" the Lord in respe6l to the Divine Hu- 
 man is meant (as was shown above, n. 63), it follows that all that 
 is written to the churches is from the Lord's Divine Human ; and 
 from this it also follows that the Divine Human is the All in all 
 things of the church, as it is the All in all things of heaven. So 
 here by His being called "the First and the Last" is signified 
 that the Lord from His Divine Human governs all things from 
 
 firsts by means of OUtmostS. (That the Lord in respe(5l to His Divine 
 Human is the All in all things of heaven, may be seen in Heaven and Hell, n. 
 7-12 and n. 78-86, and other places. And as the Lord is the All in all things of 
 heaven, He is also the All in all things of the church, for the church is the kingdom 
 
 of the Lord on the earth.) This I can assert, that no one who is within 
 the church, and does not acknowledge the Divine of the Lord in 
 His Human, can enter heaven. To acknowledge the Divine of 
 the Lord in His Huinan is to think of His Divine when thinking 
 of His Human. That it must be so thought of is because the 
 whole heaven is from His Divine Human (as may be seen explained 
 
 in Heaven and Hell, from beginning to end; and above, n. ID, 49' 5^' 82). 
 
 ri4. "Who was dead and is alive " signifies that He has been 
 rejefled, and yet eternal life is from Him. — This is evident froni 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE 8. — N. II4. I39 
 
 the signification of being "dead," as meaning, in reference to tlie 
 Lord, to Iiave been rejeded (of which see above, n. 83) ; also from 
 the signification of "being aHve," as meaning that eternal life is 
 from Him (of which also above, n. 84). The Lord is said to have 
 been reje<5led when He is not approached and worshipped ; also 
 when He is approached and worshipped in respedl to His Hu- 
 man only, and not at the same time in respedt to the Divine ; 
 therefore He is rejected at the present time within the church 
 by those who do not approach and worship Him, but pray to the 
 Father to have compassion for the sake of the Son, when neither 
 man nor angel can ever approach the Father and worship Him 
 immediately ; for the Divine is invisible, and with it no one can be 
 conjoined by faith and love ; since what is invisible does not come 
 into the idea of thought, nor, consequently, into the affedlion of thp 
 will ; and what does not come into the idea of thought does not 
 come within reach of faith ; for the things that are to be of faith 
 must be thought of. So what does not enter into the affection of 
 the will does not enter into the love, for what is to be of the love 
 must aflfedl man's will, for all the love that man has resides in the 
 
 will (see Doflrine of the New Jerusalem, -n. 28-35). [2.] But the Diviue 
 
 Human of the Lord does come into the idea of the thought and 
 thus into faith, and from that into the afifeclion of the will, that is, 
 into the love. From this it is clear that there is no conjunction 
 with the Father except from the Lord, and in the Lord. This 
 the Lord Himself teaches with the utmost clearness in the Evan- 
 gelists ; as in yohn : 
 
 " No one hath seen God at any time ; the only begotten Son, who is in 
 the bosom of the Father, He hath brought Him forth to view "(i. 18). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Ye have neither heard the Father's voice at any time, nor seen His 
 shape " (v. 37). 
 
 In Matthew : 
 
 " No one knoweth the Father save the Son, and he to whom the Son 
 willeth to reveal Him " (.\i. 27). 
 
 In John: 
 
 " I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life ; no man cometh unto the Father 
 but through Me " (.\iv. 6). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " If ye know Me ye know My Father also ;. . . .he that seeth Me seeth 
 the Father.". .. .Philip, "Believest thou not that I am in the 
 Father, and the Father in Me? .... Believe Me, that I am in the 
 Father, and the Father in Me" (.xiv. 7-1 1). 
 
140 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 And that the Father and the Lord are one (x. 30, 38). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " I am the vine, ye are the branches ; . . . . apart from Me ye can do no- 
 thing" (XV. 5;. 
 
 [3.] From this it can be seen that the Lord has been rejedled by 
 those within the church who approach the Father immediately and 
 pray Him to have compassion for the sake of the Son ; for these 
 cannot do otherwise than think of the Lord's Human as they 
 think of the human of another man, thus they cannot think of 
 His Divine as being in the Human, still less of His Divine as 
 conjoined with His Human as the soul is conjoined with the 
 body, according to the doflrine received throughout the Christ- 
 ian world (see above, n. 10, 26). Who is there in the whole 
 Christian world, acknowledging the Divinity of the Lord, that is 
 willing to be one who would place the Lord's Divine outside of 
 His Human? When yet to think of the Human only, and not at 
 the same time of His Divine in the Human, is to regard the two 
 as separated, which is not to regard the Lord, nor the two as 
 one person ; and yet the do6li"ine received throughout Christen- 
 dom is, that the Divine and the Human of the Lord are not two 
 persons but a single person. [4.] It is true that men of the 
 church at this day, when they speak from the dodlrine of the 
 church think of the Divine of the Lord in His Human ; but when 
 they think and speak by themselves aside from do6lrine, it is 
 altogether otherwise. But be it known, that man is in one state 
 when he is thinking and speaking from do6lrine, and in another 
 when he is thinking and speaking aside from do6lrine. When 
 man is thinking and speaking from do6lrine, his thought and 
 speech are from the memory of his natural man ; but when he 
 is thinking and speaking aside from dodlrine, his thought and 
 speech are from his spirit ; for to think and speak from the spirit, 
 is to think and speak from the interiors of one's mind, from which 
 is his real faith. Moreover, man's state after death becomes such 
 as were the thought and speech of his spirit by himself aside from 
 do^lrine, and not such as they were from dodlrine, if the latter were 
 not made one with the former. [5.] Man does not know that he 
 has two states in respect to faith and love ; one when in do6lrine 
 and another aside from do6lrine ; and that the state of his faith 
 and love aside from do61:rine is what saves him, and not the state of 
 his speech respe6ling faith and love from doctrine, unless the latter 
 state makes one with the former. Yet to think and speak from 
 doclrine respe6ling faith and love is to speak from the natural 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE 8. — N. II4. I4I 
 
 man and its memory, as is evident merely frDin this, that the evil, 
 when with others, can think and speak thus equally with the 
 good. For tiie same reason evil preachers equally with good, or 
 preachers that have no faith equally with those that have faith, 
 can preach the Gospel, and with, to all appearance, the same zeal 
 and affe(5lion. This is because the man, as has been said, then 
 thinks and speaks from his natural man and its memory. But to 
 think from one's spirit is not to think from the natural man and 
 its memory, but from the spiritual man, and from its faith and 
 affe(5lion. Merely from this it is clear that man has two states, and 
 that it is the latter state, not the former, that saves him ; for man 
 alter death is a spirit ; therefore such as he was in the world in 
 respedl to his spirit, such he remains after his departure out of 
 the world. [6.] Moreover, it has been given me to know from 
 much experience that the man of the church has these two states. 
 After death, man can be let into either state, and is a6lually let into 
 both. Many, when they have been let into the former state, have 
 spoken like Christians, and from such speech have been believed 
 by others to be Christians ; but as soon as they were remitted into 
 the latter state, which was the real state of their spirit, they spoke 
 like devilish spirits, and wholly opposite to what they had spoken 
 
 before (see Heaven and Hell,r\. 491-498, 499-511). [7.] From all this it 
 
 can be seen how the statement is to be understood that the Lord 
 has been at this day rejected by those within the church ; namely, 
 that although it is held from do<5lrine that the Divine of the 
 Lord must be acknowledged and believed in the same degree as 
 the Divine of the Father, for the doctrine of the church teaches 
 that 
 
 As is the Father so also is the Son, uncreate, infinite, eternal, 
 omnipotent, God, Lord, neither of them greater or less, before or 
 after the other (see the Creed of At/ianasius) ; 
 
 yet they do not approach and worship the Lord and His Divine, 
 but the Divine of the Father ; this they do when they pray to the 
 Father to have mercy for the sake of the Son ; and when they 
 say this they do not think at all of the Divine of the Lord, but 
 they think of His Human as separated from the Divine, thus of 
 His Human as the human of any other man ; and then they also 
 think not of one God, but of two, or three. To think in this way 
 of the Lord is to rejed Him ; for by not thinking of His Divine 
 at the same time that they think of His Human, by the separation 
 they thrust out the Divine. Yet these are not two, but one per- 
 son, and make one as soul and body do. [8.] I once spoke with 
 
142 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 spirits who when they lived in the world were of the popish 
 religion, and I asked whether in the world they ever thought 
 about the Divine of the Lord? They said that they thought 
 about it whenever they saw from do6trine, and that they then 
 acknowledged His Divine to be equal with the Divine of the 
 Father, but that apart from doftrine, they thought of His Human 
 only, and not of His Divine. They were asked why they say 
 that the power which His Human had was given to it by the 
 Father and not by Himself, since they acknowledged His Divine 
 to be equal with that of the Father? At this they turned away, 
 making no answer. But it was said to them, that it was because 
 they transferred to themselves all His Divine power, and that they 
 could not have done this unless they had separated the Divine 
 from the Human. That with them the Lord has been reje6led, 
 every one may conclude from this, that they worship the pope in- 
 stead of the Lord, and that they no longer attribute any power to 
 the Lord. [9.] I will here also mention a scandalou-s remark that 
 the pope called Benedi6l XIV., was heard to make. He openly 
 declared that when he lived in the world he believed that the 
 Lord had no power, because He had transferred it all to Peter, 
 and after him to his successors ; adding his belief that the Rom- 
 ish saints have more power than the Lord, because they hold it 
 from God the Father, while the Lord resigned it all and gave it 
 to the popes ; yet that He is to be worshipped, because otherwise 
 the pope is not worshipped with san6lity. But because this pope 
 even after death claimed divinity for himself, after a few days he 
 was cast into hell. 
 
 115. The Lord says to the angel of this church, " I am the 
 First and the Last, who was dead and is alive," because those 
 within the church that are in a spiritual affedtion for truth are 
 here treated of. These are such as search out truths from the 
 Word, and when they find them they rejoice in heart, solely be- 
 cause they are truths. Those also are here treated of who are in 
 a merely natural affe6lion for truth. These are such as do not 
 search for truths, nor rejoice in them because they are truths, but 
 they simply acquiesce in the do6lrinals of their church, not caring 
 whether they are true or false ; these they learn and retain in the 
 memory only, confirming them by the literal sense of the Word ; 
 and doing this solely for the sake of acquiring repute, honors, or 
 gain. It is with such that the Lord is "dead," that is, reje<5led. 
 Spiritual afifedion for truth, which is loving truth because it is 
 truth, is not i)ossible except with those who are conjoined to the 
 Lord by acknowledgment of His Divine in the Human, and by 
 
CHAT. II., VFRSE 9. — N. I I 7. I43 
 
 faith in it ; since all the truth of hea\en and all the truth of the 
 church is from no other source than the Lord's Divine Human ; 
 for out of this goes forth Divine truth, which is called "the Spirit 
 of Truth," or " the Holy Spirit." From this the angels of heaven 
 have all their affection for truth and all their wisdom (that this is so. 
 
 see Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140, 265-275, 346-356). It is with these that 
 
 the Lord is alive. 
 
 116. [ Verse 9.] "/ know thy works" signifies love. — This is evi- 
 dent from the signification of " works," as meaning the things that 
 are of the will or love, since works proceed therefrom, and that from 
 which anything proceeds constitutes the all in that which proceeds, 
 as cause does in eftecfl, for when the cause is taken away or ceases 
 the eflfedl ceases. So is it with man's will and works therefrom ; 
 will is the cause and works are effedls, and it is well known that 
 when will ceases work ceases. From this it is clear that "works" 
 in relation to cause mean the will. The will of man is spiritual, 
 but works therefrom are natural; therefore here by "works," 
 in the spiritual sense, the will is meant. By "works" is meant 
 also the love, because what a man loves that he wills, and what 
 in heart he wills that he loves ; and if you look more deeply you 
 will see that all things of man's interior will are of his love. Yet 
 in common discourse we speak of man's love, not of his will, be- 
 cause the loves are manifold, and there are many in each man, and 
 all are together in the will, which is always perceived by man as a 
 one, since the distinction he makes is between will and understand- 
 ing. The will, therefore, is man's spiritual itself, because love is 
 spiritual. "Works" are mentioned in the Word, not the will or 
 love (as here and in what follows, to the angels of the churches, 
 "I know thy works," and not I k?iow thy will, or thy love), be- 
 cause all things that are in the sense of the letter of the Word are 
 natural, and contain within them things spiritual ; to bring out, 
 therefore, the spiritual sense of the Word, the spiritual, which 
 is in the natural or from which the natural proceeds, is to be 
 sought. 
 
 117. "And affliction" signifies anxiety from a lonf;;ing to 
 knoiv truths. — This is evident from the signification of "affliction," 
 as meaning anxiety of mind from a longing to know truths ; for 
 those who wish to understand the Word, but who do not as yet well 
 understand it, are here treated of (see above, n. 112), and these are 
 in anxietv of spirit when they do not understand. That these have 
 such anxiety when they do not understand, none can know except 
 those who are in an affeflion for truth for the sake of truth, that is. 
 
144 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 who are in spiritual affedlion ; who these are may be seen above 
 (n. 115). The reason of this is, that such are conjoined to the 
 angels of heaven, and angels continually long for truths, because 
 they long for intelligence and wisdom ; they long for these as a 
 hungry man longs for food. For this reason intelligence and 
 wisdom are called spiritual food. This longing man has from 
 infancy, for when he is an infant, and afterwards when a child, he 
 is conjoined to heaven, and this longing is from heaven ; but 
 with those who turn themselves to the world it perishes. From 
 this it may be known what the anxiety of mind or spiritual anxiety 
 that is here signified by "affli6lion" is. [2.] These have such 
 anxiety when they read the Word and do not well understand 
 it, because all the truths of heaven and the church are from the 
 Word, and lie concealed therein in its spiritual sense, and are not 
 opened to any except such as are conjoined to heaven, since that 
 sense of the Word is in heaven. Yet the spiritual sense itself of 
 the Word does not flow-in with man out of heaven, but it flows 
 into his affection, and through this into the knowledges that he 
 has, and thus kindles his longing, and he then receives the genu- 
 ine truths of the church so far as he can see them from the lit- 
 eral sense of the Word. Every one who is in a spiritual affedlion 
 for truth is conscious that the things that he knows are few, and 
 the things that he does not know are infinite. He is aware, 
 moreover, that knowing and acknowledging this is the first step 
 towards wisdom ; and that those who pride themselves on the 
 things they know, and believe themselves on account of these to 
 be most intelligent, have not reached this first step. Such persons 
 are commonly more puffed up by falsities than by truths, for they 
 have legard to their own reputation, and are afie6led by that 
 alone, and not by the truth itself Such are those who are in nat- 
 ural aife6lion only and in longing from that (see above, n. 115). 
 
 Il8. "And poverty, but thou art rich," signifies achiowledg- 
 inent that they hiow nothing from thetnselves. — This is evident 
 from the signification of "poverty," as meaning acknowledgment 
 of heart that they know nothing from themselves (of which pres- 
 ently) ; and from the signification of "but thou art rich," as 
 meaning afie6tion for spiritual truth (of which also presently). 
 That by "poverty" spiritual poverty is here meant, and that by 
 "thou art rich" is meant to be spiritually rich, is clear, since these 
 things are said to the church. To be spiritually poor, and yet to 
 be rich, is to acknowledge in heart that one has no knowledge 
 nor understanding nor wisdom from himself, but that he knows, 
 understands, and is wise wholly from the Lord. In such acknow- 
 
CHAP. li., VERSE 9. — N. II8. I45 
 
 ledgment are all angds of hea\en, and they are intelligent and 
 wise for this reason, and in the same degree in which they are in 
 the acknowledgment and perception that this is the case. For 
 tliey know and perceive that nothing of the truth that is called 
 truth of faith, and nothing of the good that is called good of love, is 
 from themselves, but that these are from the Lord ; they also know 
 and perceive that all things that they understand and are wise 
 about have reference to the truth of faith and to the good of love ; 
 and from this again they know that all their intelligence and wis- 
 dom is from the Lord ; and because they know and acknowledge 
 this, and also wish and love it to be so, Divine truth from which are 
 all intelligence and wisdom continually tlows-in from the Lord, and 
 this they receive in the measure in which they are affedled by it, that 
 is, love it. But, on the other hand, the spirits of hell believe that 
 all things they think and will, and thus speak and do, are from 
 themselves, and not at all from God ; for they do not believe in 
 a Divine ; consequently, instead of intelligence and wisdom they 
 have insanity and lolly, for they think contrary to truth, and will 
 contrary to good, and this is to be insane and foolish. Every 
 man who is in the love of self does the same ; he cannot do other- 
 wise than attribute all things to self, because he looks only to self; 
 and because he does this he is not in any acknowledgment that 
 all intelligence and wisdom are from the Lord ; consequently, 
 when such persons think by themselves, they think contrary to 
 the truths and goods of the church and of heaven, although when 
 speaking with men they talk otherwise, from a fear of losing their 
 reputation. [2.] From all this it can be known what "poverty" 
 in the spiritual sense means. He who is spiritually poor is never- 
 theless rich, because he is in a spiritual affeclion for truth ; for 
 into ihis afifedlion intelligence and wisdom from the Lord flow ; 
 for e\-eryone's affeclion receives and imbibes things congenial to 
 it, as it sponge does water ; therefore a spiritual affe6lion for truth 
 receives and imbibes spiritual truths, which are the truths of the 
 church, from the Word. A spiritual affe6lion for truth has no 
 other source than the Lord, because the Lord is Divine truth in 
 heaven and in the church, for Divine truth goes forth from 
 Him. And as the Lord loves to lead every one to Himself, 
 and to save him, and this He can do only by knowledges of good 
 and truth from the Word, so the Lord loves to impart these to man, 
 and make them of his life, for in this way and no other can He 
 lead man to Himself and save him. From this it is manifest that 
 all spiritual affe<5lion for truth is from the Lord, and that no one 
 can be in that affedlion unless he acknowledges the Divine of the 
 
146 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 Lord in His Human, for by such acknowledgment there is con- 
 jun6tion, and according to conjunction there is reception. (On this 
 
 more may be seen in Heaven and Hell, where it treats of The Wisdom of tne Angels 
 of Heaven, n. 265-275 ; and of The Wise and the Simple in Heaven, n. 346-356, and 
 elsewhere in the same work, n. 13, 19, 25, 26, 133, 139, 140, 205, 297, 422, 523, 603 ; 
 and in The Doarine of the New Jerusalem, n. 11-27; and above, n. 6, 59, 112, 
 
 115, 117.) [3.] In the Word, "the poor and needy" are fre- 
 quently mentioned, also "the hungry and thirsty." By "the 
 poor and needy" are signified those who believe that of them- 
 selves they know nothing ; also those who are destitute of know- 
 ledge because they have not the Word ; and by "the hungry and 
 thirsty" are signified those who continually long for truths, and 
 long to be perfe6ted by means of truths. These two classes are 
 meant by the "poor," "needy," "hungry," and "thirsty," in the 
 following passages : 
 
 " Blessed are the poor in spirit ; for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens. 
 
 .... Blessed are thev that hunger and thirst after righteousness ; for 
 
 they shall be filled " (Matt. v. 3, 6). 
 " Blessed are the poor ; for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens. Blessed 
 
 are ye that hunger ; for ye shall be filled" {Luke vi. 20, 21). 
 "To the poor the Gospel shall be preached," and "the poor hear the 
 
 Gospel" {Luke vii. 22 ; Matt. xi. 5). 
 The master of the house said to his servant that he should go out into the 
 
 streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor {Luke xiv. 21). 
 "Then the first-born of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie 
 
 down with confidence " {Isa. xiv. 30). 
 " I was an hungered, and ye gave Me to eat ; I was thirsty, and ye gave 
 
 Me to drink" {Matt. xxv. 35). 
 " When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, their tongue 
 
 faileth for thirst, I, Jehovah, will answer them I will open 
 
 rivers on the heights, and fountains will I place in the midst of the 
 
 valleys" {Isa. xli. 17, 18). 
 
 From this last passage it is clear that the "poor and needy" 
 are those who long for knowledges of good and truth, for the 
 "water" that such seek is truth. (That "water" is truth of faith, 
 .'ee above, n. 71.) Their longing is here described by "their 
 tongue fainting for thirst," and the abundance they are to have 
 by "rivers being opened on the heights, and fountains in the 
 midst of the valleys." [4.] Those who do not know that by the 
 "rich" are signified those who have the Word and who can be 
 in knowledges of truth and good therefrom, and that by the 
 "poor" are signified those who have not the Word, and yet long 
 for truths, must believe that by the "rich man" in Liike (xvi. 19 
 seq.) who "was clothed in purple and fine linen," are meant the 
 rich in this world, and that by the "poor man" who "was laid at 
 his gate, and desired to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the 
 rich man's table," are meant the poor in this world. But by the 
 "rich man" there the Jewish nation is meant, which had the 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE g. — N. 119. 147 
 
 Word, and might have been therefore in knowledges of truth 
 and good ; and by the " poor man " are there meant the nations 
 that had not the Word and yet longed for knowledges of truth 
 and good. The rich man is described as "clothed with purple 
 and fine linen," because "purple" signifies genuine good {a.c, n. 
 9467), and "fine linen" genuine truth {yi.C, n. 5319, 9469,9596, 9744I, 
 both from the Word. The poor man is described as "laid at 
 the rich man's gate, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs 
 that fell from the rich man's table," because "to be laid at the 
 gate" meant to be rejedled, and to be deprived of the opportun- 
 ity to read and understand the Word; and "wishing to be fed 
 with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table" means to 
 long for some truths from the Word, for "food" signifies things 
 of knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom, and in general, good and 
 
 truth ( .4.C., n. 3114, 4459, 4792, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5410, 5426, 5576, 5582, 5588, 
 
 5655.8562,9003); and " table " signifies a receptacle for these (A.C., 
 n. 9527). As the poor man was in that longing, which is the same 
 as a spiritual aTfifeClion for truth, it is said of him that " he was car- 
 ried by the angels into Abraham's bosom," by which is signified 
 to be raised into an angelic state in respe(5l to intelligence and wis- 
 dom ; "Abraham's bosom" is the Di\'ine truth that is in heaven, 
 for those who are in that are with the Lord. (That "Abraham" in the 
 
 Word signifies the Lord, see A.C., n. 2010, 2833, 2836, 3245, 3251, 3305, 3439, 3703, 
 
 6098, 6185,6276, 6804, 6847.) [5.] The same that is signified here by 
 the "rich man" and the "poor man who hungered" is signified 
 by the " rich " and the " hungry " in L7ike : 
 
 "The hunjG;ry He hath filled with good, and the rich He hath sent empty 
 away " (i. 53). 
 
 (That by " riches " in the Word are meant spiritual riches, which are knowledges ot 
 truth and good from the Word, see A.C., n. 1694, 4508, 10227 : and in Heaven and 
 Hell, n. 365 ; and in a contrary sense, knowledges of what is false and evil, which 
 are confirmed from the sense of the letter of the Word, A.C., n. 1694.) That 
 
 "riches" in the Word signify knowledges of truth and good, and 
 intelligence and wisdom therefrom, is from correspondence ; for 
 with angels in heaven all things appear as if refulgent with gold, 
 silver, and precious stones ; and this so far as they are in intelli- 
 gence from truth and in wisdom from good. Also with the 
 spirits who are below the heavens there are riches in appearance 
 according to their reception of truth and good from the Lord. 
 
 119. "And the blasphemy of them who say that they are 
 Jews and they are not," signifies denunciation by those who think 
 themselves to be in knoivledges of good and truth, because they 
 have the Word, aiid yet they are not. — This is evident from the sig- 
 nification of "blasphemy," as meaning censure and denunciation ; 
 and from the signification of "Jews," as meaning those who are in 
 
148 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 knowledges of good and truth from the Word ; for "Judah," in 
 the highest sense of the Word, signifies the Lord in respecfl to 
 celestial love, in the internal sense the Lord's celestial kingdom 
 and the Word, and in the external sense do6trine from the Word, 
 which is of the celestial church (see A.C.. n. 3881, 6363). From this 
 it can be seen that by the "blasphemy of them who say that they 
 are Jews and they are not," is signified censure and denunciation 
 by those who say that they acknowledge the Lord, and are in 
 His kingdom and in true do6lrine, because they have the Word, 
 and yet they are not ; and in general, those who say that they are 
 in knowledges of good and truth from the Word, and yet are in 
 falsities and evils. [2.] Those who know nothing of the internal 
 sense of the Word must believe that by "Judah" and "Jews," in 
 the prophetical parts of the Word, are meant Judah and the Jews ; 
 these, however, are not there meant by their names, but all who 
 are in the true doctrine of the church, thus who are in knowledges 
 of good and truth from the Word ; and, in the contrary sense, those 
 who are in false do6lrine, thus who have adulterated the truths and 
 goods of the Word. That Judah and the Jews are not meant 
 can be seen merely from this, that there is an internal sense in 
 every particular of the Word, thus in the names of persons and 
 places ; and that nothing is treated of in this sense except what 
 pertains to heaven and the church ; such things, therefore, must be 
 signified by the names "Judah " and " Israel." And as with them 
 a church was instituted in which all things were representative 
 and significative of things heavenly, so by their names that was 
 signified which essentially makes the church, namely, in the high- 
 est sense, the Lord Himself; in the internal sense His Word ; and 
 in the external sense doftrine from the Word, as was said above. 
 From this it is clear how greatly those are mistaken who believe, 
 according to the letter, that the Jews are to be brought back into 
 the land of Canaan, and that they have been chosen and destined 
 for heaven in preference to others ; when in fa6t but few from 
 that nation are saved, since none are saved except those who be- 
 lieve in the Lord ; and he who believes in the Lord in the world 
 believes in Him after death ; but that nation altogether reje6led 
 Him from its faith. [3.] That by "Judah" is meant the Lord in 
 respe(5l to His kingdom and the Word can be seen from the 
 prophecy of Israel regarding his sons ; when this is unfolded by 
 the internal sense it is clear what each tribe represented in the 
 church. It is clearly evident that the tribe of Judah represented 
 the Lord's kingdom, or the church where the Word is ; for it is 
 said of Judah : 
 
 " Judah is a lion's whelp ; from the prey, my son, thou art gone up 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE 9. — N. 1 19. I49 
 
 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from be- 
 tween his feet, until Shiloh come ; and unto Him shall the clinging 
 of the peoples be; who shall bind to the vine the foal of His ass, 
 and to the noble vine the son of His she-ass; whilst He shall have 
 washed His garment in wine, and His vesture in the blood of 
 grapes" {Gen. xlix. 9-1 1). 
 
 Tliat these particulars signify the Lord's kingdom or the church, 
 may be seen in the Arcana Caclesfia, where they are explained. 
 [4.] He who knows that by "Judah" is meant, in the highest 
 sense the Lord, and in the internal sense His kingdom and the 
 Word, and in the external sense do6lrine from the Word, also 
 in a contrary sense those who deny the Lord and adulterate the 
 W'ord, can know what is signified by "Judah" in many passages 
 of the Word ; as in the following : 
 
 " Hear ye, O house of Jacob, called by the name of Israel, and they are 
 come forth out of the waters of Judah" (/^a. xlviii. i). 
 
 The " house of Jacob " and " Israel " is the church ; " to come forth 
 out of the waters of Judah" signifies out of doctrine irom the 
 Word, for the church is from that. That "waters" denote truths 
 of doclrine out of the W'ord, see above (n. 71). 
 
 "The sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the 
 sons of the Grecians, that ye may remove them far from their 
 
 borders It shall come to pass in that day, ....that all the 
 
 brooks of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall go forth 
 out of the house of Jehovah,. .. .and Judah shall sit to eternity" 
 {Joel iii. 6, 18, 20). 
 
 " To sell the sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem to the sons 
 of the Grecians" is to falsify the goods and truths of the church ; 
 "in that day" means when there is an end of that church and a 
 new church has been established among the nations; "all the 
 brooks of Judah shall flow with waters" signifies abundance of 
 truths and goods from the W^ord, for those who are in the new 
 church ; that these are from the Word is signified by the "fount- 
 ain going forth out of the house of Jehovah." From this it is 
 evident that by "Judah," who "shall sit to eternity," is not meant 
 Judah or the Jewish nation, but all those who are in good by 
 means of truths from the Word. [5.] Like things are meant by 
 "Judah" in the following passages: 
 
 "I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them 
 
 And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel shall be gathered to- 
 gether, and they shall appoint themselves one head, and they shall 
 go up from the land ; for great is the day of Jezreel " {Hosea i. 7, 11). 
 
 "Then many nations shall join themselves to Jehovah in that day ; they 
 shall be to Me for a people, for I will dwell in thee ;... .then 
 Jehovah shall make Judah an heritage to Himself, His portion 
 upon the land of holiness, and shall again choose Jerusalem " {Z^ch 
 ii. II, 12). 
 
150 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 "Jehovah Zebaoth shall visit His flock, the house of Judah, and shall 
 make them a horse of glory in war ;....! will render the house of 
 Judah powerful " {Zech. x. 3, 6). 
 
 "God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah ; and they shall 
 dwell there, and inherit it ; the seed also of His servants shall in- 
 herit it ; and they that love the name of Jehovah shall dwell 
 therein" {Fs. Ixix. 35, 36). 
 
 "I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor 
 of My mountains ; that My chosen may possess it " {Isa. Ixv. 9) ; 
 
 besides very many other places. That the Jewish nation is not 
 meant in the Word in these and other places, where they are called 
 "chosen" and "heirs," maybe seen from what is cited respe<5ling 
 that nation from the Arcana Caelestia, in The DoHrine of the 
 New yerusaleryi (n. 248). From all this what is signified by the 
 "blasphemy of them who say that they are Jews, and they are 
 not," can be seen. 
 
 120. "But are a synagogue of Satan" signifies doilrine of 
 all falsities with these. — This is evident from the signification of 
 "synagogue," as meaning do6lrine (of which presently); and 
 from the signification of" Satan," as meaning the hell from which 
 are all falsities. There are two kinds of hells, one in which those 
 are who are in evils, and the other in which those are who are in 
 the falsities of evil. The hell in which those are who are in evils 
 is called, in one word, Devil, and that in which those are who are 
 in the falsities of evil is called, in one word, Satan. Those who 
 know nothing about the hells, but have adopted the belief that 
 the devil was created an angel of light, and because he rebelled 
 was cast down with his crew, and thus hell was made, do not know 
 
 that the hells are so named. (That the hells are called Devil and Satan 
 may be seen in Heaven and Hell, n. 311, 544, 553 ; and The Last Judgment, in the 
 chapter where it is shown that Heaven and Hell are from the Human Race, n. 
 
 14-22.) [2.] Let it be known, moreover, that as all goods and 
 truths are from the Lord out of the heavens, so all evils and falsi- 
 ties are out of the hells. He is greatly deceived who believes that 
 goods and truths have any other source than out of the heavens 
 from the Lord, or that evils and falsities have any other source 
 than out of the hells. Man is simply a receptacle of these, and 
 to whichever he turns himself of that he is a recipient. If he 
 turns himself towards heaven, which is effected by goods of 
 love and truths of faith, he receives goods and truths from the 
 Lord ; but if he turns himself towards hell, which is effedted by 
 evils of love and falsities of faith, he receives evils and falsities 
 from hell. Now as all evils and falsities are from the hells, and 
 as the hells are called, in one word, either Devil or Satan, it 
 follows that by Devil are signified all evils, and by Satan all 
 falsities. From this it is that by a "synagogue of Satan" doc- 
 trine of all falsities is signified. [3.] By "synagogue" dodirine is 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE lO. — N. 121. I51 
 
 sitij^nified, because in the syiiag(jgues tliere was instruflion, and 
 ditilerences in matters of doctrine were adjusted. That there was 
 instruction in the synagogues is evident from 
 
 Matt. iv. 23 ; ix. 35 ; xiii. 54 ; Mark i. 21, 22, 29, 39 ; vi. 2 ; Luke iv. 15, 
 16, 44 ; xiii. 10, 14 ; John xviii. 20. 
 
 That differences in matters of doclrine were adjusted in the syna- 
 gogues may be inferred from what is said in 
 
 Matt. X. 17; Mark xiii. 9; Luke xii. 11 ; xxi. 12; John ix. 22; xii. 42; 
 xvi. 2, 3. 
 
 That with the Jewish nation there was doclrine of all falsities can be 
 seen from many things known of that nation ; namely, that they 
 denied the Lord ; that they wish for a Messiah whose kingdom 
 will be upon the earth, and who will exalt them above all other 
 nations in the world ; that they place all worship in externals, and 
 reje6l the internals of worship, which are of faith in and love to 
 the Lord ; that they apply all things in the Word to themselves; 
 and falsify it by traditions of their own invention 
 
 (see Matt. xv. 6-9 ; Mark vii. 1-13). 
 
 Again, what the quality of that nation in respe6l to their interiors 
 has been from the beginning can be seen from the song of Moses 
 {Dent, xxxii.), and elsewhere in many passages (see also the quota- 
 tions from the Arcana Caelestia, in The Doflrine of the Neiu Jerusalem, n. 248). 
 
 121. [ Verse 10.] "Fear not the things which thou art to suffer" 
 
 signifies that they should not grieve on account of such persecu- 
 tion. — This is evident from the signification of "fear not," as mean- 
 ing, in reference to those about to suffer persecutions, that they 
 should not grieve in mind ; for fear with these is also grief; and 
 from the signification of "the things which thou art to suffer," 
 namely, from those who are in do<5lrine of all falsities, as meaning 
 that such are about to persecute. The persecution of those who 
 are in a spiritual affection for truth, by those who are in falsities, 
 is now to be treated of. This can best be seen from those who are 
 
 of this character in the world of spirits (of which world see Heaven and Hell, 
 
 n. 421-335), for there the quality of every one in respe6l to his inte- 
 riors, which are of thought and intention, is manifest ; since every 
 one there is in himself, because he is a spirit, and the spirit is what 
 thinks and intends. All spirits there are either conjoined with the 
 hells or conjoined with the heavens. Those who are conjoined with 
 the hells, as soon as they perceive any one to be in a spiritual affec- 
 tion for truth begin to burn with hatred, and strive to destroy him ; 
 they cannot endure the sight of him. Very many of them, if 
 
152 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 they perceive but for a moment the delight of a spiritual affe6lion 
 for truth, which is the essential delight of heaven, become as if 
 insane, and nothing is more delightllil to them than to destroy 
 that delight. From this it is evident that all the hells are opposed 
 to spiritual afire6lion for truth, and all the heavens are in it. It 
 would be the same among men on the earth if they were in the 
 perception in which spirits are ; but as they are not in such per- 
 ception, and therefore do not know who are in spiritual affe6tion, 
 they remain quiet and behave amicably towards each other, in 
 accordance with the delights of the world. But this disposition 
 displays itself in the churches, among those who are zealous in 
 religious matters. It also becomes evident, in those who are in 
 that spiritual afire6lion, in this way, that falsities break in upon their 
 thoughts, endeavoring to extinguish their longing and its delight ; 
 these falsities that break in upon their thoughts are from hell ; for 
 everything that a man thinks is either from hell or from heaven 
 (as was said above, n. 1 20). 
 
 122. "Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into 
 confinement," signifies ///a/ f/iose who are iyi falsities from evil 
 will set about to deprive thefn of all truth from the Word. — This 
 is evident from the signification of "casting into confinement," as 
 meaning, in reference to those who are in a spiritual affe6lion for 
 truth, to endeavor and to set about to deprive them of truths from 
 the Word (of which presently) ; and from the signification of the 
 "devil," as meaning the hells which are in evil and in falsities 
 therefrom (of which above, n. 120). "To cast into confine- 
 ment," in reference to those who are in a spiritual afre6lion for 
 truth, is to endeavor and to set about to deprive them of truths 
 from the Word, for the reason that truths are, as it were, in con- 
 finement or in prison when falsities break in ; and so long as falsi- 
 ties engage the attention truths cannot appear, still less can they 
 be set at liberty. Those that are in a spiritual afifecftion for truth, 
 who are those that love truths because they are truths, are held in 
 such a prison whenever they do not understand the Word and 
 yet wish to understand it ; the falsities that imprison rise up from 
 hell into the natural man when the delights of the lo^•e of self and 
 the world have rule therein, for these delights are the origins of all 
 
 evils and falsities therefrom {s&& Doarine of the New Jerusalem, x\.(iS-%i). 
 
 [2.] This is meant, in the spiritual sense, by "being cast by the 
 devil into confinement ;" for as the devil is hell, and out of hell 
 every evil arises, and as the influx from hell is into the natural 
 man, not into the spiritual, so the devil has power over all who 
 are in the delights of these loves, and subjects them to himself and 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE lO. — N. 122. I53 
 
 makes them his crew ; for all who are in the hells are in evils and 
 their falsities Ironi the loves of self and of the world (see Heaven and 
 
 Hell, n. 551-565; but that the delights of those loves arc changed into correspond- 
 ing delight, of the same character, see n. 485-490). This casting into prison 
 
 by the devil is described in the Word, where it is said that the 
 Jews and the wicked will j)ersecute the Lord's disciples, and will 
 evil entreat and kill them ; for by the "disciples of the Lord" are 
 meant all who are in truths from good, that is, who are in truths 
 from the Lord ; and as these are meant by the Lord's disciples, 
 so in a sense abstracted from persons, which is the essential spir- 
 itual sense of the Word, truths and goods themselves, which are 
 from the Lord through His Word, are meant. (That by the Lord's 
 
 twelve disciples all things of fliith and love in the complex, thus all truths and goods 
 of the church, are meant, see .-'i.C, n. 2:29, 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397; that the Word 
 in heaven is understood in a sense abstra(fted from persons, see above, n.99. lOO.) 
 
 [3.] When one knows that by the " disciples of the Lord " all those 
 who are in truths from good from the Lord are meant, and in 
 an abstract sense truths themselves from good ; and that by their 
 being "cast into confinement by the devil" is meant the endeavor 
 of those who are in falsities from evil to deprive them of truths, 
 and in a sense abstracted from persons, the detention or imprison- 
 ment of truths by falsities, as described above, he can understand 
 what the following passages mean in each of these senses : 
 
 "They shall lay hands on you and shall persecute you, delivering you 
 
 up to the synagogues and prisons for My name's sake " {Luke 
 
 xxi. 12). 
 
 That "for the sake of the Lord's name" signifies for the sake 
 of goods of love and truths of faith, from Him, see above (n. 
 102). 
 
 "Then shall they deliver you up to afflicftion, and shall kill yon, and ye 
 shall be held in hatred-. . . . for My name's sake" {Matt. xxiv. g, 11). 
 
 " They will deliver you up to councils and to synagogues, and they will 
 scourge you .... for My sake " {Matt. x. 17, 18 ; Mark xiii. 9). 
 
 " Behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes ; and some 
 of them ye shall kill and crucify, and some of them ye shall scourge 
 in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city " {Matt. 
 xxiii. 34). 
 
 "A man that was a householder planted a vineyard, .... and let it out to 
 
 husbandmen When the season of the fruits drew near, he sent 
 
 his servants to the husbandmen, to receive the fruits of it. But the 
 husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and 
 stoned another. Again, he sent other servants, and they did unto 
 
 them likewise. At length he sent unto them his son But the 
 
 husbandmen, when they saw the son, said among themselves, This 
 is the heir; come, let us kill him, and take his inheritance. And 
 they took him, and cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed 
 him " {Afatt. xxi. 33-^4). 
 
 "The wisdom of God said, I will send unto them prophets and apostles, 
 and some of them they shall kill and persecute" (Luke xi. 49). 
 
154 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 (That by " prophets " in the Word are meant those who teach truths, and in a sense 
 abstracted from persons, dodlrine of truth, see A.C., n. 2534, 7269 ; and that " apos- 
 tles " have a similar signification, see above, n. lOO.) 
 
 *' Blessed are ye, when men shall reproach you, and persecute you, and 
 shall say every evil word against you falsely, for My sake ; rejoice 
 and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in the heavens ; 
 for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you " {A/att. 
 V. II, 12). 
 
 " Blessed are ye when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate 
 you from their company, and shall reproach you and cast out your 
 name as evil, for the Son of man's sake ; . . . . for in the same man- 
 ner did their fathers unto the prophets " {Luke vi. 22, 23). 
 
 [4.] Similar to this is the signification of the words of the Lord, 
 that they should take up their cross and follow Him ; as in the 
 the following passages : 
 
 "Jesus said unto His disciples, If any one will come after Me, let him 
 deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me " {Matt. xvi. 24 ; 
 Mark viii. 34) ; 
 
 " to deny oneself" is to put away evils that are from proprium 
 [the self- life]. 
 
 "Whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My 
 
 disciple" {Luke xiv. 27). 
 Jesus said to the young man who was rich, " One thing thou lackest ; go, 
 
 sell whatsoever thou hast, and come, follow Me, bearing the cross" 
 
 {Mark X. 21). 
 
 By this is meant, in the spiritual sense, that he should put away 
 the falsities that were of Jewish do6lrine, should accept the doc- 
 trine of truth from the Lord, and should undergo assaults and 
 temptations from falsities. Those, therefore, are deceived who be- 
 lieve that those who wish to follow the Lord are to sell their goods 
 and suffer the cross. Since the Lord was Divine tr.uth itself, which 
 in John i. 1-3, 14, is called the "Word," the Lord's suffering 
 Himself to be scourged and crucified signifies that Divine truth 
 which is in the Word was so treated by the Jews. (That all things 
 
 related of the Lord's passion in the Evangelists involve and signify that the Jews so 
 treated Divine truth, see above, n. 83.) So the Lord says, 
 
 " Remember My word, if they have persecuted Me, they will also 
 
 persecute you " {John xv. 20). 
 
 [5.] That the Jews in particular are meant by the "devil" who 
 was to cast the disciples of the Lord into confinement, and that, 
 in general, all that call themselves "Jews, and are not, but are a 
 synagogue of Satan," are meant (according to the passages cited 
 above, n. 119, 120), is clear from the Lord's words in yohn: 
 
 "Ye do not understand My speech because ye cannot hear My word. 
 Ye aie of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will 
 
CHAP. II., VFRSF. lO.— N. I 24. 155 
 
 do. He was a murderer from the he^inninp, and stood not in the 
 truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie 
 he speaketh from his own, for he is a liar and the father thereof" 
 (viii. 43. 44)- 
 
 That "their father was a murderer from the beginning," and the 
 truth was not in him, but a lie," signifies that from the beginning 
 thev had been against truths and in falsities from evil. For a 
 " murderer " is a destroyer of the truth of the church, and " father " 
 
 means predecessors. (Of the qu.-illty of the Jewish nation formerly and at 
 present, see The Dodrine of the New yerusalem, n. 248 ; that the " bound in prison " 
 signify those who are in falsities from evil, see the Arcana Caelcstia, n. 4958, 5096 ; 
 " to be bound in prison " signifies to be detained and separated from truths, n. 5037, 
 5038, 5083, 5086, 5096; also to be tempted, n. 5037, 5038.) [6.] The JewS 
 
 were such as are here described because they were in love of self 
 and the world more than other nations ; and persons of that char- 
 a<5ter, when they read the Word, adapt all things of the Word to 
 their own loves ; this was especially true of the Jews, because they 
 are so frequentlv mentioned. It is the same with others who are in 
 these loves, for the love that is dominant turns the mind of him who 
 reads to those things only that favor the love ; for love is like a 
 fire, it lights up the things that favor it, while other things are either 
 passed by as if not seen, or are pulled to pieces by perverse ex- 
 planation and are thus folsified. Both infest those who are in a 
 spiritual affection for truth, and both are meant by the "devil" who 
 " casts into confinement " those who ai'e of the Lord's church ; from 
 them, indeed, all falsities from the spiritual world flow into those 
 that long for truths, and hold .them as if bound in prison. The 
 same are meant by those of whom the Lord says, 
 
 "I was in confinement, and ye visited Me not" {Matt. xxv. 43). 
 
 123. "That ye may be tried" signifies conseqiient iyicrease 
 of longing for truth. — This is evident from the signification of 
 "being tried," as meaning to be infested by falsities (of which see 
 
 Dodrine of the NeT.o Jerusalem. r\.\^-j,\<^'&). But sincC it is said, "the 
 
 devil shall cast some of you into confinement," by which such 
 infestation is meant, so "being tried" signifies increase of longing, 
 and as a consequence, increase of truth, since temptations eftecl 
 
 this. (That through the temptations in which man conquers there come illustra- 
 tion and perception of truth and good, see A.C., n. 8367, 8370; that intelligence 
 and wisdom are therefrom, n. 8966, 8967 ; that truths increase immensely after tempta- 
 tions, n. 6663 ; with many other things that may be seen in The Doflrine of the New 
 yerusalem, n. 187-201.) 
 
 124. "And ye shall have affliction ten days " signifies tJiat 
 infestatio)i and temptation t/nrtfrom 'cill last for some titne. — 
 This is evident from the signification of "aftliction," as meaning 
 
156 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 infestation and temptation of those who are in a spiritual affecSlion 
 for truth by those who are in falsities ; (that this is meant by 
 "affli6lion" is clear, since it is said in reference to such;) also 
 from the signification of "ten days," as meaning^ duration for some 
 time. Duration for some time is signified by " ten days," for 
 the reason that the entire duration of infestation and temptation 
 is signified by " forty days " (see A.c, n. 2959, 7985, 7986), and " ten " 
 means some part thereof; for all numbers in the Word signify 
 things or states, with variety according to relations to other num- 
 bers. The number " ten," without reference to other numbers, sig- 
 nifies what is full or much (see A.C. n. 3107, 4638) ; but in reference 
 to a greater number, it signifies as much as is needed for uses 
 (n. 9757) ; so here it signifies duration for some time, thus as use 
 
 demands. (That all numbers in the Word signify things or states, see A.C, n. 
 482, 487, 647, 755, 813, 1963, 19S8, 2075, 2252, 3252, 4264, 4495, 4670, 5265, 6175, 
 9488, 9659, 10217, 10253.) He that thinks about it can see that by 
 "afflidtion often days" here spoken of, which they are to have 
 who are cast into confinement by the devil, something else must 
 be meant than ten days' affli6lion. 
 
 125. "Be thou faithful even till death" signifies steadfastness 
 in truths to the end. — This is evident without explanation. It is 
 said "even till death," because such as man is when he dies^ such 
 he remains to eternity ; the life previously lived is only a life for 
 
 the formation of his spirit (of which see many things in Heaven and Hell, 
 n. 470-484). 
 
 J26* "And I will give thee the crown of life " signifies wisdo7n 
 and eternal happiness therefrom. — This is evident from the signi- 
 fication of "crown," as meaning wisdom, in reference to those who 
 are in a spiritual affection for knowledges of truth and good (of 
 which more in what follows) ; and from the signification of "life," 
 as meaning eternal happiness, which is called also life eternal. 
 Those who are in a spiritual afTe6tion foi truth and good, and who 
 are here treated of, have eternal happiness, because heaven with 
 man is implanted by means of knowledges of truth and good from 
 the Word. He who supposes that heaven is implanted by other 
 means is much deceived ; for man is born merely natural, with the 
 capacity to become spiritual, and he becomes spiritual by means 
 of truths from the Word and a life according to them. Who can 
 ever become spiritual unless he has some knowledge of the Lord, 
 of heaven, of the life after death, of faith, and of love, and of other 
 things that are means of salvation? If man had no knowledge of 
 these things he would remain natural ; and a merely natural man 
 can have nothing in common with angels of heaven, who are spirit- 
 
CHAP. II. VERSE lO. — N. I 26. I57 
 
 ual. Man has two minds, one outer, the other inner. The outer 
 niinil is called the natural mind, the inner is called the spiritual 
 mind. The former or natural mind is opened by means of know- 
 ledges of the things that are in the world ; but the latter or si)iritual 
 mind by means of knowledges of the things that are in heaven, 
 which the Word teaches, and the church from the Word ; by means 
 of these man becomes spiritual when he knows them and lives 
 according to them. [2.] This is meant by the Lord's words in 
 Johi : 
 
 " Except a man has been born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter 
 into the kingdom of God " (iii. 5). 
 
 " Water" signifies truths of faith, and "spirit " a life according to 
 
 them (see above, n. 7I ; and in The Dodlrine of the New yerusalem, n. 202-209). 
 
 Most people at this day suppose that they are to com^ into heaven 
 solely by virtue of holy worship in temples and adorations and 
 prayers ; but such of them as have no interest in knowledges of 
 truth and good from the Word, and who fail to imbue with these 
 the life, as well as the memory, remain natural as before, and do 
 not become spiritual ; for their holy worship, adorations, and pray- 
 ers, do not proceed from a spiritual origin ; since their sj^ritual 
 mind has not been opened by knowledges of spiritual things and 
 a life according to them, but is empty; and worship that pro- 
 ceeds from what is empty is merely natural posture, with nothing 
 spiritual in it. If such persons are insincere and unjust in respedl 
 to moral and civil life, their holy worship, adorations, and prayers 
 have within them what repels heaven from them, instead of 
 opening heaven to them as they believe ; for their holy worship 
 is like a vessel containing things putrid or filthy, which are oozing 
 forth, or like a splendid garment investing a body covered with ul- 
 cers. I have seen thousands of such cast into hell. But wholly 
 different are holy worship, adorations, and prayers with those who 
 are in knowledges of truth and good and in a life according to 
 them ; with such these ads are pleasing to the Lord, for they are 
 effecls wrought by their spirit in the body, or effeds wrought by 
 their faith and love, thus they are not merely natural postures, 
 but spiritual a6ls. From this it can be seen that knowledges of 
 truth and good from the Word, and a life according to them, 
 alone make man spiritual ; and that in him who is thereby made 
 spiritual, angelic wisdom from the Lord can be implanted together 
 with eternal happiness. Angels derive happiness from no other 
 source than wisdom. [3.] A "crown" signifies wisdom, because 
 all things by which man is clothed or distinguished derive their 
 
158 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 signification fi'om the part of man that they clothe or distinguish 
 (see A.C., n. 9827), and " crown " signifies wisdom, because it is a 
 sign upon the head, and "head" in the Word signifies wisdom, 
 for there wisdom resides. So in Ezekiel: 
 
 " 1 decked thee with ornament, I put bracelets upon thy hands ; and a 
 chain upon thy throat. And I put a jewel upon thy nose, and ear- 
 rings in thine ears, and a crown of adorning upon thy head " (xvi. 
 II, 12). 
 
 Jerusalem, which signifies the church, is here treated of, what it was, 
 when it was established by the Lord ; by these various insignia 
 are meant, in the spiritual sense, such things as are of the church ; 
 and each one takes its signification from the part to which it is 
 applied, and " the crown of adorning " here means wisdom. (What 
 
 is meant by "ornament," may be seen A.C., n. 10536, 10540; by "bracelets," n. 
 3103, 3105; by "chain," n. 5320; by "jewel," n. 4551; by "earrings," n. 4551, 
 
 10402.) Wisdom, which is from knowledges of truth and good 
 from the Word and from a Hfe according to them, is likewise 
 signified by "crown" in many other passages in the Word 
 
 (as in Isaiah xxviii. 5 ; Jer. .viii. 18 ; Lat7i. v. 15, 16 ; Ezek. xxi. 25, 26 ; 
 .xxiii. 42 ; Zech. vi. 11-14 ; Psalm Ixxxix. 38, 39 ; Psalm cxxxii. 17, 
 18 ; Job xix. 9 ; Apoc. iii. 11 ; iv. 4). 
 
 The crowning of kings is from ancient times, when men were 
 familiar with representatives and significatives, and it was known 
 that "kings " represented the Lord in respe6l to Divine truth, and 
 that a "crown" was intended to signify wisdom (that "kings" repre- 
 sented the Lord in respect to Divine truth, see A.C., n. 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4581, 
 
 4966, 5068, 6148) ; that those that are in truths are called "kings" 
 and "king's sons" (see above, n. 31); and as these are called 
 " kings " in the Word, and kings have crowns, so here where 
 these are treated of it is said that they were to receive " the crown 
 of life." 
 
 127. [Verse II.] "He that hath an ear lei him hear what the 
 Spirit saith to the churches " signifies that he that taiderstayids 
 should hearken to what Divme ti'uth going forth from the Lord 
 teaches and says to those who are of His church, as may be seen 
 above (n. loS), where similar expressions occur. 
 
 128. "He that overcometh shall not be hurt by the second 
 death" signifies that he who is steadfast in geyiuiyie affeflio7i for 
 truth to the end of his life in the world, shall come into the nezo 
 heaven. — This is evident from the signification of" overcoming," as 
 meaning, in reference to those who long for knowledges of truth 
 and good from the Word, to be steadfast in genuine affection for 
 truth, even to the end of life in the world. It is said "he that 
 
CHAP. II., CONTENTS VERSES I 2-1 7. — N. I 29. 159 
 
 overcometh," beciu.se those are meant who eiukire spiritual 
 temptation, which is from evils and falsities, and who fight ; and 
 "to overcome" is to resist evils and falsities, and to tame and 
 subdue them as one's enemies. But no one overcomes unless he 
 i.s steadfast in a spiritual affedlion for truth, even to the end of 
 his life in the world ; the work is then finished ; for man remains 
 to eternity such as he then is, namely, such as his life has been up 
 to that point ; death is what completes it. But no one is able to 
 overcome except the Lord only. The man who supposes that 
 he overcomes of himself, and not that it is the Lord with him that 
 overcomes, does not overcome but is overcome ; for it is spirit- 
 ual faith that overcomes, and there is nothing of spiritual faith 
 from man, but the whole of it is from the Lord. (What spiritual faith 
 
 is, see The Last yudgment, n. 33-39 ; and in The Dodrine of the New yerusalem, 
 n. 108-120; and what spiritual temptation is, n. 187-201). That "not tO be 
 
 hurt by the second death " is to come into the new heaven, cannot 
 be seen unless it is known what the former heaven is, and what the 
 new heaven, which are treated of in chapter xxi. of the Apocalypse. 
 
 (Something of what the " former heaven " is can be seen in The Last yudgment, n. 
 65-72; and what the " new heaven " is, in Dodlrine of the New yerusu/em, n. 1-7.) 
 
 But what is meant by the " first death " and by the " second death," 
 also by the "first resurredion" and "second resurre6lion," will be 
 told in the explanation of chap. xx. and xxi., where it is said : 
 
 " The rest of the dead shall not live again until the thousand years be 
 finished. This is the first resurre<ftion. Blessed and holy is he that 
 hath part in the first resurrecflion ; over these the second death hath 
 no power ; but they shall be priests of God and of Christ " (xx. 5, 
 6); 
 
 "Their part shall be in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone, 
 which is the second death " (xxi. 8). 
 
 From this it is clear that the "second death" is damnation ; to be 
 hurt by it, therefore, is to be damned, and on the other hand, not 
 to be hurt by it is to be saved ; and as all that are saved come into 
 the new heaven, to come into the new heaven is signified by "not 
 
 being hurt by the second death " (of which heaven, and of whom it consists, 
 see The New yerusalem and its Doilrine, n. 2-6). 
 
 VERSES 12-17. 
 
 I2Q* "And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write : These things salth He 
 that hath the sharp two-edged sword, I know thy works and where thou dwellest, where 
 Satan's throne is ; and thou holdest My name, and didst not deny My faith, even in the days 
 wherein Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. 
 But I have against thee a few things, that thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Ba- 
 laam, who taught Balah to Cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat idol- 
 sacrifices, and to commit whoredom. So thou also hast them that hold the doctrine of the 
 Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Repent ; or else I will come to thee quickly, and will fight 
 against them with the sword of My mouth. He that hath an ear let him hear what the 
 
l6o APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 Spirit saith to the churches. To him that ouercometh, to him will I glue to eat of the hidden 
 manna ; and will give him a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, which no 
 one hnoweth except he that receiveth." 
 
 \2. 'And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write" signifies io those 
 ^viihin the church who are in te7nptations,for remembrance [n. 130]; 
 "These things saith He that hath the sharp two-edged sword" signi- 
 fies the Lord, who alone combats in temptations [n. 131]. 
 
 13. "/ know thy ^vo^^s " signifies love and faith [n. 132] ; "and where thou 
 
 dwellest" signifies amongst whom he now lives [n. 133] ; "where Sa- 
 tan's throne is" signifies where all falsities reign [n. 134] ; "and thou 
 holdest My name" signifies acknowledgment of the Divine in His Hu- 
 man [n. 135]; "and didst not deny My faith" signifies stability in 
 truths [n. 136] ; "even in the days wherein Antipas was My faithful 
 martyr, who was slain among you," signifies in that time and state in 
 which all are hated %vho openly ackno7C'ledge the Divine Hutnan of the 
 Lord [n. 137] ; "where Satan dwelleth" signifies by those "who are in 
 doctrine of all falsities [n. 138]. 
 
 14. "But I have against thee a few things" signifies that heed should taken [n. 
 
 139] ; "that thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, 
 who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of 
 Israel," signifies those who have been enlightened in respedt to the tinder- 
 standing, and who teach truths, and yet love to destroy by craft those 
 7vho are of the church [n. 140] ; "to eat idol-sacrifices, and to commit 
 whoredom," signifies that they are imbued -with evils and with falsities 
 therefrom [n. 141]. 
 
 15. "So thou also hast them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which 
 
 thing I hate," signifies those who separate good from truth, or charity 
 frotn faith, which is against Divine order [n. 142]. 
 
 16. "Repent" signifies dissociation from these [n. 143]; "or else I will come 
 
 to thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of My 
 mouth," signifies if not, when visitation comes, they will be dispersed 
 [n. 144]. 
 
 17. "He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches ' 
 
 signifies that he who understands should hearken to what Divine truth 
 going forth from the Lord teaches and says to those who are of His 
 church [n. 145]. "To him that overcometh, to him will I give to eat 
 of the hidden manna," signifies that those who conquer in temptations 
 will have the delight of heavenly love from the Lord'' s Divine Human 
 [n. 146] ; "and will give him a white stone" signifies zvisdom and in- 
 telligence [n. 147]; "and upon the stone a new name written, which 
 no one knoweth except he that receiveth," signifies a state of interior 
 life till known to all except those who are in it [n. 148]. 
 
 I3o[ff], [ Verse 12] "And to the angel of the church in Perga- 
 mum write " signifies to those within the church who are in tevipt- 
 atio7is,for remembrance. — This is evident from the signification of 
 " writing," as meaning for remembrance (see A.C., n. 8620) ; and from 
 the signification of "angel," as meaning a recipient of Divine truth, 
 and in the highest sense Divine truth itself going forth from the 
 Lord (of which more in what follows) ; and from the signification 
 of the "church in Pergamum," as meaning those within the church 
 who are in temptations. That these are meant by the "church in 
 Pergamum" is clear from the things written to that church, which 
 follow. From no other source can it be known what is signified 
 
CHAP. II., VKRSE 12. — N. I3o[rt]. l6l 
 
 by each of the seven churches. For as was shown before, what 
 is here meant is not any church in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, 
 Tliyatira, Sardis, Philaclcli)hia, or Laodicea, but all wiio are of the 
 Lord's church, and by each of these churches something that con- 
 stitutes the church with man is meant. And as the first things of 
 the church are knowledges of truth and good, ti.id affedtion for 
 spiritual truth, these are first treated of, that is, in what is written 
 to the angel of the Ephesian church and of the Smyrnean church ; 
 of knowledges of truth and good to the angel of tlie Ephesian 
 church, and of spiritual affedion for truth to the angel of the 
 Smvrneaiv church. And as no one can be imbued with know- 
 ledges of truth and good in resped to life, nor be steadfast in spirit- 
 ual affe(5lion for truth, unless he undergoes temptations, so tempta- 
 tions are now treated of in what is written to the angel of the church 
 in Pergamum. From this it appears in what order the things follow 
 that are taught under the names of the seven churches. [2.] It 
 is said "To the angel of the church .... write," and not. To the 
 church, because by "angel" is signified Divine truth, which makes 
 the church ; for Divine truth teaches how man is to live that he 
 may become a church. That " angel " in the Word, in its spiritual 
 sense, does not mean any angel, but in the highest sense. Divine 
 truth going forth from the Lord, and in a comparative sense, he 
 that receives it, can be seen from this, that all angels are recipients 
 of Divine truth from the Lord, and no angel is of himself an angel ; 
 but he is so far an angel as he receives Divine truth ; for angels 
 more than men know and perceive that all good of love and all 
 truth of faith are from the Lord, not from themselves, and as good 
 of love and truth of faith constitute their wisdom and intelligence, 
 and as these constitute the whole angel, they know and declare 
 that they are merely recipients of the Divine that goes forth from 
 the Lord, and thus are angels in the degree in which they receive 
 it. On this account they desire that the term "angels" should be 
 understood spiritually, that is, in a sense abstrafled from per- 
 sons, and as meaning Divine truths. By Divine truth is meant at 
 the same time Divine good, because these go forth from the Lord 
 
 united (see Heaven and Hell, n. 13, I40[? 133-140]). [3.] And aS Divine 
 
 truth going forth from the Lord constitutes the angel, by "angel" 
 in the Word in the highest sense is meant the Lord Himself, as in 
 Isaiah : 
 
 "The angel of the faces of Jehovah liberated them, in His love and His 
 tenderness He redeemed them, and took them to Himself, and car- 
 ried them all the days of eternity " (Ixiii. 9). 
 
l62 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 In Moses : 
 
 "The angel who hath redeemed me from all evil, bless them" {Gen 
 xlviii. 1 6). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " I send an angel before thee to keep thee in the way ; . . . . take ye heed 
 of His faces, .... for My name is in the midst of Him " {Exod. xxiii. 
 20-23). 
 
 [4.] As the Lord in respe<5l to Divine truth is called an "angel," 
 so Divine truths are meant by "angels" in the spiritual sense, as 
 in the following passages : 
 
 "The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out 
 of His kingdom all things that cause stumbling In the con- 
 summation of the age the angels shall come forth and sever the 
 wicked from among the just" {Matt. xiii. 41, 49). 
 
 In the consummation of the age, the Son of man "shall send His angels 
 with a great sound of a trumpet, and shall gather together the elecfl 
 from the four winds " (Matt. xxiv. 3, 31). 
 
 "When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels 
 with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory" {Matt. 
 XXV. 31). 
 
 Jesus said, "After this ye shall see heaven lying open, and the angels 
 of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man " {jfokn 
 i.51). 
 
 In these passages, in the spiritual sense, by "angels" Divine truths 
 and not angels are meant. So when it is here said that, in the 
 consummation of the age, "the angels are to gather out all things 
 that cause stumbling," "are to sever the wicked from among the 
 just," "are to gather together the ele6t from the four winds with 
 a great sound of a trumpet," and that "the Son of man with an- 
 gels is to sit upon a throne of glory," it is not meant that angels, 
 together v/ith the Lord, are to do these things, but that the Lord 
 alone will do them by means of His Divine truths ; for angels have 
 no power of themselves, but all power is the Lord's through His 
 Divine truth (see Heaven atid Hell, n. 230-233). That " ye shall see 
 the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of 
 Man," means the same, namely, that Divine truths were in Him 
 and from Him. 
 
 [&.] [5.] Moreover, in other places "angels" mean Divine 
 truths from the Lord, consequently the Lord in respe(51 to Divine 
 truths, as 
 
 "To the seven angels were given seven trumpets, and the angels sounded 
 on the trumpets" {Apoc. viii. 2, 6-8, 10, 12, 13; ix. i, 13, 14). 
 
 It is said that to the angels were given trumpets, and that they 
 sounded thereon, because "trumpets" and their "sound" signify 
 Divine truth to be revealed (see above, n. 55). The same is meant 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE 12. — X. I3o[^]. 163 
 
 By "the angel warring against the dragon " {Apoc. xii. 7, g) ; 
 
 By " the angel flving in the mid-heaven, having an eternal Gospel " {Atoc. 
 
 xiv. 6) ; 
 By " the seven angels pouring out the seven vials" {Apoc. xvi. 1-4, 8, 10 
 
 12); 
 By "the twelve angels at the twelve gates of the New Jerusalem " {Apoc. 
 
 x.xi. 12). 
 
 That this is so will be seen further in what follows. [6.] That by 
 "angels" are meant Divine truths which are from the Lord is 
 clearly manifest in Da\ici : 
 
 "Jehovah maketh His angels winds, and His ministers a flaming fire" 
 {Psalm civ. 4) ; 
 
 by which words are signified Divine truth and Divine good ; 
 for the "wind" of Jehovah in the Word signifies Divine truth, 
 
 and His "fire" Divine good (as can be seen from what is shown in the 
 Arcana Caclestia, as that the "wind of the nostrils" of Jehovah is Divine truth, n. 
 8286 ; that the " four winds " are all things of truth and good, n. 3708, 9642, 9668 ; 
 consequently " to breathe " in the Word signifies a state of the life of faith, n. 9281 ; 
 from which it is evident what is signified by Jehovah's " breathing " into the nostrils 
 of Adam {Gen. ii. 7) ; by the Lord's" breathing" upon His disciples {yo/in xx. 22) ; 
 and by these words, " The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the voice 
 thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh " {yohn iii. 8) ; concerning which see n. 
 96, 97, 9229, 9281 ; also, n. 1119, 3886, 3887, 3889, 3892, 3893 ; that " flaming fire " 
 is Divine love, therefore Divine good, see Heaven and Hell, n. 133-140, 566-568; 
 
 and above, n. 68). [7.] That " angel" signifies Divine truth going 
 forth from the Lord is clearly manifest from these words in the 
 Apocalypse : 
 
 " He measured the wall" of the New Jerusalem, "a hundred and forty 
 and four cubits, the measure of a man, which is that of an angel" 
 (x.xi. 17). 
 
 That the wall of the New Jerusalem is not the measure of an an- 
 gel any one can see, but that all protecting truths are there 
 meant by an " angel" is evident from the signification of the "wall 
 of Jerusalem," and of the number "one hundred and forty-four." 
 
 (That the " wall " signifies all protecting truths, see A.C., n. 6419 ; that the number 
 " one hundred and forty-four" signifies all things of truth in the complex, n. 7973; 
 that " measure " signifies the quality of a thing in respecl to truth and good, n. 3140, 
 9603, 10262. These things may also be found explained as to the spiritual sense, in 
 The Nevj Jerusalem and Us Doarine, n. I.) [8.] BecaUSC by " angels " in 
 
 the Word Divine truths are meant, the men through whom Divine 
 truths are made known are sometimes called "angels" in the 
 Word, as in Malachi: 
 
 " The priest's lips ought to guard knowledge, and they shall seek the law 
 at his mouth, because he is the angel of Jehovah of hosts " (ii. 7). 
 
 He is said to be the "angel of Jeho\ah," because he teaches Di- 
 vine truth ; not that he is the angel of Jehovah, but the Divine tnith 
 
164 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 that he teaches is. Moreover, it is known in the church that no 
 one has Divine truth from himself. "Lips" here signify doc- 
 trine of truth, and " law " Divine truth itself (That " lips " signify doc- 
 trine of truth, see A.C.. n. 1286, 1288 ; and that "law" signifies Divine truth itself, 
 
 seen. 3382, 7463.) [9.] From this it is that John the Baptist also is 
 called an angel : 
 
 lesus said, "This is he of whom it is written. Behold, I send My angel 
 before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee" (Luke 
 vii. 27). 
 
 John is called an "angel," because by him, in the spiritual sense, 
 is signified the Word, which is Divine truih, in like manner as by 
 
 Elias (see A.C., n. 7643, 9372, and what is signified, this is what is meant by the 
 persons mentioned in the Word, see n. 665, 1097, 1361, 3147, 3670, 3881, 4208, 4281, 
 4288, 4292, 4307, 4500, 6304, 7048, 7439, 8588, 8788, 8806, 9229). [10.] It is said 
 that by "angels" in the Word, in its spiritual sense. Divine truths 
 going forth from the Lord are meant, because these constitute the 
 angels ; when angels utter these truths, they speak not from them- 
 selves, but from the Lord. The angels not only know that this is 
 so, they also perceive it. The man who believes that nothing of 
 faith is from himself, but that all faith is from God, knows this, 
 indeed, but he does not perceive it. That nothing of faith is from 
 man, but all faith is from God, is the same as saying that nothing 
 of truth that has life is from man, but all truth is from God, for 
 truth is of faith and faith is of truth. 
 
 I3l[a]. " These things saith He that hath the sharp two-edged 
 sword" signifies the Lord, who alone combats in te^nptations. — 
 This is evident from the signification oi" sword (romphaeae seu gladii)," 
 as meaning truth combating against falsity, and in the opposite 
 sense, falsity combating against truth. It is said to be " sharp two- 
 edged," because it pierces on both sides. Because this is signified 
 by "sword," dispersion of falsities is signified by it, also tempta- 
 tion. That it signifies dispersion of falsities, see above (n. 73). 
 It signifies temptation, because in w^hat is written to the angel of 
 this church temptations are treated of Moreover, "sword" sig- 
 nifies temptation, because temptation -is a combat of truth against 
 
 falsity and of falsity against truth. (That spiritual temptation is such combat, 
 see Doarine of the New Jerusalem, n. 187-201.) By " these things Saith He 
 
 that hath the sharp sword with two edges " is meant that the Lord 
 alone combats in temptations, because in the preceding chapter 
 (verse i6) it was said that 
 
 Out of the mouth of the Son of man, walking in the midst of the seven 
 lampstands, a sharp two-edged sword was seen going forth. 
 
 and by the "Son of man" is meant the Lord in respedl to Divine 
 
CIIAI'. II., VKKSE 12. — N. I3l[<0- '^5 
 
 truth (as may be seen above, n. 63). (iiiat tiic Lord alone combats in 
 
 temptations, and not man at all, sec in The DoClrine of the A'ewyerusalem, n. 195-200.) 
 
 By "sword [rcmphae.un seu i,'huiium)'' is signified the combat of truth 
 against falsity, and of falsity against truth, because by "wars" in 
 the Word are signified spiritual wars, and spiritual wars are wars 
 of truths against falsities and of falsities against truths. As " wars " 
 in the Word have such a signification, all equijiments of war, as 
 "sword," "spear," "bow," "arrows," "shield," and many others, 
 signify each some special thing pertaining to spiritual combat ; 
 especially the "sword," because in wars they fought with swords. 
 
 (That "wars" signify spiritual combats, see A.C.. n. 1659, 1664, 8295, 10455; con- 
 sequently that each equipment for war signifies something pertaining to spiritual com- 
 bat, see n. 1788, 2686.) [2.] That " sword " in the Word signifies truth 
 combating against falsity, and falsity against truth, and therefore 
 the dispersion of falsities, also spiritual temptation, can be seen from 
 many passages, of which I will introduce here only a few by way 
 of proof. Thus in Matthczc : 
 
 Jesus said that He came not to send peace on earth, but a sword (x. 34). 
 
 Here by "sword" is meant the combat of temptation. It was so 
 said, because men at that time were immersed in falsities, and the 
 Lord uncovered interior truths, and only by combats from such 
 truths can falsities be cast out. [3.] In Luke : 
 
 Jesus said to His disciples, " Now he that hath a purse let him take it. 
 likewise a wallet ; and he that hath no sword let him sell his gar- 
 ments and buy one" (xxii. 35-38). 
 
 By "purse" and "wallet" spiritual knowledges, thus truths, are 
 signified ; "garments" signify what is their own ; and by "sword " 
 combat is signified. [4.] In Jeremiah : 
 
 "A sword against the Chaldeans, and against the inhabitants ol 
 
 Babylon, and against her princes, and against her wise men. A 
 sword against liars that they may become foolish ; a sword against 
 her mighty men that they may be dismayed ; a sword against her 
 horses and against her chariots ;. . . .a sword against her treasures 
 that they may be spoiled ; a drought upon her waters that they may 
 be dried up" (1. 35-3S). 
 
 By "sword " here dispersion and vastation of truth are signified ; 
 by each in particular against which the sword shall be, as the 
 "Chaldeans," the "inhabitants of Babylon," her "princes" and 
 "her wise men," "liars," "mighty men," "horses," "chariots," 
 and "treasures," are signified the persons or things that will be 
 vastated: as by "horses" things intelledlual ; by "chariots" doc- 
 trinals ; and by "treasures" knowledges; it is said, therefore, "a 
 drought upon her waters, that they may be dried up," for "wa- 
 ters" are truths of the church, and " a drought . . . that they may be 
 
l66 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 dried up " is Vastation. (That " drought " and " drying up " are where there 
 is no truth, see ^.C, n. 8185 ; that " waters" are truths of the church, see above, n. 7 1 ; 
 that "treasures" are knowledges, ^.C, n. 1694,4508, 10227; that "horses' are 
 things intelledtual, and " chariots " dodlrinals, see PVAiie Norse, n. 2-5.) [5.] In 
 
 Isaiah : 
 
 [For in fire] "Jehovah will plead, and in His sword with all flesh, and 
 the slain of Jehovah shall be multiplied" (Ixvi. 16). 
 
 In yerayiiah : 
 
 "Upon all the heights in the desert the spoilers are come, because the 
 sword of Jehovah devoureth from the end of the land even to the 
 end of the land " (xii. 12). 
 
 In Ezekiel : 
 
 " Prophesy and say, a sword sharpened and also furbished, it is sharp- 
 ened to slay a slaughter, it is furbished that it may have lustre ; . . . . 
 let the sword be doubled the third time; the sword of the slain, 
 
 the sword of great slaughter entering into the secret chambers, 
 
 that the heart may melt, and stumblings be multiplied ; against all 
 their gates will I set the point of the sword ; .... ah ! it is made 
 into lightning" (xxi. 9-15, 28). 
 
 In Isaiah : 
 
 "Bring waters to meet him that is thirsty, with bread prevent him 
 
 that wandereth ; for before the sword shall they wander, before the 
 drawn sword, and before the bended bow, and for the grievousness 
 o'f war" (xxi. 14, 15). 
 
 In Ezekiel : 
 
 "They shall quake with fear when I shall make My sword to fly be- 
 fore their faces, that they may tremble every moment, a man for 
 
 his own soul ; by the swords of the mighty casting down their 
 
 multitude" (xxxii. 10-12). 
 
 In David : 
 
 "Let the saints exult in glory; let them sing upon their beds. Let the 
 high praises of God be in their throat, and a two-edged sword in 
 their hand " {Psalm cxlix. 5, 6). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O mighty one in thy majesty as- 
 cend the chariot, ride on the Word of truth thy right hand shall 
 
 teach thee wonderful things. Thine arrows are sharp" {Psalm 
 
 xlv. 3-5). 
 
 \vl^\q. Apocalypse : 
 
 There was given unto him that sat on the red horse a great sword (vi.4). 
 
 In another place, 
 
 Out of the mouth of him that sat on the white horse went forth " a sharp 
 
 sword, that with it he should smite the nations The rest were 
 
 killed with the sword of him that sat upon the horse" (xix. 15, 21). 
 
 By "sword" in these passages is signified truth combating and 
 destroying ; this destruction is especially apparent in the spiritual 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE 12. — X. I3l[<^]. 167 
 
 world ; there those that are in falsities cannot withstand the truth ; 
 when they come into the sphere of light, that is, where Divine 
 truth is, they are in anguish, like those who are struggling with 
 death ; and thus they are depri\ed of truths and are vastated. 
 
 [&.] [6.] As most expressions in the Word have also a con- 
 trary sense, so has "sword ;" in that sense it signifies falsity com- 
 bating against truth and destroying it. The vastations of the 
 church, which take place when there are no longer any truths, but 
 only falsities, are described in the Word by a "sword," as in the 
 following passages : 
 
 "They shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led captive into 
 all nations ; Jerusalem shall finally be trodden down by all nations, 
 until the times of the nations shall be fulfilled " {Luke xxi. 24). 
 
 The consummation of the age, which is here treated of, is the last 
 
 time of the church, when falsities are to prevail. "To fall by the 
 
 edge of the sword " denotes that truth will be destroyed by falsity ; 
 
 " nations " here are evils ; and "Jerusalem " is the church. [7.] In 
 
 Isnrah : 
 
 '\ will make a man more rare than fine gold Every one that is 
 
 found shall be thrust through ; and every group shall fall by the 
 sword" (xiii. 12, 15). 
 
 "A man who is rare" means those that are in truths; "to be 
 rhrust through" and "to fall by the sword" means to be con- 
 ^■jmed by falsity. [8.] In the same, 
 
 "In that day they shall cast away every man the idols of his silver and 
 the idols of his gold, which your own hands have made unto you. 
 .... Then shall Asshur fall by the sword, riot of a man (tm") ; and 
 the sword, not of a man (hoiintiis), shall devour him ; but he who 
 fleeth for himself before the sword, his young men shall be for 
 tribute" (xxxi. 7, 8). 
 
 "The idols which the hands have made" are falsities from self 
 intelligence; "Asshur" is the rational by which (per guod). "To 
 fall by the sword, not of a man (viri)" and " not of a man {hominis)" 
 is not to be destroyed by any combat of truth against falsity. 
 " He who fleeth for himself before the sword, his young men shall 
 be for tribute," means that the truth which is not destroyed shall 
 be subservient to falsities. That this is the meaning of these words 
 does not appear in the sense of the letter, which shows how far 
 distant the spiritual sense is from the sense of the letter. [9.] In 
 yeremiah : 
 
 "In vain I have smitten your children; they received not corredlion ; 
 your own sword hath devoured your prophets " (ii. 30). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Behold, the prophets say, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall 
 ye have famine By sword and famine shall the prophets be 
 
l68 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 consumed If I go forth into the field, behold the slain with 
 
 the sword ; and if I enter into the city, then behold the sicknesses 
 of famine " (xiv. 13-18). 
 
 Both these passages treat of the vastation of the church in respe6t 
 to truth; "prophets" are those who teach truths; and "the 
 sword that consumes them " is falsity combating and destroying ; 
 "the field" is the church ; "the city" is do6lrine ; "the slain with 
 the sword in the field " are those in the church with whom truths 
 are destroyed; "the famine" that is in the city is dearth of all 
 truth in doctrine, [lo.] In the same, 
 
 "They have denied Jehovah when they have said, It is not He ; neither 
 shall evil come upon us ; neither shall we see sword and famine" 
 (v. 12). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "The young men shall die by the sword ; and their sons and their daugh- 
 ters shall die by famine " (xi. 22). 
 
 "Young men" are those who are in truths, and in the abstradl, 
 truths themselves; "to die by the sword" is to be destroyed by 
 falsities; "sons and daughters" are knowledges of truth and 
 good; "famine" is a dearth of these. [II.] In Lamentations : 
 
 " We get our bread with peril of our souls, because of the sword of the 
 desert " (v. 9). 
 
 "The desert" is where there is no good because there is no truth ; 
 its "sword" is destruction of truth ; "bread" is good, which is 
 got with "peril of souls," because all good is implanted in man 
 by means of truth. [12.] \w Ezekiel : 
 
 " The sword is without, and pestilence and famine within ; he that is in 
 the field shall die with the sword ; and he that is in the city, famine 
 and pestilence shall devour him" (vii. 15). 
 
 " The sword " is destruction of truth ; " pestilence " consequent ex- 
 termination ; and " famine " complete dearth. Similarly in other 
 places 
 
 (as in Jeremiah xxi. 7 ; xxix. 17, 18 ; xxxiv. 17). 
 
 [13.] In Zechariah : 
 
 "Woe to the shepherd of nought deserting the flock ; a sword upon his 
 arm, and upon his right eye ; his arm in drying up shall wither, and 
 his right eye in darkening shall be darkened" (xi. 17). 
 
 " A sword upon the arm " is destru6lion of the voluntary in respeCl 
 to good ; "a sword upon the right eye" is destruction of the in- 
 tellectual in respeCt to truth ; that all good and all truth are to 
 perish is signified by "the arm in drying up shall wither ; and the 
 right eye in darkening shall be darkened." [I4.] \n Isaiah: 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE 12. — X. I3l[^]. 1 69 
 
 "Thus shall ye say to your master, Be not afraid of the words that 
 
 thou hast hcaril, wherewith the servants of the kinpof Asshur have 
 
 blasphemed Jehovah liehold, I will cause him to fall by the 
 
 sword in his own land And Sennacherib, king of Asshur, re- 
 turned ; . . . and it came to pass, when he bowed himself in the house 
 of Nisroch his god, . . . . his two sons smote him with the sword" 
 (.xxxvii. 6, 7, 37, 3S). 
 
 As it is the rational that acknowledges and that denies the Divine, 
 and when it denies appropriates every falsity instead of truth, and 
 thus perishes, there was this representative occurrence, namely, 
 that the king of Asshur, because he blasphemed Jehovah, was 
 smitten with the sword by his sons, in the house of Nisroch his 
 god. "Asshur" signifies the rational in both senses (see A.C.n. 
 119, 1186) ; the "sons " of that king signify falsities, and the "sword " 
 signifies destruction by falsities. [I5.] In Moses, 
 
 [It was commanded that] the city that worshipped other gods should be 
 smitten with the sword, and burned with fire {Deut. xiii. 12-16). 
 
 This was decreed because at that time all things were representa- 
 tive ; "to worship other gods " is to worship from falsities ; " to be 
 smitten with the sword " is to perish by falsity ; and " to be burned 
 with fire" is to perish by the evil of falsity. [16.] In the same, 
 
 Whosoever in the field toucheth one that is slain with the sword shall 
 be unclean {jVum. xix. i6, i8, 19). 
 
 "One in the field slain with the sword" represented those within 
 the church who destroyed truths in themselves; "the field" here 
 is the church. [17.] That "sword" signifies falsity destroying 
 truth is manifest in David : 
 
 "The sons of man are set on fire; their teeth are spear and arrows, 
 and their tongue a sharp sword " {Psalm Ivii. 4). 
 
 "Behold, they belch out with their mouth, swords are in their lips" 
 {Psalm lix. 7). 
 
 Workers of iniquity "whet their tongue like a sword; they hurl their 
 weapon with a bitter word " {Psalm Ixiv. 3). 
 
 From this it is clear what is signified by the Lord's words to 
 Peter : 
 
 "All they that take the sword shall perish by the sword" {Matt. xxvi. 
 51. 52); 
 
 namelv, that those who believe falsities will perish by falsities. 
 [18.] From all this it is now evident what is signified in the Word 
 
 by "sword {romphaea, machaera, sen j^ladius)" in both SCnseS. Such 
 
 things are signified by "sword" by reason also of appearances 
 in the spiritual world. When spiritual combats take place there, 
 which are combats of truth against falsity and of falsity against 
 
170 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 truth, various military weapons, as swords, spears, shields, and the 
 like are seen ; not that the combats are maintained by these, but 
 these are mere appearances, representative of s])iritual combats. 
 When falsities are fiercely combating truths, there sometimes ap- 
 pears from heaven the brightness or flashing of a sword vibrating 
 every way, and causing great terror, by which those who are com- 
 bating from falsities are dispersed. [19.] This makes clear what 
 is meant by these words in Ezekiel : 
 
 "They shall be horribly afraid when I shall brandish My sword before 
 their faces, that they may tremble every moment for their soul " 
 (xxxii. 10-12). 
 
 And in the same, 
 
 " Prophesy and say, .... a sword, it is sharpened and also furbished 
 
 that it may have lustre..., that the heart may melt, ... .ah ! it is 
 made into lightning" (xxi. g, 10, 15). 
 
 The sword causes so great terror because "iron," of which a sword 
 is made, signifies truth in outmosts, and the brightness and flash- 
 ing are from the light of heaven and from vibration of this light 
 upon the sword. The light of heaven is Divine truth going forth 
 from the Lord. Divine truth thus falling upon those who are in 
 falsities strikes terror. [20.] This also makes clear what is sig- 
 nified by this, that 
 
 Cherubim, after Adam had been driven out, were made to dwell at the 
 east of Eden, and the flame of a sword turning and vibrating every 
 way, to guard the way to the tree of life {Gen. iii. 24). 
 
 By the "tree of life" is signified celestial love, which is love to 
 the Lord; by "cherubim" a guard; by the "flame of a sword 
 turning every way " the terrific driving off^ and reje6ling of all who 
 are in falsities ; the "east of Eden" is where the Lord's presence 
 is in celestial love : by these words, therefore, is signified that 
 every approach to acknowledgment of the Lord alone is closed to 
 him who does not live a life of love. That "sword" signifies 
 falsity is clearly evident in Ezekiel, where it is said of the prince 
 of Tyre, 
 
 " They shall unsheathe swords upon the beauty of thy wisdom " (xxviii. 7). 
 
 "The prince of Tyre" signifies intelligence from knowledges of 
 truth ; because that is extinguished by falsities it is said that they 
 should unsheathe their swords "upon wisdom," which could not 
 have been said unless by "swords" falsities were meant. 
 
 132. [Ferseis.] "I know thy works " signifies /ove and faith, 
 as is made evident from what was shown above (n. 98 and 116). 
 
CHAP, ir., VF.RSF, 13.^ — N. 135. 171 
 
 133. "And where thou dwellest " signifies amongst whom he 
 now lives. — This is evident iVoni tlie significaliun of "dwelling-," 
 as meaning to li\e. "To dwell," in tlie spiritual sense, is to live, 
 because dwellings in the spiritual world are all distinguished ac- 
 cording to the lives and diti'erences of life. (This can be seen from what 
 is sliown in Heaven and Hell, concerning Societies in Heaven, n. 41-50, and n. 205 ; 
 the reasons are there given why " dwelling " in the Word signifies to Hve. That to 
 " dwell " is to live may be seen in the A.C., n. 1293, 3384, 3613, 4451, 6051. That 
 " dwelling together" is agreement of life, n. 6792. That " dwellings" in the Word 
 signify things of the mind, thus things of intelligence and wisdom, from which man has 
 life, n. 7719, 7910. That" cities " are predicated of truths of doctrine, and" dwellers " 
 of good of life, n. 2268, 2451, 2712. That "to dwell in the midst of them," when 
 said of the Lord, means His presence and influx into the life of love and faith, n. 
 10153. That " the dwelling-place of the Lord " is heaven, n. 8269, 8309. That " the 
 dwelling-place of the tent" with the children of Israel represented and signified 
 heaven, n. 94S1, 9594, 9632.) 
 
 134. "Where Satan's throne is" signifies where all falsities 
 j-eign. — This is evident from the signification of " where . . . throne," 
 as meaning where reigns, for " throne " signifies sovereignty ; also 
 from the signification of "Satan," as meaning the hells where 
 and whence are all falsities (of which above, n. 120). "Thrones" 
 are mentioned in many passages of the Word, and in the spirit- 
 ual sense they signify judgment from Divine truths, and in the 
 highest sense the Lord's spiritual kingdom, where His Divine 
 truth is received more than His Divine good (see -4. c, n. 2129, 5313, 
 5315,6397,8625). But as "throne" is here mentioned in a con- 
 trary sense, showing this by passages from the Word will here be 
 omitted. It will be shown hereafter. 
 
 135. "And thou holdest My name " signifies acknowledgvicnt 
 of the Divine in the Human of the Lord, as well as all things 
 of love to Him and faith in Him. — This is evident from what 
 has been explained above about the signification of the " name " of 
 Jehovah, Lord, and Jesus Christ (n. 102). By the Lord's " name " 
 in the Word is meant primarily acknowledgment of the Divine 
 in His Human, because all things of love and faith are from that ; 
 for Divine goods which are of love, and Divine truths which are 
 of faith, proceed from no other source than the Lord alone ; 
 and these cannot flow-in with man unless he thinks of the Lord's 
 Divine at the same time that he thinks of His Human ; nor is His 
 Divine separate from the Human, it is in the Human (as may be 
 seen above, n. 10, 26, 49, 52, 77, 97, 113, 114). I can aver, from 
 all experience of the spiritual world, that no one is in truths of 
 faith and in goods of love except he who thinks of the Lord's 
 Divine at the same time that he thinks of His Human ; also that 
 no one is spiritual, or is an angel, unless he has been in that 
 thought and consequent acknowledgment in the world. Man must 
 
172 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 needs be conjoined to the Divine by his faith and love in order to 
 be saved ; and all conjundlion is with the Lord ; and to be conjoined 
 to His Human only, and not to His Divine as well, is not conjunc- 
 tion ; for the Divine saves, but not the Human apart from the 
 
 Divine. (That the Human of the Lord is Divine, see The Doilritie of the New 
 yerusalem, n. 280-310.) 
 
 136. "And didsi not deny My faith " signifies stability i?i 
 truths. — This is evident from the signification of "not denying," 
 as meaning, in reference to faith, to be stable (for he who is stable 
 does not deny) ; and from the signification of "faith," as meaning 
 truths, since truth is of faith and faith is of truth. There are two 
 things that constitute man's spiritual life — love and faith. Every 
 good has reference to love, and every truth to faith ; but truth with 
 man is of faith only so far as it derives from good of love ; since 
 every truth is from good, for it is the form of good, and all good is 
 the esse of truth. For good, when it is so formed as to appear 
 before the mind, and through the mind in speech, is called truth ; 
 therefore it is said that good is the esse of truth. (But more may be 
 
 seen on this subjedl in The Doflrine of the New yerusalem, n. 11-27, likewise 28-35, 
 54-64, 108-122.) 
 
 137, "Even in the days wherein Antipas was My faithful 
 martyr, who was slain among you," signifies in that time and state 
 in which all are hated who ope^ily acknowledge the Divine Hu- 
 man of the Lord. — This is evident from the signification of "day," 
 as meaning time and state (of which see ^.c, n. 23, 488, 493, 893, 2788, 
 3462, 3785, 4850, 10656) ; consequently "in the days in which " signifies 
 in that time and state ; also from the signification of "Antipas My 
 faithful martyr," as meaning those who openly acknowledge the 
 Divine Human of the Lord (of which more in what follows) ; also 
 from the signification of "being slain," as meaning to be hated. 
 "To be slain" is to be hated, because he who hates is unceasingly 
 slaying ; he cherishes in his thought nothing else and purposes 
 nothing else than to slay, and he would slay if the laws did not 
 prevent. This lies concealed in hatred ; he, therefore, who hates 
 the neighbor, when in the other life external bonds are removed 
 from him, is continually designing the murder of some one. This 
 has been proved to me by much experience. [2.] " Antipas My 
 fiiithful martyr" signifies those who are hated because of their ac- 
 knowledgment of the Lord's Divine Human, for the reason that at 
 that time one Antipas was slain on that account ; by " Antipas," 
 therefore, all who are hated on that account are meant ; just as by 
 " Lazarus," who lay at the rich man's gate and longed to be fed 
 with the crumbs that fell from his table, are meant all whom the 
 Lord loves because they long for truths from spiritual affe6lion 
 
CHAP. II., VLRSE 13. — N. I37. I 73 
 
 (see above, n. 11 S). That the Lord loved a certain one named 
 Lazarus, whom also He raised from the dead, can be seen in yohn 
 (chap. xi. 3, 5, 36), and that he reclined with the Lord at taijle, 
 (chaj). xii.), on which account he was called "Lazarus," by tlie 
 Lord, who longed to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich 
 man's table, whereby is signified a longing for truths from spiritual 
 ati["ec5lion (see above, n. 11 S). As " Lazarus " was so named on that 
 account, so was " Antipas" because he was made a martyr for the 
 name of the Lord, that is, for acknowledgment of His Divine 
 Human. [3.] That such as he are hated by all who do not 
 think of the Lord's Divine and of His Human at the same time, 
 cannot be known while these are in the world ; but it can be 
 known in the other life, where they all burn with such hatred 
 against those who approach the Lord alone as cannot be de- 
 scribed in a few words ; they desire nothing more eagerly than 
 to murder them. The reason is, that all who are in the hells 
 are against the Lord, and all who are in the heavens are with 
 the Lord ; and those who are of the church and who do not 
 acknowledge the Lord's Divine in His Human, make one with 
 the hells, and it is from the hells that they have such hatred. 
 They have frequently been told that they are doing wrong, 
 since they know from the Word 
 
 That the Lord has all power in the heavens and on earth {J\Ialt. xxviii. 
 18); 
 
 thus that He is the God of heaven and earth : likewise, 
 
 That He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one cometh unto 
 
 the Father but by Him {yohn xiv. 6) ; 
 Also that he who seeth the Lord seelh the Father, because He is in the 
 
 Father, and the Father in Him {John xiv. 7-11) ; 
 And that no one hath seen the Father's shape, nor heard His voice, and 
 
 that it is the Lord alone, who is in His bosom, and who is one with 
 
 Him {John i. 18 ; v. 37 ;) 
 (Besides many other places). 
 
 When they hear these truths they turn away, for they cannot 
 deny them ; but they are offended, and devise the murder of all 
 who openly acknowledge the Lord, as was just said, because 
 hatred is inrooted in them (see above, n. 114). [4.] That all, 
 for the Lord's sake, are hated by such, He has predi6lcd in 
 several passages ; as in Matthew : 
 
 In the consummation of the age, "they shall deliver you up unto afflic- 
 tion, and shall kill you ; and ye shall be hated of all [the nations] 
 for My name's sake " (xxiv. 9, 10). 
 
 In yohn : 
 
174 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 Jesus said, " If the world hateth you, know that it hated Me before it 
 
 hated you If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. 
 
 .... All these things will they do unto you for My name's sake" 
 (XV. 18-25). 
 
 (See besides the passages cited above froni the Word, n. 122). 
 These things have been said that it may be known that by 
 " Antipas My faithful martyr, who was slain among you," those 
 are meant who are hated because they openly acknowledge the 
 Lord's Divine Human. 
 
 138. "Where Satan dwelleth" signifies by those who are in 
 do£lrine of all falsities. — This is evident from what was cited and 
 shown above (n. 120 and 134). In what precedes we are told 
 in what company those are who are in temptations, namely, that 
 they are among those who are in falsities of every kind ; for 
 man as to his body is with men in the natural world, but as to 
 thoughts and intentions he is with spirits in the spiritual world. 
 When he comes into spiritual temptation, he is among those 
 spirits who are in falsities ; these bind his thoughts and hold 
 them as it were fettered in prison, and continually pour in 
 calumnies against truths of faith, and call forth the evils of his 
 life ; but the Lord continually prote<5ls man by flowing in from 
 the interior, and thus holds man in stability in resisting ; such 
 are spiritual temptations. That a man who is in temptations 
 is among spirits that are in falsities is meant by these words in 
 this verse, " I know where thou dwellest, where Satan's throne 
 is ;" also by these words, "Even in the days wherein Antipas 
 My faithful martyr, was slain among you where Satan dwell- 
 eth ;" and stability in resisting is understood by these words, 
 "Thou boldest My name, and didst not deny My faith." But 
 none except those who acknowledge the Lord's Divine in His 
 Human, and who are in a spiritual affe6lion for truth are let 
 into spiritual temptations ; all others are natural men, who can- 
 not be tempted. (,On temptations, see wliat is shown in The Doctrine of the 
 A^ew yeritsalem, n. 187-201.) 
 
 139. [I'erse 14] "But I have against thee a few things" sig- 
 nifies that heed should be takeii, as is evident from what follows, 
 where it is told of whom heed should be taken. 
 
 140. "That thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of 
 Baalam, who taught Ba/ak to cast a stumb/ing-b/ock before the 
 children of Israel," signifies those who have been enlightened, in 
 respe£l to the understanding , and who teach truths, and yet love to 
 destroy by craft those zvho are of the church. — This is evident from 
 the stories of the Word respe6ling Balaam and Balak, under- 
 
CHAP. II , VERSE 14. — X. I40. .75 
 
 Stood in the spiritual sense ; antl these must first be told. Ba- 
 laam was a soothsayer from Pethor of Mesopotamia, and was 
 therefore called by Balak, king of Moab, to curse the Israelitish 
 people; but this Jehovah prevented, and empowered him to 
 speak prophetically ; yet he afterwards counselled with Balak 
 how to destroy that people by craft, by enticing them away 
 from the worship of Jehovah to the worship of Baal-peor. 
 Here, therefore, by " Balaam " those are meant who have been 
 enlightened in respeft to the understanding, and who teach 
 truths, and yet love to destroy by craft those who are of the 
 church. That Balaam was a soothsayer is evident from these 
 words in Moses : 
 
 "The elders of Moab and the elders of Midian went to Balaam with the 
 rewards of enchantment in their hand " (A^ww. xxii. 7). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " When Balaam saw that it was good in the eyes of Jehovah to bless Is- 
 rael, he went not as in former times to meet with divinations" 
 {A'uw. xxiv. i). 
 
 And in yoshua: 
 
 " Balaam also, the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel 
 slay with the sword upon their slain " (xiii. 22). 
 
 That he was called by Balak, king of Moab, to curse the people 
 of Israel, see 
 
 Xtim. xxii. 5, 6, 16, 17 ; Deui. xxiii. 3, 4 ; 
 
 but that Jehovah prevented this, and empowered him to speak 
 prophetically, 
 
 Num. xxii. 9, 10, 12, 20; xxiii. 5, 16; 
 
 the prophecies which he uttered may be seen 
 
 iVunt. xxiii. 7-15, 18-24; xxiv. 5-0, 16-19, 20-24; 
 
 all which things are truths, because it is said that 
 
 "Jehovah put a word into his mouth" {A'um. xxiii. 5, 12, 16). 
 
 [2.] That afterwards he counselled with Balak to destroy the 
 people of Israel by craft, by enticing them away from the 
 worship of Jehovah to the worship of Baal-peor, is evident from 
 these words in Moses : 
 
 " In Shittim the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters 
 of Moab. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their 
 gods ; and the people did eat and bowed down to their gods. 
 
 Especially did Israel join himself unto Baal-peor Therefore 
 
 there were killed of Israel twenty and four thousand " {.Yum. xxv. 
 1-3. 9. 18). 
 
 They slew Balaam amongst the Midianites : "and the sons of Israel led 
 captive all the women of the Midianites ; . . . . which was of the coun- 
 
170 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 sel of Balaam, to deliver them to prevarication against Jehovah, in 
 the matter of Peor " {Num. xxxi. 8, 9, 16). 
 
 That by " Balaam " those are meant who have been enlightened in 
 respe6l to the understanding, and who teach truths, follows from 
 what has now been shown, for he spake prophetically truths 
 about Israel, and about the Lord ; that he spake truths about 
 the Lord also may be seen in his prophecy {N^imi. xxiv. 17). 
 To speak prophetically about Israel is to speak not about the 
 Israelitish people, but about the church of the Lord, which is 
 signified by "Israel." The enlightenment of his understand- 
 ing he himself describes in these words : 
 
 " The saying of Balaam the son of Beor, the saying of the man whose 
 eyes are opened, the saying of him who heareth the words of 
 God, .... who falls prostrate, and has his eyes uncovered " {A'um. 
 xxiv. 3, 4, 15, 16). 
 
 "To have the eyes opened," or "to have them uncovered," is 
 to be enlightened in respe6l to the understanding, for "eyes" 
 in the Word signify the understanding (as may be seen ^.c, n. 
 2701, 4410-4421, 4523-4534, 9051, 10569). [3.] That "Balaam" also 
 means those who love to destroy by craft those who are of 
 the church is evident also from what has been shown above ; 
 moreover, when he rode upon the ass, he continually thought 
 upon the use of enchantments for destroying the children of 
 Israel ; and when he was not able to do this by curses, he 
 counselled Balak to destroy them by enticing them to the 
 sacrifices of his gods, and by their committing whoredom with 
 the daughters of Moab. By the "children of Israel," whom 
 he wished to destroy, is signified the church, because the church 
 was instituted among them (see ^.c.,n. 6426, 8805,9340). [4.] The 
 arcanum respecting the she-ass on which Balaam rode, which 
 turned three times out of the way from the angel seen with a 
 drawn sword, and its speaking to Balaam, I will here briefly 
 explain. When Balaam rode upon the ass, he continually 
 meditated enchantments against the children of Israel ; the 
 riches with which he should be honored were in his mind, as is 
 evident from what is said of him, 
 
 "He went not as in former times to meet with divinations " {A^uni. xxiv. i). 
 
 In heart, he was also a soothsayer, therefore when left to him- 
 self, he thought of nothing else. By the "she-ass" upon which 
 he rides is signified, in the spiritual sense of the Word, the 
 intelle6lual enlightened ; consequently to ride on a she-ass or 
 a mule was the distindlion of a chief judge or a king (see above, n. 
 3i[(^]; and in <-/.c n. 2781, 5741, 9212). The angel with the drawn 
 
CHAP. II., VEKSK 14. — N. 140. 177 
 
 sword signifies Divine truth enlightening and combating against 
 falsity (see above, n. I3i[<']). Therefore that "the ass turned 
 three times out of the way" signifies that the understanding 
 when enlightened did not agree with the thought of the sooth- 
 sayer ; this also is meant by what the angel said to Balaam, 
 
 " Behold, I went forth to withstand thee, because thy way is evil before 
 me " (^Num. xxii. 32). 
 
 By " way," in the spiritual sense of the Word, is signified that 
 which a man thinks from .intention (sec ihaven and lUii, n. 479, 534. 
 S9o;'and Zflj/ TV/rf^o-w^rw/. n. 48). That he was withheld from the 
 thought and intention of using enchantments by fear of death 
 is manifest from what the angel said to him, 
 
 " Unless the ass had turned aside before me, surely now I had even slain 
 thee " {d\'urn. xxii. 33). 
 
 [5.] It sounded to Balaam as if the ass spoke to him, yet she 
 did not speak, but the speech was heard as if from her. That 
 such was the case I have often seen illustrated by living expe- 
 rience ; it has been granted me to hear horses seemingly speak- 
 ing, when yet the speech was not from them, but was seemingly 
 from them. This aflually occurred in Balaam's case, that the 
 story might be so related in the Word for the sake of the internal 
 sense in every particular of it. That sense describes how the 
 Lord prote6ls those who are in truths and goods, that they may 
 not be harmed by those who speak from seeming enlighten- 
 ment, and yet have the disposition and intention to lead astray. 
 He who believes that Balaam could harm the children of Israel 
 by enchantments is much deceived ; for enchantments could 
 have availed nothing against them ; this Balaam himself con- 
 fessed when he said, 
 
 " Divination avails not against Jacob, nor enchantments against Israel " 
 {Num. xxiii. 23). 
 
 Balaam could lead that people astray by craft, because they were 
 such a people in heart ; with the mouth only they worshipped 
 Jehovah, but in heart they worshipped Baal-peor, and because 
 they were such this was permitted. [6.1 It is to be noted, 
 moreover, that a man can be in enlightenment in respe6l to the 
 understanding, and yet in evil in respe<5l to the will ; for the 
 intelle<5lual faculty is separated from the voluntary in all who 
 are not regenerated, and only with those who are regenerated do 
 they a6t as one ; for it is the office of the understanding to know, 
 to think, and to speak truths, and of the will to will the things 
 that are understood, and from the will, that is, from the love, 
 
178 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 to do them. The divorcement of the two is clearly manifest 
 with evil spirits ; when these turn themselves towards good 
 spirits, they, too, understand truths, and also acknowledge 
 them, almost as if they were enlightened ; but as soon as they 
 turn themselves away from good spirits, they return to the love 
 of their will and see nothing of truth, and even deny the things 
 
 they have heard (see Heaven and Hell, n. 153, 424, 455). [7.] To be 
 
 able to have the understanding enlightened is granted to man 
 for the sake of reformation ; for in man's will every evil resides, 
 both that into which he is born and that into which he intro- 
 duces himself; and the will cannot be corrected unless man 
 knows, and by the understanding acknowledges, truths and 
 goods, and also falsities and evils ; in no other way can he turn 
 away from the latter and love the former. (More may be seen on the 
 
 Will and the Understanding in The Dodrine of the New yerusalem, n. 28-35.) 
 
 I4l[«]. " To eat idol-sacrifices and to commit whoredom " 
 
 signifies that they arc imbued xvith evils aiid with falsities there- 
 from. — This is evident from the signification of "eating," as 
 meaning to appropriate to themselves, and to be consociated 
 with (see A.C., n. 2187, 2343, 3168, 3513, 5643, 8001) ; SO also to be imbued 
 with ; and from the signification of "idol-sacrifices," which are 
 things consecrated to idols, as meaning evils of every kind (of 
 which more in what follows) ; and from the signification of 
 "committing whoredom," as meaning to falsify truths (of which 
 also more presently). That Balaam counselled Balak to invite 
 the sons of Israel to the sacrifices of his gods appears from 
 what was shown in the preceding article, and from these words 
 of Moses : 
 
 " Israel abode in Shittim, where the people began to commit whoredom 
 with the daughters of Moab ; for they called the people unto the 
 sacrifices of their gods ; and the people did eat, and bowed down 
 to their gods. Especially did the people join themselves to Baal- 
 peor ; therefore the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel. 
 
 And those that were slain were twenty and four thousand" 
 
 {Num. XXV. 1-3, 9). 
 
 It was among the statutes whereby sacrifices were instituted that 
 some part of the sacrifices, especially of the thank-offerings, should 
 be burnt upon the altar, and some part eaten in the holy place. 
 These "sacrifices" signified worship from love and faith, and the 
 "eating" of them signified appropriation of the good thereof. 
 
 (That " sacrifices " signified all things of worship from the good of love and faith, 
 see A.C., n. 923, 6905, 8680, 8936, 10042; and "eating" appropriation of goods, n. 
 
 10109.) As the eating of things sandlified to Jehovah signified 
 appropriation of good, so the eating of the sacrifices offered to 
 the gods of the nations, and which were called "idol-sacrifices," 
 signified appropriation of evil. [2.] That to " commit whore- 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE 14. — N. I4l[^] I79 
 
 dom," in the spiritual sense, sij^nifies to become imbued with fals- 
 ities, also to falsify truths, can be seen from many passages in the 
 Word. The same was signified by the whoredoms of the child- 
 ren of Israel with the daughters of Moab ; for all historical parts 
 of the Word involve spiritual things and signify them (as can be 
 seen from the explanations of Genesis and Exodus, called Ar- 
 cana Caelestid). And as the eating of idol-sacrifices by the sons 
 of Israel and their whoredoms with the daughters of Moab in- 
 volved such things (for what things signify they involve), it was 
 commanded that the heads of the people should be hung up 
 to Jehovah before the sun ; and for the same reason Phinehas the 
 son of Eleazar thrust through a man of Israel and a Midianitish 
 woman in the place of their lust, and for doing that he was 
 blessed ; and for the same reason there were slain of Israel twenty 
 and four thousand (as may be seen, Num. xxv. i to the end). 
 Such punishments and such plagues merely because of the eating 
 of idol-sacrihces, and committing whoredom with the women of 
 another nation, would never have been commanded to be done, 
 unless they had involved heinous offences against heaven and 
 the church, which do not appear in the literal sense of the Word, 
 but only in its spiritual sense. The heinous offences involved 
 were the profanation at once of the goods and of the truths of 
 the church, and this, as has been said above, was the appropria- 
 tion of evil and falsity. 
 
 [/»,] [3.] That adulteries and whoredoms involve such things 
 is evident from numerous passages in the Word, where they are 
 recounted, which show clearly that they signify adulterations of 
 good and falsifications of truth, as in the following. In Ezekiel: 
 
 Jerusalem, "thou hast trusted in thy beauty, and hast committed whore- 
 dom because of thy renown, so that thou hast poured out thy 
 
 whoredoms on every one that passed by Thou has committed 
 
 whoredom with the sons of Egypt thy neighbors, great of flesh, and 
 hast multiplied thy whoredom Thou hast committed whore- 
 dom with the sons of Asshur, when there was no satiety to thee, 
 with whom thou committedst whoredom. Thou hast multiplied thy 
 
 whoredom even to Chaldea, the land of traffic An adulterous 
 
 woman received strangers while subjecfl to her husband. All give re- 
 ward to their harlots, but thou hast given rewards to all thy lovers, 
 and hast rewarded them that they may come unto thee on every 
 
 side in thy whoredoms Wherefore, O harlot! hear the word 
 
 of Jehovah" (xvi. 15, 26, 28, 29, 32, 33, 35, seq.). 
 
 Who cannot see that by "whoredoms" here are not meant 
 whoredoms in the usual natural sense? For the church in 
 which all the truths of the Word have been falsified is treated 
 of; this is what is meant by "whoredoms;" for "whoredoms" 
 in the spiritual sense, or spiritual whoredoms, are no other than 
 
l8o APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 falsifications of truth. "Jerusalem" here is the church; the 
 "sons of Egypt," with whom she committed whoredom, are 
 scientifics and knowledges of every kind, perversely applied to 
 confirm falsities; the "sons of Asshur " are reasonings from 
 falsities; "Chaldea," the land of traffic, is profanation of truth ; 
 the "rewards " that she gave to her lovers are vendings of fals- 
 ities ; and because of the adulteration of good by falsifications 
 of truth, that church is called a "woman adulterous while sub- 
 jedi to her husband." [4.] In the same, 
 
 "Two women, the daughters of one mother, committed whoredoms in 
 Egypt ; they committed whoredoms in their youth." .... One 
 " committed whoredom while subjecfl to me, and chose for lovers 
 the Assyrians her neighbors ; . . . . she bestowed her whoredoms 
 
 upon them, yet she hath not left her whoredoms in Egypt." .... 
 
 The other " hath corrupted her love more than she, and her whore- 
 doms above the whoredoms of her sister ;.... she increased her 
 whoredoms, .... she loved the Chaldeans ;.... the sons of Babel 
 came to her to the bed of loves, and they defiled her with their 
 whoredom " (xxiii. 2, 3, 5-8, 11, 14, 16, 17, seq.). 
 
 Here also by " whoredoms " are meant spiritual whoredoms, as 
 is evident from every detail. "Two women, the daughters of 
 one mother," are the two churches, Israelitish and Jewish ; 
 "whoredoms" with "Egyptians," "Assyrians," "Chaldeans," 
 signify the same as above ; " the bed of loves with the sons of 
 Babel" is profanation of good. [5.] In yeremiah: 
 
 "Thou hast committed whoredom with many partners, thou hast pro- 
 
 faned the land with thy whoredoms, and with thy wickedness 
 
 Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done ? She hath 
 gone away upon every high mountain, and under every green tree, 
 
 and there committeth whoredom Perfidious Judah also hath 
 
 gone away and committed whoredom, so that by the voice of her 
 whoredom she hath profaned the land ; she hath committed adultery 
 with stone and with wood " (iii. i, 2, 6, 8, 9). 
 
 "Israel" is the church that is in truth, "Judah" the church that 
 is in good, for they represented these two churches. Falsifica- 
 tions of truth are signified by the "whoredoms of Israel," and 
 adulterations of good by the " whoredoms of Judah." "To go 
 away upon every high mountain and under every green tree 
 and to commit whoredom " is to seek after all knowledges of 
 good and truth, even from the Word, and to falsify them ; "to 
 commit adultery with stone and wood " is to pervert and pro- 
 fane all truth and good ; "stone" signifying truth, and "wood" 
 signifying good. [6.] In the same, 
 
 " Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and seek in the 
 
 ways thereof, if ye can find a man (vir), if there be any doing 
 
 judgment, seeking truth When I fed them to the full they 
 
 committed whoredom and came by troops to the house of the har- 
 lot " (v. I 7). 
 
CHAP. II., VERsr: 14. — N. i4i[('']. 181 
 
 To "run to and fro through the streets, and to seek in the 
 ways of Jerusalem," is to see and explore in the dottrinals of 
 that church; for "Jerusalem" is the church, and " streets " and 
 "ways" are dodrinals. "If ye have found a man, if there be 
 any doing righteousness, seeking truth," means whether there 
 be any truth in the church. " When I fed them to the full 
 they committed whoredom " means that when truths were re- 
 vealed to them they falsified them. Such a church, in respe6l to 
 dodrine, is the "house of the harlot," into which they "came by 
 troops." [7.] In the same, 
 
 "Thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom 
 and thine abominations on the hills in the field have I seen. Woe 
 unto ihee, O Jerusalem ! thou wilt not be made clean " (xiii. 27). 
 
 "Neighings" are profanations of truth, because a "horse" sig- 
 nifies the intelle6tual where there is truth ; " the hills in the 
 field" are goods of truth in the church, which have been per- 
 verted. [8.] In the same, 
 
 "In the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen an horrible stubbornness, in 
 adulterating and walking in a lie " (xxiii. 14). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " They have wrought folly in Israel, and have committed adultery with 
 their companions' wives, and have spoken My word in My name 
 falsely" (xxix. 23). 
 
 To "adulterate" and to "commit adultefv" here clearly mean 
 to pervert truths ; the " prophets " signify those who teach truths 
 from the Word ; for it is said, "in adulterating and walking in 
 a lie," and "they have spoken My word falsely." A "lie" in 
 the Word signifies falsity. [9.] In Moses : 
 
 "Your sons shall be shepherds in the desert forty years, and shall bear 
 your whoredoms even till their carcases are consumed in the desert" 
 \Num. xiv. 33). 
 
 This does not mean that the sons of Israel bore whoredoms 
 and were for that reason consumed in the desert, but that they 
 spurned heavenly truths, as is evident from this, that it was 
 so said to them because they wished to return into Egypt and 
 not to enter into the land of Canaan; "the land of Canaan" 
 signifies heaven and the church, with the truths thereof; and 
 "Egypt" signifies the same falsified and turned into magic. 
 [10.] In Micah: 
 
 "All her graven images shall be beaten to pieces, and all the rewards of 
 whoredom shall be burned with fire ; and all her idols will I lay 
 desolate, for she hath gathered them from the hire of an harlot, 
 therefore to the hire of an harlot shall they return" (i. 7). 
 
l82 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 "Graven images" and "idols" signify falsities that are from 
 self-intelligence; "the rewards of whoredom " are knowledges 
 of truth and good that they have applied to falsities and evils 
 and have thus perverted. [II.] In Hosea: 
 
 Jehovah said to the prophet, "Take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and 
 children of whoredoms, for the land doth commit great whoredom 
 in deparJ^ing from Jehovah" (i. 2). 
 
 By this was represented what the quality of the church was, 
 namely, that it was wholly in falsities. [12.] In the same, 
 
 "They sinned against Me ; I will change their glory into shame 
 
 They committed whoredom ; . . . . because they have wholly forsaken 
 Jehovah. Whoredom, wine, and new wine, have occupied the 
 heart Your daughters commit whoredom, and your daughters- 
 in-law commit adultery" (iv. 7, 10, 11, 13). 
 
 "Whoredom, wine, and new wine," are falsified truths ; "whore- 
 dom" falsification itself; "wine" interior falsity; "new wine" 
 exterior falsity ; ' ' daughters who commit whoredom " are goods 
 of truth perverted; "daughters-in-law who commit adultery" 
 are evils conjoined with falsities therefrom. [13.] In Isaiah: 
 
 " It shall come to pass after the end of seventy years that Jehovah will 
 visit Tyre, that she may return to her meretricious hire, and com- 
 mit whoredom with all the kingdoms of the earth upon the faces 
 of the world ; at length her merchandise [and her meretricious 
 hire] shall be holiness to Jehovah" (xxiii. 17, 18). 
 
 "Tyre," in the Word, is the church in respe6l to knowledges 
 of truth and good; "meretricious hire" the same knowledges 
 applied, by perverting them, to evils and falsities ; " her mer- 
 chandise" the vending of these. "To commit whoredom with 
 all the kingdoms of the earth " is with each and every truth of 
 the church. " Her merchandise and her meretricious hire are 
 holiness to Jehovah " because these signify knowledges of truth 
 and good applied by them to falsities and evils ; and by means 
 of mere knowledges, regarded in themselves, a man can gain 
 wisdom ; for knowledges are means of becoming wise, and they 
 are also means of becoming insane. They are means of be- 
 coming insane when they are falsified by being applied to evils 
 and falsities. The same is signified where it is said that 
 
 They should make to themselves friends of the unrighteous mammon 
 {Luke xvi. 9) ; 
 
 and where it is commanded, that 
 
 They should borrow from the Egyptians gold, silver, and raiment, and 
 take them away {Exod. iii. 22 ; xii. 35, 36). 
 
 By the "Egyptians" are signified scientifics of every kind 
 
CHAP. II., VIIRSE 14. — N. I4l[<J]. 183 
 
 which they used to falsify truths. [14.] In Moses: 
 
 "I will cut off the soul that lookcth unto them that have familiar 
 
 spirits and unto wizards, to go a-whoring after them " {Lev. xx. 5, 6). 
 
 In Isaiah : 
 
 " He entereth into peace he walketh in uprightness. But draw ye 
 
 near, ye sons of the enchantress, the seed of the adulterer and the 
 whore " (Ivii. 2, 3). 
 
 In Nahum ; 
 
 "Woe to the city of bloods, all in a lie ; . . . . the horseman ascendeth, 
 and the flashing of the sword, and the glittering of the spear, a 
 multitude of the slain ; . . . . above the multitude of the whoredoms 
 of the harlot, of the mistress of enchantments, selling the nations 
 through her whoredoms" (iii. i, 3, 4). 
 
 In Moses : 
 
 "A covenant must not be made with the inhabitants of the land, lest the 
 sons and daughters go a-whoring after their gods " {Exod. xxxiv. 
 15, 16). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " That ye may remember all the commandments of Jehovah, and do them , 
 and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after 
 which ye are wont to go a-whoring " {Nujn. xv. 39). 
 
 In the Apocalypse : 
 
 Babylon " hath made all nations to drink of the wine of the wrath of her 
 
 whoredom " (xiv. 8) ; 
 The angel said, " I will shew thee the judgment of the great harlot that 
 
 sitteth upon many waters ; with whom the kings of the earth have 
 
 committed whoredom " (xvii. i, 2) ; 
 Babylon "hath made all nations to drink of the wine of the wrath of her 
 
 whoredom, and the kings of the earth have committed whoredom 
 
 with her" (xviii. 3) ; 
 " He hath judged the great harlot, which did corrupt the earth with her 
 
 whoredom " (xix. 2). 
 
 It is manifest that in these passages by "whoredoms" are meant 
 falsifications of truth. [15.] As such things are signified by 
 "whoredoms" and "adulteries," and as these have the same sig- 
 nification in heaven, so in the Israelitish church, which was a 
 representative church, in which all things were significative, the 
 following commands were given : 
 
 That there should be no harlot nor whoremonger in Israel {Detit. xxiii. 17); 
 
 That "the man that committed adultery with the wife of a man, and the 
 man that committed adultery with the wife of his companion should 
 be put to death {Lei\ xx. 10) ; 
 
 That the hire of a harlot should not be brought into the house of Jehovah 
 for any vow (Dent, xxiii. 18); 
 
 That the sons of Aaron should not take a harlot to wife, nor a woman 
 put away by her husband. That the chief priest should take a 
 virgin to wife. That the daughter of a priest, if she profaned her- 
 self by committing whoredom, should be burned with fire {Levit. 
 xxi. 7, 9, 13, 14 ;) 
 
 (Besides many other passages). 
 
184 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 [ 1 6.] That " whoredoms " and " adulteries " involve such things 
 has been proved to me from much experience in the other life. 
 The spheres from spirits who have been of such charader have 
 made these things evident; from the presence of spirits who 
 have confirmed falsities in themselves, and have applied truths 
 from the sense of the letter of the Word to confirm them, there 
 exhales an abominable sphere of whoredom. Such spheres 
 correspond to all the prohibited degrees (of which, see Levit. 
 XX. 11-21), with differences according to the application of 
 truths to falsities and the conjundlion of falsities with evils, 
 especially with evils that gush out of the love of self (of which more 
 
 may be seen in Heaven and Hell, n. 384-386). 
 
 142. [ Verse 15.] " Bo thou a/so hast them that hold the doctrine 
 of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate," signifies those who sepa- 
 rate good from truth, or charity from ,faith, which is against 
 Divi7ie order. — This is evident from what was said and shown 
 above (n. 107), where similar words occur. To which this is 
 to be added : That those who separate truth from good, or faith 
 from charity, turn away from themselves all influx of heaven 
 into the goods they do, in consequence of which their goods 
 are not good ; for heaven flows-in, that is, the Lord through 
 heaven, into the good of man's love ; fte, therefore, that banishes 
 the good of charity from the do61;rine of the church, and accepts 
 instead only those things that are called matters of faith, is shut 
 out of heaven ; truths with such have no life ; and it is the life of 
 truth, which is good, that conjoins, not truth without life, or 
 
 faith without charity. (But more on these subjedls in the Dodrhie of the 
 New jferusale/n where it treats of Charity, n. 84-107, and of Faith, n. 108-122). 
 
 143* iVerse \6^^ " Repent" si^ni^es dissociatio7i froju these. — 
 This is evident from the signification of "repent," as meaning, 
 in reference to the things signified by " the do<5lrine of Balaam," 
 and by "the doctrine of the Nicolaitans," to be dissociated from 
 them. Nor is repentance anything else ; for no one repents 
 unless he a6lually separates himself from the things of which 
 he has repented ; and he separates himself from them only 
 when he shuns them and turns away from them. (That this is 
 
 repentance or penitence, see Dodrine of the A^cw ycrusalem, n. 159-172). 
 
 144. " Or else I will come to thee quickly, and will fight 
 against them with the sword of My mouth," signifies if not, when 
 visitation com.es they will be dispersed. — This is evident from the 
 signification of "coming to thee quickly," as meaning, in refer- 
 ence to the Lord, visitation (of which more in what follows) ; 
 also from the signification of "sword of the mouth," as meaning 
 truth combating against falsity, and the subsequent dispersion of 
 falsities (see above, n. 78, I3i[ff]) : but here it signifies the 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE 17. — N. I46. 185 
 
 dispersion of those who hold "the doflrine of Bahiani," and 
 the "docflrine of the Nicolaitans," that is, of those who are en- 
 lightened in respect to the understanding and who teach truths, 
 and yet love to destroy by craft those who are of the church ; 
 and of those also who separate good from truth, or charity from 
 faith (see above, n. 140, 142). /" Coming quickly " means visita- 
 tion, because the coming of the Lord in the Word signifies 
 visitation (see //. c, n. 68951, Visitation is exploration of man's 
 chara(5ler after death, before he is judged. 
 
 145. [/■<•/-.?<• 17.] "He that hath an ear let him hear what the 
 Spirit saith to the churches " signifies //lai he who understands 
 shoidd hearken to what Divine truth going forth from the Lord 
 teaches and says to those who are of His church, as is evident 
 from what was said and shown above (n. 14, and n. 108), where 
 there are similar words. 
 
 14.6. " To him that overcometh, to him will I give to eat of the 
 hidden manna," signifies that those who conqiier in temptations 
 will have the delight of heaveyily love from the Lord' s Divi7ie Hu- 
 ma7i. — This is evident from the signification of "overcoming," 
 as meaning those who conquer in temptations (for it is these 
 that are treated of in what is written to the angel of this church, 
 see above, n. 130) ; from the signification of "giving to eat," as 
 meaning to be given as their own and to be conjoined by love 
 and charity (see a.c, n. 2187. 2343, 3168, 3513, 5643) ; and as it is said 
 "of the hidden manna," which means the Lord in respedl to His 
 Divine Human, the "eating" of this here signifies delight of 
 heavenly love, for this is given as their own, by the Lord's 
 Divine Human to those who receive Him in love and faith ; 
 also from the signification of " the hidden manna," as mean- 
 ing the Lord in respefl to His Divine Human. That this is 
 "manna" is manifest from the Lord's own words in John: 
 
 " Our fathers ate the manna in the desert, as it is written. He gave them 
 
 bread out of heaven to eat The bread of God is He who 
 
 Cometh down out of heaven, and pfiveth life unto the world 
 
 I am the bread of life. Your fathers did eat the manna in the 
 desert, and they are dead. This is the bread which cometh down 
 out of heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die. I am the 
 living bread which came down out of heaven ; if any man eat oi 
 this bread he shall live for ever. The bread that I will give is My 
 flesh" (vi. 31-58). 
 
 That it is the Lord Himself who is meant by "manna" and by 
 " bread," He plainly teaches, for He says, " I am the bread of 
 life which came down out of heaven." That it is the Lord in 
 respe<5l to His Divine Human, He also teaches when He says, 
 "The bread that I will give is My flesh." [2.] The Lord taught 
 
£86 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED, 
 
 the same when He instituted the Holy Supper, 
 
 "Jesus took bread, and blessed and gave to the disciples, and said, 
 
 Take, eat, this is My body" (A/ait. xxvi. 26; Mark xiv. 22; Lukt 
 xxi. 19). 
 
 "To eat of this bread" is to be conjoined to the Lord by love, 
 for "to eat" signifies to be given as their own, and to be con- 
 joined (as above), and love is spiritual conjun6lion. The same 
 is signified by "eating in the kingdom of God," in Luke: 
 
 " Blessed is he that eateth bread in the kingdom of God " (xiv. 15) ; 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Ye shall eat and drink at My table in My kingdom " (xxii. 30) ; 
 
 In Matthew : 
 
 " Many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit at meat with 
 Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom" of God (viii. 11); 
 
 (That by " Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," the Lord is meant, see A.C., n. 1893, 4615, 
 
 6098, 6185, 6276, 6804, 6847.) In Jo/m : 
 
 " Work not for the meat which perisheth, but for the meat which abideth, 
 .... which the Son of man shall give unto 5'ou " (vi. 27) ; 
 
 That the " Son of man " is the Lord in respe6l to the Divine 
 Human, see above (n. 63). [3.] It is called " hidden manna," 
 because the delight of heavenly love, which those receive who 
 are conjoined to the Lord through love, is wholly unknown to 
 those that are in love not heavenly ; and this delight no one 
 is able to receive except he that acknowledges the Lord's Divine 
 Human ; for from this the delight proceeds. Because this de- 
 light was unknown to the children of Israel in the desert, they 
 called it "manna," as appears in Moses: 
 
 "Jehovah said unto Moses, Behold, I will cause bread to rain from heaven 
 
 itself for you And in the morning the dew was strewn round 
 
 about the camp. And when the dew that was strewn was gone up, 
 behold upon the face of the desert a small round thing ; . . . . and 
 when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another. This is 
 manna? (what is it?) . . . Moses said unto them. This is the bread 
 
 which Jehovah giveth you to eat And the house of Israel 
 
 called the name thereof manna" (£xod. xvi. 3 to the end). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 Jehovah "fed thee with manna which thou knewest not, neither did thy 
 fathers know ; that He might make thee know that man doth not 
 live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the 
 mouth of Jehovah doth man live" {Dent. viii. 3). 
 
 This delight, which is meant by "manna," was unknown to the 
 children of Israel, because they were in corporeal delight more 
 
rilAP. II., VERSE 17. — N. 146. 1S7 
 
 than other nations, and those who are in that delight are inca- 
 pable of knowing anything at all of heavenly delight. (That the 
 
 children of Israel were such, see DoClrine of the New yerusalem. n. 248.) The 
 
 term delight is used, and delight of love is meant, for every 
 delight of life is of love. [4.] As it is the delight of heavenly 
 love that is signified by "eating of the hidden manna," it is 
 called "the bread of the heavens" in David : 
 
 Jehovah "commandeci the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven ; 
 and He rained down upon them manna for food, and gave them 
 corn of the heavens " (Psalm Ixxviii. 23, 24). 
 
 In another place, 
 
 "Jehovah satisfied them with the bread of the heavens " {Psalm cv. 40;. 
 
 It is called the "bread of the heavens," because it rained down 
 from heaven with the dew, but in the spiritual sense it is called 
 the "bread of the heavens" because it flows down from the 
 Lord through the angelic heaven. In that sense no other 
 heaven is meant, and no other bread than that which nourishes 
 the soul of man. That it is in this sense that "bread" is to be 
 understood here is evident from the words of the Lord Him- 
 self in yohn: 
 
 That He is the manna, or bread, that came down out of heaven (vi. 31-58). 
 
 And in Moses, 
 
 That Jehovah fed them with manna, that He might make them to know 
 that " man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that pro- 
 ceedeth out of the mouth of Jehovah " {Deut. viii. 3). 
 
 The " word that proceedeth out of the mouth of Jehovah" is 
 everything that proceeds from the Lord, and this, in a special 
 sense, is Divine truth united with Divine good (see Heaven and Hell. 
 n. 13, 133, 139, 140,284-290). [5.] This delight is also described by 
 correspondences in Moses : 
 
 The manna appeared " like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was 
 like cakes made with honey " {Exod. xvi. 31). 
 
 And in another place, 
 
 "They made cakes of it ; and the taste of it was as the taste of the juice 
 of oil " {Num. xi. 7, 8). 
 
 The appearance and taste of the manna was such because " co- 
 riander seed, white," signifies truth from a heavenly origin ; 
 "cake," the good of heavenly love ; "honey" its external de- 
 light; "oil" that love itself; and its "juice," from which was 
 the taste, its internal delight; and the "rain with dew," in 
 which the manna was, the influx of Divine truth in which that 
 
l88 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 delight is. (That "seed" signifies truth from a heavenly origin, see A.C , n. 
 3038, 3373, 10248, 10249; that "while" is predicated of that truth, n. 3301, 3993, 
 4007, 5319 ; that " cake " signifies the good of heavenly love, n. 7978, 9992, 9993 ; 
 that " oil" signifies that love itself, n. 886, 3728, 9780, 9954, 10261, 10269; its "juice," 
 therefore, signifies the delight of that love, because the taste is therefrom, and the 
 taste is the delight and pleasantness, see n. 3502, 4791-4805. More about these 
 matters may be seen in the explanation of chap. xvi. of Exodus in the Arcana 
 
 Caeiestia.) [6.] The delight of heavenly love is signified by 
 "eating of the hidden manna," when yet by "the hidden 
 manna" the Lord in respe6l to the Divine Human is signified, 
 because it is the same whether you say the Lord's Divine Hu- 
 man, or the Divine Love, for the Lord is Divine Love itself, 
 and what goes forth from Him is Divine good united to Divine 
 truth ; both are of love, and are also the Lord in heaven ; con- 
 sequently "to eat of Him" is to be conjoined to Him, and this 
 
 by love from Him. (But these things may be better understood from what 
 is said and shown in Heaven and Hell, n. 13-19, 116-125, 126-140; also in The Doc- 
 trine of the New jfcrusalcm, n. 210-222, 307.) 
 
 147, "And will give him a white stone " signifies wisdom, and 
 intelligence. — This is evident from the signification of "a white 
 stone," when [it is given] by the Lord, as meaning reception from 
 Him and influx ; and as it means reception and influx from the 
 Lord, it also means wisdom and intelligence from Him, for 
 those who receive from the Lord and with whom the Lord 
 flows-in, are in wisdom and intelligence. " To give a white 
 stone" signifies these things, because formerly in public decis- 
 sions the votes were taken by means of stones ; white stones 
 indicating the affirmative opinions, and black stones the nega- 
 tive ; therefore by "a white stone" is signified reception of 
 wisdom and intelligence. 
 
 148. "And upon the stone a new name written, which no one 
 knoweth except he that receiveth," signifies a state of interior life 
 uyihwiun to all except those who are in it. — This is evident from 
 the signification of "name," as meaning quality of state (of which 
 see ^.c"., n. 1754, 1896. 2009, 3237, 3421) ; here quality of the state of 
 interior life, because it is said " a new name, which no one 
 knoweth except he that receiveth," for the quality of the state 
 of interior life is wholly unknown to those who are not in inte- 
 rior life. Those are in interior life who are in love to the Lord, 
 and none are in love to the Lord except those who acknowledge 
 
 the Divine in His Human (that to love the Lord is to live according to His 
 
 precepts, see A.C.. n. 10143, ioi53. 10578, 10645, 10829). Interior life is spir- 
 itual life, in which angels of heaven are ; but exterior life is 
 natural life, in which all who are not in heaven are. With 
 those, mrreover, who live according to the precepts of the Lord 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE 17. — N. I48. 189 
 
 and acknowledge the Divine in His Human, the interior mind 
 is opened, and man then becomes spiritual ; but those who do 
 not so live, and do not acknowledge the Lord, remain natural. 
 
 (That to all wlio are not in heavenly love the state of interior or spiritual life is un- 
 known, see Heaven and Hell, n. 395-414 ; and Doftrine of the Sew Jerus.ilem, n. 
 
 105. 238.) [2.] That "name" in the Word signifies quality of 
 state, is evident from many passages, some of which I will here 
 cite in proof. Thus in Isaiah : 
 
 "Lift up your eyes on high and see; who hath created these? He that 
 leadeth out the host in number; thatcalleth them all by name"(xl. 
 26). 
 
 "His calling them all by name" is knowing the quality of all, 
 and giving to them according to the state of love and faith in 
 them. In yohn the meaning is similar : 
 
 "He that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him 
 the porter openeth, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calleth 
 his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out" (x. 2, 3). 
 
 In Isaiah : 
 
 "Thus saith Jehovah thy creator, O Jacob, and thy former, O Israel, 
 Fear not ; for I have redeemed thee, and have called thee by name ; 
 thou art Mine" (xliii. i). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " That thou mayest know that I am Jehovah, who had called thee by 
 
 thy name For Jacob My servant's sake, and Israel My chosen, 
 
 I have called thee by thy name, though thou didst not know Me " 
 (xlv. 3. 4)- 
 
 " I have called thee by thy name " means that He knew the 
 quality of the state of the church ; for "Jacob" and "Israel" 
 are the church, "Jacob" the external church, and " Israel" the 
 internal. [3.] In the same, 
 
 Israel, "if thou hadst hearkened to My commandments, ... .his name 
 should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before Me" (xlviii. 
 18, 19). 
 
 " The name being cut off and destroyed from before Jehovah " 
 denotes the quality of the state by which conjun6lion is effefled, 
 which state is the spiritual state of him who is of the church 
 signified by "Israel." Again in the same, 
 
 "Jehovah hath called me from the womb, from the bowels of my mother 
 doth He make mention of my name " (xlix. i). 
 
 Here "making mention of the name" is knowing the quality. 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " For Zion's sake I will not be silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not 
 rest And the nations shall see thy righte )usness, and all 
 
igO APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 kings thy glory ; and thou shalt be called by a new name, which 
 the mouth of Jehovah shall utter" (Ixii. i, 2). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " He shall call His servants by another name" (Ixv. 15). 
 
 "To call by a new name," and "by another name," is to be- 
 stow another state of Hfe, namely, a state of spiritual life. In 
 Ezekiel: 
 
 "The city of bloods polluted by name" (xxii. 2, 5). 
 
 "The city of bloods" is do6lrine that offers violence to the 
 good of charity ; this is said to be "polluted by name" when 
 it abounds with falsities and evils therefrom, which constitute 
 its quality. [4.] In Moses : 
 
 "Moses said unto Jehovah Thou hast said, I know thee by thy 
 
 name And Jehovah said unto Moses, This word also that 
 
 thou hast spoken I will do,. . . .for I know thee by name " {Exod. 
 xxxiii. 12, 17). 
 
 " His knowing Moses by name " is knowing his quality. In 
 the Apocalypse : 
 
 "Thou hast a few names in Sardis which have not defiled their gar- 
 ments He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white 
 
 garments,. .. .and I will confess his name before My Father. ... He 
 that overcometh, .... I will write upon him the name of My God, 
 and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, .... and 
 My new name" (iii. 4, 5, 12). 
 
 It can be seen that " name" here signifies quality of state in 
 respe6l to good of love and truth of faith. In another place, 
 
 " Whose names have not been written in the book of life " {Apoc. xiii. 8 ; 
 xvii. 8). 
 
 "Names written in the book of life" are the quality of all 
 things of man's love and faith, thus all things of his spiritual 
 life. In another place, 
 
 " They shall see the face " of God and the Lamb, " and His name shall 
 be in their foreheads " {Apoc. xxii. 4). 
 
 " His name in their foreheads" is a state of love, for " forehead " 
 corresponds to love, and therefore signifies love. [5.] "Name" 
 in the Word signifies the quality of man's state, because in the 
 spiritual world each one is named according to the state of life 
 in which he is, thus variously ; for spiritual speech is not like 
 human speech ; all things there are expressed according to 
 ideas of things and of persons ; and these ideas fall into words. 
 
ClIAI'. II., CONTENTS VERSKS 18-29. — N. 149. I9I 
 
 (Tliis can be seen more clearly from what is shown on The Speech of the Angels 
 in Heaven, in Heaven and Hell, n. 234-245: also see above, n. I02, I35, where 
 it is shown what " the name of Jehovah." " of the Lord." and " of Jesus Christ " sig- 
 nily in the Word.) 
 
 VERSES 18-29. 
 I^Q. "And to the angel of the church In Thyatira write: These things salth tht 
 Son of God, that hath His eyes as a flame of fire, and His feet like burnished brass, I 
 know thy works and charity, and ministry and faith, and thine endurance, and thy works, 
 and the last to be more than the first. But I have against thee a few things, that thou 
 aufferest the woman Jezebel, that calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce My 
 servants to commit whoredom, and to eat idol-sacrifices. And I gave her time that she 
 might repent of her whoredom, and she repented not. Behold, I cast her into a bed, and 
 those that commit adultery with her into great affliction, except they repent of their works. 
 And her sons I will kill with death ; and all the churches shall know that I am He that 
 searcheth the reins and hearts ; and I will give to each one of you according to your works. 
 But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and who 
 have not known the depths of Satan, as they say ; I put upon you no other burden. Howbeit, 
 that which ye have hold till I come. And he that ouercometh and keepeth My works unto 
 the end, I will give him power over the nations. And he shall rule them with an iron rod ; 
 as earthen vessels shall they be shivered, as I also have received from My Father. And I 
 will give him the morning star. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith to 
 the churches." 
 
 18. 'And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write" signifies l/iose of the 
 
 church with whom the internal and external, that is, the spiritual and 
 natural man, make one [n. 150] ; "These things saith the Son of God*" 
 signifies the Lord in respe<fl to the Divine Human, from which is that 
 essential of the church [n. 151] ; "that hath His eyes as a flame of fire" 
 signifies Divine Providence from His Divine Love, also Divine wis- 
 dom and intelligence communicated to those who are in love tozvards 
 Him, and from that in faith in Him [n. 152]; "and His feet like 
 burnished trass " signifies the outmost of Divine order, which is the 
 natural, full of Divine Love [n. I53]. 
 
 19. "/ know thy works and charity" signifies the internal of those who are of the 
 
 church [n.154] ; "and ministry and faith" s\gx\\(iQ%goodandtruththerein 
 [n. 155] ; "and thine endurance" signifies conjwKflion with the external 
 {and consequent combat] [n. 156] ; "and thy works, and the last to be 
 more than the ffrsf," signifies the externals that are therefrom [n. 157]. 
 
 20. "But I have against thee a few things" signifies that heed should be taken 
 
 [n. 15S] ; "that thou sufferest the woman Jezebel" signifies delight of' 
 love of self and of the world [n. 150] ; "that calleth herself a prophetess, 
 to teach and to seduce My servants," signifies that doctrine of all filsitu-s 
 is therefrom [n. 160] ; "to commit whoredom and to eat idol-sacrifices " 
 %\gmf\QS falsifications of truth and adulterations of good [n. 161]. 
 
 21. "And I gave her time that she might repent of her whoredom, and she 
 
 repented not," signifies that those who are in falsities therefrom do not 
 turn themselves to truths by means of truths [n. 162]. 
 
 22. "Behold, I cast her into a bed," signifies that they are left to their natural 
 
 man, and to doctrine of falsities therein [n. 163] ; "and those that 
 commit adultery with her into great affliction" signifies the grievous 
 temptations of those "who surrender themselves to the falsities of such [n. 
 164] : "except they repent of their works " signifies except they separate 
 themselves from them [n. 165]. 
 
 23. "And her sons I will kill with death" signifies that thus falsities are ex- 
 
 tinguished [n. 166] ; "and all the churches shall know that I am He 
 that searcheth the reins and hearts" signifies the acknowledgment of all 
 
 * Latin here Filit^s hominis. but in other places Filius Dei; see text above and, 
 on page 105, also n. 98. 250 ; A R.. n. 125. 
 
192 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 who are of the chia-ch that the Lord alone knoivs and explores the ex- 
 teriors and interiors, and the things that arc of faith and of love [n. 
 167] ; "and I will give to each one of you according to your works" 
 signifies eternal blessedness according to one's internal in the external 
 [n. i68-]. 
 
 24. "But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira," signiiies to all and each 
 
 one luith who/n the internal is conjoined to the exterfial [n. 169] ; "as 
 many as have not this doctrine" signifies with whom external delight, 
 which is the delight of love of self and of the world, is ttot dominant 
 [n. 170] ; "and who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say," 
 signiiies en/angleme/it with these [n. 171]; " I put upon you no other 
 burden" signifies that this alone should be guarded against [n. 172]. 
 
 25. "Howbeit, that which ye have hold till I come," signifies steadfastness in a 
 
 state of love and of faith, even to visitation [n. 173]. 
 
 26. "And he that overcometh and keepeth My works unto the end" signifies/^r- 
 
 severanre in love and faith after combat against these loves, and their 
 removal as far as possible [n. 174] ; "/ will give him power over the 
 nations " signifies over the evils within him, "which will then be dispersed 
 by the Lord [n. 175]. 
 
 27. "And he shall rule them with an iron rod" signifies that he is about to cor- 
 
 i-et^ evils by meatis of truths, that are in the natural man [n. 176] ; 
 "as earthen vessels shall they be shivered" signifies the total dis- 
 persion of falsities [n. 177] ; "as I also have received from My Father" 
 signifies comparatively as the Lord frotn His Divine, when He glorified 
 His Human [n. 178]. 
 
 28. "And I will give him the morning star" signifies intelligence and wisdom 
 
 froui the Lords Divi>ie LLi/nian [n. 179]. 
 
 29. "He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches" 
 
 signifies that he who tinderstaitds should hearken to what Divine truth 
 going forth from the Lo7-d teaches and says to those who are of His 
 church [n. 180]. 
 
 X50. [ Verse 18 ] "And to the angel of the church in Thyatira 
 write" signiiies fhose of the chu7'ch zvith ivhom the iyiternal and the 
 exter7ial, that is, the spiritual and natural jnan, make one. — This 
 is evident from what is written to this angel understood in the 
 internal sense, which treats of the conjun6lion of the internal 
 or spiritual man with the external or natural man, or of those 
 of the church in whom these are conjoined. In every man 
 there is an internal and an external ; his internal is what is 
 called the spiritual man, the external what is called the natural 
 man. When man is born, the external or natural man is first 
 opened ; afterwards, as he grows up and is perfe6led in intelli- 
 gence and wisdom, the internal or spiritual man is opened. The 
 external or natural man is opened by such things as man derives 
 from the world, while the internal or spiritual man is opened 
 by such things as he derives from heaven ; for the external or 
 natural man is formed for receiving such things as are in the 
 world, but the internal or spiritual man for receiving such 
 things as are in heaven. The things in the world, for receiving 
 which the external or natural man is formed, have reference, 
 in general, to all things of civil and moral life ; while the things 
 
CHAI'. II., VKRSE iS. — N. 15I I93 
 
 in heaven, for receiving which the internal or spiritual man is 
 tormed, have reference, in general, to all things of love and 
 faith. [2.] Since there are these two in man, and each sepa- 
 rately must be opened by means proper to it, it is clear that 
 unless the internal is opened by its jiroper means man continues 
 merely natural, and his internal in that case is closed. But tl;ose 
 with whom the internal is closed are not men of the church ; 
 for the church with man is formed through communication with 
 heaven : and communication with heaven is not possible unless 
 the man's internal is opened by its proper means, all which have 
 reference, as was said above, to love and faith. It is to be known, 
 moreover, that with the man of the church, that is, the man who 
 has been regenerated by the Lord by means of truths called 
 truths of faith and by means of a life according to them, the in- 
 ternal and external or the spiritual and natural man are conjoined, 
 and that this conjun6lion is efifedled by correspondences. (The 
 
 nature of correspondences, and therefore the nature of the conjunction effecfted by 
 them can be seen from what is said about them in the Arcana Caclestia, and cited from 
 that work in The Doarine of the New Jerusalem, n. 261.) [3.] Now since Z. 
 
 man does not become a man of the church until his internal or 
 spiritual man has been opened and until this has been conjoined 
 with the external or natural man, those within the church in 
 whom this conjunction is effe<5led are here treated of; for 
 (as was said above, n. 20) by "the seven churches" are not 
 meant seven churches, but all in general who are of the Lord's 
 church ; consequently what is written to the angel of each 
 church treats of such things as constitute the church ; here, 
 therefore, that is, "to the angel of the church of Thyatira," th» 
 internal and external are treated of, and the conjunction of the 
 
 two in those of the church. (As hitherto it has not been known that these 
 two are actually in man, and that they must be opened and conjoined that man may 
 be a man of the church ; and as these things cannot be made clear in a few words, 
 further explanation of them may be found in The Doarine of the New yerusalem, 
 n. 36-53. 179-182). 
 
 151. "These things saiih the Soir^ of God" signifies the Lord 
 in respcH to the Divine Hjiman, from which is that essential of 
 the church. — This is evident from the signification of " the Son* 
 of God," as meaning the Lord in respe6l to the Divine Human, 
 and in respedl to Divine truth, since Divine truth goes forth 
 from 1 lim (see above, n. 63) ; also as meaning from which is that 
 essential of the church, namely, the opening of the internal or 
 spiritual man, and the conjunction thereof with the external, since 
 everything of the church with man is from the Lord's Divine 
 Human. For everything of love and faith, which two constitute 
 
 * Latin here, Filius hominis ; see note on page 191. 
 
194 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 the church, goes forth from the Lord's Divine Human, and not 
 immediately from the Divine itself; for what goes forth imme- 
 diately from His Divine itself, does not fall into any thought or 
 affedion of man, thus into faith or love, because it is far above 
 them. This can be seen from the fa6l that man is not able to 
 think of the Divine itself apart from the human form, except as 
 he thinks of nature, as it were, in things least. Thought that 
 is not determined to a specific figure is diffused in every direc- 
 tion, and what is diffused is dissipated. This is most con- 
 vincingly seen in the case of those in the other life from the 
 Christian world who have thought only of the Father, and not 
 of the Lord, that they make nature in its m.inutest parts their 
 god, and at length fall away from all idea of God, consequently 
 from all idea of and faith in anything of heaven or the churck 
 [2.] It is otherwise with those who have thought of God under 
 the human form ; all these have their ideas determined to the 
 Divine, nor do their thoughts, like the thoughts of those men- 
 tioned before, wander in every diredlion. And as the Divine 
 under the human form, is the Lord's Divine Human, the Lord 
 bends and determines the thoughts and affedlions of these to 
 Himself. This, because it is the primary truth of the church, 
 unceasingly flows-in out of heaven with man ; consequently it 
 is, as it were, implanted in every one to think of the Divine 
 under the human form, and thus to see his Divine inwardly 
 in himself, with the exception of such as have extinguished 
 
 in themselves this implanted thought (see Heaven and Hell, n. 82). 
 
 From this the reason can be seen why all men whatsoever after 
 death, when they become spirits, turn themselves to their own 
 loves, thus why those who have worshipped the Divine under the 
 human form turn themselves to the Lord, who appears to them 
 as a sun above the heavens. But those who have not worshipped 
 the Divine under the human form, turn themselves to the loves 
 of their natural man, all which have reference to the loves of 
 self and the world, thus turning backwards from the Lord ; and 
 turning oneself backwards from the Lord is turning towards 
 
 hell. (That all in the spiritual world turn themselves to their own loves, see 
 Heaven and Hell, n. 17, 123, 142-145, 151, 153. 255, 272, 510, 548. 552, 561.) 
 
 [3.] All who lived in ancient times and worshipped a Divine saw 
 the Divine in thought under the human form, and hardly any one 
 thought of an invisible Divine ; and the Divine under the hu- 
 man form was even then the Divine Human. But as this Divine 
 Human was the Divine of the Lord in the heavens and passing 
 through the heavens, when at length heaven became enfeebled, 
 because men, of whom heaven is make up, from internal gradu- 
 ally became external and thus natural, it pleased the very Divine 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE IS. X. 151. ly^ 
 
 to put on a human, and to glorify it, that is, make it Divine, 
 that thus from Himself He might affe6t all, both those who are 
 in the spiritual world and those who are in the natural world, 
 and might save those who acknowledge and worship His Divine 
 in the Human. [4.] This is clearly stated in many passages 
 in the Old Testament prophets, as well as in the Evangelists ; of 
 these I will cite only the following, in yohn : 
 
 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the 
 Word was God All things were made through Him, and with- 
 out Him was not anything made that hath been made. In Him 
 was life ; and the life was the Light of men. And that Light shinelh 
 in the darkness ; and the darkness apprehended it not. . . . 1 here 
 was the true Light, which lighteth every man coming into the world. 
 He was in the world, .... but the world recognized Him not. .... 
 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld 
 His glory" (i. 1-14). 
 
 It is plainly evident that the Lord in respe6l to the Human is 
 here meant by " the Word," for it is said, " the Word became 
 flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory." It is also 
 evident that the Lord made His Human to be Divine, for it is 
 
 said, "the Word was with God, and the Word was God 
 
 and this became flesh," that is, a man. And since all Divine 
 truth goes forth from the Lord's Divine Human, and Divine 
 truth is His Divine in the heavens, by "the Word" is also 
 signified Divine truth ; and He is said to be " the Light which 
 lighteth every man coming into the world." Moreover, "light" 
 is Divine truth ; and because men from being internal became 
 so external or natural as no longer to acknowledge Divine truth 
 or the Lord, it is said that "the darkness apprehended not the 
 light," and that "the world recognized Him not." ( Thai the Word 
 
 is the Lord in respedl to the Divine Human and Divine truth going forth therefrom, 
 see The Doilrine of the New yerusalem, n. 263, 304. That ' light " is Divine truth, 
 and " darkness " the falsities in which those arc rvho are not in the light, see Heaven 
 
 and Hell. n. 126-1^0, 27S-) [5.] That those who acknowledge the 
 Lord and worship Him from love and faith, and are not in the 
 love of self and love of the world, are regenerated and saved, 
 is also taught in these words in yohn: 
 
 "As many as received Him, to them gave He power to be children of 
 God, even to them that believe in His name ; which were born, not 
 of bloods, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but 
 of God"(i. 12, 13). 
 
 Here "of bloods" means such as destroy love and charity. 
 " The will of the flesh " is every evil from the love of self and love 
 of the world, also man's will-/»r£>^m/w, which in itself is nothing 
 but evil ; "the will of man" is falsity that comes from that will- 
 
196 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 proprium. That those who are not in these loves receive the 
 Lord and are regenerated and saved, is meant by its being said 
 that those who "believe in His name become children of God," 
 
 and are "born of God." (That to "believe in the Lord's name "is to acknow- 
 ledge His Divine Human and to receive love and faith from Him, see above, n. I02, 
 135- That "bloods" are the things that destroy love and charity, see y4.C,n. 4735, 
 5476,9127; that " flesh " is man's will-/r£>/rj«w?, which in itself is nothing but evil, n. 
 210,215,731, 874-876,987, 1047,2307, 2308,3518, 3701, 3812,4328, 8480,8550, 10283, 
 10284, 10286, 10732 ; and that man's proprium is love of self and love of the world, 
 n. 694, 731, 4317, 5660. That " man {vir) " is the intelledtual, and therefore truth 
 or falsity, since the intelledlual is of the one or the other, see n. 3134, 3309, 9007. 
 Thus " the will of man {viri) " is the mieWigence-proprium, which, when it exists from 
 the y/iW-proprium (which in itself is nothing but evil), is nothing but falsity, for where 
 evil is in the will there is falsity in the understanding. That to be " born of God " is to 
 be regenerated by the Lord, %&& Dodrine of the Newyerusalem, n. 173-184. More- 
 over, that all in the universe, from influx out of heaven and from revelation, worship 
 the Divine in the human form, see Earths in the Universe, n. 98, 121, 141, 154, 158, 
 159, 169 ; likewise all angels of the higher heavens, see Heaven and Hell, n. 78-86.) 
 
 [6.] From all this it can now be seen that everything of the 
 church, as well as everything of heaven with men, is from the 
 Lord's Divine Human. For this reason " the Son of man," who 
 is the Divine Human, is described in the first chapter of the 
 Apocalypse, by various representatives ; and from that descrip- 
 tion the introdu6lory sentences to the seven churches are taken 
 (as may be seen above, n. 113), and what is said to this church 
 in particular treats of this chief essential of the church, namely, 
 the conjun<5lion of the internal and external, that is, the regen- 
 eration of the man of the church ; for it is said to the angel 
 of this church, "These things saith the Son of God, that hath 
 His eyes as a flame of fire." 
 
 152. " Thai hath His eyes as a flame of fire " signifies Divine 
 Provideyice from His Divine Love, also Divine wisdom and in- 
 telligence commtinicated to those who are in love towards Him 
 and fro?n that in faith in Him. — That "eyes as a flame of fire," 
 means, in reference to the Lord, His Divine. Providence from 
 His Divine Love, see above (n. 68). This means also Divine 
 wisdom and intelligence communicated to those who are in love 
 towards the Lord, and from that in faith in Him, because "eyes" 
 in the Word, mean, in reference to man, understanding of truth, 
 and understanding of truth is intelligence and wisdom ; con- 
 sequently " eyes " signify, in reference to the Lord, Divine wi.sdom 
 and intelligence going forth from Him ; and what goes forth 
 from Him is communicated to angels, and to men who are in love 
 towards Him and from that in faith in Him. All the wisdom 
 and intelligence that angels and men have is the Lord's with 
 them and not their own ; and this is well known in the church ; 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE l8. — N. I52. I97 
 
 for it is known that all good, which i.s of love, and all truth, 
 which is of faith, are from God, and nothing thereof from man ; 
 and truths interiorly seen and acknowledged constitute intelli- 
 gence, and these together with goods interiorly perceived and 
 thus seen, constitute wisdom. From this then it is that " hav- 
 ing His eyes as a flame of Are" also signifies the Lord's Divine 
 wisdom and intelligence communicated to those who are in 
 goods of love, and from that in faith in Him. [2.] "Eyes" 
 signify the understanding, because all eye-sight with men and 
 angels is from the understanding. That all eye-sight is from 
 the understanding must sound absurd to those who are ignorant 
 of the interior causes of things, out of which effe6ls are put 
 forth in the body ; those ignorant of these causes have no other 
 idea than that the eye sees of itself, that the ear hears of itself, 
 that the tongue tastes of itself, and that the body feels of itself; 
 when, in fa(5l, it is the interior life of man, the life of his spirit, 
 the life of his understanding and will, that is, of his thought 
 and affe6lion that, through the organs of the body, has sensa- 
 tion of the things that are in the world, and thus perceives 
 them naturally. The whole body, with all its sensories, is 
 merely an instrument of its soul, that is, of its spirit ; which 
 is the reason that when man's spirit is separated from his 
 body the body has no sensation whatever, but the spirit con- 
 tinues to have sensation the same as before. (That m.^n's spirit sees, 
 
 hears, and feels, after it is loosened from the body, the same as before while in the body, 
 see Heaven and Hell, n. 461-469 ; and on The Correspondence of the Understand- 
 ing with the Sight of the Eye, see A.C., n. 4403-4421, 4523-4534.) With beastS, 
 
 moreover, their interior life, which is called soul, has sensation 
 equally through the external organs of their body, but with 
 a difference, in that the sensation of the beast is not rational 
 like man's, thus is not formed from an understanding and will 
 
 such as man has (see Heaven and Hell, n. 108; and Last Judgment, n. 25). 
 
 [3.] From this, then, it is, that by "eye" in the Word is sig- 
 nified understanding of truth, that is, intelligence and wisdom, 
 as may be seen from the following passages . In Isaiah: 
 
 '"Say to this people, hear ye in hearing, but understand not ; and see ye 
 in seeing, and know not. Make the heart of this people fat. and 
 make their ears heavy, and smear their eyes, lest they see with 
 their eyes " (vi. 9, 10 ; John xii. 40). 
 
 "To sn>ear the eyes, lest they see with their eyes," is to darken 
 the understanding, that they may not understand. [4.] In the 
 same, 
 
 "Jehovah hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath 
 
198 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 closed your eyes ; the prophets and your heads, the seers hath He 
 covered " (xxix. 10) ; 
 
 where " He hath closed the eyes ; the prophets and the heads, 
 and the seers hath He covered," relates to understanding of 
 truth. "Prophets" are those that teach truths, who are also 
 called "heads," because the head signifies intelligence, and are 
 also called "seers" from revelation of Divine truth with them. 
 [5.] In the same, 
 
 " The eyes of them that see shall not be closed, and the ears of them 
 that hear shall hearken " (xxxii. 3). 
 
 "The eyes of them that see" means of those that understand 
 truths. In the same, 
 
 "Who shutteth his eyes from looking upon evil Thine eyes shall 
 
 see the king in His beauty" (xxxiii. 15, 17). 
 
 "To shut the eyes from looking upon evil" is not to admit evil 
 into the thought ; "their eyes shall see the king in his beauty" 
 is that they are to understand truth in its light with pleasant- 
 ness ; for by "king" here is not meant a king but truth (see 
 above, n. 31M). [6.] In Jereiniah: 
 
 " Hear now this, O foolish people, who have no heart ; who have eyes 
 and see not ; who have ears and hear not" (v. 21 ; £zek. xii. 2). 
 
 In Lamentations: 
 
 "The crown of our head hath fallen ; .... for this our heart hath become 
 faint ; and for this our eyes hath been dimmed " (v. 16, 17). 
 
 "Crown of the head" is wisdom (see above, n. 126) ; the "faint 
 heart" means that the will of good is no more (that " heart " is the 
 
 will and love, see Heaven atid Hell, n. 95). " EyCS " are Understanding of 
 
 truth, and they are said to grow dim when truth is no longer 
 understood. [7.] In Zechariah: 
 
 "The punishment of the shepherd deserting the flock, a sword upon his 
 right eye . . . . ; and his right eye in darkening shall be darkened" 
 (xi. 17). 
 
 "The sword upon the right eye," and "the right eye in darken- 
 ing shall be darkened,", means that all truth in the understand- 
 ing is to perish through falsity (that "sword" is destru6lion of 
 truth by falsity, see above, n. 131 L^^]). [8.] In the same, 
 
 " The plague wherewith Jehovah will smite all the peoples that shall 
 fight against Jerusalem ; . . . . their eyes shall consume away in their 
 sockets " (xiv. 12). 
 
 **The peoples that shall fight against Jerusalem" are those that 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE l8. — N. I52. I99 
 
 fight against the church ; "Jerusalem " is the chuich ; that "their 
 eyes shall consume away" means that intelligence is to perish; 
 because they fight by falsities against truths. [9.] In Zccha- 
 riah : 
 
 " I will smite every horse with astonishment and every horse of the 
 
 peoples with blindness" (xii. 4). 
 
 Here the vastation of the church is treated of; by "horse" is 
 signified the intelleClual, therefore the understanding is meant 
 when it is said that the horse should be smitten with astonish- 
 ment and with blindness. (That " horse " signifies the intelledlual, see the 
 treatise on T/ie llY.iU //orsf.n. 1-$.) [10.] In David : 
 
 " Hear me, O Jehovah, my God ; lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep [the 
 sleep ofl death " {Psalm xiii. 3). 
 
 " Lighten the eyes" means the understanding. In Moses : 
 
 "Thou shalt not take a gift, for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise " 
 {Deut. xvi. 19). 
 
 "To blind the eyes of the wise" is not to see or understand 
 truth. [II.] In Matthe7u: 
 
 "The lamp of the body is the eye ; if the eye be single the whole body 
 is light ; if the eye be evil the whole body is darkened. If there- 
 fore the light be darkness, how great is the darkness " (vi. 22, 23 ; 
 Luke xi. 34). 
 
 By "eye" here is not meant the eye, but the understanding ; by 
 "the eye single" the understanding of truth; by "the eye 
 evil " the understanding of falsity ; " darkness " is falsities ; " the 
 whole body" is the whole spirit, which is wholly such as the 
 will is and the understanding therefrom : if it has an under- 
 standing of truth from a will of good it is an angel of light ; but 
 if it has an understanding of falsity it is a spirit of darkness. 
 By these words the reformation of man through an understand- 
 ing of truth is described. From this it is clear that he who 
 knows what "eye" signifies can know the arcanum of these 
 words. That man is reformed by means of truths in the under- 
 standing, see above (n. 112, 126). [12.] In Matthew : 
 
 " If thy right eye causeth thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from 
 thee ; for it is profitable for thee to enter life with one eye, rather 
 than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire" (v. 29; xviii. 9; 
 Mark ix. 47). 
 
 Here also, by "eye" is not meant the eye, but the understanding 
 thinking; by "the right eye causing to stumble" the under- 
 standing thinking evil ; " plucking it out and casting it away " is 
 not admitting such evil, but rejecting it ; " having one eye" is the 
 
200 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 understanding thinking truth only, and not evil, for the under- 
 standing is capable of thinking truth ; if it thinks evil it is 
 from the will of evil. It is said "the right eye," because ''the 
 right eye" signifies the understanding of good, and the "left 
 eye" the understanding of truth (see a.c, n. 4410, 6923). [13 ] In 
 Isaiah : 
 
 "In that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of 
 the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness" (xxix. i3). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Then the eyes ot the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf " 
 (xxxv. 5). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " I will give thee .... for a light of the nations, to open the eyes of the 
 blind, to lead him that is bound out of prison, and them that sit in 
 darkness out of the house of confinement" (xlii. 6, 7). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have 
 ears " (xliii. 8). 
 
 "To open the eyes of the blind" is to instruct those who as 
 yet are ignorant of truths, but nevertheless have a longing for 
 them, that is, the heathen. The like is signified by 
 
 The Lord's healing the blind {Matt. ix. 27-29; xx. 29 to the end; xxi. 
 14 ; Mark viii. 23, 25 ; Luke xviii. 35 to the end ; John ix. 1-21) ; 
 
 for all the Lord's miracles involved such things as pertain to 
 the church and heaven, therefore they were Divine (see^.c, n. 
 7337.8364,9301). [14.] Because the "eye" signified the under- 
 standing it was among the statutes pertaining to the children 
 of Israel, 
 
 That no one of the seed of Aaron who was blind or had a blemish in 
 the eye should come nigh to offer sacrifice, or enter within the vail 
 {Lev. x.xi. 17-23) ; 
 
 That what was blind should not be offered for a sacrifice {Lev. xxii. 22; 
 
 Mai. i. 8) ; 
 
 SO also among the curses was 
 
 A fever that should consume the eyes {Lev. xxvi. 16). 
 
 From all this it can now be known what is signified by "the 
 eyes of the Son of God that were as a flame of fire," namely, 
 Divine wisdom and intelligence communicated to those who 
 are in love towards the Lord and from that in faith in Him. 
 [15.] That His Divine Providence is also signified is evident 
 from what was shown above (n. 68). To this may be added 
 what is said of the cherubim in Ezekiel, and of the four animals 
 
CHAP. II., VERSK 19. — N. 154. 201 
 
 about the tlirone in the Apocalypse, whicli also signify tlie 
 Divine Providence of the Lord, and in particular, a guard that 
 the Lord be not approached except through good. In Ezekiel: 
 
 " I looked, and behold four wheels near the cherubim ; . . . . their whole 
 flesh, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the 
 wneels were full of eyes round about " (x. 9, 12). 
 
 In the Apocalypse : 
 
 "About the throne were four living creatures full of eyes before and 
 behind ; . . . . each one .... had wings full of eyes about and within " 
 (iv. 6, 8). 
 
 These four "living creatures" also were cherubim, for the de- 
 scription of them is nearly the same as that of the cherubim in 
 Ezekiel. So many "eyes" are ascribed to them because the 
 Lord's Divine Providence, which is signified by " cherubim," is 
 His goverment of all things in the heavens and on the earth 
 by Divine Wisdom ; for the Lord by Divine Providence sees 
 all things, disposes all things, and looks out for all things. 
 
 (That by " cherubim " is signified the Lord's Divine Providence, and in particular, 
 a guard that the Lord be not approached except through good, see n. 9277, 9509, 
 9673-) 
 
 153, "And His feet like burnished brass " signifies the outmost 
 of Divine order, which is the natural, fill of Divine Love, as 
 is evident from what is said and shown above (n. 69), where 
 the same words occur. As what is written to the angel of this 
 church treats of the internal of the church, which is spiritual, 
 and its external, which is natural, that they must make one 
 (see above, n. 150), so it is prefaced by these things respecting 
 the Lord, from whom is everything of the church, " These things 
 saith the Son of God, that hath His eyes as a flame of fire, 
 and His feet like unto burnished brass ;" for in respefl to man, 
 "eyes" signify the internal, which is spiritual, and "feet" the 
 external, which is natural ; but in resped to the Lord, "eyes" 
 and "feet" signify the Divine things from which are the inter- 
 nal and external with man. 
 
 154, {Verse 19.] "/ knovi thy works and charity" signifies the 
 iyiternal of those who are of the church. — This is evident from 
 the signification of " works." as meaning the things that are of 
 the will, or of celestial love (of which see above, n. 98), and 
 from the signification of " charity," as meaning the things that 
 are of spiritual love, "Works and charity" signifies the inter- 
 nal of the church, because its internal is made up of the things 
 that are of the will or love, and its external of the things that 
 are of the understanding and faith. There are two loves that 
 
202 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 constitute heaven or the church, love to the Lord and love 
 towards the neighbor, or charity ; love to the Lord is called 
 celestial love, and love toward the neighbor, which is charity, 
 is called spiritual love. They are so called for the reason that 
 heaven is divided into two kingdoms, one called the celestial 
 kingdom, the other the spiritual kingdom, consequently the 
 
 loves that govern there are so called (see Heaven and Hell, rv 13-19, 
 20-28 ; also Dodrine of the New ferusalefn, n. 54-62, 84-100, where also it is shown 
 what celestial love is, and what spiritual love, namely, that celestial love is from the 
 will's affedtion for doing the Lord's commandments, and spiritual love is from the 
 understanding's affedlion for doing the Lord's commandments). There are 
 
 two things that constitute heaven or the church with man, 
 namely, love and faith. Love resides in man's will, for what a 
 man loves that he also wills ; but faith resides in his under- 
 standing, for what a man believes that he also thinks, and 
 thought is of the understanding. [2.] The internal of the 
 celestial church, therefore, is to do the Lord's commandments 
 from the affe6lion of the will, consequently from love of good ; 
 while the internal of the spiritual church is to do the Lord's 
 commandments from the affe6lion of the understanding, con- 
 sequently from a love of truth. That doing the Lord's com- 
 mandments is loving Him, He teaches in yohn (xiv. 21, 23). 
 The internal of the celestial church is what is meant by "works," 
 and the internal of the spiritual church is meant by "charity." 
 
 (But as these things cannot be explained in a few words, so as to be clearly per- 
 ceived, see what it said respedling them in The Do£lrine of the New yerusalem, on 
 The Will and Understanding, n. 28-36 ; on The Internal and External Man, n. 36-53 ; 
 on Love in General, n. 54-64 ; on Love towards the Neighbor, or Charity, n. 84-107 ; 
 on Faith, n. 108-122 ; and in Heaven and Hell, where Celestial Love and Spiritual 
 Love are treated of, n. 13-19.) 
 
 155* "And ministry and faith" signifies good and truth 
 therein. — This is evident from the signification of " ministry," 
 as meaning good (of which presently) ; and from the significa- 
 tion of " faith," as meaning truth. Faith signifies truth, because 
 truth is of faith, and faith is of truth. "Ministry" signifies 
 good, because in the Word "ministry" is predicated of good. 
 For this reason the fun6lion of Aaron, of his sons, and of the 
 Levites, and the priestly fun(5lion in general, was called a " min- 
 istry." For the same reason, " ministering" to Jehovah, or to 
 the Lord, means to worship Him from good of love. From 
 this it is clear that "ministry" has reference to works, and 
 " faith " to charity, of which just above, where it is said, " I 
 know thy works and charity," for faith and charity make one, 
 since where there is no charity there is no faith (see The Doarine 
 
 of the Nexv yerusalem, n.ioi-i'zz; znA Last yi/d^meni, n. 23-40), [2.] That 
 
 "ministry" and "ministering" in the Word are predicated of 
 
CHAP. II., VKUSK 19. — X. 155. 203 
 
 good of love can be seen from the following passages. In 
 David : 
 
 Jehovah " maketh His angels spirits, His ministers a flaming fire " {Psalm 
 civ. 4). 
 
 Jehovah's "making His angels spirits" means that they are 
 recipients of Divine truth (see above, n. i30[<j]). "Making His 
 ministers a flaming fire" means that they are recipients of 
 Divine good, for "flaming fire" signifies good of love (see 
 above, n. 68). From this it is clear that by "ministers" those 
 who are in the good of love are meant. [3.] In the same, 
 
 " Bless Jehovah, all ye His hosts ; ye ministers of His that do His will " 
 {Psalm ciii. 2i). 
 
 Those are called "hosts of Jehovah" who are in truths (seen. 
 3448,7236,7988,8019), and "ministers" who are in goods; there- 
 fore it is said, "that do His will." Doing the Lord's will is 
 adling from good of love ; for all good has reference to the will, 
 as all truth has to the understanding. [4.] In Isaiah : 
 
 "Ye shall be called the priests of Jehovah,. . . .the ministers of our God" 
 (Ixi. 6). 
 
 Priests are called "ministers" because they represented the 
 Lord in respe<5l to the good of love ; those, therefore, who are 
 in the good of love are called "priests" in the Word (see a.c. 
 n. 2015, 6148, 9809, 10017) ; and for the same reason they are called 
 "ministers of God." On this account the fun6lion of Aaron 
 and of his sons is called a " ministry ;" also the function of the 
 Levite priests ; and entering into the tent of assembly and 
 ofiiciating in the ministry there, also approaching the altar 
 and ofiiciating in the ministry there, is called "ministering" 
 
 (see Exod. xxviii. 35 ; xxx. 20 ; Num. viii. 15, 19, 24-26). 
 
 And in yeremiah: 
 
 "Then shall My covenant become void. . . .with the Levites the priests, 
 My ministers" (xxxiii. 21). 
 
 (That Aaron represented the Lord in respedl to the good of love, see A.C, n. 9806, 
 9946, 10017; likewise priests in general, n. 2015. 6148; consequently by "priest- 
 hood" in the Word the Divine good of the Lord's Divine Love is signified, n. 9806, 
 
 9809.) [5.] There are two kingdoms into which the whole 
 heaven is divided, in one of which are the angels who are in 
 the good of celestial love, in the other the angels w^ho are in the 
 good of spiritual love, that is, in charity. The Lord's celestial 
 kingdom is called His "priesthood," the spiritual kingdom His 
 
204 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 " royalty " (see Heaven aiid Hell, n. 24, 226). " Ministry " is predicated 
 of those in the celestial kingdom, and "service" of those in the 
 spiritual kingdom. From this it is clear what is meant in the 
 following passages by "ministering" and "minister," and by 
 "serving" and "servant:" 
 
 Jesus said to the disciples, " Whosoever would be great among you, let 
 him be your minister ; and whosover would be first, let him be your 
 servant ; as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but 
 to minister" {I\Iait. xx. 2G-28 ; xxiii. il, 12; Alark ix. 35 ; Luke 
 xxii. 24-27). 
 
 Jesus said, " If any man will minister to Me let him follow Me ; then 
 where I am there shall also My minister be ; yea, if any man will 
 minister to Me, him will My Father honor" {John xii. 26). 
 
 Jesus said, " Blessed are those servants whom the Lord when He cometh 
 shall find watching; I say unto you, that He shall gird Himself, 
 and make them to sit down to meat, and He will come forth and 
 minister to them " {Luke xii. 37). 
 
 In Isaiah: 
 
 " The sons of the stranger, that join themselves to Jehovah to ministei 
 to Him, and to love the name of Jehovah" (Ivi. 6). 
 
 Because " ministering " is predicated of good of love, "the sons 
 of the stranger" are said "to minister to Jehovah," and " to love 
 Him ;" and of the Lord Himself it is said, that " He will come 
 to minister." From all this it can now be seen that by "min- 
 istry" is signified everything that is done from good of love, 
 thus good of love. 
 
 156. "And thine endurance " signifies conjiin£lion with the 
 external, and consequent combat. — This is evident from the 
 signification of " endurance," as meaning, in respe6l to those 
 who are in the internal and external of the church (who are 
 here treated of), the conjun6lion of the internal with the ex- 
 ternal, and consequent combat. This is signified by " en- 
 durance," because the conjun6lion of the internal with the 
 external, that is, of the spiritual man with the natural, is 
 efife6led by temptations ; without these the two are not con- 
 joined ; therefore the combat by which that conjunction is 
 effe6led, since man then suffers and endures, is signified by 
 
 " endurance." (That the internal man is conjoined with the external by tempta- 
 tions, which are spiritual combats, see A.C., n. 10685 ; and Doftrine of the New 
 yerusalem, n. 190, 194, 199.) 
 
 157. "And thy works, and the last to be more than the first," 
 
 signifies the exteryials that are therefrom. — This is evident from 
 the signification of "works," as meaning externals in which are 
 internals ; for "works" are outmost effe6ls, in which internals 
 are presented together, and are in a series therein ; there they 
 form their outmost and fulness. The things that are of the 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE 19. — N. I57. 205 
 
 thought and will, and spiritually speakinj^. those that are of love 
 and taitli, are called internal ; these are in works, consequently 
 
 " works " are OUtmostS. (That interior things, which an- of the mind, suc- 
 cessively flow into external things, even into the extreme or outmost, and that they 
 have existence and subsistence therein, see A.C., n. 634, 6239, 6465, 9215. 9216 ; that 
 in the outmost they also form what is simultaneous, in what series, see n. 5897. 6451, 
 8603. 10093 ; that the whole man is in his deeds or works, and that what is only 
 willed and not done, when man is able to do, does not yet have existence, see Heaven 
 
 and Hell, n. 475, 476.^ [2.] To this I Will add an arcanum not yet 
 known. After death, man's spirit appears in a human form 
 according to the life of his affedion while in the world ; in a 
 beautiful form if he lived a life of heavenly love ; in an unbcauti- 
 ful form if he lived a life of worldly love. It is from this that 
 angels are forms of love and charity ; yet their form is not 
 so beautiful from affe6lion of thought and will alone as from 
 affedion of these expressed in deeds or works ; for deeds or 
 works from afifedion of will and thought, or of love and faith, 
 are what determine the outward aspedl of the spirit, thus the 
 beauty of his face, body, and speech. The reason of this is, 
 that as the interiors close into deeds or works as into their 
 outermosts, so do they close into the outward form of the body. 
 For it is well known that everything of man's will closes into 
 the outermosts of his body. Any part of the body into which 
 the will does not close is not a part of the body ; as is evident 
 from the adions of the body, even the least of them ; these all 
 flow from the impulse of the will and are manifested in the out- 
 ermosts of the body (see Heaven and Hell. n. 59. 60 ; and Last Judgment, 
 
 n. 30, 31). [3.] Another proof of this is, that man's spirit is in 
 entire accord with his will ; not with his will that does not go 
 forth into acl when it can, (which will is nothing but thought 
 in which there is an appearance of willing,) but will to do [afiu- 
 aits), which has no other desire than to a6l ; this will is the same 
 with the man's love ; in accord with this is the whole spirit and 
 
 its human form. (That the will or love is the spirit itself, see n. IO5; and 
 
 Heaven and Hell, n.479.) On this account it is SO oftcn Said in the 
 Word that man ought to do the Lord's commandments, and 
 that he will be recompensed according to his doings, that is, 
 according to the love in deeds, not according to the love with- 
 out deeds, when doing is possible. [4.] It is said, " I know 
 thy works, and the last to be more than the first;" by "the 
 last being more than the first" is meant that the works are 
 more full of love after the conjun6tion of the internal man with 
 tlie external ; for the more the internal is conjoined with the 
 external the more there is of the internal in externals, conse- 
 quently in deeds or works ; for externals or works are nothing 
 
206 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 but effe6ls of interiors which are of the will and of thought 
 therefrom ; and effects derive their all from the internals from 
 which they come forth, as motion does from its conatus. In 
 man the conatus is the will, and the motion therefrom is a6lion. 
 [5.] From what has been explained in this verse it can be seen 
 in what order the conjun6lion of the internal with the external 
 in the man of the church is here described, namely, the internal 
 by " I know thy works and charity ;" the good of the internal 
 and its truth by "ministry and faith ;" the conjun6lion of the 
 internal with the external by "endurance;" and the externals 
 therefrom by " I know thy works, and the last to be more 
 than the first." That such things are involved in these w^ords 
 no one can see from the sense of the letter, but only from the 
 spiritual sense which is within the literal sense. 
 
 158* [ I 'erse 20.] " But I have against thee a few things" sig- 
 nifies that heed should be takeyi, as is evident from what follows, 
 for it is there told of what things heed should be taken. 
 
 139. " That thou sufferest the woman Jezebel" signifies de- 
 light of love of self and of the world. — This is evident from the 
 signification of " the woman Jezebel," as meaning the church 
 wholly perverted; for "woman" in the Word signifies the 
 church (see A.C., n. 252, 253, 749, 770, 6014, 7337, 8994), here the church 
 perverted. And as all perversion of the church springs from two 
 loves, namely, love of self and love of the world, "Jezebel" sig- 
 nifies the delight of these loves. The church in which these loves 
 prevail is called "the woman Jezebel," because Jezebel the wife 
 of Ahab represented in the Word the delight of these loves, 
 and the perversion of the church thereby. For all things that 
 are written in the Word, even the historical portion, are repre- 
 sentative of such things as are of the church (see Doiirint jj the New 
 Jerusalem, n. 249-266). Every pervcrsiou of the church spnngs from 
 these two loves when they prevail over heavenly loves, because 
 these two loves are the dire6l opposites of the two loves that con- 
 stitute heaven and the church, which are love to the Lord and love 
 towards the neighbor, and because from these two loves all evils 
 
 and their falsities spring (see Doeirine of the Newjertisalem, n. 59, 61, 65-82 ; 
 and Heaven and Hell, n. 252, 396, 399, 400, 486, 551-565, 566-575.) [2.] That 
 
 Jezebel the wife of Ahab represented what has been said will be 
 seen presently ; but something shall first be said about the de- 
 lights of loves. Every man is such as his love is, and every 
 delight of his life is from his love ; for whatever favors his love be 
 perceives as delightful, and whatever is adverse to his love he 
 perceives as undelightful ; consequently it is the same whether it 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE 20. — N. 1 59. 207 
 
 be said that man is such as his love is, or such as his life's delight 
 is. Those, therefore, who are loves of self and of the world, that 
 is, in whom those loves govern, have no other life's delight or no 
 other life than infernal life. For these loves, that is, the life's 
 delights from them that are permanent, turn all their thoughts 
 and intentions to self and the world, and so far as they turn them 
 to self and to the world, they so far sink them in xwax\' ?> propriimi 
 [what is his own], which he has by inheritance, thus at the same 
 time in evils of every kind ; and so far as man's thoughts and 
 intentions are turned to his inherited />r£?/r/«wz, which in itself is 
 nothing but evil, so far are they turned away from heaven. In 
 fli6l, the man's interiors, which are of his mind, that is, of his 
 thought and intention, or of his understanding and will, are 
 actually turned to his own loves, that is, downwards to self where 
 love of self and its delights govern, and outwards, that is, away 
 from heaven towards the world, where love of the world and its 
 delights govern. It is otherwise when man loves God above all 
 things, and his neighbor as himself; then the Lord turns the in- 
 teriors which are of man's mind, or of his thought and intention, 
 to Himself, thus turning them away from man's proprmtn [what 
 is his own], and raising them up ; and this without the man's know- 
 ing anything about it. From this it is that man's spirit, which is 
 the man himself, after its release from the body is actually turned 
 to its own love, because that constitutes his life's delight, that is, 
 
 his life. (That all spirits are adlually turned to their own loves, see Heaven and 
 Hell, n. 17, 123, 142-145, 151, 153, 272, 510, 548, 552, 561; and above, n. 4I.) 
 
 [3.] This may be made somewhat clearer by the fa6l that all parts 
 of the body, even the least, turn themselves to the common centre 
 of our earth, which is called the centre of gravity ; and from this 
 it is that wheresoever men are, even those who are in dire6lly 
 opposite positions, and are called antipodes, all stand upon their 
 feet. Yet this centre of gravity is merely nature's centre of grav- 
 ity ; there is another centre of gravity in the spiritual world, and 
 this, with man, is determined by the love in which he is, down- 
 wards if his love is infernal, upwards if his love is heavenly ; and 
 whichever way man's love is determined, in the same way his 
 thoughts and intentions are determined ; for these are in the spirit- 
 ual world, and are impelled by the forces that are there. [4.] From 
 all this it can now be seen that the perversion of the church with 
 men, which is signified by "the woman Jezebel," is solely from the 
 loves of self and of the world, since these turn man's interiors, which 
 are of his mind, downward, thus turning them away from heaven. 
 It is said the perversion of the church with men, because the 
 
208 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 church is in the man, as heaven is in the angel ; every church is 
 constituted of those that are of the church, and not of any others, 
 even though they may be born where the church is ; as can be 
 clearly seen from this, that love and faith constitute the church» 
 and love and faith must be in man, consequently the church must 
 
 be m hmi. (That heaven is in the angel, and the church in man, see Heaven 
 and Hell, n. 33, 53, 54, 57, 454; and Doctrine of the New yerusatetn, n. 232, 233, 
 241, 245, 246.) 
 
 160. "That calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to 
 seduce My servants," signifies thai doSlrine of all falsities is 
 therefrom. — This is evident from the signification of a "prophet," 
 as meaning one who teaches truths, and abstractly from persons, 
 do6lrine of truth (of which, see^.C, n. 2534, 7269) ; therefore in the con- 
 trary sense by a "prophet" those who teach falsities are meant, 
 and abstradlly from persons, do6lrine of falsities, and the same 
 is here meant by "prophetess." Because "prophetess" here sig- 
 nifies one who teaches falsities and do6trine of all falsities, it is 
 therefore added that "she teaches and seduces the servants of the 
 Lord." It is said "to teach and to seduce," because " to teach " is 
 predicated of truths and falsities, and to "seduce" of goods and 
 evils ; and those who are in truths are called in the Word "serv- 
 ants of the Lord," and those who are in good are called " min- 
 isters" (see above, n. 155). It is said of Jezebel that she "calleth 
 herself a prophetess," not that Jezebel the wife of Ahab called her- 
 self a prophetess, but this is said because "Jezebel " signifies the 
 delight of love of self and the world ; and this delight teaches and 
 seduces those who are in truths. For every one, when he thinks 
 by himself, thinks from his own love, and thus imbues himself 
 with falsities, which is "to teach and to seduce." Of Jezebel we 
 read in the Word, 
 
 That Ahab the king of Israel took to wife Jezebel the daughter of the 
 king of the Zidonians, and that he went away and served Baal, 
 and reared up to him an altar in Samaria, and made a grove (i Kings 
 xvi. 31-33); 
 
 And that Jezebel slew the prophets of Jehovah (i Kings xviii. 4, 13) ; 
 
 And that she wished to slay Elias also (xix. i, 2, seq.); 
 
 And that through craft, by substituting false witnesses, she took away 
 a vineyard from Naboth, and slew him (xxi. 6, 7, seq.) ; 
 
 It was therefore predicfled by Elijah that dogs should eat her (i Kings 
 xxi. 23 ; 2 A'ings ix. 10) ; 
 
 And afterwards, by the command of Jehu, she was thrown out of the 
 window, and some of her blood was sprinkled upon the wall and 
 upon the horses that trod her under foot (2 Kings ix. 32-34). 
 
 [2.] By all these things the perversion of the church by the de- 
 light of love of self and the world, and by evils and falsities 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE 20. — N. 161. 209 
 
 flowinjj forth therefrom, was represented. For all the historical 
 parts of the Word, as well as the prophetical, are representative of 
 such things as are of the church. "Baal" whom Ahab served, 
 and to whom he raised up an altar, signifies worship from the 
 evils of love of self and the world ; the "grove" which he made 
 signifies worship from falsities therefrom. That "Jezebel slew the 
 prophets of Jehovah" signifies the destrudlion of the church in 
 resped to its truths; that "she wished to slay Elijah also" sig- 
 nifies a desire to annihilate the Word, for Elijah represented the 
 Word. "The vineyard which by means of false witnesses she 
 took away from Naboth" signifies falsification of truth and adul- 
 teration of good; the prophecy of Elijah that "dogs should eat 
 her" signifies uncleanness and profanation. That " she was thrown 
 out of a window, and some of her blood was sprinkled upon 
 the wall and upon the horses that trod her under foot," signifies 
 the lot of those who are of that chara6ler ; what the lot of such 
 will be can be seen from the internal sense of the particulars 
 there. From all this it can be seen that by "the woman Jezebel, 
 who calleth herself a prophetess," no other Jezebel is meant than 
 Jezebel the wife of Ahab, spoken of in the Word ; and that by 
 her those are described who are in doctrine of all falsities from 
 the delights of the loves of self and of the world. 
 
 161. "To commit whoredom, and to eat idol-sacrifices,'' sig- 
 nifies falsificatioyis of truth and adulterations of good. — This is 
 evident from the signification of "committing whoredom," as 
 meaning to falsify truths (of which see above, n. 141), and from 
 the signification of "eating idol-sacrifices," as meaning to appro- 
 priate evil (of which see also above, n. i4i[a]) ; to adulterate good 
 is also signified, because appropriations of evil are, in things of 
 the church, adulterations of good ; for it is a devoting of its goods 
 to evils, thus adulterating them. For example, the goods of the 
 Israelitish church were signified by the altar, the sacrifices, and 
 eating together of the things sacrificed ; when these things were 
 given over to Baal, goods were devoted to evils (besides other like 
 instances). It is the same in a church in which there are no 
 representatives, when the Word is applied to confirm the evils of 
 self, as is done by the papal body to gain dominion over the whole 
 heaven. That "to commit whoredom and to eat idol-sacrifices" 
 signifies to falsify truths and adulterate goods, is also clear from 
 this, that the deeds of Jezebel are in one expression called " whore- 
 doms" and "witchcrafts," in 2 Kings : 
 
 "When Jehoram saw Jehu, he said, Is it peace, Jehu? and he answered. 
 
2IO APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother. Jezebel and 
 her witchcrafts are many?" (ix. 22.) 
 
 162. [I't-rse 21.] "Jlnd I gave her time that she might repent of 
 her whoredom, and she repented not," signifies ^/la^ those who are 
 in falsities therefrom do not turyi themselves to truths by means 
 of truths. — This is evident from the signification of " repenting of 
 whoredom," as meaning to turn oneself from falsities to truths ; for 
 "whoredom" is falsification of truth, and "to repent" is to turn 
 oneself from falsities ; for repentance is an adlual turning from fals- 
 ities to truths,- and dissociation and separation from falsities (see 
 above, n. 143) ; also from the signification of "she repented not," as 
 meaning that they do not turn themselves from falsities to truths. 
 These things are said of Jezebel, but those are meant who from 
 the delight of the loves of self and the world have falsified truths 
 and adulterated goods ; for in the prophecies of the Word one 
 person is named, and by that person are meant all of that charac- 
 ter. [2.] Something shall here be said about this statement that 
 those who have falsified truths in themselves by devoting them 
 to the delights of self-love do not afterwards turn themselves to 
 truths. Man sees from the Word the truths of the church from 
 the spiritual or internal man and from its intelle6lual, but he does 
 not receive them therein except to the extent that he so loves 
 them as to wish to do them. When man so wills, his internal or 
 spiritual man calls forth and raises up to itself, out of the natural 
 man and its memory, the truths that are there, and conjoins them 
 to the love that is of his will ; thus the internal spiritual man, 
 where man's interior or higher mind resides, is opened and is suc- 
 cessively filled and perfected. But if a man permits natural de- 
 light, which is the delight of the love of self and the world, to 
 have dominion, he views all things from that delight ; and if he 
 then sees truths he devotes them to his own love and falsifies 
 them. When this is done the internal spiritual man is closed ; 
 for as this is suited only to the reception of such things as are 
 in heaven, it cannot bear that truths should be falsified ; conse- 
 quently when truths are falsified it contracts and closes, somewhat 
 as a fibril does when touched by a prickle. When the internal is 
 once closed, love of self governs, or love of the world, or both 
 together ; and they form the external or natural man in entire 
 opposition to the internal or spiritual man. For this reason those 
 who have falsified truths by devoting them to the delights of love 
 of self and the world are unable afterwards to turn themselves 
 to truths. This is what is here meant by these words, " I gave 
 to the woman Jezebel time that she might repent of her whore- 
 dom, and she repented not." 
 
CHAI'. II., VI:KSE 22. — N. 163. 211 
 
 163. [ I'trse 22.] "Behold, I cast her into a bed," signifies that 
 they arc left to their natural man, and to doclriyie of falsities 
 therein. — This is evident from the signification ofa"becl,"as 
 meaning tlic natural man, also doctrine of falsities (of which i)res- 
 ently). What now follows treats of those who suffer themselves 
 to be seduced by those who are in doctrine of falsities from the 
 delight of love of self and the world, who are meant by "Jeze- 
 bel" (as was said above). Those who suffer themselves to be 
 seduced are not like those who have falsified truths and adulterated 
 goods from the delight of those loves ; for such have recognized 
 truths and have applied them to favor their delights, and have 
 thus perverted them, and afterwards these are unable to turn them- 
 selves to truths and acknowledge them. These are treated of in 
 the preceding article (n. 162). But those who have not done this, 
 but have suffered themselves to be led away by those who have, 
 have not so closed the internal or spiritual man in them ; for they 
 have not themselves falsified truths, but have put faith in those 
 who have, because these falsities sound like truths. Such in fact 
 think no more deeply than that their leaders must be believed 
 because they are intelligent and wise ; thus they hang upon the 
 lips of a master. There are many such at this day in Christen- 
 dom, especially among those born in countries where the papal 
 religion prevails. Such as these are meant by those that commit 
 adultery with Jezebel in a bed. [2.] "Bed" signifies do6trine of 
 falsities, as well as the natural man, because dodlrine of falsities 
 has no other source than the natural man separated from the spir- 
 itual ; and the natural man separated from the spiritual sees 
 worldly things in light, but heavenly things in darkness ; it sees 
 falsity, therefore, in place of truth, and evil in place of good ; 
 moreover, if it sees truth it falsifies it, and if it sees good it 
 adulterates it ; for heaven flows into the natural or external man 
 through the spiritual or internal man, and not immediately into 
 the natural or external ; into it the world flows immediately. 
 And when the natural world with man is not governed by the 
 spiritual world, the bond with heaven is broken ; and when this 
 is broken man makes the world all-important, and heaven of 
 little or no account ; also self all-important, and God of litde or 
 no account. When the external or natural man is in such a state 
 it is in falsities from evils that gush forth out of love of self and 
 the world. As "bed," therefore, signifies the natural man, it also 
 signifies dodlrine of falsities. [3.] "Bed" signifies the natural 
 man, because the natural man underlies the spiritual, thus the 
 spiritual lies on it and on the things that are in it as on its own 
 bed. That "bed" signifies the natural man, also the doctrines 
 that are in it, can be seen from the passages in the Word where 
 
212 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 "bed" is mentioned, as in the following. In Amos : 
 
 "As the shepherd hath rescued out of the mouth of the lion two legs or 
 a bit of an ear, so shall the children of Israel be rescued that dwell 
 in Samaria on the corner of a bed, and on the end of a couch" 
 (iii. 12). 
 
 " Lion " signifies the church, here those therein that destroy goods 
 and truths; "legs and bit of an ear" are the goods that are 
 in the natural man, and something of perception of truth there- 
 from ; "the children of Israel that dwell in Samaria" are those 
 of the church ; "on the corner of the bed, and on the end of a 
 couch," means those in a little natural light from the spiritual, 
 and in some truths therefrom. [4.] In the same, 
 
 "Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountains of 
 Samaria ;. . . .to them that lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch them- 
 selves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and 
 the calves out of the midst of the stall ;. . . .that devise for them- 
 selves instruments of music ; that drink out of bowls of wine, and 
 anoint themselves with the first fruits of the oils: but they are 
 not grieved over the breach of Joseph" (vi. i, 4-6). 
 
 Those that "trust in the mountains of Samaria" are those that 
 trust in themselves, and from self-intelligence hatch out dodlrincb. 
 "Samaria" is the perverted spiritual church; "beds of ivory" 
 are fallacies of the senses on which doctrine is founded; "to 
 stretch themselves upon couches " is to confirm and multiply the 
 falsities therefrom; "to eat the lambs out of the flock, and the 
 calves out of the midst of the stall, .... to drink out of bowls of 
 wine and to anoint themselves with the first fruits of the oils," is 
 to draw the truths and goods of the Word out of the sense of its 
 letter and to apply and falsify them. "Not to be grieved over 
 the breach of Joseph" is not to care that the spiritual church is 
 perishing, and that its truths are being violated. (That "Joseph" in 
 
 the highest sense signifies the Lord in respedl to the Divine spiritual ; in the internal 
 sense the Lord's spiritual kingdom, thus the spiritual church ; and in the external 
 sense the frudlification of good and multiplication of truth, see A.C., n. 3969, 3971, 
 
 4669, 6417, 6526). [5.] In Moses : 
 
 "May the blessings of thy father prevail above the blessings of my 
 parents,. . . .may they be on the head of Joseph, and on the head 
 of the bed* of his brethren " (Gen. xlix. 26). 
 
 "Joseph," as was said, is the Lord's spiritual church; "the head 
 of the bed of his brethren " is the spiritual that flows into all the 
 
 truths and goods of that church (for the twelve sons or tribes of Israel sig- 
 nify all the truths and goods of the church in the complex, see A.C., n. 3858, 3926, 
 
 4060,6335). [6.] \n Ltike : 
 
 * The word leflus here is a participle, meaning one chosen. Swedenborg read 
 It in his Latin Bible for the noun lectus, a bed. In other places he quotes the pas- 
 sage correcfUv. 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE 22. — X. 163. 213 
 
 "I say unto you, In that nifjht there shall be two men in one bed ; one 
 shall be taken, the other shall be left. There shall be two women 
 grinding together ; one shall be taken, the other shall be left. There 
 shall be two men in the field ; one shall be taken, the other shall be 
 left " (xvii. 34-36). 
 
 This treats of the consummation of the age, which is the last time 
 of the church, when judgment takes place. To be "in one bed" 
 is to be in the same dotlrine of the church ; " two women grind- 
 ing" are those that collect and learn such things as are serviceable 
 to faith ; "two men in the field" are those in the church that apply 
 
 goods and truths to themselves. (That " those who grind " are those who 
 coUecft and learn such things as are serviceable to faith, see A.C., n. 4335, 7780, 9995 ; 
 that" field "means reception of truth and good, seen. 368,3310,9141. 9295.) [7.] In 
 
 Jesus said to the sick man at the pool of Bethesda, " Arise, take up thy 
 bed, and walk. And straightway the man was made whole, and 
 
 took up his bed, and walked Afterward Jesus findeth him, 
 
 and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole ; sin no more, lest 
 a worse thing befall thee" (v. 8-12, 14). 
 
 And in Mark : 
 
 They uncovered the roof where Jesus was, and " they let down the bed 
 whereon the sick of the palsy lay." .... Jesus said, "Whether is 
 easier, to say Thy sins are forgiven thee, or to say Arise, take up 
 thy bed and walk?" Then he said, "Arise, take up thy bed," and 
 walk, " and go thy way unto thine house." And immediately he 
 arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all " (ii. 4, 9, 1 1, 12). 
 
 The Lord saying to the sick, "Arise, take up thy bed, and 
 walk," signifies doctrine, and a life according thereto ; "bed" sig- 
 nifies doctrine, and "to walk" life (that "walking" is living, see 
 above, n. 97). "The sick man" signifies those that have trans- 
 gressed and sinned ; consequently the Lord said to the sick man 
 at the pool of Bethesda, " Behold, thou art made whole ; sin 
 no more, lest a worse thing befall thee ;" and to the paralytic let 
 down on a bed through the roof, " Whether is easier, to say Thy 
 sins are forgiven thee, or to say Arise, take up thy bed, and walk?" 
 Those who are ignorant of the internal sense of the Word may 
 suppose that the words that the Lord spoke involve nothing more 
 than what is ob\-ious in the sense of the letter, when yet every 
 particular of what the Lord spoke has a spiritual meaning, for He 
 spoke from the Divine, and thus in the presence both of heaven 
 and of the world (see A.c.n. 2533, 4637,4807,9048, 9063, 9086, 10126, 10276). 
 [8.] The bed of Og, the king of Bashan, is thus described in Moses : 
 
 "Og, king of Bashan, remained of the remnants of the Rephaim : be- 
 hold, his bed was a bed of iron ; is it not in Rabbah of the sons of 
 Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the 
 breadth of it. after the cubit of a man" (Deitt. iii. 11). 
 
214 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 The bed of Og is here described, because he was of the remnants 
 of the Rephaim, and was king of Bashan ; for by the " Rephaim " 
 those were signified who were in the loveof self above others, and 
 therefore to the fullest extent natural, and from a persuasion of 
 their eminence over others were in falsities of e\'ery kind (see A.C.. 
 n. 581, 1268, 1270, 1271, 1673, 7686). And by " Bashan " the external of 
 the church, thus the natural, was signified, for Bashan was outside 
 the land of Canaan where the church was. On this account the bed 
 of Og is described, which would not have been described unless 
 such things had been signified by " Og ;" for whatsoever is men- 
 tioned in the Word, even in the histories, is significative as to 
 every expression. From this it is that the Word is spiritual in 
 each and every particular, and therefore Divine from inmosts to 
 outmosts. On this account, also, it is said that the bed was " of 
 iron," that it was "in Rabbah of the sons of Ammon," and that 
 " nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of 
 it, after the cubit of a man." For "iron" signifies what is natural 
 (see below, n. 176); "Rabbah of Ammon" signifies falsifications 
 of truth (see A.C.n. 2468) ; and "nine cubits the length thereof, and 
 four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man," signifies 
 the conjundion of evil and falsity. [9.] From all this it can be 
 seen what the Word is in its bosom. Because "bed" signifies 
 do6lrine, it was among the statutes in the church with the children 
 of Israel, 
 
 That "every bed whereon he that hath the issue lieth should be un- 
 clean ;" and that " the man who touched his bed should wash his 
 clothes, and bathe himself in waters " {Lev. xv. 4, 5). 
 
 "Having the issue" signifies those who are in natural love, sepa- 
 rate from spiritual love; "washing the clothes, and bathing him- 
 self in waters," signifies purification by truths of faith (see Doarhie 
 cf the New Jerusalem, n. 202-209). Because "Jacob" in the Word sig- 
 nifies the external church, which is with those who are in natural 
 light, and who live a moral life from obedience of faith, though not 
 from internal afifedion, when "Jacob" is talked about there is in the 
 spiritual world above on the right, the appearance of a man lying 
 in a bed ; therefore in the Word it is said of him when he was 
 dying, 
 
 " When Jacob had made an end of charging his sons, he gathered up 
 his feet upon his bed, and expired " {Gen. xlix. 33). 
 
 It is said "he gathered up his feet upon the bed," because 
 "feet" also signify the natural (see A.C., n. 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 
 4938-49S2V 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE 23. — N. 166. 215 
 
 164. "And those that commit adultery with her into great 
 
 affliction" sij^niiicii giifivits h»ipfations /or Ihose who suryfiidfr 
 themselves to the falsities of such. — This is evident from the sig- 
 nificution of "committing adultery," as meaninq; to falsify truths 
 (see above, n. 141); therefore "to commit adultery with Jeze- 
 bel " is to surrender oneself to the falsities of tho.se sie^nified by 
 "Jezebel ;" and from the signification of "affliction," as meaning 
 infestation of truths by falsities (see above, n. 47), here tempta- 
 tion, since temptation with man is nothing else but infestation of 
 
 truth by falsities (see The Deft rine of the Nc-v Jerusalem, n. i88, 196, 197) ; 
 
 therefore "casting those who commit adultery with her into great 
 affliction " signifies the grievous temptations of those who surrender 
 themselves to the falsities of such. Here those are treated of with 
 whom the spiritual or internal man is not so closed, because they 
 are in some spiritual afifecflion for truth, and yet they suffer them- 
 selves to be seduced by those who are in do6lrine of falsities (see 
 above, n. 162). As these admit falsities into the memory of their 
 natural man, with which falsities the internal spiritual man cannot 
 agree, for this admits nothing but truths, a combat arises betw'een 
 the spiritual and the natural man. This combat is temptation, and 
 
 this is signified by " great afflicflion." (That temptation is combat between 
 the spiritual and natural man, see Doctrine of the A'ew yerusalern, n. 190, 194, 197, 
 199)- 
 
 165. "Except they repent of their ivor^j " signifies except 
 they separate themselves from thejn. — This is evident from the 
 signification of "repenting," as meaning to separate oneself from 
 falsities (of which see above, n. 143) ; also from the signification 
 of "works," which are here whoredoms with Jezebel, by which are 
 signified reception of falsities (of which see just above, n. 163). 
 To separate oneself from these is to repent, and to repent is to 
 refrain from evils and falsities, and afterwards to shun them and 
 
 turn away from them (see The Do(flrineo/ the New yerusalem.n. \6i, 16s, 
 169, seq.). 
 
 166. [Verse 23.] "And her sons I will kill with death" signifies 
 that thus falsities are exti?igjiished. — This is evident from the signi- 
 fication of "sons," as meaning truths of the church from the Word, 
 and, in the contrary sense, fiilsities (of which presently) ; also from 
 the signification of "killing with death," as meaning to extinguish ; 
 for falsities are separated, and as it were extinguished by tempta- 
 tions, and by man's refraining from them, and shunning them and 
 turning away from them. "Sons" in the Word signify truths, 
 and in the contrary sense fiilsities, because the spiritual sense of 
 the Word treats only of such things as relate to the church and 
 
2l6 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 heaven ; and all things of the church and of heaven have reference 
 to goods which are of love, and to truths which are of faith. From 
 this it is that names of kinships and relationships, as husband, 
 wife, son, daughter, brother, sister, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, and 
 others, signify spiritual things that have reference to spiritual birth, 
 which is regeneration, and to the heavenly marriage, which is the 
 marriage of good and truth. The things that are born of this mar- 
 riage are likewise goods and truths. From this it is that "daugh- 
 ters" in the Word signify goods, and "sons" truths, both derived 
 from the good that is signified by "father," and from the truth 
 
 that is signified by " mother." (That all the truths and goods that are with 
 the regenerate man are conjoined according to spiritual relationships, and result 
 therefrom, see A.C., n. 2508, 3815, 4121. That all who are in heaven are also as- 
 sociated according to spiritual relationships, see Heaven and Hell, n. 205. That 
 "sons" signify truths and affecftions for truth, is shown in A.C., n. 489, 491, 533, 
 2623, 3373, 4257, 8649, 9807 ; that " sons of sons " signify truths in successive order, 
 n. 6583, 6584; that by "father," "mother," "brethren," "children," goods and 
 truths, or evils and falsities with man are signified, n. 10490 ; that " to smite the mother 
 upon the sons," is to destroy all things of the church, n. 4257 ; that the Lord called 
 Himself " the Son of man," because He was Divine truth, and because every truth 
 of heaven and of the church goes forth from Him, see above, n. 63.) 
 
 167. "And all \ihe churches] shall know that I am He that 
 searcheth the reins and hearts" signifies f/ie acknotvledgment of 
 all who are of the ch2i7'ch, that the Lord alone knows and explores 
 the exteriors and interiors, and the things that are of faith and 
 love. — This is evident from the signification of "searching," as 
 meaning, in reference to the Lord, that He alone knows and ex- 
 plores ; also from the signification of "reins," as meaning truths 
 of faith and their purification from falsities (of which in what fol- 
 lows) ; also from the signification of "hearts," as meaning goods 
 of love. "Heart" signifies the good of love, because there are 
 two things that rule in man, and from these is the whole life of his 
 body, namely, the heart and the lungs. And as all things in 
 man's body correspond to the things that are in his mind, there 
 are two things also that rule there, namely, the will and the under- 
 standing. These two kingdoms of the mind correspond to the 
 two kingdoms of the body, namely, the will to the heart and its 
 pulse, and the understanding to the lungs and their respiration. 
 Without this correspondence the body could not live, not even a 
 particle of it. As the heart corresponds to the will, so it corre- 
 sponds to good of love ; and as the lungs correspond to the un- 
 derstanding, so they correspond to truths of faith. It is from this 
 correspondence that "heart" signifies love, and "soul" signifies 
 faith. It is from this that the expression "from the heart and soul " 
 is so often used in the Word, by which is meant from love and faith. 
 
CHAP. II., VEKSE 23. — N. 167. 217 
 
 (As this correspondence is much treated of in the Arcana Caelestia, these things may 
 be seen more fully explained there, namely, that " heart " in the Word signifies love ; 
 and because it signifies love, it also signifies the will, n. 2930, 3313, 7542, 8910, 9050. 
 91 13, 10336. That the heart corresponds to the things that are of love with man, 
 and the lungs to the things that are of faith with him, n. 3883-3896. That in heaven 
 there is a pulse such as that of the heart, and a respiration such as that of the lungs, 
 n. 3884, 3885. 3887. That the pulse of the heart there is in accord with the state of 
 love, and the respiration of the lungs in accord with the state of faith, n. 3886-3889. 
 That the influx of the heart into the lungs is like the influx of good into truth, and 
 like the influx of the will into the understanding; it is also according to the influx 
 of love into faith, and there are like communications and conjundlions, n. 3884, 
 3887-3889, 9300, 9495. Of influx of heaven into the heart and into the lungs, from 
 experience, n. 3884. That from that correspondence in the Word, " from the heart 
 and soul" signifies from \ove and faith, n. 2930, 9050. That the conjunclion of 
 man's spirit with his body is by means of the respiration of the lungs and the pulse 
 of the heart, and that therefore when these cease man dies as to the body, but lives 
 ns to the spirit, see Heaven and Hell ; and that when the pulse ot the heart ceases, 
 the spirit is separated, because the hcait corresponds to love, which is the vital heat, 
 n. 447, in the same work. Many other things respecting this correspondence, see 
 
 n. 95.) "Reins" signify truths of faith, and their purification from 
 falsities, because the purification of the blood is performed in the 
 reins, and "blood" in the Word signifies truth (as may be seen, A.C., 
 n. 4735, 9127). The same is signified by the organ that purifies ; 
 and all purification from falsities is effe6led by truths. From this 
 it is clear what is signified in the Word by the expression, that 
 Jehovah, or the Lord, "searches the hearts and reins," namely, 
 that He e.xplores the truths of faith and goods of love, and sep- 
 arates them from evils and falsities. [2.] This is signified by 
 "reins" in the following places. In yeremiah: 
 
 "Jehovah Zebaoth, Judge of righteousness, trying the reins and the 
 heart " (xi. 20). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root; they grow, yea, 
 they bring forth fruit: Thou art near in their mouth, and far from 
 their reins. But thou. O Jehovah, .... Thou shalt see me, and shalt 
 try my heart' (xn. 2, 3). 
 
 " Near in the mouth and far from the reins" is truth in the memorv 
 only, and in .some thought therefrom when man speaks, but not 
 in the will and from that in adL Truth in the will and from that 
 in a6l is what separates and dissipates falsities. Truth in the will 
 and from that in a6l is willing and doing what a man knows and 
 thinks to be true ; such truth is what is especially meant by " reins." 
 [3.] In the same, 
 
 " I, Jehovah, search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man 
 according to his wavs, and according to the fruits of his works" 
 (xvii. TO). 
 
 "Searching the heart" is purifying good by separating evil from 
 
21 8 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 it ; "proving the reins " is purifying truth by separating falsity from 
 it ; it IS therefore said " to give to every man according to his ways, 
 and according to the fruit of his works;" "ways" are truths that 
 are of faith, and "the fruit of works" are goods that are of love. 
 
 (That "ways " are truths that are of faith, see above, n. 97 '< ^"^ *^^'i* " *hs fruit of 
 works" are goods that are of love, n. 98, IO9, 1 16.) [4.] In the same. 
 
 "Jehovah Zebaoth, that triest the righteous, that seestthe reins and the 
 heart" (xx. 12). 
 
 And in David : 
 
 "Establish thou the righteous; for thou that triest the hearts and the 
 reins art a righteous God " {Psalm vii. 9) : 
 
 the "righteous" are those who love to do what is true and good, 
 whose goods and truths are purified by the Lord, which is meant 
 by "seeing" and by "trying the reins and the hearts." In David : 
 
 "Prove me, O Jehovah, and try me, explore my reins and my heart" 
 {Psalm xxvi. 2). 
 
 Because truths are separated from falsities and goods from evils by 
 means of trials [temptations], it is said, "Try me." In the same, 
 
 " My heart is grieved, and I am pricked in my reins, so foolish am I and 
 ignorant" {Psalm Ixxiii. 21, 22). 
 
 The infestation of good by evil and of truth by falsity is described 
 by these words. In the same, 
 
 " Behold, thou desirest truth in the reins, and in the hidden part thou 
 makest wisdom known to me " {Psalm li. 6). 
 
 Here there is another word in the original for "reins," that in- 
 cludes the separation both of falsities from truths and of evils 
 from goods. This shows that the "reins" signify purification and 
 separation. [5.] In the same, 
 
 "I will bless Jehovah, who hath given me counsel ; also my reins corredl 
 me in the night seasons " {Psalm xvi. 7). 
 
 "Night seasons" signify the state of man when falsities rise up; 
 the consequent combat of truths with falsities is signified by " my 
 reins corre6l me." In the same, 
 
 •'Even the darkness doth not make darkness before Thee, but the night 
 is lucid as the day ; as the darkness so is the light. For Thou pos- 
 sessest my reins, . . . my bone was not hidden from Thee when I 
 was made in secret" {Psalm cxxxix. 12, 13, 15). 
 
 "Darkness" means falsities, and "light" truths; to "possess the 
 reins" is to know falsities and truths with man; therefore it is 
 said, " my bone was not hidden from Thee when I was made in 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE 23. — N. 168. 219 
 
 secret," which signifies tliat no falsity that was made was hidden. 
 
 (That " darkness " means falsity, and " liglit " truth, see Htaven and Hell, x\. 126-140; 
 and that " bone " means truth in the outmost of order, and in the contrary sense, falsity, 
 
 A.C., n. 3812. 5560, 5565, 6592, 8005.) [6.] As " the reins " signified truths 
 purified from falsities, so 
 
 In the sacrifices, the fats and reins alone were offered up (as may be seen 
 in Exod. xxix. 13 ; Lev. iii. 4, 10, 15 ; iv. 9 ; and elsewhere). 
 
 Fats and reins alone were offered upon the altar because "fats" 
 signified goods of love, and " reins " truths of faith. (That " fats " or 
 
 " fatnesses " signify the goods of love, see A.C., n. 353, 5943, 6409, 10033. That the 
 "reins" signify truths of faith, examining, purifying, and rejecting from themselves 
 falsities, is from correspondence; for each and every thing of the body corresponds, 
 as can be seen in Heaven and Hell, where this is shown in the chapter entitled, 
 There is a Correspondence of all things of Heaven with all things of Man, n. 87-102; 
 
 and on the Reins, n. 96, 97.) Unless it be known that there is such a 
 correspondence, w^ho could ever know- why it is so often said of 
 Jehovah or the Lord in the Word, that " He searches and tiies the 
 
 reins and tlie heart?" (On the correspondence of the reins, of the ureters, 
 and of the bladder, see further, ^.C, n. 5380-5386.) To "search the reins 
 
 and the heart" signifies also to explore the exteriors and interiors 
 of man, because truth is without and good is within ; and spiritual 
 good, which in its essence is truth, and in particular is signified 
 by the "reins," is exterior good; while celestial good, which in 
 particular is signified by the "heart," is interior good. (This can be 
 
 seen more fully from what is shown respedling The Spiritual Kingdom and the Celes- 
 tial Kingdom, in Heaven and Hell, n. 20-26). 
 
 l68* "And I will give to each one of you according to your 
 
 works" .signifies denial blessedness aecordmg to one's iyiternal in 
 the external. — This is evident from the signification of "works," as 
 meaning the things that are of lo\'e and of faith therefrom (of 
 which see above, n. 98, 116) ; and as meaning the same in deeds or 
 works (see n. 157) ; also from the signification of "giving to each 
 one according to his works," as meaning eternal blessedness ; for 
 everything blessed and delightful is of love and according to the 
 love (of which also see above, n. 146). Here "giving to each one 
 according to his works " signifies eternal blessedness according to 
 the internal in the external, because those are here treated of who 
 are both in the internal and the external and the conjunction of the 
 two (see above, n. 150). It is said, eternal blessedyiess according to 
 the internal in the external, because all hea\'enly blessedness with 
 man, spirit, and angel, flows-in through the internal into their ex- 
 ternal ; for their internal is formed for the reception of all things of 
 heaven, and their external for the reception of all thingsof the world ; 
 therefore heavenly blessedness is possible with those only in whom 
 
220 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 the internal has been opened and formed after the image of hea\en ; 
 and not with those in whom the internal has been shut ; the blessed- 
 ness of these is the delight of honor, glory, and gain, which delight 
 a man may have so long as he lives in the world. (But after death. 
 
 when man becomes a spirit, this is changed into the corresponding delight which is 
 filthy and direful, see Heaven and Hell, n. 485-490 ; and that the blessedness of 
 heaven, which is called heavenly joy, those only have who are in the internal and 
 from that in the external, see the same, n. 395-414; and what the internal and the 
 external are, see The Do^rine of the Neiv jferusalem, n. 36-53). 
 
 169* [k'erse 24.] "But unto you / say, and unto the rest in 
 Thyatira," signifies to all a7id each one with whom the inter^ial is 
 co7ijoined to the exter7ial. — This is evident from what was said and 
 shown above (n. 150), namely, that in what is written to the an- 
 gel of the church in Thyatira those are described who are in the 
 internal and from that in the external, thus those with whom the 
 internal is conjoined to the external. 
 
 170. "As many as have not this doctrine" signifies with 
 who?n external delight, which is the delight of love of self a7id 
 the -world, is 7iot doi7ii7ia7it. — This is evident from the signification 
 of that "do6lrine" which "Jezebel, who calleth herself a prophet- 
 ess," taught, and by which she seduced, as meaning the delight of 
 love of self and the world (of which see above, n. 159-161). Here 
 "do<5lrine" signifies life ; so by "not having it" is signified not to 
 live according to it ; for what is meant is having do6lrine in them- 
 selves ; and to have do6lrine in themselves, is to have it in the life. 
 From this it is clear that by the "doctrine of Jezebel" is meant 
 the life of love of self and the world. 
 
 171. "And who have not known the depths of Satan, as they 
 say," signifies enta7igle77ie7it with these, as is evident from this, 
 that the loves that rule in the hells are the loves of self and of the 
 world, and those loves are wholly contrary to love to the Lord 
 and love to the neighbor, which rule in heaven. " Satan," by whom 
 is meant hell (see above, n. 120), unceasingly inspires the loves of 
 self and of the world ; and these man receives with delight, because 
 they are in him hereditarily, and are therefore his p7-oprita7i [his 
 own] ; thus hell insinuates itself with man and entangles him. This 
 is what is signified by "the depths of Satan." There are few, how- 
 ever, who are aware of this, because these loves, as they are man's 
 propritim [man's own] by inheritance, draw his mind to themselves 
 by allurements from delight, and thus draw him away from the de- 
 lights of heavenly loves, even until he does not know what the 
 delights of heaven are. These delights of love of self and love of 
 the world are what shut up the internal man and open the external ; 
 
CHAP. II., VKRSE 26. — N. I74. 22 1 
 
 and to the extent that the external is opened the internal is shut, 
 so that man is finally in total darkness in respedl to the things of 
 heaven antl the church, though in light [lumen) in respc6t to the 
 
 things ot self and the world. (These things may be seen more fully described 
 in Hiiiviit and Hell, in the chapter where it is shown that The Divine of the Lord 
 in Heaven is Love to Him, and Charity towards the Neighbor, n. 13-19 ; and in the 
 chapter where it is shown that All who are in the Hells are in Evils and in Falsities 
 therefrom, out of the loves of Self and of the World, and that these loves are the 
 Infernal Fire, n. 551-565, 566-575 ; also in The Doilrine of the New yerusalem, n. 
 65-83, where these two loves are treated of.) 
 
 172. "/ put upon you no other burden" signifies that this 
 alone should be guarded against. — This is e\'ident from the sig- 
 nification of " laying a burden " upon those in whom the internal 
 can be conjoined with the external, as meaning that they should 
 carefully guard against this, siiice the delights of these two lo\es 
 are the sole cause of the shutting of man's internal, which looks to 
 heaven. When that is shut no conjundlion of the internal with the 
 external, which looks to the world, is possible, nor any influx from 
 heaven. It is said "burden," because man's propriion [what is 
 man's own], which is to love self abo\-e God, and the world above 
 heaven, offers resistance. 
 
 173. [ Verse 25.] "Howbelt, that which ye have, hold till I come," 
 signifies steadfastness in a state of good of love ayid faith, even to 
 visitation. — This is evident from the signification of "that which 
 ye have, hold," as meaning to be steadfast in a state of love and 
 faith, thus in a state of conjunction of the internal with the exter- 
 nal, in which they are capable of being so far as they resist the 
 delights of the loves of self and of the world. For so far as man 
 removes these delights from him is the internal conjoined with the 
 external, thus more in one man and less in another. This is evi- 
 dent also from the signification of "till I come," as meaning vis- 
 itation (of which see above, n. 144). 
 
 174. [Verse 26.] "And he thai overcometh and keepeth My 
 works unto the end" signifies perseverance in love and faith after 
 combat against these loves and their removal as far as possible. — 
 This is evident from the signification of " overcoming," as meaning 
 to fight against the delights of the loves of self and of the world, 
 and to remove them. That this is the spiritual sense of these 
 words follows from the conneclion. It is evident also from the 
 signification of "keeping unto the end," as meaning perseverance 
 even unto death ; for he who perseveres even unto death in love 
 and faith is saved ; such as he then is in respeft to his whole life, 
 he thenceforth remains to eternity (see above, n. 125). It is evi- 
 dent also from the signification of "works," as meaning the things 
 of lovo and faith in cause and in effec^t, that is, in internals and in 
 
222 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 externals. These things are here signified by "works," because 
 these are the things treated of in what is written to the angel of 
 this church (see above, n. 150). It is said, "keepeth my works," 
 because everything of love and faith, and every opening of the 
 internal and its conjun6lion with the external, is h'om the Lord 
 alone ; therefore the "works," by which these are signified, are not 
 man's, but the Lord's with man ; and consequendy it is said " My 
 works." 
 
 I75[/f]. "/ will give him power over the nations" signifies 
 over the evils within him, which will then be dispersed by the 
 Lord. — This is evident from the signification of" nations," as mean- 
 ing evils (of which presently) ; and from the signification of" giving 
 power over them," as meaning that these (the evils) will then be 
 dispersed by the Lord. "To have power," in reference to "over 
 the nations," means to disperse, in reference to evils ; thus there is 
 an adaptation of words to their subje6ls. It is said that evils will 
 be dispersed by the Lord, for the Lord disperses evils by means of 
 truths. He first discovers them to man by means of truths, and 
 when man acknowledges the evils, the Lord disperses them. (That 
 
 the Lord alone does this, see Do£lrine of the New yerusalem, n. 200.) " Nations 
 
 and peoples" are often mentioned iq. the Word, and those who 
 know nothing of the spiritual or internal sense of the Word sup- 
 pose that peoples and nations are to be understood. But " peo- 
 ples" mean those who are in truths, or in the contrary sense those 
 who are in falsities, and "nations" those who are in goods, or in 
 the contrary sense, those who are in evils. And as such are meant 
 by "peoples" and by "nations," so abstra6lly from persons "peo- 
 ples" mean truths or falsities, "nations" goods and evils ; for the 
 true spiritual sense is abstracted from persons, spaces, times, and 
 like things, that are proper to nature. [2.] With these the natural 
 sense of the Word, which is the sense of its letter, is at one ; and 
 the sense that is at one with these serves as a basis to the sense 
 that is apart from them. For all things that are in nature are 
 outmosts of Divine order, and the Divine does not rest in the 
 middle, but flows down even to its outmosts, and there rests. 
 From this it is that the Word in the letter is such as it is, and un- 
 less it were such it would not sei^ve as a basis for the wisdom of 
 angels, who are spiritual. It can be seen from this how mistaken 
 those are who despise the Word on account of its style. " Nations " 
 signify those who are in good, and in the abstrafl, goods, because 
 men lived in ancient times divided up into nations, families, and 
 houses ; they then loved each other mutually ; and the father of 
 a nation lo\'ed the whole nation which sprang from him ; thus 
 
CHAT. II., VERSE 26. — N. I75[<?]. 223 
 
 good of love prevailed among them. For this reason "nations" 
 signified goods. But when men came into the opposite state, which 
 took place in the following ages when dominions w^ere established, 
 
 then " nations " signified evils. (See further in The Earths in Ihe Universe, 
 
 n. 49.90. 173, 174). [3.] That " nations" in the Word signify either 
 goods or evils, and "people" either truths or falsities, can be seen 
 from the following passages. In Isaiah : 
 
 "Nations shall walk to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy ris- 
 ing Then shalt thou see and flow together, and thine heart .... 
 
 shall be enlarged, because the multitude of the sea is converted 
 unto Thee, the hosts of the nations come unto Thee,. . . .thy gates 
 shall be opened continually, they shall not be shut by day and 
 by night, that men may bring unto Thee the host of the nations, and 
 their kings shall be brought ; for the nation or kingdom that will 
 not serve Thee shall perish ; and the nations by wasting shall be 
 
 wasted Thou shalt suck the milk of nations, even the breasts 
 
 of kings shalt thou suck The little one shall become a thou- 
 sand, and the few a numerous nation" (Ix. 3, 5, 11, 12, 16, 22). 
 
 Here the Lord is treated of; and by "nations" all who are in good 
 of love to Him are meant, and by "kings" all who are in truths 
 of faith in Him. From this it is manifest who are meant by the 
 "nations" that "shall walk to thy light ;" and by "the host of the 
 nations that shall be brought ;" also, who are meant by " kings " 
 that "shall walk to the brightness of thy rising;" and by "the 
 kings of the nations" that "shall be brought;" also, what is 
 meant by "thou shalt suck the milk of nations and the breasts of 
 kings" ("milk" is the delight of good of love, likewise "breasts," 
 for milk is from them). The multiplication of truth and the fru6l- 
 ification of good are described by "the little one shall become a 
 thousand, and the few a numerous nation." But by "the nations 
 that shall be wasted" are meant all that are in evils, also the evils 
 themselves. [4.] In the same, 
 
 " Behold I will lift up My hand towards the nations, and set up Mine en- 
 sign towards the peoples, that they may bring thy sons in the bosom, 
 and carry thy daughters upon the shoulder ; and kings shall be thy 
 nourishers and princesses thy sucklers ; with the face to the earth 
 shall they bow down to thee " (xlix. 22, 23). 
 
 Here also the Lord is treated of, and those who shall worship and 
 adore Him. To "lift up His hand towards the nations, and His 
 ensign towards the peoples," is to join to Himself all who are in 
 goods of love and in truths therefrom ; of these it is said that 
 "they shall bring thy sons in the bosom, and carry thy daughters 
 upon the shoulder;" "sons" are afifeclions for truth, and "daugh- 
 ters" affeclions for good (see above, n. 166). And of the.se it is 
 said that their "kings shall be thy nourishers, and princesses thy 
 
224 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 sucklers." "Kings" are truths themselves, "princesses" are the 
 goods thereof; and as man is regenerated by both of these, and 
 also nourished, it is said that they shall be "nourishers" and 
 
 "sucklers." (That man is regenerated by means of truths and a life according 
 to them, see Doflrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 23, 24, 27, 186.) This is the 
 
 internal sense of these words ; without that sense who could un- 
 derstand them? [5.] In the same, 
 
 "Jehovah said, Behold I spread out upon [Jerusalem] peace as a river, 
 
 and as a torrent the glory of the nations, that ye may suck 
 
 He will come to gather all nations and tongues, that they may 
 
 come and see My glory They shall declare My glory among 
 
 the nations ; then shall they bring your brethren out of all nations, 
 as a gift to Jehovah, upon horses and upon the chariot, .... to the 
 mountain of My holiness " (Ixvi. 12, 18-20). 
 
 Here "Jerusalem" is the Lord's church in the heavens and on the 
 earth ; it is said the church in the heavens, for the church is there 
 also (see Heaven and Hell, n. 221-227). By "nations and tongucs " all 
 who are in goods of love and in truths therefrom are meant. It is 
 said that " they shall bring out of all nations a gift to Jehovah, upon 
 horses and upon the chariot;" "a gift to Jehovah" is worship 
 from good of love ; "horses and chariots" are intellectuals and 
 do6lrinals, for these are the source and foundation of worship. (That 
 
 this is what " horses and chariots " signify, see The White Horse, n.i-^.) [6.] In 
 
 the same, 
 
 " It shall be in that day that a Root of Jesse, which shall stand for a sign 
 of the people, the nations shall seek" (xi. 10). 
 
 "The root of Jesse" is the Lord ; "to stand for a sign of the peo- 
 ple" means that it may be seen by those who are in truths ; "the 
 nations which shall seek," are those who are in good of love. 
 It is supposed that "nations" here mean the nations that are to 
 approach and acknowledge the Lord, from which is to l^e the 
 church that is called the church of the nations ; but these are not 
 meant by "nations," but all who are in love to the Lord and faith 
 in Him, whether within the church or out of it (see Heaven and Hell, n. 
 308, 318-328.) [7.] In the same, 
 
 "A strong people shall honor Thee, the city of the powerful nations 
 shall fear Thee " (xxv. 3), 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation may enter in Thou 
 
 hast increased the nation, O Jehovah, Thou hast increased the na- 
 tion. Thou art glorified" (xxvi. 2, 15). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " Come near, ye nations, to hear ; and hearken, ye peoples " (xxxiv. 1), 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE 26.— N. I75[(5]. 225 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " I, Jehovah, have called thee in righteousness for a covenant to the 
 
 people, for a light of the nations " (xlii. 6). 
 
 In yeroniah : 
 
 "The nations shall bless themselves in Him, and in Him shall they 
 glory " (iv. 2). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Who will not fear Thee, O king of nations? and in all their king- 
 
 dom there is none like unto Thee" (x. 7). 
 
 In Daniel : 
 
 "I was seeing in the night visions, and behold with the clouds of heaven 
 
 One like the Son of man And there was given Him dominion, 
 
 and glory, and a kingdom ; and all peoples, nations, and tongues 
 shall worship Him" (vii. 13, 14). 
 
 In David : 
 
 "The peoples shall give thanks unto Thee, O God ; all the peoples shall 
 give thanks unto Thee. Let the nations be glad and sing for joy : 
 for Thou shall judge the peoples with equity, and shalt lead the na- 
 tions upon earth " {Psalm Ixvii. 3, 4). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "That I may see the good of Thy chosen, and be glad in the joy of Thy 
 nations " {Psalm cvi. 5). 
 
 In the Apocalypse : 
 
 The glory and honor of the nations shall be brought into the New Jeru- 
 salem (xxi. 26). 
 
 In Isaiah : 
 
 "Ye shall be called priests of Jehovah ; ministers of our God, it shall be 
 said to you. Ye shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their 
 glory shall ye glory " (Ld. 6). 
 
 In the Lamentations : 
 
 " The breath of our nostrils, the Anointed of Jehovah, was taken in their 
 pits ; of whom we had said, Under His shadow we shall live among 
 the nations " (iv. 20). 
 
 In these passages, by "nations" all who are in love to the Lord, 
 whether within the church where the Word is or out of it, are 
 meant. 
 
 [ft.] [8.] That by' "nations" in a contrary sense those who 
 are in evils are meant, and in the abstradl, e\ils themselves, can be 
 seen from the following passages. In yeroniah : 
 
 " I will bring a nation upon you from far, .... it is a mighty nation ; it 
 is a nation of an age, a nation whose language thou shalt not know. 
 .... It shall eat up thy harvest and thy bread ; it shall eat thy sons 
 and thy daughters ; .... it shall eat up thy vine and thy fig tree ; 
 it shall impoverish thy cities .... with the sword " (v. 15, 17). 
 
226 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 The vastation of the church is here treated of; and by "nation'' 
 is meant the evil that will consummate it ; it is therefore said, that 
 "it shall eat up the harvest and the bread," "the sons and daugh- 
 ters," "the vine and the fig tree," and "shall impoverish the cities 
 with the sword ;" by which all goods of love and truths of faith 
 are signified ; by " harvest " a state of reception of truth from good 
 
 (see A.C, n. 9295) ; by " bread " good of love (see Doarlne of the New Je- 
 
 i^saiefn, n. 218) ; by "sons and daughters" affedlions for truth and 
 good (see above, n. 166) ; by "vine" the internal church, thus the 
 internal things of the church (see A.C, n. 1069, 5113, 6376, 9277) ; by 
 "fig tree" the external church, thus the external things of the 
 church [A.C, n. 5113) ; by "cities" do6lrines {A.C, n. 402, 2449, 2712, 
 2943, 3216, 4492, 4493) ; by "sword" falsity destroying (see above, n. 
 73, I3i[<5]). From all this it can be seen that by "nation" is sig- 
 nified the evil that destroys all these. [9.] In the same, 
 
 " Behold I lay stumblingblocks before this people, that they may stum- 
 
 ble upon them, the fathers and the sons together Behold a 
 
 people Cometh from the land of the north, and a great nation from 
 
 the sides of the earth They have no mercy, their voice roar 
 
 eth like the sea, and they ride upon horses" (vi. 21-23). 
 
 Here also "nation" means evil, and "peoples" falsities, "the stum- 
 blingblocks upon which the fathers and the sons stumble" are 
 perversions of good and truth ("fathers" are goods, and "sons" 
 truths therefrom). It is said, "a people from the land of the north 
 and a nation from the sides of the earth," for the "north " signifies 
 falsity from evil, and "the sides of the earth " signify what is out 
 of the church, thus evils remote from the goods of the church. 
 "To roar like the sea, and to ride upon horses," is to persuade 
 by fallacies of the senses, and by reasonings therefrom. [10.] In 
 Ezekiel: 
 
 " The land is full of the judgment of bloods, and the city is full of vio- 
 lence, wherefore I will bring the worst of the nations, that they 
 may occupy their houses ; . . . . the king shall mourn, and the prince 
 shall be clothed with stupor" (vii. 23, 24, 27). 
 
 The "land" is the church ; "full of the judgment of bloods" is to 
 be in falsities that destroy goods ; "city" is do6trine ; "full of vio- 
 lence" is to use force against good of charity ; "the worst of the 
 nations" are direful falsities from evil; "to occupy their houses" 
 is to possess their minds; "the king w.ho shall mourn" is the 
 truth of the church ; "the prince who shall be clothed with stu- 
 por," is subservient truth. (That the " land " is the church, see A.C, n. 662. 
 1066, 1068, 1262, 1413, 1607, 2928,3355,4447,453s, 5577, 8011, 9325, 9643; that 
 " bloods " are falsities destroying good, n. 374, 1005, 4735, 5476, 9127; that *' city " 
 is do6lrine, n. 2268, 2449, 2451, 2712, 2943, 3216, 4492, 4493; that " violence" is 
 using force against good of charity, n. 6353 ; that " houses " are the things of man that 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE 26. — N. i75[iJ]. 227 
 
 belong to his mind. n. 710. 2231, 2233. 2559, 3128. 3538, 4973, 5023, 6690, 7353, 7848, 
 7910, 7929, 9150; that "the kin-.^ wlio shall mourn" is the truth of the church, 
 see above, n. 31 [ij].) [||.] In David: 
 
 "Jehovah brinpeth the counsel of the nations to naught, He overthrow- 
 eth the thoughts of the people" (Psalm xxxiii. 10). 
 
 "Nations" mean those who are in evils, and "peoples" those who 
 are in falsities ; and because both are sii^nified, it is said that "Je- 
 hovah bringeth the counsel of the nations to naught, and over- 
 throweth the thoug-hts of the peoples," which are two expressions, 
 as it were, of one thino-, yet they are distincl in the internal sense, 
 in which "nations" signify one thing, and "peoples" another. 
 [12.] In Liike : 
 
 " Then they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led cap- 
 tive among all nations, and at length Jerusalem shall be trodden 
 down by the nations, until the time of the nations be fulfilled. 
 Then there shall be signs in sun, moon, and stars, and upon the 
 earth distress of nations,. . . .the sea and the waves roaring" (xxi. 
 24. 25). 
 
 The consummation of the age is here treated of, which is the last 
 time of the church, when there is no longer any faith because there 
 is no charity, that is, no truth because there is no good. This is 
 here described by correspondences : " to fall by the edge of the 
 sword" is to be destroyed by falsities; "to be led captive among 
 all nations" is to be possessed by evils of every kind ; "Jerusalem, 
 which shall be trodden down," is the church; the "sun" is love 
 to the Lord ; the "moon" faith in Him ; the "stars" knowledges 
 of good and truth; the "signs" in them mean that these are to 
 perish ; "the sea and the waves that shall roar" are fallacies and 
 reasonings therefrom. [13.] In Matthew : 
 
 "Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and 
 there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers 
 
 places And they shall deliver you unto affliiflion and ye 
 
 shall be hated of all the nations for My name's sake " (xxiv. 7, 9 ; 
 Luke xxi. 10, 1 1). 
 
 These things also were said by the Lord respe6ting the last time 
 of the church ; and by " nation shall rise against nation, and king- 
 dom against kingdom " is signified that there will be confli<5ls of 
 evils and falsities among themselves ; by "famines and pestilences" 
 are signified the failure and wasting of truths; by "earthquakes" 
 the perversion of the church ; by "being hated of all nations" is 
 signified to be hated by all who are in evil; "the name of the 
 Lord," for the sake of which they shall be hated, signifies all things 
 of love and faith whereby the Lord is worshipped (see above, n. 
 102, 136). ^14.] In Ezekiel : 
 
228 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 "Behold Asshir a cedar in Lebanon He has become high,. .. .and 
 
 his branches have been multiplied In his branches have all the 
 
 birds of the heavens built their nests, and under his branches all 
 the beasts of the field have brought forth, and in his shade have 
 
 dwelt all great nations But his heart is lifted up in his height ; 
 
 therefore I will give him into the hand of the mighty one of the 
 nations,. . . .strangers shall cut him off, the violent of the nations, 
 and they shall cast him down ;. . . .whence all peoples of the earth 
 have gone down from his shadow, and have left him " (xxxi. 3, 5, 
 6, 10-12). 
 
 These things no one can understand unless he has a knowledge of 
 the spiritual or internal sense of the Word. They may be supposed 
 to be mere comparisons, in which there is no spiritual signification ; 
 yet all the particulars therein signify things of heaven and the 
 church ; therefore they shall be explained briefly. " Asshur " is the 
 rational of the man of the church which is enlightened ; this is 
 called "a cedar in Lebanon," because a "cedar" has the same sig- 
 nification as "Asshur," specifically truth from good in the rational ; 
 and "Lebanon" is the mind where the rational resides, because 
 there were cedars in Lebanon. By " his branches that were mul- 
 tiplied" are meant truths therefrom; "the birds of heaven that 
 built their nests in his branches" are affedions for truth; and 
 "the beasts of the field that brought forth under his branches" 
 are afifedions for good ; the " great nations that dwelt in his shade " 
 are goods of love; "his heart lifted up in his height" is love of 
 self; "to be given into the hands of the mighty one of the na- 
 tions," and "to be cast down by the violent of the nations," means 
 that evils from that love will destroy goods and truths ; " the peoples 
 of the earth that went down from his shadow and left him" are 
 all truths of the church. From this it is manifest that "nations" 
 signify goods, and in the contrary sense evils ; by " the nations 
 that dwelt in his shade," goods ; and by the nations that cut 
 
 him off, and cast him down," evils. (See, moreover, what is said and 
 shown about nations and their signification in the Arcana Caelestia, namely, that by 
 " nations" in the Word are meant those who are in good, and consequently goods 
 themselves, n. 1059, 1159, 1258, 1260, 1416, 1849, 6005; "the assembly of the na- 
 tions," truths and goods, n. 4574, 7830 ; " the holy nation " the spiritual kingdom, 
 n. 9255, 9256 ; when it is said " nation and people," by " nation " those who are in 
 celestial good are meant, and by " people " those who are in spiritual good, n. 10288 ; 
 That by " nations," especially the nations of the land of Canaan, evils and falsities 
 of every kind are meant, n. 1059, 1205, 1868, 6306, 8054, 8317, 9320, 9327). 
 
 176. [Verse 27.'] "And He shall rule them with an iron rod" 
 
 signifies f/iaf He is abotit to correH evils by means of truths thai 
 are hi the natural man. — This is evident from the signification of 
 "ruling," as meaning to corredl, for it is added that " He would 
 shiver them as pottery vessels," and the evils which are signified 
 
CHAP. II., VF.RSE 27. — N. I 76. 229 
 
 ■ ire rf>i rented Ijy means of truths. It is evident also from the signi- 
 fication of "an iron rod," as meaning truths that are in the natural 
 man ; a "rod" or "staff" signifies the power by which corre<5tion 
 is effe<5ted : and "iron" truths in the natural man which corredl. 
 
 (That a " rod " or " staff" is power, see A.C., n. 4013, 4015, 4876, 4936, 6947, 7011, 
 7026, 7568, 7572 : that it is for this reason that kings have a sceptre, which is a short 
 
 staff, n. 4581, 4876.) "Iron" signifies truths in the natural man, be- 
 cause metals, as well as other things of the earth, by correspond- 
 ence signify things spiritual and celestial, all which have reference 
 to truths and goods. "Gold" signifies the good of the internal 
 man, "silver" its truth ; "copper" or "brass" the good of the ex- 
 ternal or natural man, "iron" its truth. For this reason the ages 
 were called by the ancients after the names of the metals, namely, 
 Golden, Silver, Copper, and Iron ; the Golden Age from the most 
 ancient men, who lived in the good of love; the Silver Age from 
 ancients after them who lived in truths from that good ; the 
 Copper Age from their posterity who were in external or natural 
 good ; the Iron Age from the posterity of these who were in natural 
 truth alone without good. Natural truth is truth in the memory, 
 
 not in the life ; truth of life is good. (But more about this correspond- 
 ence in Heaven and Hell, n. 104, 115.) [2.] The SUCCeSsivC States of the 
 
 church, even until the coming of the Lord, are meant by the 
 "gold," the "silver," the "brass," and the "iron," of which the 
 statue seen by Nebuchadnezzar in a dream was composed, which is 
 thus described in Daniel : 
 
 "His head was fine gold, his breast and his arms silver, his belly and 
 
 his thighs brass, his legs iron, his feet part iron and part clay 
 
 A stone was cut" out of the rock, and it "smote the image upon 
 his feet that were iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. . . . Where- 
 as thou sawest the feet . . . partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, 
 it signifies that the kingdom shall be divided ; . . . . the kingdom 
 shall be partly strong, and partly broken. Whereas thou sawest 
 the iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves by the 
 seed of man ; but they shall not cleave one to another, even as 
 iron doth not mingle with clay" (ii. 32-34, 41-43). 
 
 By " the head which was fine gold," the first state of the church 
 is meant, when men were in good of love to the Lord ; by 
 "the breast and arms which were silver," the second state of the 
 church is meant, when they were in truths from diat good ; by 
 " the belly and thighs which were of brass," the following or third 
 state of the church, when they were no l6nger in spiritual good 
 but in natural good, for "brass" signifies natural good; by "the 
 legs which were of iron," the fourth state of the church is meant, 
 when natural good was no more, but truth only ; but by "the feet 
 which were of iron and clay," the last state of the church is meant 
 
230 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 when there are both truth and falsity, truth in the Word and falsity 
 in dodlrine ; when the truths of the Word are falsified, and do6lrine 
 is drawn from truths falsified, the state of the church is " partly iron 
 and partly clay," thus the kingdom is "partly strong and partly 
 broken." " The kingdom " here is the church ; it is therefore called 
 also "the kingdom of God." That truths are thus mixed with 
 falsities, but still they do not cohere, is meant by these words, 
 "Whereas thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay, they shall 
 mingle themselves by the seed of man ; but they shall not cleave 
 one to another, even as iron doth not mingle with clay." "The seed 
 of man " is Divine truth, which is in the Word. (That this is signified 
 
 by " seed," see A.C., n. 3038, 3373, 10248, 10249 ; that " man " signifies the Lord, 
 from whom is the Word, and also signifies the church, see n. 768, 4287, 7424, 7523, 
 
 8547, 9276.) That " potter's clay " signifies the falsities that are in 
 the natural man, will be seen in the following article (n. 177). By 
 " the stone cut out of the rock," which "smote the image upon his 
 feet," the Lord by means of Divine truth is meant, and the de- 
 stru6lion of falsities not cohering with truths from the Word. (That 
 
 a "stone " is truth, and that " the stone of Israel " is the Lord in respect to Divine 
 truth, see A.C., n. 643, 1298, 3720, 6426, 8609, 10376 ; that " rock " likewise signifies 
 the Lord, n. 8581, 10580, and TAe Last Judgment, n. 57.) BccaUSe "iron" 
 
 signifies truths in the natural man, the "feet of the statue" were 
 seen to be "of iron," for "feet" signify the natural (see A.C., n. 2162, 
 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952). [3.] Like things are signified by 
 "gold," "silver," "brass," and "iron," in these words in Isaiah: 
 
 " For brass I will bring gold, for iron I will bring silver, for woods brass, 
 and for stones iron " (Ix. 17). 
 
 "To bring gold for brass" means celestial good for natural good ; 
 "silver for iron" means celestial truth for natural truth ; " brass for 
 woods, and iron for stones," means natural good and truth in great 
 abundance like that of woods and stones. Here the state of the 
 
 celestial church is treated of. (That " iron " signifies truth in the natural 
 
 man, see A.C., n.42s, 426.) [4.] These passages are cited that it may be 
 known what is meant by the "iron rod," namely, the power where- 
 by the Lord corrects the evils and disperses the falsities that are 
 in the natural man ; for a "rod" or "staff" signifies power (as was 
 said above), and "iron" signifies truths in the natural man. The 
 Lord corre6ls evils and disperses falsities by means of truths in the 
 natural man, because all evils and the falsities therefrom have their 
 seat in the natural man, and none in the spiritual or internal man. 
 The internal man does not receive evils and falsities, but is closed 
 against them. And as all evils and falsities have their seat in the 
 natural man, they must needs be corre61ed and dispersed by means 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE 27. — N. 176. 231 
 
 of such tliinq^s as are there, which are truths in the natural man. 
 Truths in the natural man are scientifics and knowledges, from 
 which man can think, reason, and conclude naturally respedling the 
 truths and goods of the church, and the falsities and evils wiiich are 
 opposed to these, and can consequently be in some natural enlight- 
 enment when he reads the Word. For the Word in the letter is 
 not understood without enlightenment ; and enlightenment is either 
 spiritual or natural. Spiritual enlightenment is possible only to 
 those who are spiritual ; and the spiritual are those that are in the 
 good of love and charity and in truths therefrom ; while mere nat- 
 ural enlightenment is possible to those who are natural (see Heaven 
 and Hell. n. 153, [425, 455]; and above, n. 140). Moreover, those who 
 are spiritual have, whilst they live in the world, enlightenment in 
 the natural ; but this springs from enlightenment in the spiritual ; 
 for with them the Lord flows-in through the spiritual or internal 
 man into the natural or external, and thus enlightens it, from which 
 enlightenment man sees what is true and good, and what is false 
 and evil, and when he sees that, the Lord disperses the evils and 
 falsities that are in the natural man, by means of the truths and goods 
 that are also there and that make one with the goods and truths 
 
 in the spiritual or internal man (see in Dodrine of the New Jerusalem, on 
 Sciences and Knowledges, what they effedt, n. 51, and on Influx, n. 277, 278). 
 
 [3.] From all this it can now be seen what is signified by "the 
 iron rod," with which the Lord is to rule the nations, that is, cor- 
 re6l the evils that are in the natural man. These things are said 
 to the angel of this church, because in what is written to this angel 
 the internal and external man and their conjundlion are treated of; 
 for when the internal and external or the spiritual and natural are 
 conjoined, the Lord corre<5ls the evils and falsities that are in the 
 natural man, and this by means of knowledges of truth and good. 
 But with those in whom the internal and external man are not 
 conjoined evils and folsities cannot be corre6led and dispersed, 
 since they receive nothing from hea\'en through the spiritual man, 
 but all things they receive are from the world ; and these their 
 rational favors, and lends its aid to substantiate. Things similar 
 to those here signified by "the iron rod" are to be found in the 
 following passages. In David : 
 
 " Thou shall bruise [the nations] with an iron sceptre ; as a potter's ves- 
 sel Thou shall dash them in pieces " {Psalm ii. g). 
 
 In Isaiah : 
 
 " He shall smite the land with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath 
 
 of His lips shall he slay the wicked" (xi. 4). 
 
232 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 In the Apocalypse : 
 
 The woman " brought forth a man child, who is to rule all nations with 
 
 an iron rod " (xii. 5). 
 Out of the mouth of the One sitting on the White Horse " went forth a 
 
 sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations ; for He shall 
 
 rule them with an iron rod" (xix. 15). 
 
 In Micah : 
 
 " Arise, . . . . O daughter of Zion ; for I will make thine horn iron, and I 
 will make thy hoofs brass, that thou mayest beat in pieces many 
 peoples " (iv. 13). 
 
 The "daughter of Zion" is the celestial church ; "horn" is power 
 in the natural man; "hoofs" are outmosts there, called sensual 
 scientifics ; hence it is evident what is signified by "making the 
 
 horn iron, and the hoofs brass." (That the " daughter of Zion " is the 
 celestial church, see A.C., n. 2362, 9055 ; that " horn " is the power of truth from good 
 in the natural man, n. 2832, 9081, 9719, 9720, 9721, 10182, 10186 ; and that" hoofs" 
 are the scientifics of the sensual man, which are truths in the outmost of order, n. 
 7729.) 
 
 177. "As earthen vessels shall they be shivered" signifies 
 f/ie total dispersion of falsities. — This is evident from the signifi- 
 cation of "earthen vessels," as meaning such things in the nat- 
 ural man as are from self-intelligence ; and all things in the natural 
 man that have respedl to heaven and the church that are from self- 
 intelligence are falsities (of which presently). It is evident also 
 from the signification of being "shivered," as meaning to be dis- 
 persed : "to disperse" applies to falsities, as "to shiver" applies to 
 earthen vessels. That "earthen vessels" signify the things in the 
 natural man that are from self-intelligence, in matters of heaven and 
 the church, and that these things are falsities, will be shown in what 
 follows ; something must first be said to show that the things that 
 have respe6l to heaven and the church that gain entrance by self- 
 intelligence are falsities. Those who think from self-intelligence 
 think from the world ; for man, from his proprium [what is his 
 own] loves only the things of the world and of self, and what he 
 loves he also sees and perceives ; the things he loves he calls goods, 
 and the things he sees and perceives therefrom he calls truths ; but 
 these goods, or what from love he so calls, are evils, and the truths 
 which he sees from that love are falsities, since they pour forth 
 from the loves of self and of the world, which loves are contrary to 
 the loves of heaven, which are love to the Lord and love to the 
 neighbor ; and the things that pour forth from contraries are con- 
 traries. [2.] Those, therefore, who read the Word solely for re- 
 pute of erudition, or to acquire fame that they may be exalted to 
 honors or may gain wealth, never see and perceive truths, but 
 
CHAP. II., VKKSE 27.— N. I77. 233 
 
 falsities instead ; and the trutlis that stand out before the eyes in 
 the Word they eitlier pass by as if not seen or they falsify them. 
 The reason is, that to read the Word solely for repute of erudition 
 or for fame, that they may be exalted to honors and gain wealth, 
 is to read it for the sake of self and the world as ends, thus from 
 the loves of self and the world. And as these loves are of man's 
 proprhon [man's self] so the things that man sees and perceives 
 from them are from self-intelligence. [3.] But those who read the 
 Word from a spiritual afife6lion for truth, which affecflion is a love 
 of knowing truth because it is truth, see truths in the Word, and 
 rejoice in heart when they see them ; and this because they are 
 in enlightenment from the Lord. Enlightenment descends from 
 the Lord through heaven from the light there, which light is 
 Divine truth. It is therefore possible for them to see truths from 
 the light of truth, and this in the Word, because the Word is Divine 
 truth, and in it are stored up all the truths of heaven. But those 
 only are in this enlightenment who are in the two loves of heaven, 
 which are love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor; for 
 these loves open the inner or higher mind, which is formed to re- 
 ceive the light of heaven, and through that mind in them the light 
 of heaven flows-in and enlightens. But so long as they live in the 
 world they do not perceive truths in that mind, they see them in a 
 lower mind, the mind of the external or natural man. Such as 
 these do not think from self-intelligence when they read the Word. 
 The especial reason why these do not think from their self-intelli- 
 gence when they read the Word is, that their interior or spiritual 
 mind looks to the Lord, and the Lord then lifts it up to Himself, 
 and with it the lower or natural mind, thus withdrawing it from 
 vci-^ViS propriiun [man's self] which cannot be done with those who 
 have regard first and foremost to themselves and the world. 
 [4.] From all this it can be seen that man from self-intelligence 
 perceives nothing but evils and sees nothing but falsities ; but that 
 goods and truths that are of heaven and the church he perceives 
 and sees from the Lord. When the internal or spiritual man, in 
 which is the inner or higher mind of which we have just spoken, 
 is opened, then the Lord subdues the evils and disperses the falsi- 
 ties which are in the external or natural man. These things, then, 
 are what are here meant in the spiritual sense by this, that the Son 
 of man is to "give them power over the nations, and He shall rule 
 them with an iron rod, and as earthen vessels they shall be shiv- 
 ered." [5.] That "earthen vessels" signify such things as are from 
 self-intelligence, thus the falsities that are in the natural man, is 
 evident from various pa.ssages in the Word, of which I will cite 
 
234 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 the following as proofs. In David : 
 
 " Thou shalt bruise " the nations " with an iron sceptre ; as a potter's 
 vessel thou shalt dash them in pieces " {Psalm ii. g). 
 
 In this passage also "to bruise the nations with an iron sceptre" is 
 to corre6l and subdue the evils that are in the natural man. " Scep- 
 tre " here has the same signification as " staff" or " rod." It is added 
 "as a potter's vessel," because that signifies falsity from self-intelli- 
 gence. In the literal sense, this is a comparison, for it is said " as 
 a. potter's vessel," and "as earthen vessels;" but in the internal 
 sense comparisons are not seen as comparisons, since comparisons 
 are equally from things significative (see A.C., n. 3579, 8989). "A pot- 
 ter's vessel," or " earthen vessel," signifies what is false, because a 
 potter is one who forms, and a vessel is what is formed ; and when 
 man forms the vessel it is a falsity, but when the Lord forms it in 
 man it is a truth ; consequently in the Word "a potter's vessel" 
 signifies either what is false or what is true, and a "potter" sig- 
 nifies one who forms. [6.] The Lord Himself is called in the 
 Word a " potter," from His forming man by means of truths ; as 
 in Isaiah: 
 
 " Jehovah our Father ; we are the clay, and Thou art our potter, and we 
 all are the work of Thy hands " (Ixiv. 8). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " Woe unto him that striveth with his Former ! a potsherd with the pot- 
 sherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to its potter, What makest 
 thou ?" (xlv. 9.) 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " Shall the potter be counted as clay ? Shall the work say of its Former, 
 He made me not, and shall the thing formed say of its potter, He 
 understandeth not?" (xxix. 16.) 
 
 [7.] As the Jews and Israelites falsified all the truths of the Word 
 by applying them to themselves and to their own exaltation above 
 all nations and peoples in the whole world, so their falsities are 
 called "marred vessels" of a potter, as in Isaiah: 
 
 "Who have said to the seers. See not; and to those that have vision, 
 See not for us right things, speak unto us smooth things, see illu- 
 sions ; get you out of the way ; therefore iniquity shall break 
 
 them as the breaking of the potter's bottle ; in beating it shall not 
 spare, so that there shall not be found in the fragment thereof a 
 sherd to take fire from the hearth or to draw waters from the cis- 
 tern" (xxx. 10, II, 13, 14). 
 
 That they wholly deprived themselves of truths, and immersed 
 themselves in fltlsities, is described by this, "They said to the seers, 
 
CHAP. II., VERSF 17. — N. I 77. 2^5 
 
 See not ; and to those that liave vision, See not for us right things, 
 speak unto us smooth things, see illusions ; get ye out ot the way." 
 That they had so immersed themselves in falsities that no furthur 
 interest in truth remained, is described by "the breaking of the 
 potter's bottle, so that there should not be found in the fragment 
 a sherd to take fire from the hearth or to draw waters out of the 
 cistern." By this is signified that enough of truth should not be 
 left to enable them to perceive any good and truth from the Word ; 
 for " fire " signifies good, and " water " truth, " hearth " the Word in 
 respect to good, "cistern" and "fountain" the Word in respect to 
 truth. [8.] In ycrcmiah : 
 
 "The word came to Jeremiah, .... Arise and go down to the potter's 
 
 house Then I went down to the potter's house, and behold 
 
 he wrought a work on the table. Rut the vessel that he was mak- 
 ing was marred ; . . . . and he turned and made it another vessel as 
 was right in the potter's eyes to make " (xviii. 1-4). 
 
 This also means that with the Jewish nation there was nothing but 
 falsity ; and "the vessel that was marred in the potter's house" is 
 that falsity; "the potter's house" is the state in which they were. 
 That the truth of the church should be taken away from them and 
 gi\'en to others, is meant by this, that " the potter turned and made 
 it another vessel, as was right in his eyes." [9.] In tlie same, 
 
 *' Jehovah said, Go buy a potter's earthen bottle, of the elders of the peo- 
 ple and of the elders of the priests ; and go forth into the valley of 
 
 the son of Hinnom Then shalt thou break the bottle before 
 
 the eyes of the men that go with thee ; and shalt say, I will break 
 this people, and this city, as one breaketh a potter's vessel, that 
 cannot be made whole again ; and they shall bury in Tophet, be- 
 cause there is no more a place to bury in " (xix. i, 2, 10, 11). 
 
 "The potter's earthen bottle (or vessel) from the elders of the peo- 
 ple and of the priests " is here also the falsity in which all of that 
 nation were. That this falsity was such that it could not be dis- 
 persed by means of trutlis is meant by this, that "he should break 
 the \"essel before the eyes of the men that went with him, that it 
 could not be made whole again;" that they should "bury in 
 Tophet, because there was no more a place," signifies where all 
 truths and goods have been destroyed. [10.] In Nahiim, 
 
 " Draw thee waters for the siege ; strengthen thy fortresses ; go into the 
 mire and tread the clay, repair the brick-kiln. There shall the fire 
 devour thee ; the sword shall cut thee off" (iii. 14, 15). 
 
 '*To draw waters for the siege and to strengthen the fortresses" 
 is to fortify falsities by various means against truths ; " to go into 
 the mire and tread the clay" is to confirm falsities by fi<5tions and 
 
236 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 fallacies; dodrine thence derived is called "a brick-kiln," because 
 infernal love is strengthened by falsifications ; it is therefore said 
 that "the fire shall devour, and the sword cut off;" "fire" is 
 infernal love, and a "sword" is falsity combating and destroying 
 truth. "A potter's vessel" or "earthen vessel" signifies falsity, 
 because it corresponds to something fabricated, and what is fabric- 
 ated is a produ6l of man's self-intelligence ; it was from this cor- 
 respondence that the prophets were commanded to do such things 
 as are mentioned above. 
 
 178. "As I also have received from my Father" signifies 
 coviparatively as the Lord didffom His Divi7ie, when He glori- 
 fied His Human, namely, that He dissipated all evils and falsities 
 arising from the htiman that He had from the mother. — By 
 "the Father" here the Divine in Himself, or that which He had 
 from conception, is meant, for this Divine was one with the Father, 
 as He declares. It is said comparatively, for as the Lord glori- 
 fied His Human, so He regenerates man; that is, as He united 
 His Divine to the Human and the Human to the Divine, so He 
 conjoins the internal to the external and the external to the inter- 
 nal with man. (But as this arcanum cannot be explained in a few words so 
 as to be understood, consult what has been shown respedling it in The Doftrine oj 
 the Nezv yerusalem, n. 280-297, and in the passages cited from the Arcana CaeUstia 
 in that work, n. 185, 298-307, in which it is fully explained.) 
 
 179. [Verse 28.] "And I will give him the morning star" 
 
 signifies intelligence and wisdom from the Lord's Divine Hu- 
 m.an. — This is evident from the signification of "stars," as mean- 
 ing knowledges of good and truth (see above, n. 72) ; and as they 
 signify knowledges of good and truth, they also signify intelli- 
 gence and wisdom, for all intelligence and wisdom comes by means 
 of knowledges of good and truth. It is evident also from the sig- 
 nification of "morning," as meaning the Lord in respect to His 
 Divine Human, therefore "the morning star" means intelligence 
 and wisdom from Him. "Morning" is often mentioned in the 
 Word, and its signification varies according to the conne6lion in 
 the internal sense ; in the highest sense it signifies the Lord, also 
 His coming; in the internal sense it signifies His kingdom and 
 church, and their state of peace. Moreover, it signifies the first 
 state of a new church, also a state of love, and a state of enlight- 
 enment, consequently a state of intelligence and wisdom, also a 
 state of the conjun6lion of good and truth, the state in which the 
 internal man is conjoined to the external. "Morning" has such 
 various significations, because in the highest sense it signifies the 
 Lord's Divine Human ; it therefore also signifies all things that go 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE 2S. — N. I 79. 237 
 
 forth from the Divine Human, for the Lord is in those thintjs that 
 go forth from Him, even so that it is He there. [2.] The Divine 
 Human of the Lord in the hii,diest sense is meant by "mornine;-," 
 because the Lord is the sun of the angelic heaven, and the sun of 
 that heaven does not advance Irom morning till evening, or from 
 rising to setting, as the sun of the world apparently does, but stands 
 still in its place, in front above the heavens ; consequendy it is 
 always morning there, and never evening. And since all the in- 
 telligence and wisdom that the angels have comes from the Lord 
 as their sun, their state of love and state of wisdom and intel- 
 ligence, and in general their state of enlightenment, is signiiied 
 by "morning;" for these go forth from the Lord as a sun, and 
 what goes forth from Him is Himself, for from the Divine nothing 
 but what is Divine goes forth, and everything Divine is Himself 
 
 (Tliat the Lord is the sun of the angehc heaven, and that from Him as a sun springs 
 all love, wisdom, and intelHgence, and in general all enlightenment in respecft to 
 Divine truths, from which is wisdom, see Heaven and Hell, n. 116-125, 126-143, 
 
 155. 156) [3.] From all this it can be seen why "morning" is so 
 often mentioned in the Word when Jehovah or the Lord, His com- 
 ing, His kingdom and church and the goods thereof, are treated 
 of; as in the following passages, which I will cite by way of illus- 
 tration. 1 1 the Second Book of Samuel: 
 
 "The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me. .... He is 
 as the light of the morning ; the sun riseth, a morning without 
 clouds" (xxiii. 3, 4). 
 
 "The God of Israel" and "the Rock" is the Lord in respefl to 
 His Divine Human and Divine truth going forth therefrom ; "the 
 God of Israel" because Israel is His spiritual church, and "the 
 Rock " because His Divine in the spiritual church is Divine truth 
 (see A.c, n. 3720, 6426, 8581, 10580). As the Lord in the angelic heaven 
 is a sun, and as all the liglit that angels have is therefrom, and as 
 the sun there is continually in its morning, it is said, " He is as the 
 light of the morning ; the sun riseth, a morning without clouds." 
 [4.] In David: 
 
 " From the womb of the morning thou hast the dew of thy youth ; thou 
 art a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedeck " (ex. 3, 4). 
 
 This is said of the Lord as about to come into the world ; "from 
 the womb of the morning thou hast the dew of thy youth " means 
 conception from the Divine itself, and the glorification of His 
 Human thereby ; " a priest forever after the order of Melchizedeck," 
 means that Divine good and Divine truth go forth from Him, for 
 the Lord as priest is Divine good, and as king of holiness, that is, 
 " Melchizedeck," is Divine truth {see A.C. n. 1725). [5.] In Ezekiel: 
 
23S APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 The cherubim " stood at the east door of the gate of the house ; the 
 glory of the God of Israel was over them above " (x. 19). 
 
 " Cherubim " signify the Lord in respefl to providence and guard 
 lest He be approached otherwise than by the good of love ; " the 
 east door of the gate of the house " signifies approach; " the house 
 of God" is heaven and the church ; the "east" is where the Lord 
 appears as a sun, thus where He is continually as morning ; there- 
 fore it is said "the glory of the God of Israel was over them 
 above." [6.] In the same, 
 
 The angel " brought me to the gate that looketh towards the east ; and 
 behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the 
 
 east ; . . . .and the earth was enlightened by His glory And 
 
 the glory of Jehovah came into the house by the way of the gate 
 whose face is toward the east" (xliii. i, 2, 4). 
 
 Here, in the internal sense, the influx of the Lord into those who 
 are in His kingdom and church is described ; "the God of Israel" 
 is the Lord in respe(5l to the Divine Human and Divine truth 
 going forth therefrom ; "the house of God" is His kingdom and 
 the church ; "glory" is Divine truth as it is in heaven ; "to come 
 by the way of the east into the house " means from the sun, where 
 
 it is continually in its morning. (That " glory " is Divine truth as it is in 
 heaven, see A. C, n. 4809, 5922, 8267, 8427, 9429 ; that " the house of God " is heaven 
 and the church in respedt to good, and " temple " is the same in respedl to truth, n. 
 3720; and that the " east," in the highest sense, is the Lord, because He is the sun 
 of heaven, which is always in its rising and morning, consequently the " east " is good 
 of love from Him, see n. 3708, 5097, 9668.) [7.] In the same, 
 
 The angel afterwards "brought me back to the door of the house, where 
 behold, waters issuing out from under the threshold of the house 
 towards the east. . . .shall descend into the plain and come towards 
 the sea, being sent forth into the sea that the waters may be healed ; 
 whence it comes to pass that every living soul that creeps, whither- 
 soever the rivers come, shall live, whence there is exceeding much 
 fish, because these waters shall come thither, and they are healed, 
 that everything may live whither the river shall come" (xlvii. i, 
 8,9). 
 Here also, the influx of the Lord from His Divine Human with 
 those who are of His kingdom and church is described by pure 
 correspondences. By "waters issuing out from under the thres- 
 hold of the house towards the east," Divine truth going forth from 
 the Lord and flowing in with those that are in the east, that is, that 
 are in good of love to Him, is described. " The waters shall descend 
 into the plain" and "into the sea," and "the waters of the sea are 
 therefore healed," signifies influx into the natural man and into the 
 knowledges which are therein ; the "much fish therefrom " signifies 
 truths merely known in the natural man ; that " everything shall 
 live whither the river shall come" signifies that they should have 
 
CHAP. II., VERSE 28. — N. I 79. 239 
 
 life from Divine truth. That such things are hereby signified no 
 one can see except from the internal sense of the Word, yet every 
 single expression therein involves arcana of man's regeneration by 
 the Lord ; but what is involved in each expression here will be dis- 
 closed in explaining chapter xxii., verse i, 2, of Apocalypse^ where 
 like things are mentioned. [8.] In David : 
 
 " I have wailed for Jehovah, my soul doth wait,. . . my soul looketh for 
 the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, watchmen for the 
 morning ; . . . . for with Him is plenteous redemption, and He will 
 redeem Israel " {Psalm cxxx. 5-8). 
 
 Here the Lord's coming into the world, and His reception by those 
 that are in good of love are treated of. The Lord's coming is sig- 
 nified by " I have waited for Jehovah, my soul doth wait .... for 
 the Lord, .... for with Him is plenteous redemption, and He shall 
 redeem Israel ;" and His reception by those that are in good of 
 love is signified by "more than watchmen for the morning, watch- 
 men for the morning." Here "morning" in the highest sense 
 signifies the Lord, and in the internal sense His kingdom and 
 church ; and "watchmen for the morning" signify those who wait 
 for the Lord's coming, who are those that are in good of love, since 
 to those the Lord is "the morning." [9.] That "morning" sig- 
 nifies the Lord's coming into the world and a consequent new 
 church, is evident from the following passages. In Daniel: 
 
 " Unto evening and morning, two thousand three hundred, then the holy 
 
 (sanclum) shall be justified The vision of the evening and 
 
 the morning, which has been told, is truth " (viii. 14, 26). 
 
 " Evening" signifies the last time of the former church, and " morn- 
 ing" the first time of the new church, thus the Lord's coming. In 
 Isaiah: 
 
 "Crying to me from Seir, Watchman, what of the night? watchman, 
 what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and 
 also the night" (xxi. 11, 12). 
 
 Here also the Lord's coming is treated of; "night" is the last time 
 of the former church, and " morning" the first of the new. (What 
 
 is signified by " calling out of Seir," see A.C., n. 4240, 4384.) In Ezekiel : 
 
 " The end is come, the end is come the morning is come upon thee, 
 
 O inhabitant of the land ;. . . .behold the day cometh, the morning 
 is gone forth " (vii. 6, 7, 10). 
 
 Here likewise the Lord's coming and the end of the former church 
 and the beginning of a new one are treated of. In Zepha7iiah, 
 where similar things are meant : 
 
 "Jehovah. . . .in the morning, in the morning, He shall bring His judg- 
 ment to light, nor shall He fail" (iii. 5). 
 
240 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 [10.] As "morning" signirtes the Lord, His coming, also His 
 kingdom and church, as well as good of love from Him, what is 
 meant by "morning" in the following passages can be seen. In 
 David : 
 
 " Cause me to hear Thy mercy in the morning " {Psalm cxliii. 8). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " I will sing aloud of Thy mercy in the morning " {Psalm lix. 16). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "O satisfy us in the morning with Thy mercy ; that we may rejoice and 
 be glad all our days " {Psalm xc. 14). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "O Jehovah, in the morning shalt Thou hear my voice ; in the morning 
 I will set myself in order for Thee " {Psalm v. 3). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "God is in the midst of her ; God shall help her at the return of the 
 
 morning" {Psalm xlvi. 5). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " O God, my God, in the morning do I seek Thee " {Psahn Ixiii. r). 
 
 In Isaiah: 
 
 " In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt 
 thou make thy seed to blossom " (xvii. 11). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Jehovah, be Thou their arm every morning" (xxxiii. 2). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "The Lord Jehovah hath given me the tongue of the learned ;... .he 
 hath awakened me every morning" (L 4). 
 
 In yeremiah: 
 
 " I spake unto you every morning" (vii. 13 ; xi. 7 ; xxv. 3, 4). 
 
 From the signification of "morning" it can be seen what is meant 
 by the following : 
 
 That manna fell in the morning {Exod. xvi. 12, 13, 21) ; 
 That Jehovah descended in the morning upon Mount Sinai {Exod. xix. 16) ; 
 That the priest kindled wood upon the altar every morning and placed 
 thereon the whole burnt-offering {Lev, vi. 12). 
 
 Also what is involved in the command respe(5ling the sacrifice of 
 the passover, 
 
 '" Thou shall sacrifice the passover .... at the going down of the sun. .... 
 Then thou shalt eat it : . . . . and thou shalt look to the morning, 
 and go into thy tents " {Deut. xvi. 6, 7). 
 
CHAP. II.. VERSE 29. — N. 180. 24I 
 
 "They should sacrifice the passover when the sun went dowTi," 
 because "the setting of the sun" signified the last time of the 
 church ; that "they should look to the morning" signified the es- 
 tablishment of a new church, thus the Lord's coming. These 
 things are cited that it may be known what is signified by the 
 "morning star" which the Son of man would give, namely, wis- 
 dom and intelligence, from the Lord's Divine Human. And as 
 those who accept wisdom and intelligence from the Lord also ac- 
 cept Him, for the Lord is in the wisdom and intelligence that are 
 from Him, even so that He is the wisdom and intelligence in 
 them, the Lord Himself also is called "the Morning Star" in the 
 Apocalypse : 
 
 "I am the root and the ofifspring of David, the bright and morning Star" 
 
 (xxii. 16). 
 (He is likewise called "a Star," N'um. xxiv. 17.) 
 
 180. [l^erse 2g.] "He thai hath an ear let him hear what the 
 Spirit saifh to the churches" signifies l/ial he who 7i7idc?sta?ids 
 should hearken to what Divine truth going forth from the Lord 
 teaches and .'ays to those who are of His church, as is e\'ident from 
 what was said and shown above (n. 108), where there are like 
 words. 
 
242 APOCALYPSE. 
 
 A 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 ND to the angel of the church in Sardis write, 
 These things saith He that hath the seven spirits 
 of God, and the seven stars : I know thy works, 
 that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. 
 
 2. Be wakeful, and stablish the things remaining that 
 are about to die ; for I have not found thy works full 
 beiore God. 
 
 3. Remember, therefore, how thou hast received and 
 heard, and take heed, and repent ; if, therefore, thou 
 shalt not be wakeful, I will come on thee as a thief, and 
 thou shalt not know in what hour I will come upon thee. 
 
 4. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis that have 
 not defiled their garments ; and they shall walk with me 
 in white, for they are worthy. 
 
 5. He that overcometh shall be clothed in white gar- 
 ments ; and I will not blot his name out of the book of 
 life ; and I will confess his name before My Father and 
 before His angels. 
 
 6. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit 
 saith to the churches. 
 
 7. And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia 
 write. These things saith the Holy, the True, He that 
 hath the key of David, He that openeth and no one 
 shutteth, and shutteth and no one openeth : 
 
 8. I know thy works ; behold, I have given before 
 thee an opened door, and no one is able to shut it ; for 
 thou hast some power, and hast kept My word, and hast 
 not denied My name. 
 
 9. Behold, I will give, from the synagogue of Satan, 
 
CHAPTER III. 243 
 
 of those sayinor that they are Jews and they are not, 
 but do he ; behold I wiH make them to come and wor- 
 ship at thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. 
 
 10. Because thou hast kept the word of My endur- 
 ance I also will keep thee in the hour of temptation 
 that is to come upon the whole world, to try them that 
 dwell upon the earth. 
 
 I I. Behold, I come quickly; hold what thou hast, 
 that no one take thy crown. 
 
 12. He that overcometh I will make him a i)illar in 
 the temple of My God, and He shall go out thence no 
 more ; and I will write upon him the name of My God, 
 and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusa- 
 lem, which is coming down out of heaven from My 
 God, and My new name. 
 
 13. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit 
 saith to the churches. 
 
 14. And to the angel of the church of the Laodice- 
 ans write. These things saith the Amen, the faithful and 
 true Witness, the Beginning of the working of God : 
 
 1 5. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor 
 hot ; would that thou wert cold or hot. 
 
 16. So because, thou art lukewarm, and neither cold 
 nor hot, I am about to vomit thee out of My mouth. 
 
 17. Because thou sayest, I am rich and have gotten 
 riches, and have need of nothing, and knowest not that 
 thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind 
 and naked : 
 
 18. I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried by fire, 
 that thou mayest be enriched ; and white garments, that 
 thou mayest be clothed, that the shame of thy naked- 
 ness be not manifest ; and anoint thine eyes with eye- 
 salve, that thou mayest see. 
 
 19. As many as I love I reprove and chasten ; be 
 zealous, therefore, and repent. 
 
 20. Behold, I stand at the door and knock ; if any 
 
244 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 one hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in 
 to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me. 
 
 2 1. He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit 
 with Me in My throne, as I also have overcome and 
 am sitting with My Father in His throne. 
 
 2 2. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit 
 saith to the churches. 
 
 EXPOSITION. 
 
 VERSES 1-6. 
 
 Xol* "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, These things saith He that 
 hath the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars : I hnow thy wor/ts, that thou hast a name 
 that thou livest, and art dead. Be wakeful, and stablish the things remaining that are about 
 to die ; for I have not found thy works full before God. Remember, therefore, how thou hast 
 received and heard, and take heed, and repent ; if, therefore, thou shalt not be wakeful, I 
 will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know in what hour I will come upon thee. 
 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis that have not defiled their garments ; and they shall 
 walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He that overcometh shall be clothed in white 
 garments ; and I will not blot his name out of the book of life ; and I will confess his 
 name before IVIy Father and before His angels. He that hath an ear let him hear what the 
 Spirit saith to the churches." 
 
 1. "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write " signifies t/wse -who live a 
 
 fnoral but tiot a spiritual life, because they have little regard for know- 
 ledges of spiritual things and for intelligence and wisdom therefrom [n. 
 182] ; "These things saith he that hath the seven spirits of God" sig- 
 nifies the Lord, from whom are all the truths of heaven and of the 
 church [n. 183] ; "and the seven stars " signifies from whom are all 
 knowledges of truth and good [n. 184] ; "/ know thy works" signifies 
 the things that are of their life [n. 185] ; "that thou hast a name that 
 thou livest, and art dead," signifies the charadler of their thought, in 
 that they think thetnselves to be alive because they are living a moral 
 life, when yet they are dead [n. 186]. 
 
 2. "Be wakeful" signifies that they should acquire for thetnselves life [n. 187] , 
 
 "and stablish the things remaining that are about to die " signifies in 
 order that the things that belong to the moral life may be vivified [n. 
 188] ; "for / have not found thy works full before God" signifies that 
 othenvise the Divine is not in the moral life [n. 189]. 
 
 3. "Remember, therefore, how thou hast received and heard, and take heed," 
 
 signifies calling to mind and keeping in mind lahat the Lord teaches in 
 the Word [n. 190] ; "and repent" signifies consequent spiritual life [n. 
 191]; "if, therefore, thou shalt not be wakeful," signifies if thou dost 
 not acquire spiritual life [n. 192] ; "/ will come on thee as a thief" 
 signifies the unexpedled time of death, when all knowledges acquired 
 from the Word that have not received spiritual life will be taken away 
 fn. 193] ; "and thou shalt not know in what hour I will come upon 
 thee " signifies ignorance of that time and the state then [n. 194]. 
 
 4. "Thou hast a few names even in Sardis that have not defiled their gar- 
 
 ments " signifies those who live a tnoral life from a spiritual origin, by 
 applying knowledges of truth and good \_from the Word] to the uses of 
 their life [n. 195] ; "and they shall walk with IVIe in white, for they are 
 worthy" signifies their spiritual life which they have by means of know- 
 ledges of truth and good from the Word [n. 196]. 
 
 5. "He that overcometh " signifies he that is steadfast even until death [n. 197] ; 
 
 "shall be clothed in white garments " signifies intelligence and wisdom 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE I. — X. 182. 245 
 
 accorJiui^ to IrnlJn and their reception [n. 19S] ; "and I will not blot 
 his name out of the book of life" signifies that they -will be in heaven, 
 b:cause they are fitted for it [n. 199] ; "and I will confess his name 
 before My Father and before His angels" sif;;nifies that they will be in 
 Divine ;;ocd and in Divine truth therefrom [n. 200]. 
 6. "He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches" 
 sitjnilies that he 7C'ho understands shi.>uld hearken to what Divine truth 
 going forth from the Lord teaches and says to those who are of His 
 church [n. 201]. 
 
 182. [Terse I.] "And to the angel of the church in Sardis 
 write" signifies those who live a Dioral but not a spiritual life, 
 because they have little regard for kuowlcdges of spiritual thirigs 
 and for intelligence aiid wisdom thercfrojn. — This is evident from 
 what is written to the angel of this church, from which, when 
 viewed in the internal or spiritual sense, it can be seen tliat those 
 who live a moral but not a spiritual life, because they have little 
 regard for knowledges of spiritual things and for intelligence and 
 wisdom therefrom, are here treated of But before unfolding the 
 spiritual sense of the things that follow, it is necessary to explain 
 and make clear what moral life is and what spiritual life is, also what 
 moral life from spiritual life is, and what moral life apart from spir- 
 itual life. Moral life is a6ling rightly, sincerely, and justly in rela- 
 tion to others, in all the affairs and occupations of life ; in a word, 
 it is the life that is manifest to men, because it is the life lived with 
 them. But this life has a two-fold origin ; it is either from love of 
 self and the world, or it is from love to God and love towards the 
 neighbor. [2.] Moral life from love of self and the world is not 
 in itself moral life, although it seems to be moral ; for man then 
 a(5ls rightly, sincerely, and justly for the sake of self and the world 
 only, and the good, sincere, and just serve him as means to an 
 end, which is, either that he may be raised above others and rule 
 over them, or that he may gain wealth ; and of these things he 
 thinks when he is thinking in his spirit, that is, by himself secretly ; 
 but these things that he thinks he does not dare to avow openly, 
 because they would destroy the good opinion others have of him, 
 and thus nullify the means by which he wishes to attain his ends. 
 From all this it can be seen that there lies within the moral 
 life of such a man no other purpose than to acquire all things 
 in preference to others, thus that he wishes to have all others 
 serve him, or to gain possession of the goods of others ; from which 
 it is evident that his moral life is not in itself a moral life ; for if he 
 should gain what he aims at, or what he has as an end, he would 
 make others his slaves, and would rob them of their goods. And 
 as all means savor of the end, and in their essence are of the same 
 quality as their ends, for which reason they are called intermediate 
 
246 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 ends, therefore such a life, regarded in itself, is nothing but crafti- 
 ness and fraud. And this becomes clearly evident in the case of 
 those who disregard these restraining considerations, as they do 
 when engaged in law-suits against their fellows, when they desire 
 nothing so much as to subvert justice, and secure the good-will of 
 the judge or the favor of the king, and this secretly, that they may 
 deprive others of their goods ; and when they succeed they rejoice 
 in spirit and in heart. This is still more evident in the case of 
 kings who place honor in wars and victories, in their finding the 
 highest joy of their hearts in subjugating provinces and kingdoms, 
 and where resistance is made, in depriving the vanquished of all 
 their goods, and even of life. Such also is the delight of many who 
 engage at such times in military service. This becomes still more 
 evident with all of this chara6ler when they become spirits, which 
 takes place as soon as the body dies. As they then think and adl 
 from their spirit, they rush into every wickedness in accordance 
 with their love, however morally they may have lived in appear- 
 ance while in the world. [3.] But spiritual life is wholly different, 
 because it has a different origin. It is from love to God and 
 love towards the neighbor. Consequently, the moral life also of 
 those who are spiritual is different, and is a truly moral life ; for 
 these, when they think in their spirit, that is, when they are think- 
 ing secretly by themselves, do not think from self and the world, 
 but from the Lord and heaven ; for the interiors of their minds, 
 that is, of their thought and will, are a6lually elevated by the Lord 
 into heaven, and are there conjoined to Him ; thus the Lord flows 
 into their thoughts, intentions, and ends, and both governs them 
 and withdraws them from their proprmni [what is their own], 
 which is solely from the love of self and of the world. The moral 
 life of such persons is, in appearance, like the moral life of those 
 described above, and yet it is spiritual, because it is from a spir- 
 itual origin. Their moral life is simply an effe6l of spiritual life, 
 which is the efficient cause, thus the origin. For they adl rightly, 
 sincerely, and justly with their fellows from fear of God and from 
 love of the neighbor ; in these loves the Lord keeps their mind 
 and disposition (mentem etanimum) ; Consequently when they become 
 spirits, which takes place when the body dies, they think and adt 
 intelligently and wisely, and are raised up into heaven. Of these 
 it may be said, that with them every good of love and every truth 
 of faith flows in out of heaven, that is, through heaven from the 
 Lord. But this is not true of those described above ; for their 
 good is not the good of heaven, nor is their truth the truth of 
 heaven ; but what they call good is the delight of the lust of the 
 flesh, and it is falsity therefrom that they call truth ; these flow 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE I. — N. lS3[rt]. 247 
 
 into them from self and the world. From this it can also be 
 known what moral life from spiritual life is, and what moral life 
 apart from spiritual life is ; namely, that moral life from spiritual 
 life is truly moral life, which might be called spiritual, since it has 
 its cause and origin in the sj)iritual ; but that moral life apart 
 from spiritual life is not moral life, and might be called infernal, for 
 so far as love of self and of the world is dominant in it, so far it is 
 fraudulent and hypocritical. [4.] From what has now been said, 
 tlie character of external sandlity may be inferred (by which is 
 meant worship in churches, prayers, and bodily postures), with 
 such as are in love of self and of the world, and yet in appear- 
 ance live a moral life, namely, that nothing of these goes up to 
 heaven and is heard there, but that they flow out from some 
 thought of the external or natural man, and thus from the mouth 
 into the world. For the interior thoughts of such, which are of their 
 very spirits, are full of craftiness and fraud against the neighbor ; 
 and )'et it is through interiors that there is elevation into heaven. 
 Moreover, their worship in churches, and prayers, and postures at 
 such times, are the result of habit from infancy, and are therefore 
 conventional, or they are from a principle that such external things 
 are all that is necessary to salvation, or they are a consequence of 
 the cessation of their business at home and abroad oh holy days, 
 or of a fear of being regarded as irreligious by their acquaintances. 
 But worship with those who live a moral life from a spiritual origin 
 is wholly different, for it is truly a worship of God, for their pray- 
 ers are raised up to heaven and are heard, for the Lord leads their 
 
 prayers through heaven to Himself. (More may be seen on these sub- 
 jects in Heaven and Hell, n. 468, 484, 529, 530-534; and above, n. IO7.) These 
 
 things are premised, because what is written to the angel of this 
 church treats of those who live a moral but not a spiritual life, for 
 the reason that they have little regard for knowledges of spiritual 
 things. 
 
 i83[ct], "These things saith He that hath the seven spirits 
 of God" signifies the Lo7-d fro7n whom are all the truths of heaven 
 and of the church. — It is the Lord who is meant, because it is 
 the Son of man who said these things, as well as those said to 
 the angels of the other churches ; and the Son of man is the 
 Lord in respe6l to the Divine Human (see n. 63, 151). By "the 
 seven spirits of God " all the truths of heaven and of the church 
 are meant, because "the SjMrit of God" in the Word signifies 
 Divine truth going forth from the Lord. "Spirit" is mentioned 
 in many passages in the Word, and "spirit," in reference to man, 
 
248 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 signifies Divine truth received in the life, thus it signifies man's 
 spiritual life; but in reference to the Lord, by "Spirit" is meant 
 the Divine that goes forth from Him, which is designated by the. 
 general term Divine truth. But since few at this day know what 
 is meant by "spirit" in the Word, I will first show by passages 
 from the Word that "spirit," in reference to man, signifies Divine 
 truth received in the life, thus man's spiritual life. But because 
 there are two things that constitute man's spiritual life, namely, 
 good of love and truth of faith, in many passages in the Word 
 mention is made of "heart and spirit," also "heart and soul ;" and 
 by " heart " good of love is signified, and by "spirit " truth of faith ; 
 the latter is also signified by "soul," for this means in the Word 
 man's spirit. [2.] That "spirit," in reference to man, signifies 
 truth received in the life, is clear from the following passages. In 
 Ezekiel: 
 
 " Make you a new heart and a new spirit ; why will ye die, O house of 
 Israel" (xviii. 31). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "A new heart will I give you, and a new spirit will I give in the midst 
 of you " (xxxvi. 26). , 
 
 And ill David : 
 
 " Create for me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit in 
 
 the midst of me The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit ; a 
 
 broken and contrite heart God doth not despise " (/"jc/ot li. 10, 17). 
 
 In these passages "heart" signifies good of love, and "spirit" 
 truth of faith, from which man has spiritual life ; for there are two 
 things that make the whole of man's life, namely, good and truth ; 
 these two when united in man make his spiritual life. [3.] As 
 "heart" signifies good, and "spirit" truth, both received in the 
 life, so "heart," in the contraiy sense, signifies evil, and "spirit" 
 falsity ; for most expressions in the Word have also a contrary 
 sense. In this sense "heart" and "spirit" are mentioned, in 
 David : 
 
 "A generation that doth not set its heart aright, neither is its spirit stead- 
 fast with God" {Psalm Ixxviii. 8). 
 
 And in Ezekiel: 
 
 "Every heart shall melt,. . . .and every spirit shall droop" (xxi. 7). 
 
 In Moses : 
 
 "Jehovah hardened the spirit" of the king of Heshbon, "and made his 
 heart obstinate " {Deut. ii. 30). 
 
CMAT. III., VliRSE I. — N. I^3[<?]. 249 
 
 In Isaiah: 
 
 "Conceive chaff, bring forth stubble; your spirit fire shall devour" 
 (xxxiii. II). 
 
 And in Ezckicl : 
 
 "Woe unto the foolish proohets that go away after their own spirit" 
 (xiii. 3). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "That which ascendeth upon your spirit shall never come to pass " (,xx. 
 32). 
 
 [4.] From this it is clear that the whole of man's life is meant 
 by "heait and spirit;" and as his whole life refers itself to these 
 two, namely, good and trutli, and in a spiritual sense, love and 
 faith, so these two lives of man are meant by " heart and spirit." 
 From tliis also it is that "heart and spirit" signify the will and 
 the understanding of man ; since these two faculties in man make 
 all his life ; nowhere else than in these has man life ; and for the 
 reason that the will is the receptacle of good and its love or of 
 evil and its love, and the understanding is the receptacle of truth 
 and its faith or of falsity and its faith ; and as has been said, 
 all things with man refer themselves to good and truth or to evil 
 and falsity, and in a spiritual sense to love and faith (see Doarine oj 
 the New Jerusalem, -a. -zz-zi). In reference to man, "spirit" signifies 
 truth or falsity, and man's life from one or the other ; because by 
 "spirit" is meant especially the spirit that is in man and that 
 thinks, and it thinks either from truths or from falsities. But as 
 was said above, there are two things that make the life of man, 
 understanding and will ; the life of the understanding is to think 
 either from truths or from falsities, and the life of the will is to 
 affe(5t or inflame with love those things that the understanding 
 thinks. These two lives of man correspond to the two lives of his 
 body, which are the life of the lung's respiration and the life of the 
 heart's pulse ; it is by this correspondence that spirit and body 
 
 in man are united (see above, n. 167; and Heaven and Hell, n. 446, 447). 
 
 [5.] Because of this correspondence the word that means spirit in 
 the Hebrew, as well as in many other languages, means icind or 
 breath; so also to expire [to breathe out] is expressed by the term 
 "to give up the spirit [breath, or ghost];" and this also in the 
 Word ; as in David : 
 
 " I gathered in their spirit, it expired " {Fsalm civ. 29). 
 In Ezckiel : 
 
 The Lord Jehovah said to the dry bones, " Behold, I bring spirit in*o 
 
250 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 you, that ye may live ;... .and the Lord Jehovih said, From the 
 four winds come, O spirit, and breathe into these slain ;. . . .and the 
 spirit came into them, and they revived" (xxxvii. 5, 9, 10). 
 
 In the Apocalypse : 
 
 "The two witnesses were slain by the beast that cometh up out of the 
 abyss, but " after the three days and a half the spirit of life from 
 God entered into them, so that they stood upon their feet " (xi. 
 7. ")• 
 
 In Luke : 
 
 Jesus, taking the hand of the dead girl, "called, saying, Maiden, arise. 
 Therefore her spirit came again, and she rose up immediately " 
 (viii. 54, 55). 
 
 [6.] When these passages are understood it can be seen what 
 "spirit" signifies, when predicated of man, in many places in the 
 Word, of which I will cite only these. In yohn : 
 
 " Except one be born of water and of spirit he cannot enter into the 
 kingdom of God. . . . The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou 
 hearest the sound thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh and 
 whither it goeth ; so is every one that is born of the spirit " (iii. 
 
 5.8). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 The Lord breathed on the disciples, and said, " Receive ye the Holy 
 Spirit" (xx. 22). 
 
 And in the book of Ge^iesis : 
 
 "Jehovah. . . .breathed into man's nostrils the breath of lives" (ii. 7) ; 
 
 besides other places. [7.] That "spirit," in the spiritual sense, 
 signifies truth, and man's life therefrom, which is intelligence, is 
 clear from the following passages. In John : 
 
 " The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship 
 the Father in spirit and in truth" (iv. 23). 
 
 In Daniel: 
 
 In him "was an excellent spirit of knowledge and understanding 
 
 I have heard of thee that the spirit of God is in thee, and that 
 light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee" 
 (v. 12, 14). 
 
 In Moses : 
 
 " Thou shalt speak to all the wise in heart, whom I have filled with the 
 spirit of wisdom " {Exod. xxviii. 3). 
 
 In Luke: 
 
 John "grew, and waxed strong in spirit" (i. 80). 
 
 And concerning the Lord : 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE I. — N. lS5[(J]. 25 1 
 
 " The child " Jesus " grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was filled with 
 wisdom " (ii. 40). 
 
 [6.] [8.] When it is known what "spirit," in reference to man, 
 sig^nifies, it can be known what it signifies in respecfl to Jehovah or 
 the Lord, to whom are attributed all things that a man has, as 
 face, eyes, ears, arms, hands, also heart and soul, and thus spirit, 
 which in the Word is called "the spirit of God," "the spirit of 
 Jehovah," "the spirit of His nostrils," "the sjjirit of His mouth," 
 "the spirit of tiuth," "the spirit of holiness," and "the Holy 
 Spirit." That "spirit" means Divine truth going forth from the 
 Lord is plain from many passages in the Word. Divine truth 
 going forth from the Lord is " the spirit of God," because from 
 it men have all their life ; and those who receive that Divine truth 
 in faith and life have heavenly life. That this is "the spirit of 
 God" the Lord Himself teaches. In yoJm : 
 
 "The words that I speak unto you are spirit and are life " (vi. 63). 
 
 In Isaiah : 
 
 " There shall go forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse ; . . . . the spirit of 
 Jehovah shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understand- 
 ing, the spirit of counsel and might" (xi. i, 2). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "I have given My spirit upon him : he shall bring forth judgment to the 
 nations " (xlii. i). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " He shall come like a flood ; the spirit of Jehovah shall lift a standard 
 against Him" (lix. 19). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "The spirit of the Lord Jehovih is upon me, therefore Jehovah hath 
 anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor" (Ixi. i). 
 
 In yo/ifi : 
 
 " He whom the Father hath sent speaketh the words of God, for not by 
 measure hath God given the spirit " (iii. 34). 
 
 These things are said of the Lord. [9.] That the Holy Spirit is 
 Divine truth going forth from the Lord can be seen in yh/in : 
 
 " I tell you the truth ; it is expedient for you that I go away ; for if I go 
 not away the Comforter will not come unto you ; but if I go away 
 
 I will send Him unto you When He, the Spirit of truth, is 
 
 come, He shall guide you into all truth ; He shall not speak from 
 Himself,. . . .but He shall take of Mine, and shall declare it unto 
 you" (xvi. 7, 13, 14). 
 
 That "the Comforter CParaclete)" here is Di\ine truth going fortli 
 
252 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 from the Lord is plainly evident, for it is said that the Lord tlim- 
 self spake to them the "truth," and declared that, when He should 
 go away. He would send the Comforter, the "Spirit of truth," who 
 should "lead them into all truth," and that He would "not speak 
 from Himself," but from the Lord. It is said " He shall take of 
 Mine," because Divine truth goes forth from the Lord, and what 
 goes forth is called " Mine ;" for the Lord Himself is Divine Love, 
 and what goes forth from Him is Divine truth, thus is His (see 
 
 Heaven and Hell, n. 139, 140, and the preceding numbers ; and Do£lrine of the New 
 
 yerusalem. n. 207). "Being Sent" and "sending" mean going out 
 and going forth (see A.c, n. 2397, 4710, 6831, 10561) ; the same is meant 
 here by "I will send Him to you." That "the Comforter" is the 
 Holy Spirit is evident in yo/ui : 
 
 " The Comforter, the Holy Spirit He shall teach you all things " 
 
 (xiv. 26). 
 
 [lO.] In the same, 
 
 Jesus cried with a loud voice, "saying, If any man thirst, let him come 
 unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture 
 saith, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. This He 
 saith of the spirit which they that believe on Him were to receive ; 
 the Holy Spirit was not yet, because Jesus was not yet glorified " 
 (vii. 37-39)- 
 
 It is clear from this that the Holy Spirit is Divine truth going 
 forth from the Lord, which flows-in with man, both immediately 
 from the Lord Himself and mediately through angels and spir- 
 its ; for the Lord says first, that "he who believes on Him, out 
 of his belly shall flow rivers of living water," and then that "He 
 spake this of the spirit which they were to receive ;" for "water," 
 in the spiritual sense, signifies truth, and "rivers of living water," 
 Divine truth from the Lord in abundance ; the same is therefore 
 
 meant by " the spirit which they were to receive." (That " water " sig- 
 nifies truth, and "living water" Divine truth, see above, n. 71 •) And as Divme 
 truth goes forth from the glorified Human of the Lord, and not 
 immediately from His Divine itself, for this in itself was glorified 
 from eternity, so it is here said, "The Holy Spirit was not yet, 
 because Jesus was not glorified." That to "glorify" is to make 
 Divine, and that the Lord fully glorified His Human, that is, made 
 it Divine by His last temptation and vi6lory on the cross, see Doc- 
 trine of the New Jerusalem (n. 293-295, 300-306). 
 
 [c] [II.] It is greatly wondered at in heaven that the man of 
 the church is not aware that the Holy Spirit, which is Divine truth, 
 goes forth from the Lord's Human, and not immediately from 
 
CHAT. III., VERSE I. — N. I.S3[<"]. 253 
 
 His Divine, when tlie doctrine received in the wliole Christian 
 world teaches that 
 
 As is the Father so also is the Son, uncreate, infinite, eternal, 
 omnipotent, God, Lord; neither of them first or last, nor j^rcatest 
 or least. Christ is God and man : God from the nature of the 
 Father, and man from the nature of the mother; but although He 
 is God and man. yet they are not two, but one Christ; He is one, 
 not by chan-^ini; the Divine into the Human but the Divine took 
 the Human to itself. He is altogether one, not by a mingling of 
 two natures, but He is a single person, because as body and soul are 
 one man, so God and man is one Christ. (This from the Creed of 
 Af/uinasiies.) 
 
 Now as the Divine and the Human of the Lord are not two, 
 but a single person, and are united as soul and body, it may be 
 known that the Divine which is called the Holy Spirit goes out 
 and forth from His Divine through the Human, thus from the 
 Divine Human ; for nothing whatever can go forth from the body 
 except from the soul through the body, since all the life of the 
 bodv is from its soul. And since "As is the Father so is the Son, 
 uncreate, infinite, eternal, omnipotent, God and Lord, and neither 
 of them is first or last, nor greatest nor least," it follows that the 
 proceeding Divine, which is called the Holy Spirit, goes forth from 
 the Divine itself of the Lord through His Human, and not from 
 another Divine that is called the Father ; for the Lord teaches that 
 He and the Father are one, and that the Father is in Him, and He 
 in the Father (see below, n. 200). But the reason why most of 
 those in the Christian world think otherwise in their hearts, and so 
 believe otherwise, is, the angels said, because they think of the 
 Lord's Human as separate from His Divine, although this is con- 
 trary to the do6\rine which teaches that the Divine and Human 
 of the Lord are not two persons, but a single person, and united 
 as soul and body. That this should be the do6lrine of the whole 
 Christian world was provided by the Lord, because it is the essen- 
 tial of the church, and the essential of the salvation of all. But 
 they have divided the Divine and the Human of the Lord into 
 two natures, and have said that the Lord is God from the nature 
 of the Father, and man from the nature of the mother, because 
 they do not know that when the Lord fully glorified His Human, 
 He put off the human from the mother, and put on a Human 
 
 from the Father (according to what is shown in The Dodnne 0/ (he New Jeru- 
 salem, n. 295. That this distineflion was made in a certain council, by those who 
 were there, for the pope's sake, that he might be acknowledged as the Lord's vicar, 
 
 see -^.C, n. 4738). [I2.] That the "spirit of God" is Divine truth, 
 
254 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 and therefore spiritual life to the man who receives it, is furtlier 
 evident from these passages. In Micah : 
 
 " I am full of power with the spirit of Jehovah and of judgment " (iii. 8). 
 
 And in Isaiah : 
 
 "I will pour out waters upon him that is thirsty, and streams upon the 
 dry ground, and My spirit upon thy seed" (xliv. 3). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "In that day shall Jehovah Zebaoth be for. . . .a spirit of judgment to 
 him that sitteth on judgment, and for strength to them . . . " (xxviii. 
 5,6). 
 
 Jn Ezekiel : 
 
 "And ye shall know. . . .that I will put My spirit in you that ye may 
 live " (xxxvii. 14). 
 
 In Joel: 
 
 " I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh,. . . .and upon the servants and 
 upon the handmaids " (ii. 28, 29). 
 
 In the Apocalypse : 
 
 " The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy " (xix. 10). 
 
 Since the "spirit of God" signifies Divine truth, it is called 
 
 " The spirit of the mouth of Jehovah " {Psalm xxxiii. 6) ; 
 
 "The spirit of His lips" {Isa. xi. 4) ; 
 
 " The breath of God," and " the spirit of His nostrils " {Lam. iv. 20 ; Psalm 
 
 xviii. 15 ; yob iv. g). 
 
 Again in Matthew ; 
 
 John said, " I baptize you with water unto repentance ; but He that com- 
 eth after me,. . . . He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with 
 fire " (iii. 11). 
 
 In the spiritual sense, "to baptize" signifies to regenerate; the 
 "Holy Spirit" is Divine truth, and "fire" Divine good. (That to 
 
 " baptize " signifies to regenerate, see above, n. 71 ; and that " fire" signifies good 
 
 of love, n. 68.) [13.] From all this it can now be seen what is 
 meant by the words of the Lord to His disciples, 
 
 " Go ye baptize into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
 
 the Holy Spirit" {Matt, xxviii. 19). 
 
 Here "the Father" is the Divine itself, "the Son" is the Divine 
 Human, and "the Holy Spirit" is the proceeding Divine which is 
 Divine truth ; thus there is one Divine, and yet there is a trine. 
 That this is so the Lord teaches in yohn : 
 
 " Henceforth ye know " the Father, " and have seen Him He that 
 
niAr. III., VF.RSE I. — N. 1S4. 255 
 
 seeth Me sceth ilie Father I am in the Father, and the Fa- 
 ther in Me " (xiv. 7, 9, 10). 
 
 [14.] Since the proceediny^ Divine, which is Divine truth, tlows- 
 in with men inimecHately, as well as mediately throiiijh angels and 
 spirits, it is believed that the Holy Spirit is a third person, distin6l 
 from the two called Father and Son. But I can assert that no 
 one in heaven knows any other Holy Divine than Divine truth 
 going forth from the Lord. And since Divine truth is also com- 
 municated to men mediately through angels, it is said in David, 
 
 "Jehovah God maketh His angels spirits " {Psalm civ. i, 4). 
 
 These passages have been cited that it may be known that "the 
 seven spirits" signify all truths of heaven and of the church from 
 the Lord. It is made still more manifest that " the seven spirits " 
 are all truths of hea\'en and of the church, from these passages 
 in the Apocalypse : 
 
 " The seven lamps of fire burning before the throne . . . are the seven 
 spirits of God " (iv. 5). 
 
 And again, 
 
 " In the midst of the elders a Lamb standing, .... having seven horns, 
 and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into 
 all the earth " (v. 6). 
 
 It is plain that the spirits here are not spirits, from the fa<5l that 
 the "lamps" and the "eyes of the Lamb" are called spirits. 
 "Lamps" signify Divine truths, and "eyes" understanding of 
 truth ; and when predicated of the Lord, His Divine wisdom and 
 intelligence (see above, n. 152). 
 
 184. "And the seven stars" s'lgni fies /rom ivhom are all 
 knowledges of truth and good. — This is e\'ident from the signifi- 
 cation of "seven," as meaning fulness and all things (see above, n. 
 20, 24), also from the signification of "stars" as meaning know- 
 ledges of truth and good (see also above, n. 72). It is said to tlie 
 angel of this church, "These things saith He that hath die seven 
 spirits of God, and the seven stars," because those within the 
 church who are living a moral but not a spiritual life, because 
 they have litde regard for knowledges of spiritual things and for 
 intelligence and wisdom therefrom, are here treated of; for "the 
 seven spirits of God" signify all the truths of heaven and of the 
 church, and " the seven stars " knowledges of truth and good ; and 
 through these t\vo come all intelligence and wisdom. What is 
 written to the angel of each church is prefaced by something re 
 
256 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 spedling the Lord, which indicates what is treated of (see above 
 n. 1x3). 
 
 1$ B{. " / know thy works " signifies the thhigs that are of their 
 life. — This is evident from tlie signification of "works," as mean- 
 ing the things that are of man's life, both the good and the evil. 
 " Works " signily the things that are of the life because they iire 
 effedls of the life, for they come out of the life of every one. If 
 the life is good the works are good, but if the life is evil the works 
 are evil. The life that is in works is the intention, which is of 
 the will, and of the thought therefrom ; and this life is the life of 
 man's spirit ; for it is the spirit in man that intends and thinks. 
 Without this life in works they would be only motions like those 
 of an automaton. For this reason the wise do not think about 
 works, but about the life that is in the works, namely, about the 
 intention. This is especially true of the angels who are with man ; 
 they do not see his works, they see only the intentions of his mind, 
 and conclude therefrom what the man's state is. From this it 
 can be seen that "works " in the spiritual sense mean the life ; and 
 as the life of man is di\^rse, depending mainly upon his love, 
 it is his love especially that is signified by "works" (see above, n. 
 98, 116). This is why it is said to the angel of each church in die 
 beginning, " I know thy works ;" which therefore means that the 
 Lord knows the whole life of man, and its quality in respedl to 
 love. 
 
 l86[#«]. " That thou hast a name that thou livest, and art 
 dead," signifies the chara^cr of their thought, in that they thitik 
 themselves to be alive, because they are living a uioral life, when 
 yet they are dead. — This is evident from the signification of 
 "name," as meaning quality of state (see above, n. 148) ; also from 
 the signification of " living," as meaning to have spiritual life (of 
 which presently) ; also from the signification of "being dead," as 
 meaning not to have spiritual life, but only moral life without it. 
 This is "being dead," because in the Word "life" signifies the life 
 of heaven in man, which is also there called "life eternal;" while 
 "death" signifies the life of hell, which life is called "death" in the 
 Word, because it is privation of the life of heaven. Here, there- 
 fore, "thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead," signifies 
 thinking that they have spiritual life, and thus are saved, because 
 they are living a moral life, when yet they are spiritually dead. 
 But how this is to be understood can be seen from what was said 
 above (n. 182) of each life, spiritual and moral, namely, that moral 
 life apart from spiritual life is a life of love of self and love of the 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE I. — N. lS6[<7]. 257 
 
 world, while moral life that is from spiritual life is a life of love to 
 the Lord and love towards the neighbor ; this life is the life ol 
 heaven, but the other life is what is called spiritual death. When 
 this is understood (see above, n. 182,) it can be known what is 
 meant here by "being alive and yet being dead." [2.] That 
 "to live," or "being alive," signifies spiritual life in man, and "be- 
 ing dead" deprivation of that life, and damnation, can be seen 
 from many passages in the Word, of which I will cite the following. 
 Thus in Ezekicl : 
 
 " When I shall say unto the wicked, In dying thou shalt die, and thou 
 shalt not give him warning, nor speak to dissuade the wicked one 
 from his evil way, that he may be made alive, the wicked shall die 
 in his iniquity, .... But if thou shalt give warning to the wicked, 
 and he shall not turn from his wickedness nor from his evil way, 
 
 he shall die in his iniquity ; yet hast thou delivered thy soul So 
 
 if thou shalt give warning to a righteous man that he sin no more, 
 and he sin not, living he shall live, because he gave heed to the 
 warning" (iii. 18-21). 
 
 Here "dying he shall die" is to perish in eternal death, which is 
 damnation, for it is said of the wicked ; and "living he shall live" 
 is to enjoy eternal life, which is salvation, for it is said of those who 
 repent, and of the righteous. [3.] In the same, 
 
 " Ye have profaned Me with My people, .... to slay the souls that should 
 not die, and to make alive the souls that should not live, whilst ye 
 lie to My people, to them that hear a lie" (xiii. 19). 
 
 This treats of the falsification of truth, which is meant by " Ye have 
 profaned Me with My people," and by "ye lie to the people, to 
 them that hear a lie." Here "a lie" signifies what is false, and 
 what is falsified. "To slay the souls that should not die" is to 
 deprive them of the life that comes from truths ; and " to make 
 alive the souls that should not live " is to persuade tliem that life 
 eternal is from falsities. That this is here meant by " making alive " 
 is evident from the preceding verse. [4.] In David : 
 
 " Behold the eye of Jehovjh is upon them that fear Him, .... to deliver 
 their soul from dea ii, and to keep them alive in famine " {Fsalm 
 xxxiii. 18, 19). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Thou hast deliveied my soul from death, and my feet from stumbling 
 that I may walk before God in the light of the living" {Psalm Ivi 
 13). 
 
 In Jeretniah : 
 
 " Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death " (xxi. 8). 
 
258 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 In yohn: 
 
 Jesus said ' Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth My Word .... 
 hath eternal life, and shall not come into condemnation, but shall 
 pass from death into life " (v. 24). 
 
 [5.] It is clear that in these passages "death" means damnation, 
 and "life" salvation. Because "death" is damnation it is also 
 hell, for which reason hell is commonly called "death" in the 
 Word, as in these passages. In Isaiah : 
 
 " Hell will not acknowledge Thee, nor will death praise Thee ; they that 
 go down into the pit will not hope respedling Thy truth. The living, 
 the living, he shall acknowledge Thee" (xxxviii. 18, 19). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "We have made a covenant with death, and with hell we have made 
 vision " (xxviii. 15). 
 
 In Ho sea : 
 
 " I will ransom them from the hand of hell ; I will liberate them from 
 death. O death, I will be thy plague ' O hell, I will be thy destruc- 
 tion !" (xiii. 14.) 
 
 In David : 
 
 " In death there is no remembrance of Thee ; in hell who shall give 
 thanks to Thee?" {Psalm vi. 5.) 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " The cords of death compassed me, .... and the cords of hell " {Psalm 
 
 xviii. 4, 5). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " Like sheep shall they be laid in hell ; death shall feed them " {Psalm 
 xlLx. 14). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Jehovah, thou hast brought-up my soul from hell ; Thou hast made Me 
 to live " {Psalm xxx. 3). 
 
 In the Apocalypse : 
 
 " A pale horse, and he that sat upon him his name was death, and hell 
 followed him " (vi. 8). 
 
 And in another place, 
 
 " Death an-^ hell were cast into the lake of fire " (xx. 14). 
 
 [6.] [6.1 As "death" signifies damnation and hell, its nic^n- 
 ing in the following passages is evident. In Isaiah : 
 
 " He will swallow up death for ever ; and the Lord Jehovih will wipe 
 away tears from off all faces " (xxv. 8). 
 
CHAP. III., VLKSli I — X. I86[rj. 259 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "That he might give the wicked to their sepulchre, and the rich in their 
 deaths" (iiii. 9). 
 
 In David : 
 
 " Jehovah, .... Thou liftest me up from the gates of death" {Psa/m ix. 
 13). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Thou shalt not be afraid .... for the arrow that fiieth by day, .... nor 
 for the death that wasteth at noonday " {J'sa/m xci. 5, 6). 
 
 In yo/m : 
 
 "If a man keep My word he shall never see death" (viii. 51). 
 
 In the Apocalypse : 
 
 " He that overcometh shall not be destroyed in the second death " (ii. 
 II). 
 
 In another place, 
 
 "Many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter" (viii. 
 II). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "The second angel poured out a vial upon the sea, and it became blood 
 as of one dead, whence every living soul died in the sea" (xvi. 3). 
 
 [7.] From these passages it can be seen what is meant by "the 
 dead," namely, those who have not in themselves the life of heaven, 
 and consequently are in evils and in falsities therefrom. These 
 are meant also in the following passages. In David : 
 
 "They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor, and ate the sacrifices of 
 the dead " {Psalm cvi. 28). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " He hath made me to sit in darkness, like the dead of eternity" {Psalm 
 cxliii. 3). 
 
 In Matthew : 
 
 One of His disciples said, " Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my fa- 
 ther. Jesns said, Follow Me, and let the dead bury the dead " (viii. 
 21, 22). 
 
 On account of this signification of "the dead," 
 
 The sons of Aaron were forbidden to touch any dead body {Levit. xxL 
 
 2, 3. II); 
 Likewise the priests, the Levites {Ezek. xliv. 25) ; 
 Likewise the Nazirite {A^um. vi. 6, 7) ; 
 And whoever of the sons of Israel touched the dead must be cleansed 
 
 by the water of separation {Num. xix. 11 to the end). 
 
 [c] [8.] As "death " signifies damnation and hell, so on the othei 
 
26o APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 hand "life" signifies salvation and heaven ; as in the passages that 
 follow. In Matthew : 
 
 "Narrow is the gate and straitened is the way which leadeth unto life** 
 (vii. 14). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " It is good to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes 
 to be cast into hell fire " (xviii. 9). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments" (xix. 17). 
 
 In yohn : 
 
 "They shall come forth; they that have done good unto the resurrec- 
 tion of life " (v. 2q). 
 
 From this it is that salvation is called " eternal life " 
 
 (as in Matt. xix. 16, 29 ; xxv. 46; Mark x. 30, 31 ; Luke x. 25 ; xviii. 18, 
 30 ; John iii. 14-16, 36 ; xvii. 2, 3 ; and other places). 
 
 For the same reason heaven is called "the land of the living," as 
 
 in David : 
 
 " o Jehovah, Thou art my reliance, my portion in the land of the 
 
 living " {Psalm cxlii. 5). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "That thou mayest see the good of Jehovah in the land of the living" 
 {Psalm xxvii. 13). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " O bless our God, ye peoples who places our soul among the liv- 
 
 ing " {Psalm Ixvi. 8, 9). 
 
 [9.] That the Lord alone has life in Himself, and that every man 
 
 has life from Him, He Himself teaches in the following passages. 
 
 In 'John : 
 
 " As the Father raiseth the dead and maketh them alive, even so the Son 
 maketh alive whom He will Foras the Father hath life in Him- 
 self, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself "(v. 21, 26). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life ; he that be-lieveth in Me, 
 though he die, shall live " (xi. 25, 26). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " I am the way, the truth, and the life" (xiv. 6). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " I am the bread of life that cometh down ou: of heaven, and giveth 
 
 life unto the world " (vi. 33, 35, 47. 48). 
 
CHAP. III., VEKSE I. — X. iSGff]. 261 
 
 From this it is th;it the Lord is said to be " Living" and "the Liv- 
 ing One" 
 
 {Apoc. iv. 9, 10 ; V. 14 ; vii. 2 ; x. 6). 
 
 The same is said of Jehovah in many passages in the prophets. 
 [lO.l And as the Lord is life, so all have life from Him ; this also 
 the Lord teaches. In yohn : 
 
 "He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; but he that believeth 
 not the Son shall not see life " (iii. 36), 
 
 In the same, 
 
 Jesus said, " I came that " the sheep " may have life I give unto 
 
 them eternal life " (x. 10, 28). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " He that believeth on Me, though he die, shall live" (xi. 25, 26). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Ye will not come to Me, that ye may have life " (v. 40). 
 
 [II.] " Life " signifies the Lord, and therefore salvation and heaven, 
 because everything of life is from one only Fountain, and that only 
 Fountain of life is the Lord, while angels and men are merely 
 forms receiving life from Him. The Life itself that goes forth from 
 the Lord and fills heaven and the world, is the life of His love, 
 and in heaven this appears as light, and because this light is life it 
 enlightens the minds of angels, and enables them to understand 
 and be wise. From this it is that the Lord calls Himself not only 
 "the Life" but also "the Light." As in John : 
 
 " In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the 
 
 Word was God In Him was life ; and the life was the light 
 
 of men That was the true light, which lighteth every man 
 
 coming into the world " (i. i, 4-12). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 Jesus said, " I am the light of the world ; he that followeth Me shall not 
 walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life " (viii. 12). 
 
 In David : 
 
 Jehovah, "with Thee is the fountain of life, in Thy light shall we see 
 light " {Psalm xxxvi. 9). 
 
 The light which is life from the Lord in heaven is there called 
 Divine truth, because it shines in the minds of those who are there, 
 and thence shines before their eyes. From this it is that in the 
 Word "light" signifies Divine truth, and intelligence and wisdom 
 therefrom, and that the Lord Himself is called " the Light." (But this 
 
262 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 is shown more fully in Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140, 275, which see.) [12.] The 
 
 Lord is the source (a quo) of everything of life, because He is the sun 
 of the angelic heaven, and the light of that sun is Divine ti'uth, 
 and its heat is Divine good ; the two are life. From that origin 
 is life in heaven and in the world. The spiritual that flows into 
 nature, and gives life there, is from no other source ; but it gives 
 
 life according to reception. (On this also see Heaven and Hell, n. 116-125.) 
 
 From all this it is now evident why it is that the Lord calls 
 Himself "the Life," and why it is that those are said to have life 
 and to live who receive light which is Divine truth, from the Lord, 
 and why those who do not receive it are said not to live, but to 
 
 be dead. (That there is one only Fountain of life, and that the Lord is that 
 Fountain, see Heaven and Hell, n. 9 ; and Doflrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 
 278.) 
 
 l87[<l]« IVerse 2.] "Be wakeful" signifies that they should ac- 
 quire for themselves life. — This is evident from the signification of 
 " being wakeful," as meaning to be in spiritual life ; but here, since 
 those whose life is moral and not yet spiritual are treated of, " Be 
 wakeful" means that they should acquire for themselves spiritual 
 life. This life is meant by "wakefulness" and "being awake," be- 
 cause spiritual life is to moral life, apart from spiritual life, as wake- 
 fulness is to sleep, or as the noonday light is to the evening, and 
 even to darkness. But that this is so is not known or perceived by 
 those who are in natural life alone, neither by those who are in moral 
 life apart from spiritual life, which life also is natural life. They 
 do not know or perceive this, because they are in natural lumen 
 only, and this lumen in comparison with spiritual light is as the 
 darkness of evening to the light of noon-day. Moreover, to such 
 the darkness of evening seems like light ; for their interior sight, 
 which is that of the thought, is adapted to that darkness, just as 
 the sight of owls, bats, and other birds that fly by night, is adapted 
 to the evening shades. Consequently they believe themselves to be 
 in light because they are able to reason, when in fad they are in 
 darkness. That this is so is manifest from the state of such after 
 death, when they become spirits. They then believe, when with 
 their companions, that they are in light, because they not only see 
 all things that are about them, but also are able to think and talk 
 about any matter whatever ; and yet their light, as soon as the 
 light of heaven flows-in upon them, is changed into darkness, 
 and they become so blind in respe6l to understanding as not to 
 be able to think at all. Moreover, when angels who are in the 
 heavens look down on those who are in such lumen, they see 
 nothing there but mere darkness. That spiritual life compared 
 
CHAP. III., VliRSE 2. — N. Ib7[(^]. 263 
 
 with moral life apart from spiritual life is as wakefulness compared 
 with sleep, can be further seen from this, that those who are in spir- 
 itual light are in angelic wisdom and intelligence, which is such as 
 to be incomprehensible and inexpressible to those who are in nat- 
 ural lumen alone, and this not only whilst men are living in the 
 world, but also when after death they become spirits, and when 
 intelligence and wisdom constitute wakefulness. From this it can 
 now be seen that " Be wakeful " here signifies that they should pro- 
 cure for themselves spiritual life. 
 
 [ft.] [2.] To "be awake" has a similar signification in the fol- 
 lowing passages. In Matthew : 
 
 " Be awake, therefore, for ye know not in what hour your Lord cometh ' 
 (xxiv. 42). 
 
 In Mark : 
 
 " Be ye awake, for ye know not when the lord of the house cometh, at 
 evening, or at midnight, or at cock-crowing ; . . . . lest, coming sud- 
 denly, he find you sleeping. What I say unto you I say unto all. 
 Be awake " (xiii. 35-37). 
 
 If one is ignorant of the internal sense of the Word he must be- 
 lieve that diese words refer to the last judgment, and that every 
 one should be prepared for that ; but man's state in respefl to love 
 and faith when he dies is what they refer to, for then is his judg- 
 ment. "Evening," "night," and "cock-crowing" signify such 
 states; "evening" signifying a state of waning faith and charity, 
 which is man's state when he comes into the exercise of his own 
 judgment, and is extinguishing in himself the things that he im- 
 bibed in childhood; "night" signifying a state of no faith or 
 charity; "cock-crowing" or "daylight" the state when faith and 
 charity are beginning, that is, when man loves truths and wishes 
 to be reformed by them. In whatever state a man dies he re- 
 mains, and according to that he is judged. From this it is evident 
 what is meant by " Be ye awake, lest the Lord coming suddenly 
 find you sleeping. What I say unto you I say unto all. Be 
 awake," namely, that "to be awake" means to receive life from 
 the Lord, which life is spiritual life, and that "sleeping" means liv- 
 ing a natural life apart from a spiritual life. (That "evening" signifies 
 
 a state of waning fiith and charity, see .4. C. n. 3056,3197, 3833, 8431, 10134, 10135 ; 
 " night " a state of no faith or charity, n. 221, 709, 2353, 6000, 7870, 7947 ; and " day- 
 break " before morning, or " cock-crowing," the state when faith and charity are 
 beginning, n. 10134.) [3.] In L,7cke : 
 
 " Blessed are those servants whom the Lord when he cometh shall find 
 awake ; verily I say unto you. He shall gird himself, and make 
 them sit down to meat, and drawing near will serv-e them Be 
 
264 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 ye ready ; for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man wiD 
 come" (xii. 37, 40). 
 
 Here also, those that are awake mean those who are spiritually 
 awake, that is, those who receive spiritual life from the Lord, for 
 these come into the light of intelligence and wisdom respe6ling 
 Divine truths ; but those who do not receive spiritual life remain 
 in obscurity and thick darkness respe6ting those truths ; these, 
 therefore, are asleep, while the former are awake. His "girding 
 himself, making them sit down to meat, and drawing near to serve 
 them," signifies to communicate to them the goods of heaven, which 
 are all from the Lord. [4.] In Matthew : 
 
 "The kingdom of the heavens is likened unto ten virgins. . . ., five of 
 
 them were wise, and five were foolish While the bridegroom 
 
 tarried, they all slumbered and slept ;. . . .but the bridegroom com- 
 ing, they all arose and trimmed their lamps." And when the fool- 
 ish came, who had no oil in their lamps, and said, " Lord, Lord, open 
 to us," the Lord answered, " I say unto you, I know you not. Be 
 awake, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein 
 the Son of man cometh" (xxv. 1-13). 
 
 By "the ten virgins" all who are of the church are meant; by 
 "five" some of them are meant; this is what these numbers sig- 
 nify; by "lamps" things of faith are signified; by "oil" things 
 of love. By "the five wise virgins," therefore, those who are in 
 love and in faith therefrom are meant ; but by " the five foolish 
 virgins" those who are in no love, but in faith alone. As such 
 are in no spiritual life (for only those who are in love and charity 
 have spiritual life, because they only are in faith), so because such 
 as these are shut out of heaven, it is said unto them, "I say unto 
 you, I know you not." From this it is most evident what is sig- 
 nified by "Be awake, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor 
 the hour wherein the Son of man cometh," namely, that they 
 should receive spiritual life, which those have who are in love and 
 
 in faith therefrom. (These things may be seen more fully explained in A.C., 
 
 n. 4635-4638.) [5.] In Ltike : 
 
 " Be wakeful, therefore, praying at every season, that ye may be accounted 
 worthy ta escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to 
 stand before the Son of man " (xxi. 36). 
 
 Here, also, "to be wakeful" means to receive spiritual life; "to 
 pray at every season" signifies to prepare oneself [6.] In the 
 Apocalypse : 
 
 "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that is awake, and keepetb 
 his garments, lest he walk naked" (xvi. 15). 
 
 Here again, " to be awake " signifies to receive spiritual life from the 
 
CHAT. Ill , VERSE 2. — N. lS7[iJ]. 265 
 
 Lord, as is e\'ident from its beings said, " Blessed is he that is awake 
 and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked;" "garments" 
 signifying knowledges of truth and good by means of which man 
 has spiritual life ; and " to walk naked " signifying life without such 
 knowledges as means, thus life not spiritual but merely natural. 
 
 (That "garments" signify knowledges of truth and good, see below, n. I95, and 
 that by " naked " is signified deprivation of these, see ^.C, n. 1073, 5433, 5954, 9960.) 
 [7.] In Lamentations : 
 
 "Arise, cry out in the night, in the beginniniL,' of the watches ;. . . .lift 
 up thy hands to the Lord respedling the souls of thy young children, 
 who have fainted through hunger at the head of every street " (ii. 
 19); 
 
 here, as above, "night" signifies a state of no faith ; "the begin- 
 ning of the watches" signifies the state when faith begins, thus a 
 state of enlightenment, which comes when man becomes spiritual. 
 By "young children" are meant those who love truths, and long 
 for them ; " to faint through hunger at the head of every street " is 
 to be deprived of spiritual life through a lack of the knowledges of 
 
 truth and good. (That "hunger" means a lack of knowledges and a longing 
 for them, see A.C., n. 1460, 3364, 5277, 5279, 5281, 5300, 5360, 5376, 5893 ; and that 
 
 "streets" are truths of dodirine, n. 2336.) [8.] Because " to be awake" 
 signifies to receive spiritual life, so "sleeping" signifies natural life 
 apart from spiritual life, since natural life compared with spiritual 
 life is as sleep compared with wakefulness, as has been said above. 
 This is what "sleeping" signifies in Matthew : 
 
 " The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a man that sowed good seed 
 in his field ; but while men slept the enemy came and sowed tares 
 among the wheat " (xiii. 24, 25). 
 
 In yeremiah: 
 
 "When they have grown warm, I will set their feasts, and I will make 
 them drunken, that .... they may sleep the sleep of an age, and not 
 awake" (li. 39, 57). 
 
 In David : 
 
 "Consider and hear me, Jehovah my God! lighten mine eyes lest I 
 sleep death " {Psalm xiii. 3). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "The strong in heart have become a spoil, they have slept their sleep ; 
 .... before Thy rebuke both the chariot and the horse have fallen 
 into a deep sleep " {Psalm Ixxvi. 5, 6). 
 
 " Chariot and horse " s/gnify the doctrine of the church and under- 
 standing of do(5lrine ; these are said " to fall into a deep sleep " when 
 truths are lacking, and when consequently the man of the church 
 is without spiritual life by means of truths. (That " chariots and horses' 
 
 in the Word si-jnify dodtrine and the intelledlual, see The White Hone, n. 1-5). 
 
266 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED, 
 
 i88. " And stablish the things remaining that are about to 
 die" signifies in order that the things that belong to the moral 
 life may be vivified. — This is evident from the signification of 
 " stablish ing," as meaning to vivify the moral life by means of 
 truths ; for truths from the Word are what vivify it ; and when it is 
 vivified it is also stablished, for it then a6ls as one with the spirit- 
 ual life ; for spiritual life and moral life a6l as one in those who are 
 spiritual, as will and adlion do ; will is of the spiritual man and its 
 life, and action is of the moral (see above, n. 182). It is said, 
 " stablish the things remaining that are about to die," which sig- 
 nifies lest the moral life be destroyed by evils and falsities ; for 
 moral life apart from spiritual life is nothing else than natural life ; 
 since all the good things that man does from a moral life, apart 
 from the spiritual, are from no other origin than love of self and the 
 world, that is, proprium. [one's own], and from propriimi [one's 
 own] nothing flows out except evil and falsity ; man, indeed, wishes 
 to be esteemed moral, because by feigning goodness, sincerity, and 
 righteousness in outward form, he may gain ends that have respedl 
 to self and the world. From this it is"that all things pertaining to 
 him are in themselves dead, that is, are "about to die," unless they 
 are made alive by truths and goods, which may bring about an 
 opening of the internal spiritual man ; for it is by this means that 
 the Lord takes away the evils and falsities that are in the natural. 
 
 189. "For I have not found thy works full before God" sig- 
 nifies that otherwise the Divine is not in the moral life. — This is 
 evident from the signification of "works," as meaning the things 
 of life (of whkh see above, n. 185) ; here of moral life, because 
 that is here treated of; also from the signification of "not full be- 
 fore God," as meaning that the Divine is not in that life. The things 
 of moral life, which are here signified by "works," are said to be 
 "full before God," when they are from a spiritual origin, but "not 
 full" when they are not from that origin ; for moral life, which is 
 the external life of man, must be either from a spiritual origin or 
 from an origin not spiritual ; it is not permitted to be from both, 
 that is, something of it from one origin, and something from the 
 other, or something from heaven and something from hell, since 
 this would be to "serve two masters, God and Mammon;" and 
 then the man is "lukewarm, neither cold nor hot." "Works," 
 therefore, must be either "full before God," or they are nothing be- 
 fore God. This is why " I have not found thy works full before 
 God" signifies that the Divine is not in the moral life. The mean- 
 ing is the same whether it is said a moral life from a spiritual origin 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 3. — X. I90. 267 
 
 or from the Divine, since all spiritual life is from the Divine, for the 
 spiritual means the san>e as the proceetling Divine, and is the 
 Divine truth in heaven ; and all angels of heaven, because they 
 are recipients of this, are spiritual ; and the same is true of men 
 who receive Divine truth in faith and life. (What the spiritual is. see 
 
 Doclrine of the S'ew yerus.ihm. 11. 4S, 41/). 
 
 190. [I'trse 3] "Remember, therefore, how thou hast received 
 and heard, and take heed," signifies calling to viind and keeping 
 in mind ichat the Lord teaches in the Word. — This is evident from 
 this, that what is written to the angel of this church treats of those 
 who are in a moral, not a spiritual life ; and these are here told to 
 acquire for themselves spiritual life, that their moral life may be 
 made alive, which is signified by the words just preceding, " Be 
 wakeful, and stablish the things remaining that are about to 
 die ;" from which it can be seen that " Remember, therefore, how 
 thou hast received and heard, and take heed," signifies calling to 
 mind and keeping in mind what the Lord teaches in the Word. 
 " To take heed " signifies to keep in mind, as those do who are in 
 spiritual affe6lion for truth ; for when these read the Word ihey 
 do not look at it from the do6lrine of the church in which they are 
 born, but the}' look at it as if they were separated from that doc- 
 trine ; for their wish is to be enlightened, and to see truths inwardly 
 in themselves, and not from others. Those who are in such a state 
 are enlightened by the Lord, and it is granted to them to formulate 
 doctrine for themselves out of the truths that they see ; and this 
 do6lrine is implanted in them, and abides in their spirit to eternity. 
 [2.] But those who read the Word from doctrine received from 
 others are not able to see truths in the light of their own spirit, 
 thus inwardly in themseh-es, but only outside of themselves ; for 
 they regard a thing as true because others have seen it, and there- 
 fore they attend only to what corroborates it ; other things thev 
 pass by as if not seen, or they bring them over to the support of 
 what their dodlrine declares. Such as these cannot be enlightened, 
 as any one can see ; for they only store up corroborations in the 
 memory, which belongs to their natural man, and from this memory 
 they henceforth speak ; consequently they stay natural as before, 
 and do not become spiritual ; for to become spiritual is to imbue 
 one's spirit with truths from the Word : and the spirit is not im- 
 bued with truths except as it desires to know truth wherever it is 
 in the Word, and delights in it when it sees and perceives it ; this 
 afie(5lion is the spiritual affedlion for truth, that has been frequently 
 spoken of before. This, then, is what is meant in the s{)iritual 
 sense by " Remember, therefore, how thou has received and heard, 
 
268 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 and take heed." v^hat it is the part of a wise man to see and perceive truth 
 from the light of heaven, and not to corroborate what others may say, see A.C., n. 
 1017, 4741, 7012, 7680, 7950; that to see and perceive truth in the light of heaven is 
 possible only to those that love truth because it is truth, and are therefore in spiritual 
 affe(5lion for truth, n. 8521 ; that the light of corroboration is not spiritual but natural 
 light, which the evil may have, n. 8780.) 
 
 IQX* "And repent" signifies consequent spiritual life. — This 
 is evident from what has been said above, without further explana- 
 tion. 
 
 192. "If therefore thou sha/t not be wakeful" signifies if 
 thoti dost not acqtiire spiritzial life. — This is evident from the 
 signification of "be wakeful," as meaning to acquire for oneself 
 spiritual life (of which see above, n. 187). 
 
 I93[rf], "/ will come on thee as a thief" signifies tlie un- 
 expehed time of death, when all kriowledges acquired from the 
 Word that have not received spif'itual life will be taketi away. 
 — This is evident from the signification of "coming as a thief," 
 when said of those who are not wakeful, that is, who are not 
 acquiring for themselves spiritual life, as meaning that all know- 
 ledges acquired from the "Word that have not received spiritual 
 life will be taken away from them. These words signify also the 
 unexpedled time of death, because death comes unexpe6ledly, 
 and after death man continues to eternity in the state of his life 
 that he acquired for himself in the world ; for this reason man 
 must be wakeful. As it is known to few that all knowledges ac- 
 quired from the Word that have not received spiritual life are 
 taken away, it is necessary to explain how this is. All things that 
 are in man's spirit remain with him to eternity ; but the things 
 that are not in man's spirit, after death, when he becomes a spirit, 
 are dispersed. Those things remain in the spirit of man that he 
 has thought from himself, that is, the things that he has thought 
 from his own love when he was alone, for his spirit then thinks 
 from itself and not from the things in the memory of his body 
 that do not make one with his love. There are two states ot 
 man, one when he thinks from his spirit, and the other when he 
 thinks from the memory of his body ; when these two states do 
 not make one, man can think in one way by himself, and can 
 think and speak in another way with others. [2.] A preacher, 
 for instance, may love himself and the world above all things, 
 and care nothing for the Divine, even denying it in heart, 
 and therefore scheming evils of every kind, in consort with the 
 crafty and deceitful of the world ; and yet when he is speaking 
 with others, especially when he is preaching, he may be able 
 to speak from a seeming zeal for the Divine, and for Divine 
 
CHAP. III. VERSE 3.— N. I93[rt]. 269 
 
 truths, and even at such times may be able to think in like man- 
 ner ; but this state is a state of his tiiought iVom the memory of 
 the body, and is evidently separated from the state of his thought 
 from the spirit, since when left to himself he thinks contrary to 
 these things. This is the state that remains with man after death, 
 but the other state does not remain, because it belongs to his body 
 and not to his spirit ; consequently when he becomes a spirit, which 
 takes place when he dies, all knowledges that he acquired for him- 
 self from the Word that do not agree with the life of his spirit's 
 love, he casts away from him. But it is otherwise with those who, 
 when left to themselves, think aright about the Divine, and about 
 the Word and the truths of the church therefrom, and who love 
 truths even to the life, that is, so that they wish to live according to 
 them. The thoughts of these in their spirit make one with their 
 thoughts from the memory of the body, thus make one with know- 
 ledges of truth and good which they have from the Word ; and 
 so far as these make one, these knowledges receive spiritual life, for 
 they are raised up by the Lord from the external or natural man 
 into the internal or spiritual man, and constitute the life, that is, 
 the understanding and will, of the spiritual man. Truths, in the 
 spiritual man, are living truths, because they are Divine, and from 
 these man hiis life there. That this is so it has been granted me to 
 know from much experience ; if I were to adduce it all it would 
 
 hll many pages. (Something may be seen in Heaven and Hell, n. 491-498, 
 
 499-511 ; and above, n. 1 14.) [3.] From this it can now be seen what 
 is meant in the spiritual sense by " I will come on thee as a thief," 
 namely, that after death all knowledges acquired from the Word 
 that have not received spiritual life will be taken away. The 
 same is meant by the following in the Apocalypse : 
 
 " Behold I come as a thief ; blessed is he that is wakeful, and keepeth his 
 garments, lest he walk naked" (xvi. 15) ; 
 
 it is said "as a thief" because evils and falsities therefrom in the 
 natural man take away and cast out the knowledges of truth and 
 good that are there from the Word ; for the things tliat are not 
 loved are cast out. With eveiy man there is either a love of evil 
 and of falsity therefrom, or a love of good and of truth therefrom. 
 These two loves are contrary to one another ; consequently he who 
 is in one of them cannot be in the other, for " no one can serve two 
 masters," without loving the one and hating the other {Matt. vi. 24). 
 [4.] Because evils and falsities therefrom penetrate from within, 
 and break through as it were the wall that is between the state of 
 man's thought from the spirit and the state of his thought from 
 the body, and cast out the knowledges of good and truth that have 
 
270 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 their abode in man in his outward part, therefore such evils and 
 falsities are what are meant by "thieves" in the following passages 
 also. In Matthew: 
 
 "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, .... but in heaven, 
 where thieves do not dig through nor steal " (vi. 19, 20). 
 
 " Treasures " are knowledges of truth and good ; " laying them up 
 in heaven " is in the spiritual man, for the spiritual man is in heaven. 
 
 (That " treasures " are knowledges of good and truth, see A. C, n. 1694, 4508, 10227 ; 
 and that the internal spiritual man is in heaven, see Dodrine of the New yertisalem, 
 
 n 36-50.) [5.] In the same, 
 
 " Be wakeful, therefore, for ye know not at what hour your Lord will 
 come. But know this, that if the master of the house knew in what 
 hour the thief would come he would be wakeful, and would not 
 suffer him to dig through his house " (xxiv. 42, 43). 
 
 This means that if man knew the hour of his death he would get 
 himself ready, not from a love of is what true and good, but from 
 a fear of hell ; and whatever a man does from fear does not remain 
 with him, but what he does from loye remains ; therefore he should 
 
 be getting ready all the time (see DoflHne of the New Jerusalem, rv. 143, 
 
 168). [6.] In Obadiah: 
 
 " If thieves come to thee, if destroyers by night, how wilt thou be cut off 
 will they not steal till they have enough?" (verse 5.) 
 
 Here also falsities and evils are called "thieves," and are said to 
 " steal ;" falsities are " thieves," and evils are " destroyers by night ;" 
 it i-s said "by night," because "night" signifies a state of no love 
 or faith. [7.] In yi>el: 
 
 "They shall run to and fro in the city ; they shall run upon the wall, 
 they shall climb up into the huuses, they shall enter in through the 
 windows like a thiol " (ii. 9). 
 
 The vastation of the church by means of falsities from evil is 
 here treated of; "city" and "wall" signify things of dodrine ; 
 " houses " and " windows " things pertaining to a mind that receives ; 
 "houses" that part of the mind that is called the will, where good 
 is, and "windows" that part of the mind that is called the under- 
 standing, where truth is. (That " city " in the Word is doarine, see A.C., 
 n. 402, 2449, 2712, 2943, 3216, 4492, 4493 ; that " wall" is truth of dotflrine defend- 
 ing, n. 6419; that "house " is that part of the mind that is called the will, where 
 good is, n. 2231, 2233, 2559, 3128, 5023, 6690, 7353, 7910, 7929, 9150; and "win- 
 dows " that part of the mind that is called the understanding where truth is, n. 655, 
 
 658, 3391.) From this it is clear what is signified by " running upon 
 the wall," " climbing up into the houses," and "entering in through 
 the windows like a thief." [8.] In Hosea: 
 
 " I healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 3. — N. Iy3[/']. 27I 
 
 evils of Samaria, for they have committed falsehood, and the thief 
 Cometh in, and the troop spreadeth itself without" (vii. i). 
 
 The " iniquity of Ephraim " signifies falsities of the understanding ; 
 and the "evils of Samaria" evils of the will; "committing false- 
 hood" is thinking and willing falsity from evil; "thief" is falsity 
 taking away and dispersing truth; and "the troop spreading it- 
 self without " is evil casting out good. (That " Ephraim ■■ is the intellect- 
 ual of such things as are of the church, see A.C., n. 3969, 5354,6222, 6234, 6238. 
 6267,6296; that "falsehood" is falsity from evil, n. 8908,9248; that "troop" is 
 good casting out evil, and in a contrary sense, evil casting out good, n. 3934, 3935. 
 6404, 6405.) 
 
 [ft.] [9.] These things are adduced to make known what 
 "thief" in the Word signifies, namely, falsity vastating, that is, tak- 
 ing away and destroying truth. It was shown above, that after 
 death all knowledges of truth and good from the Word that have 
 not received spiritual life are taken away ; consequently they are 
 taken away from those who have not been made spiritual by know- 
 ledges from the Word. The same is signified by many other things 
 in the historical parts of the Word ; but this no one can see unless 
 he is acquainted with the spiritual sense of the Word. This was 
 the signification of the children of Israel's borrowing from the 
 Egyptians gold, and silver, and garments, and taking them away 
 as it were by theft, which is thus described in Moses : 
 
 It was commanded that they should borrow "of the Egyptians vessels 
 of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment. And Jehovah gave 
 the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent 
 to them ; and thus they spoiled the Egyptians " (Exod. xii, 35, 36). 
 
 The "Egyptians" represented those who are merely natural and 
 yet possess many knowledges. By "the children of Israel" are 
 meant those who are spiritual ; " vessels of gold and of silver," 
 and also " raiment," signify knowledges of truth and good, which 
 the spiritual apply to good, but which the natural apply to evil and 
 thus destroy. That nations were given up to the curse, and at the 
 same time all things belonging to them were either burnt with fire 
 or plundered, to which there is frequent reference in the book of 
 yoshua, and in the books o{ Samuel -aw^ Kmgs, has a like signi- 
 fication ; for the nations of the land of Canaan represented those 
 who are in evils and falsities, and the children of Israel those who 
 are in truths and goods. [10.] That knowledges of good and 
 truth from the Word will be taken away from those who have not 
 acquired spiritual life for themselves, is what is meant also in the 
 Lord's parables respe(5ling the talents and pounds given to the 
 ser\ants that they might trade and make gain, and respecting the 
 servant who traded not and gained nothing, of whom it is written 
 in the parables : 
 
272 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 Unto him who hid his talent in the earth his lord said, "Thou wicked 
 and slothful servant,. . . .thou oughtest to have put my money to 
 the bankers, in order that at my coming I might have received 
 mine own with interest. Take therefore the talent from him, and 
 give it unto him that hath the ten talents. For unto every one 
 that hath shall be given, that he may have abundance; but from 
 him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. 
 And cast ye out the unprofitable servant into outer darkness " 
 {Matt. XXV. 14-30). 
 
 And in another place : 
 
 " He came who had received the one pound, saying, Lord, behold, here 
 is thy pound, which I kept laid up in a napkin." The lord said, 
 "Wherefore gavest not thou my money into the bank, that com- 
 ing I might have regained mine own with interest. And He 
 said. . . ., Take from him the pound, and give to him that ha-th ten 
 
 pounds I say unto you. To every one that hath shall be given ; 
 
 but from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken 
 away from him " {Luke xix. 13-26). 
 
 Here "talents," "pounds," and "money," signify knowledges of 
 truth and good from the Word ; "to trade," "to make gain," "to 
 put it to the bankers," or "in the bank," signifies to acquire for 
 oneself thereby spiritual life and intelligence ; " hiding these in the 
 earth " or " in a napkin " signifies in the memory of the natural 
 man only ; of such it is therefore said that from them should be 
 taken away that which they have, according to what has been ex- 
 plained in the beginning of this article. [II.] This takes place 
 with all in the other life who have acquired for themselves know- 
 ledges from the Word, and have not committed them to the life, 
 but only to the memory. He who has knowledges from the Word 
 in the memory only, be they ever so many, if he has not com- 
 mitted them to the life, remains natural as before. Committing 
 knowledges from the Word to the life is thinking from them, when 
 one, left to himself, thinks from his spirit, and also willing them 
 and doing them ; for this is loving truths because they are truths ; 
 and those who do this are those who become spiritual by means of 
 knowledges from the Word. 
 
 X94. "And thou shaft not know in what hour I will come upon 
 thee" signifies ignorance of that time and of the state then. — This 
 is evident from the signification of "hour," as meaning the time 
 when man is to die, also his state then ; and from the signification 
 of "not knowing" it, as meaning ignorance. It is said "in what 
 hour I will come upon thee," namely, "as a thief," and this means, 
 in the sense of the letter, that the Lord will so come ; but in the 
 spiritual sense, it means that evils and falsities will steal away the 
 knowledges that they have from the Word. For in the literal sense 
 of the Word doing evil is attributed to Jehovah, that is, to the 
 
CHAP. HI., VERSE 3. — N. I94. 273 
 
 Lord, but in the sj)iritual sense the meaning is that He does evil to 
 no one, but that man does evil to himself (see A.C., n. 2447, 5798, 6071. 
 6991. 6997, 7533. 7632, 7643, 7679, 7710, 7877, 7926, 8227, 8228, 8284, 8483, 8632, 
 9010, 9128. 9306. 10431). [2.] " Hour," moreover, signifies state, be- 
 cause all times in the Word, as a day, a week, a month, a year, an 
 age, signify states of life, likewise "an hour" (the reason of this may be 
 
 seen in Heaven and Hell, n. 162-169, where Time in Heaven is treated of). But 
 
 as " hour" means both time and state, where " hour" occurs in the 
 Word it can scarcely be seen that it signifies anything except time. 
 As in Matthew : 
 
 A householder hired laborers into his vinej'ard, who labored from the 
 third hour, the sixth, the ninth, and the eleventh, and received equal 
 reward (x.\. 1-16). 
 
 These "hours" mean, in the world, times, but in heaven, states of 
 life, since in heaven there are no hours, because times there are not 
 measurable and divided into days and these into hours, as in the 
 world ; consequently instead of these times the angels perceive 
 the states of life of those who die, as old men, young men, youth, 
 or children, and who have all acquired for themselves spiritual life ; 
 "laboring in the vineyard" is acquiring for oneself spiritual life by 
 knowledges of good and truth from the Word applied to the uses 
 of life ; the " third," the " sixth," and the " ninth hours " signify a like 
 state of life, for all numbers in the Word are significative, and these 
 numbers have a common signification. (That "vineyard" in the Word 
 
 signifies the spiritual church, and spiritual life with man, sec A.C., n. 9139, 3220. 
 That " three " signifies a full state, or what is complete even to the end, n. 2788, 4495, 
 7715, 8347, 9825; likewise "six " and " nine." But "eleven" signifies a state not 
 yet full, and yet a receptive state such as pertains to well-disposed children and infants. 
 Tne " twelfth hour," to which all labored, signifies truths and goods in their fulness, 
 n. 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3858, 3913. That all numbers in the Word are sig- 
 nificative, n. 4495, 4670, 5265, 617s, 9488, 9659, 10217, 10253; ^"d that composite 
 numbers have a signification like that of the simple numbers from which they arise 
 by multiplication, thus " three," " six." and "nine," have a common signification, 
 
 "•5291. 5335. 5708, 7973.) [3.] Since "twelve" signifies truths and 
 goods in their fulness, thus man's state of light or intelligence from 
 these, the Lord says, 
 
 " Are there not twelve hours in the day ? If a man walk in the day he 
 stumbleth not" {John xi. 9). 
 
 Elsewhere, also, " hours " signify states of life, as in the Apocalypse : 
 
 "The four angels were loosed, which were prepared for the hour and 
 day and month and year, that they should kill the third part cf 
 men" (ix. 15). 
 
 The times here mentioned mean states of evil widi man, as will 
 be seen in the explanation of these words hereafter. From this 
 
274 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 it is now evident that "Thou shalt not know in what hour I wi^ 
 come upon thee," means that one is ignorant not only of the time 
 of death but also that the state of life at that time will continue 
 to eternity ; lor as the state of man's life is throughout, even to the 
 end, such he remains to eternity. [4.] Like things are said by the 
 Lord in many places in the Evangelists. In Matthew : 
 
 " Ye know not in what hour your Lord will come ; . . . . be yc ready ; for 
 in an hour that ye think not, the Son of man cometh" (xxiv. 42, 44). 
 
 " The lord of the servant shall come in a day when he expe<5leth not, 
 and in an hour that he knoweth not " (xxiv. 50). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " Be wakeful, therefore, for ye know not the day, neither the hour, wherein 
 the Son of man shall come " (xxv. 13). 
 
 It should be known that man remains to eternity such as his whole 
 life is to the end, and by no means such as he is at the hour of 
 death ; repentance at that time with the evil is of no avail, but with 
 the good it strengthens. 
 
 I95[#l], [Ferse 4.] "Thou host a few names even in Sardis, 
 that have not defiled their garments," signifies those who live 
 a moral life from a spiritual origin, by applying knowledges 
 of truth and good from the Word to the uses of their life. — This 
 is evident from the signification of "name," as meaning the quality 
 of the state of man's life (see above, n. 148); here, therefore, 
 "names" signify men who are such. It is evident also from the 
 signification of "the church in Sardis," as meaning those who live 
 a moral life but not a spiritual life, because they have little regard 
 for knowledges of truth and good from the Word (see above, 
 n. 148, 182) ; but here those are meant who live a moral life from 
 a spiritual origin, for it is said, "that have not defiled their gar- 
 ments." It is evident also from the signification of "garments," 
 as meaning truths known (scienHjica) and knowledges in the natural 
 man (of which presently). "Not defiling their garments," there- 
 fore, signifies living as a moral man not for the sake of self and the 
 world, which is for the sake of the body and its life only, but for 
 the sake of the Lord and of heaven, which is for the sake of the 
 soul and its life. From this it is clear that " Thou hast a few names 
 even in Sardis that have not defiled their garments," signifies such 
 as live a moral life from a spiritual origin, by applying knowledges 
 of truth and good from the Word to their life. [2.] But as few 
 know what it is to live a moral life from a spiritual origin, and 
 what it is to apply knowledges of truth and good from the Word 
 to the uses of their life, it shall be told. Man lives a moral life from 
 
CHAP. 111., VEUSI-: 4. — X. ig5[<i]. 275 
 
 a spiritual oriL^iu when he lives it iVoni relit^ion; that is, when he 
 thinks, when anything,' evil, insincere, or wrong presents itself, that 
 this must not be done because it is contrary to the Divine laws. 
 When one abstains from doing such things in deference to Divine 
 laws he accjuires for himself spiritual life, and his moral life is then 
 from the spiritual ; fur by such thought and faith man communicates 
 with angels of heaven, and by communication with heaven his in- 
 ternal spiritual man is opened, the mind of which is a higher mind, 
 such as the angels of heaven have, and he is thereby imbued with 
 heavenly intelligence and wisdom. From this it can be seen 
 that to live a moral life from a spiritual origin is to live from relig- 
 ion, and within the church, to live from the Word ; for those who 
 live a moral life from religion and from the Word are raised above 
 their natural man, thus above what is their own iproprium), and are 
 led by the Lord through heaven ; consequently they have faith, the 
 fear of God, and conscience, also a spiritual affection for truth, which 
 is an affection for knowledges of truth and good from the Word, 
 for to such men these are Divine laws, according to which they live. 
 Many of the heathen live such a moral life, for they think that evil 
 must not be done because it is contrary to their religion ; this is 
 why so many of them are saved. [3.] But on the other hand, 
 to live a moral life not from religion, but only from fear of the 
 law in the world, and of loss of fame, honor, and gain, is to live a 
 moral life not from a spiritual but from a natural origin ; therefore 
 to such there is no communication with heaven. And as they think 
 insincerely and wrongly regarding the neighbor, although they 
 speak and a<5l otherwise, their internal spiritual man is closed, and 
 the internal natural man only is open ; and when this is open they 
 are in the light of the world, but not in the light of heaven. For 
 this reason such persons have litde regard for Divine and heavenly 
 things, and some deny them, believing nature and the world to be 
 
 e\er}'thmg. (From this it can now be seen what it is to live a moral life from 
 a spiritual origin, and what it is to live it from a natural origin ; but these things 
 may be seen set forth in clearer light in Heaven and Hell, n. 528-535.) Q{ those 
 
 who live a moral life from a natural origin only, it may be said 
 that " they defile their garments," for " garments " mean that which 
 is outside the man himself and which clothes him, thus his natural 
 man with the things that are in it, which are things known (sdenti- 
 fica) and knowledges ; and when these are from the Word they are 
 defiled by the fafl that he learns and holds them only for the sake 
 of reputation, that he may be thought learned or well informed, or 
 that he may thereby acquire honors and gain wealth ; and but for 
 such ends he has no regard for them. Thus it is that knowledges 
 
276 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 from the Word are polluted and defiled by the loves of self and the 
 world, for these knowledges are made to dwell in the same place 
 vvith the evils and falsities that gush out from those loves as from 
 their fountains. [4.] It was said above, that man becomes spiritual 
 by means of knowledges of truth and good from the Word applied 
 to uses of life. Why men become spiritual by means of knowledges 
 from the Word, and not by means of other knowledges, shall now 
 be explained. All things that are in the Word are Divine, and they 
 are Divine for the reason that they have in them a spiritual sense, 
 and by that sense communicate with heaven and with the angels 
 iher*-. When, therefore, man has knowledges from the Word and 
 applitij them to life, through these he has communication with 
 heaven and by that communication becomes spiritual ; for man 
 becomes spiritual by his being in like or corresponding truths with 
 the angels of heaven. It is said in corresponding truths, because 
 each and all things in the sense of the letter of the Word are cor- 
 respondences, for they correspond to the truths that angels have. 
 But knowledges derived from other books, which set forth and by 
 various means establish the do<5lrines of the church, do not effedl 
 communication with heaven except by such knowledges from the 
 Word as they contain ; such knowledges do give communication 
 if they are rightly understood and are applied to life, and not 
 to faith alone. Every one can see that this is so from this, that 
 the Word in itself is Divine, and what is Divine in itself can be- 
 come Divine in man by his applying it to life. Becoming Diviyie 
 i7i man means the Lord's having His abode with man ( yohn xiv. 
 23), thus dwelling in him in what is His own (that the Lord dwells in 
 
 His own in man and angel, and not in what is their own {propria illorum), see Heaven 
 
 and Hell, n. 12). The Lord dwells in His own when He dwells in 
 those things in man that are from the Word, for the Lord is the 
 Word {yohn i. 1,2, 14) ; and the words that He spake, that is, that 
 are in the Word, 
 
 "Are spirit and life" {John vi. 63, 68 ; xii. 50). 
 
 [ft.] [5.] That "garments" signify the things that are in the 
 natural man, which are things known {scienHjica), ti'ue or false, or 
 knowledges, is from the spiritual world ; for in the spiritual world all, 
 however many, appear clothed according to their moral life ; con- 
 sequently those who have lived a moral life from a spiritual origin 
 appear clothed in shining white garments, like fine linen ; but those 
 who have lived a moral life from a natural origin only, appear 
 according to the nature of that life, those who have polluted their 
 «ife by »:vils and falsities appearing -n dark garments, mean, torn 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 4.--N. Uj^[d]. 277 
 
 and hideous to behold (see Heaven and Hell, n. 177-1S2). P'rom this it 
 is that " jj^arnienLs " in the Word si.e;nify truth.s fnmi gcjod, and in 
 the contrary sense ialsities from evil, both of them in the natural 
 man ; truths and falsities in the natural man are called things known 
 {scientijtcii) and knowledges. [6.] That "garments" in the Word 
 signify truths or falsities can be clearly seen from the following 
 passages. In Isaiah : 
 
 "Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion, put on the garments of thy 
 beauty, O Jerusalem ; . . . . for henceforth there shall no more come 
 to thee the uncircumcised and the unclean" (lii. '"» 
 
 ''Zion" in the Word signifies the Lord's celestiai wrtngdom, thus 
 the celestial church, and "Jerusalem" the spiritual kingdom and 
 
 the spiritual church (what the celestial kingdom is, and the spiritual king- 
 dom, see Heaven and Hell, n. 20-28). The "garments of beauty that 
 Jerusalem must put on" are Divine truths; the "uncircumcised 
 and the unclean that will not come to them" are those who are in 
 evils and falsities. [7.] In Ezekiel : 
 
 "Jerusalem, I clothed thee with broidered work, I shod thee with badg- 
 er's skin, I girded thee about with fine linen I adorned thee 
 
 with ornament, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on 
 thy neck, and a jewel upon thy nose, and earrings upon thine ears, 
 yea, a crown of ornament upon thy head. Thus wast thou decked 
 with gold and silver, and thy garments were fine linen, silk, and 
 broidered work, .... whence thou becamest exceeding beautiful, and 
 
 didst prosper unto royal estate But thou didst take of thy 
 
 garments, and didst make to thee high places adorned with divers 
 colors, that thou mightest commit whoredom upon them ; . . . . thou 
 also didst take garments of thy broidered work, and didst cover 
 images of a male, with which thou didst commit whoredom " (xvi. 
 10-13, 16-1S). 
 
 Here what the church was when it was first established by the 
 Lord is described; the "garments" that are mentioned are truths 
 trom good; "broidered work" is truth known [sdentificum) ; "fine 
 linen and silk" are truths from a celestial source ; the "bracelets," 
 "chain," "jewel," "earrings," and "crown," are decorations sig- 
 niMng things spiritual of various kinds; the "gold and silver" 
 with which she was decked are the good of love and its truth. 
 Then the same church when per\'erted is described ; that "she took 
 of the garments, and didst make to herself high places adorned 
 with divers colors," signifies truths falsified ; and that "she took the 
 garments of broidered work, and covered images of a male," sig- 
 nifies that they applied the truths of the sense of the letter of the 
 Word to so confirm falsities as to make them appear like truths ; 
 "committing whoredom with them" and "under them" signifies 
 making dodrine and worship out of falsities (that this is to "com- 
 mit whoredom," see above, n. 141, 161). (That "Jerusalem "is the churck 
 
••7S APeCALVPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 vhere tliere n true dodlrine, see A.C., n. 402, 3654, 9166. That " broidered work" 
 is what is known (scientificurn) , n. 9688. That " fine linen " is truth from a celestial 
 origin, n. 5319, 9469. That " bracelets " are truths and goods of the church, n. 3103, 
 3105. That " a chain [for the neck] " is representative of the conjuiicftion of interior 
 and exterior things, n. 5320 ; that " jewels [for the nose] " and " earrings " are repre- 
 sentatives of perception and obedience, n. 4551. That a "crown " means wisdom, 
 see above, n. 1 26. That "gold" is good of love, see A.C., n. 1551, 1552, 5658, 
 6914, 6917, 9510, 9874, 9881 ; that " silver" is truth from that good, n. 1551, 1552, 
 2954, 5658. That " high places adorned with divers colors " are truths falsified, n. 
 796, 4005. That the " male " or " masculine " is truth, n. 749, 2046, 4005, 7838 ; 
 therefore " images of a male " are appearances of truth.) [8.] In the same, 
 
 "Fine linen in broidered work from Egypt was thy spreading forth, .... 
 
 blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was thy covering Syria 
 
 was thy merchant .... in purple, and broidered work, and fine linen, 
 with the chrysoprasus Dedan was thy merchant with gar- 
 ments of liberty for the chariot ; . . . Asshur and Chilmad . . . with 
 bales of blue and of broidered work, and with treasures of precious 
 garments" (xxvii. 7, 16, 20, 23, 24). 
 
 Here Tyre and her wares are treated of, and "Tyre" signifies 
 knowledges of truth and good, and "trading" and "trafficking," 
 signify acquiring for oneself and communicating such know- 
 ledges ; " purple and blue " signify celestial love of good and truth ; 
 " Egypt," what is known {sdentiftcum), belonging to the natural man ; 
 by "broidered work from Egypt" the same ; "Syria " the church 
 in respe<?i: to the knowledges of truth and good ; " Asshur" the ra- 
 tional of that church ; "Dedan" those who are in knowledges of 
 celestial things. From this it can be seen that the " wares of Tyre," 
 treated of in the whole of that chapter, do not mean wares, but 
 each and all these things mean spiritual things, which man ought 
 to acquire, be imbued with, and communicate. (That " Tyre " signifies 
 
 the knowledges of good and truth, see^^.C, n. 1201. That " Egypt" signifies what is 
 known {scientificum) belonging to the natural man, n. 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 5700, 
 5702, 6015, 6651, 6679, 6682, 6683, 6692, 7296, 9340, 9391. That " Syria " is the church 
 in respedt to knowledges of truth and good, n. 1232, 1234, 3664, 3680, 4112. That 
 " Dedan" signifies those who are in knowledges of celestial things, n. 3240, 3241, 
 That "Asshur" is the rational therefrom, n. 119, 1186. That "purple" is the 
 celestial love of good, n. 9467. That "blue" is the celestial love of truth, n. 9466, 
 9687, 9833 ; likewise " chrysoprasus," n. 9868. What " fine hnen " and " broidered 
 work " signify, see just above.) [9.] In David : 
 
 •The king's daughter is all glorious within, her clothing is inwrought 
 with gold. She shall be brought unto the king in broidered work " 
 {Psalm xlv. 13, 14). 
 
 The "king's daughter" signifies spiritual affe6lion for truth, and 
 therefore a church consisting of those who are in that affedion ; 
 "king" signifies the Lord in resped to Divine truth; "clothing 
 inwrought with gold," intelligence and wisdom from that truth ; 
 the "broidered work" in which she should "be brought to the 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 4. — N. I95[(!5]. 279 
 
 king" sij^nifies knowledges of truth. (That " daughter " sigrufies affec- 
 tion for truth, ami the church therefrom, see A.C., n. 2362, 2623, 3373, 3963, 4257, 
 6729, 6775, 6779, 8649, 9055, 9807. That " king" signifies the Lord in respect to 
 
 Divine truth, see .above, n. 31.) [lo.] In the Second Book of Saviuel : 
 
 "Daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet with 
 dainty things, and who put an ornament of gold upon your apparel " 
 (i. 24). 
 
 This is in the lamentation of David over Saul, which he wrote 
 "To teach the sons of Judah the bow" (verse 18): 
 
 by "bow" is signified truth combating against falsities (see A.c, n. 
 2686, 2709) ; "Saul" here, as a king, signifies such truth ; the "sons 
 of Judah " signify those who are in truths from good ; " to clothe 
 the daughters of Israel in scarlet," and "to put ornaments of gold 
 upon the apparel," is to impart intelligence and wisdom to those 
 who are in a spiritual affecftion for truth. [||.] In Matthew : 
 
 "When the king came in to behold the guests, he saw there a man that 
 had not on a wedding garment ; and he said unto him. Friend, how 
 camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment ? He was 
 speechless. Then said the king. . . , Bmd him hand and foot, and 
 cast him out into outer darkness" (xxii. 11-13). 
 
 A "wedding garment" signifies the intelligence of the spiritual 
 man, which is from knowledges of truth and good; but "he that 
 had not on a wedding garment " signifies a hypocrite, who by a 
 moral life counterfeits a spiritual life when yet he is merely natural ; 
 ■"to bind him hand and foot" signifies deprivation of knowledges 
 from the Word, by which he has put on the likeness of a spiritual 
 man ; "to be cast out into outer darkness" signifies among those 
 who are in falsities from evil (for " outer darkness " signifies falsities 
 from evil). [I2.] \x\ Zephaniah : 
 
 " I will visit upon the princes, and upon the king's sons, and upon all 
 that are clothed with the garments of the stranger" (i. 8). 
 
 "Princes" and "king's sons" signify those who are in truths, and 
 in a contrary sense, as here, those who are in falsities ; these are 
 said to be "clothed with the garment of the stranger," because 
 "garment" signifies falsity, and "stranger" those who are out of 
 the church and do not acknowledge the truths of the church. 
 [13.] In Matthew: 
 
 " Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing ; in- 
 wardly they are ravening wolves " (vii. 15). 
 
 'False prophets in sheep's clothing, who inwardly are ravening 
 wolves," are those who teach falsities as if they were truths, and 
 who in appearance live a moral life, but who by themselves, wher 
 
iSo APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 they think from their spirit, think of nothing but themselves and 
 the world, and are eager to deprive all others o{ truths. [I4.] In 
 yo/m : 
 
 Jesus said to Peter, "When thou wast young thou girdedst thyself and 
 walkedst whither thou wouldest ; but when thou shalt be old thou 
 shalt stretch forth thy hands and another shall gird thee, and lead 
 thee whither thou wouldest not" (xxi. i8). 
 
 What these words signify in the spiritual sense may be seen above 
 (n. 9) ; namely, that by " Peter" is meant the faith of the church ; 
 when he "was young and girded himself and walked whither he 
 would" means the faith of the church at the beginning, when men 
 are in the good of charity, that they then think about the truths 
 of the church from the spiritual man, which is to think from their 
 spirit, thus from a spiritual afife6lion for truth, that is, from freedom. 
 But by " Peter when old, that he should stretch forth his hands and 
 another should gird him," is meant the faith of the church at its 
 end, when faith would be without charity, that they then would 
 think nothing about the truths of the church from themselves, but 
 only from others, thus from dodrine only and not from the Word, 
 which is relatively a servile state. For to belie\'e what another 
 says is sennle, but to believe what one himself thinks from the 
 Word is freedom ; according to the Lord's words in yokn : 
 
 "If ye abide in My Word, ye are truly My disciples ; and ye shall know 
 the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (viii. 31, 32). 
 
 [15.] In Ljike : 
 
 "No man putteth a piece of a new garment on an old garment; else the 
 new will rend the old, and the piece from the new agreeth not with 
 the old. And no man putteth new wine into old bottle« ; else the 
 new wine will burst the bottles, and itself be spilt, and the bottles 
 be destroyed" (v. 36, 37 ; Matt. ix. 16, 17 ; Mark ii. 21, 22). 
 
 Because a "garment " signifies truth, the Lord compared the truths 
 of the previous church, which was a church representative oi spir- 
 itual things, to a piece of an old garment, and the truths of the 
 new church, which were spiritual truths themselves, to a piece of a 
 new garment ; He compared them likewise to bottles of wine, be- 
 cause "wine" in like manner signifies truth, and "bottles" mean 
 
 the knowledges that contain truth. (That "wine" in the Word signifies 
 truth, see Doctrine of the New yerusalem, n. 219.) 
 
 [c] [16.] From this it can now be seen what is signified in 
 the Word elsewhere by "garments," which are often mentioned, 
 as in the following passages. In the Apocalypse : 
 
 " And upon the thrones four-and-twenty elders sitting, arrayed in white 
 garments " (iv. 4). 
 
CHAP. III., \ ERSE 4. — N'. lysL'J- ^Sl 
 
 Again, 
 
 The armies of the One sitting jpon the white horse " followed Him,. . . . 
 clothed in fine linen, whi te and pure" (.\i.x. 14) 
 
 Again, 
 
 Those who stood before the throne in sight of the Lamb, " were clotlied 
 in white robes" (vii. g). 
 
 Again, 
 
 The seven angels from the temple " were clothed in linen clean and 
 shining " (xv. 6). 
 
 Again, 
 
 " White robes were given to every one of those under the altar" (vi. 11). 
 
 Again, 
 
 "Buy gold. . .and white garments" (iii. 18). 
 
 In Ezekiel: 
 
 " If he giveth his bread to the hungry, and covereth the naked with a 
 garment" (.xviii. 16). 
 
 "To give bread to the hungry" signifies in the spiritual sense to 
 instruct from good of charity those who long for truths ; "to cover 
 the naked with a garment" signifies to instru6l, in like manner, 
 those who are not in truths. [17.] In the same, 
 
 The enemies "shall strip thee of thy garments, and shall take away the 
 jewels of thine adorning" (xxiii. 26). 
 
 In Zcchariah : 
 
 "Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and thus stood before the 
 angel. And he said to those that stood before him, Take away the 
 filthy garments from off him. And he said. Behold I have made 
 thine iniquity to pass from off thee, in clothing thee with changed 
 garments " (iii. 3-5). 
 
 In Lamentations : 
 
 " They have wandered blind in the streets, they have been polluted with 
 blood ; what they cannot pollute they touch with their garments " 
 (iv. 14). 
 
 From the signification of "garments" it can be known what is 
 meant by several statutes pertaining to the children of Israel, 
 
 That they should not put on mixed garments {Lev. xix. ig ; Dcut. xxii. 1 1) 
 That a woman should not vear what belonged to a man, nor a man be 
 
 clothed with the garn ents of a woman (Dent. xxii. 5) ; 
 That they should wash their garments that they might be purified, and 
 
 thus sancflified (Exod. xix. 14 ; Lev. xi. 25, 2S, 40 ; xiv. 8, g ; Xum. 
 
 xix. II to the end) ; 
 
 and elsewhere : 
 
 That in mourning lor their transgression against Divine truths the 
 
282 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 should put off their garments and put on sackcloth {Jsa. xv. 3 ; xxii. 
 12 ; xxxvii. i, 2 ; Jer. iv. 8 ; vi. 26 ; xlviii. 37 ; xlix. 3 ; Lam. ii. 10; 
 Ezek. xxvii. 31 ; Amos viii. 10 ; Jonah iii. 5, 6, 8) ; 
 And that they should rend their garments {Isa. xxxvii. i ; and elsewhere) 
 
 Also what this signifies, 
 
 That the disciples laid their garments upon the ass and the colt when 
 the Lord was going to Jerusalem, and that the people strowed their 
 garments in the way {Matt. xxi. 79 ; Mark xi. 7, 8 ; Luke xix. 35, 
 36). 
 
 can be seen above (n. 3i[i^]). [18.] That "garments" signify 
 truths has its origin in this, that the light of heaven is Divine 
 truth going forth from the Lord as a sun there, and all things that 
 have existence in the heavens have existence from the light there, 
 and this is true of the garments in which the angels appear clothed. 
 It is from this 
 
 That the angels who sat at the Lord's sepulchre had a garment white as 
 
 snow {Matt, xxviii. 3) ; 
 And that their garments were shining {Luke xxiv. 4). 
 
 (That the garments in which the angels appear clothed correspond to their intelli- 
 gence, and that they have intelligence according to their reception of Divine truth 
 from the Lord, see Heaven and Hell, n. 177-182 ; and that Divine truth going forth 
 from 'the Lord is light in heaven, n. 126-135.) Froni this it Can be Seen 
 
 what "garments" signify in reference to the Lord, namely, Divine 
 truth going forth from Him ; and as Divine truth is signified, the 
 Word also is signified, for the Word is Divine truth from the Lord 
 on earth and in the heavens. This was represented by the Lord's 
 "garments" when He was transfigured before Peter, James, and 
 John, which are thus described in the Evangelists, 
 
 When Jesus was transfigured, " His face did shine as the sun, and His 
 garments became white as the light " {Matt. xvii. 2) ; and " white, 
 dazzling" {Luke ix. 29) ; and "glistering white as snow, so as no 
 fuller on earth can whiten them " {Mark ix. 3). 
 
 The same is said of the Ancient of Days in Daniel : 
 
 "The Ancient of Days did sit, and His garment was like white snow" 
 (vii. 9). 
 
 " The Ancient of Days " is the Lord from eternity. As " light " is 
 Divine truth, and this in reference to the Lord is signified by "gar- 
 ments," it is said in David : 
 
 Jehovah " covereth Himself with light as with a garment " {Psalm civ. 2). 
 
 [19.] From this it can be seen what the Lord's garments men- 
 tioned elsewhere in the Word signify. As in David : 
 
 " He hath anointed all thy garments with myrrh and aloes and cassia " 
 {Psalm xlv. 7, 8). 
 
CHAP. III., VF-KSE 4. — N. I95[<:]. 283 
 
 <vhere the Lord is treated of. In Moses : 
 
 " He will wash His garment in wine, and His covering in the blood of 
 grapes" {Gen. xlix. Ii). 
 
 This is also said of the Lord. " Wine " and " the blood of grapes " 
 sig^nify Divine truth. Because the Lord's garments signified Di- 
 vine tnith, 
 
 Those who touched the border of His garment were healed (Matt. ix. 
 20, 21 ; Mark v. 27, 23, 30; vi. 56 ; Luke viii. 44). 
 
 In Isaiah: 
 
 "Who is this that cometh from Edom, His garments sprinkled from 
 Bozrah ; this that is honorable in His apparel?. . . .Wherefore art 
 Thou red in Thine apparel, and Thy garments as of one treading 
 in the wine press ?... .Their vi(flory is sprinkled upon My gar- 
 ments, and I have stained all My raiment" (Ixiii. 1-3). 
 
 This is also said of the Lord ; "garments " here signify the Word, 
 which, as has been said, is Divine truth from the Lord on earth 
 and in the heavens ; the violence offered to Divine truth, that is, to 
 the Word by those who were then of the church, is described by 
 this, that " He was red in apparel as one treading in the wine- 
 press," and that "vi6lory was sprinkled upon His garments," and 
 that " He had stained all His raiment." [20.] In the Apocalypse : 
 
 He who sat on the white horse "arrayed with a garment dyed with 
 blood; and His name is called the Word of God" (xix. 13). 
 
 Here it is plainly declared that He who sat on the white horse was 
 called " the Word of God ;" and it is clear that this is the Lord, for 
 it is immediately said of Him, 
 
 "He hath on His garment and on His thigh a name written, King of 
 kings and Lord of lords" (verse 16). 
 
 It is therefore the Word in the letter that is signified by the "gar- 
 ment dyed with blood," since violence was done to it, but not to 
 the Word in the spiritual sense ; violence could not be done to 
 this, because they knew nothing about it. [21.] That violence 
 was done to the Word in the sense of the letter, but not to the 
 Word in the spiritual sense, is signified also by the soldiers divid- 
 ing the Lord's garments, but not His tunic, of which it is said in 
 Jolm : 
 
 "The soldiers. . .took His garments, and made four parts, to every 
 soldier a part, also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, 
 woven from the top throughout. They said therefore one to an- 
 other, Let us not rend it, but let us cast lots for it, whose it sha 
 be These thirgs therefore the soldiers did" (xix. 23, 24). 
 
284 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 And in David : 
 
 "They parted My garments, and cast lots upon My vesture" {Psalm 
 xxii. 18). 
 
 " The garments of the Lord which they parted " signify the Word 
 in the letter; His "tunic" the Word in the spiritual sense; "sol- 
 diers" signify those of the church who should fight in behalf 
 of Divine truth; therefore it is said, "These things therefore the 
 
 soldiers did." (That " tunic " signifies Divine truth, or the Word in the spirit- 
 ual sense, see A.C., n. 9826, 9942; that "soldiers" signify those who are of the 
 church, and who should fight in behalf of Divine truth, see above, n. 64. at the end, 
 where these things are more fully explained.) It should be known that 
 
 each detail related in the Evangelists respe6ling the Lord's passion, 
 involves and signifies how the church at that time, which was among 
 the Jews, had treated Divine truth, thus the Word, for this was Di- 
 vine truth with them ; the Lord also was the Word, because He 
 was Divine truth {^John i. i, 2, 14). But what each detail involves 
 and signifies cannot be known except by the internal sense. 
 Here it will be told only what " the Lord's garments " signified, 
 because the meaning of "garments" is here treated of, namely, 
 that they signify truths, and in reference to the Lord, Divine truths. 
 [22.] "The garments of Aaron and of his sons" have a like 
 signification, because Aaron with his sons represented the Lord in 
 respedl to Divine good, and their garments the Lord in respedl to 
 
 Divine truth. (But these things maybe seen set forth and shown in the Arcana 
 Caelestia ; as that Aaron represented the Lord in respedl to Divine good, n. 9806, 
 9946, 10017 ; also what each of their garments signified, the breastplate, the ephod, 
 the cloak, the tunic wrought with checker work, the mitre, and the belt, n. 9814, 
 9823-9828, seq.) 
 
 196* "And they shall walk with Me in white, for they are 
 
 worthy," signifies their spifitual life, ivhich they have by means 
 of knozvledges of trtith and good from the Word. — -This is evident 
 from the signification of "to walk," as meaning to live (see above, 
 n. 97) ; from the signification of "in white," as meaning in truths, 
 for "whiteness" and "brightness" in the Word are predicated of 
 truths (of which presently) ; therefore by these words, " they shall 
 walk with me in white," is signified spiritual life, since spiritual life 
 is a life of truth, that is, a life according to truths, thus according to 
 the precepts of the Lord in the Word. This is evident also from 
 the signification of "for they are worthy," as meaning because they 
 have spiritual life from the Lord. So far as any one receives from 
 the Lord is he worthy ; but so far as he receives from self, that is, 
 from what is his, or from what is his own {proprium) he is not worthy. 
 Nothing else constitutes spiritual life with man but knowledges of 
 truth and good from the Word applied to the life ; and they are 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 4. — N. I96. 285 
 
 applied to the life when man holds them as the laws of his life, for 
 he then looks to the Lord in everything, and with such the Lord 
 is present, and gives intelligence and wisdom and an affection for 
 these and delight in them. For the Lord is in His truths with 
 man jince every truth goes forth from the Lord, and what goes 
 forth from die Lord this is His, even so that it is He ; therefore 
 ihe Lord says, 
 
 " I am .... the truth and the life " {John xiv. 6). 
 He that doeth the truth cometh to the light, [that his works may be 
 
 made manifest] that they have been wrought in God" (yohn iii. 21). 
 "The Word was with God, and the Word was God. ... In Him was life ; 
 
 and the life was the light of men. . . . That was the true light, that 
 
 lighteth every man And the Word was made flesh " {yohn i. 
 
 I. 4. 9. M)- 
 
 The Lord is called "the Word" because the Word means Di- 
 vine truth ; He is also called " the Light " because Divine truth is 
 light in the heavens ; He is also called "the Life," because every- 
 thing that li\-es, lives from that light ; from that also angels have 
 intelligence and wisdom, in which their life consists. He who 
 would derive life from any other source than the Divine that goes 
 forth from the Lord, which in heaven is called Divine truth and is 
 there seen as light, is greatly mistaken. From this it can be seen 
 how it is to be understood that "God was the Word," that "in 
 Him was life, and that the life was the light of men." [2.] " White " 
 in the Word is predicated of truths, because Divine truth is the 
 light of heaven, as was just said, and whiteness and brightness are 
 from the light of hea\-en. From this it was 
 
 That when the Lord was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, 
 
 His face appeared as the sun, and His garments as light {Matt. xvii. 
 
 2), "white, dazzling" (Luke ix. 29), "glistering as snow, so as no 
 
 fuller on earth could whiten " (Mark ix. 3) ; 
 That the angels at the Lord's sepulchre had a garment white as snow 
 
 {Matt, xxviii. 3), and shining {Luke xxiv. 4) ; 
 That there appeared to John seven angels from the temple clothed in 
 
 linen clean and shining {Apoc. xv. 6) ; 
 That those who stood before the throne of the Lamb were clothed in 
 
 white robes {Apoc. vi. 11 ; vii. 9, 13, 14 ; xix. 8); 
 That the armies of the One sitting upon the white horse followed Him 
 
 on white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and pure {Apoc. xiv. 14). 
 
 From this also it was 
 
 That the garments of Aaron were of linen, and that he put them on 
 when he went within the vail before the mercyseat {Lev. xvi. 1-5, 
 32). 
 
 " Linen " also signifies truth, because of its whiteness {A.c, n. 7601, 
 9959). As " white " signifies truth, and truths are what disclose falsi 
 
286 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 ties and evil in man and thus punfy him, it is said in David : 
 
 " Behold, Thou desirest truth in the reins, and in the hidden part IhoL 
 makest me to know wisdom. Thou shalt purge me with hyssoj 
 that I may be made clean ; Thou shalt wash me and I shall br 
 whiter than snow " {Psalm li. 6, 7). 
 
 [3.] Because the Nazirites represented the Lord in respe6l to 
 Divine truth in outmosts, which on earth is the Word in the sense 
 of the letter, and this with the Jews was falsified and perverted, it is 
 said of them in Larnentatio^is : 
 
 " The Nazirites were whiter than snow, they were brighter than milk 
 their bones were more ruddy than pearls, their polishing was sap 
 phire ; but their form is darkened, that they are not known in thi 
 streets " (iv. 7, 8). 
 
 (That "Nazirites" represented the Lord in respedl to Divine truth, see A.C., n. 
 6437 ; that " the crown of the head of the Nazirites " means Divine truths in out 
 mosts, or the Word in the letter, n, 6437, 9407. That the "hair" which was of 
 the Naziriteship, and was called " the crown of the head of the Nazirite," is Divine 
 truth in outmosts, n. 3301, 5247, 10044. That one has strength and power in Divine 
 truths in the outmosts, n. 9836 ; that therefore the strength of Samson was in his 
 
 hair, n. 3301.) [4.] From this it is clear what is signified by "the 
 Nazirites were whiter than snow and brighter than milk," and 
 "sapphire was the polishing of their bones ; their form was dark- 
 ened, that they were not known in the streets;" for "whiteness", 
 and "brightness" signify Divine truth in its light (as was said 
 above) ; and "bones," as they are man's outmosts, being the sup- 
 ports of his whole body, correspond to outmosts in heaven. (For 
 
 all things of man correspond, see Heaven and Hell, n. 87-102 ; consequently " bones " 
 signify the outmosts in the spiritual world, which are also the outmosts of Divine 
 truth or the Word, A.C., n. 5560-5564, 8005 ; that " sapphire" signifies what is trans- 
 lucent from truths, n. 9407 ; and " not to be known in the streets " signifies that Di- 
 vine truth is no more to be seen, since " streets " signify where there are truths of 
 doctrine, n. 2336.) 
 
 197. \_Verse 5.] "He that overcomeih" signifies he that is 
 steadfast even until death. — This is evident from the signification 
 of "overcoming" as meaning to be steadfast in spiritual afifedlion 
 for truth even to the end of life (see above, n. 128). 
 
 198. "Shall be clothed in white garments " signifies iyitelli 
 gence and wisdom according to truths a7id their reception. — This 
 is evident from what was said above (n. 195, 196), where it was 
 shown that " white garments " are Divine truths. " To be clothed 
 with them " signifies intelligence and wisdom according to truths 
 and their reception, because all intelligence and wisdom are from 
 Divine truths according to the perception of them and their recep- 
 rion in the life. To see truths, and to see what they are, is of per- 
 ception ; and to live according to them is of reception ; and accord- 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 5. — N. I99. 287 
 
 inc^ to perception and reception man ha.s intellij^cnce and wisdom. 
 Such intelligence and wisdom as is not from Divine truths, but 
 from worldly things only, is not intelligence and wisdom but merely 
 knowing {scieniia) and a power to reason therefrom ; for intelligence 
 is seeing inwardly in oneself whether a thing be true or not ; but 
 they who are wise from worldly things only do not see truths 
 inwardly in themselves, but from others ; and to see from others 
 is merely to know {scire) ; and such things come no farther under 
 the mind's vision than that they may be confirmed. In such a 
 state are most persons at this day within the church who make 
 faith alone, separate from life, to be saving ; consequently truths do 
 not enter into their spirit, but merely into the memory of the nat- 
 ural man ; and yet the light of heaven, which is Divine truth, can 
 enter by no other way into man than by the way of his spirit or 
 soul ; and man's spirit is such as his life is, but not such as his 
 memory apart from his life is ; and the light of heaven enters into 
 man's spirit when he is in the good of love and charity from the 
 Lord, and when he is in that good he is also in faith. (That man 
 
 has no faith when he has no iove or charity, see Last yudgment, n. 33-40. More- 
 over, what true intelligence is, what spurious, and what false, see Heaven and Hell, 
 n- 346-356.) 
 
 199. "And / mil not blot his name out of the book of life" 
 
 signifies that they will be in heaven because they a^-e Jilted for it. — 
 This is evident from the signification of "name," as meaning the 
 quality of man's state of life (see above, n. 148) ; and from the 
 signification of "the book of life," as meaning heaven (of which 
 presently) ; therefore, "not to blot his name out of the book of 
 life" signifies that they will be in heaven becaus' ♦•heir state in re- 
 spect to love and faith is heavenly, thus because they are fitted for 
 heaven. "The book of life" signifies heaven, because a man who 
 is in love to the Lord and faith in Him is a heaven in least form, 
 and this hea\en of man corresponds to hea\-en in greatest form ; 
 therefore he w ho has heaven in himself comes into heaven, for he 
 
 IS fitted for it. (That there is such correspondence, see Heaven and Hell, n. 
 51-58,73-77,87-102; and Do^rine of the New yerusalem, n. 2-^0-226.) From 
 
 this it is that "the book of life" is that in man that corresponds to 
 the heaven in him. Because this remains with man to eternity, if 
 he has become spiritual by means of knowledges of truth and 
 good applied to life in the world, it is said, " I will not blot his 
 name out of the book of life." In the world it may be blotted 
 out if man does not continue spiritual to the end of life ; but if 
 he does so continue it cannot be blotted out, because he is con- 
 ioined to the Lord by love and faith, and such conjunction with 
 :he Lord as there has been in the world remains with man aftei 
 
288 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 death. [2.] From all this it can be seen that "the book of life" 
 means that from the Lord which has been written in man's spirit, 
 that is, in his heart and soul, or what is the same, in his love and 
 faith ; and what is written by the Lord in man is heaven. From 
 this it is clear what is meant by "the book of life" in the following 
 passages. In Daniel : 
 
 •The Ancient of Days sat,. . .and the books were opened" (vii. 9, 10). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " The people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in 
 the book " (xii. i). 
 
 In David : 
 
 " Let them be blotted out of the book of lives, and not be written with 
 the righteous " {Psalm Ixix. 28). 
 
 In Moses : 
 
 Moses said, " Blot me, I pray Thee, out of the book which Thou hast 
 written. And Jehovah said, Whosoever hath sinned against Me, 
 him will I blot out of the book" {Exod. xxxii. 32, 33). 
 
 In the Apocalypse : 
 
 " All shall worship the beast whose names have not been written in the 
 Lamb's book of life " (xiii. 8 ; xvii. 8). 
 
 Again, 
 
 " I saw . . . that the books were opened ; and another book was opened, 
 which is of life ; and the dead were judged out of the things which 
 
 were written in the books, according to their works And if 
 
 any was not found written in the book of life he was cast into the 
 lake of fire" (xx. 12, 15). 
 
 Again, 
 
 There shall enter into the New Jerusalem "only they that are written 
 in the Lamb's book of life " (xxi. 27). 
 
 In David : 
 
 " My bone was not hidden from Thee when I was made in secret 
 
 Upon Thy book all the days were written in which they were 
 formed, and not one of them is wanting" {Psalm cxxxLx. 15, 16). 
 
 'All the days were written" means all states of life. (That each and 
 
 all things that man has thought, willed, spoken, and done, even all that he has seen 
 and heard, are with him in his spirit as if written therein, so that nothing whatever is 
 wanting, see Heaven and Hell, n. 462, 463 ; and A.C., n. 2469-2494, 739^ , and that 
 this is man's "book of life," see n. 2474, 9386, 9841, 10505 ; and likewise, n. 5212, 
 8067, 9334, 9723, 9841.) 
 
 200. "And I will confess his name before My Father and 
 before His angels " signifies Ihai they will be in Divine good and 
 in Divine truth therefrom. — This is evident from the signification 
 3f " I will confess his name," as meaning that thinp-s are to be in 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 5. — N. 200. 289 
 
 agreement with the quality of their state of life ; for " I will con- 
 fes.s," when said by the Lord, means making things to be ; for what 
 the Lord says or confesses respe61ing a man or angel who is in 
 the good of love and faith, He grants and provides, since every 
 good of love and faith is from Him. Therefore in the Word, " to 
 speak," when predicated of the Lord, signifies to instruct, to en- 
 lighten, and to i)rovide (see A.C.. n. 5361, 6946, 6951, 7019, 8095, 10234. 
 10290). That "name" means quality of the state of life, see above 
 (n. 148). This is evident also from the signification of "Father," 
 when it is said by the Lord, as meaning the Divine good, which is 
 in the Lord and from Him (of which in what follows) ; and from 
 the signification of "angels," as meaning Divine truth, which is 
 also from the Lord (of which above, n. 130). From this it is clear 
 that " I will confess his name before My Father and before His 
 angels," signifies that they will be in Divine good and in Divine 
 truth. [2.] "Father," when it is said by the Lord, means the 
 Divine good, which is in the Lord and from the Lord, because the 
 Divine, which was in the Lord from conception, and which was 
 the Esse of His life, to which Divine he united His Human when 
 He was in the world ; this He called " His Father." That the 
 Divine that was in Him from conception was what the Lord called 
 " Father," can be clearly seen from His teaching that He is one 
 with the Father. As in yohn : 
 
 " I and the Father are one" (x. 30). 
 
 In tne same, 
 
 Believe "that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father" (x. 38). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " He that beholdeth Me beholdeth Him that sent Me" (xii. 45). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " If ye had known Me ye would have known My Father also ; and from 
 henceforth ye have known Him, and have seen Him. Philip said 
 
 unto Him, Lord, show us the Father Jesur saith, Am I so 
 
 long time with you, and thou dost not know Me, Philip? he that 
 hath seen Me hath seen the Father ; how sayest thou then, Show 
 us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and 
 the Father in Me ? . . . The Father that abideth in Me doeth the 
 works. Believe Me, that I am in the Father, and the Father in 
 Me" (xiv. 7-1 1). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " If ye had known Me ye would have known My Father also ' (viii. 19). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " I am not alone, because the Father is with Me" (xvi. 32). 
 
290 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 :'S ] Because : -.e Lord is one \/ith tlie Father He also declares, 
 
 That all things of the Father are His, and His are the Father's (yoAn 
 
 xvii. 10); 
 That all things whatsoever that the Father hath are His {yoJin xvi. 15) ; 
 That the Father hath given all things into the hands of the Son {John 
 
 iii. 35 ; xiii. 3) ; 
 And that all things have been delivered unto Him by the Father; that 
 
 no one knoweth the Son save the Father, neither doth any one 
 
 know the Father save the Son {Matt. xi. 27 ; Luke x. 22). 
 That no one hath seen the Father except the Son, who is in the bosom o£ 
 
 the Father {John i. 18 ; vi. 46). 
 That the Word was with God, that the Word was God, .... and the Word 
 
 became flesh {John i. i, 14), 
 
 From this last passage also it is clear that they are one, for it is said, 
 " The Word was with God, and the Word was God." It is plain, 
 too, that the Human of the Lord is God, for it is said, " And the 
 Word became flesh." Because all things of the Father are also 
 the Lord's, and because He and the Father are one, the Lord 
 when He ascended into heaven said to his disciples, 
 
 "All power hath been given unto Me in heaven and on earth" {Matt. 
 
 xxviii. 18) ; 
 
 by which He taught that men should approach Him alone, because 
 He alone can do all things ; as He also said to them before, 
 " Without Me ye can do nothing " {John xv. 5). 
 
 This makes clear how these words are to be understood, 
 
 " I am the way, the truth, and the life ; no one cometh unto the Father 
 but through Me " {John xiv. 6) ; 
 
 namely, that the Father is approached when the Lord is approached. 
 [4.] The Lord so often spoke of the Father as another than Him- 
 self, for this, as one of many reasons, that by " Father," in the in- 
 ternal or spiritual sense, is meant the Divine good, and by "Son," 
 the Divine truth, each in the Lord and from the Lord ; for the 
 Word is written by correspondences, and is thus both for men 
 and for angels. The "Father" therefore is mentioned, that the 
 Lord's Divine good may be perceived by angels who are in the 
 spiritual sense of the Word; and "Son of God" and "Son of 
 man" are mentioned, that the Divine truth may be perceived (as 
 
 can be seen from what has been shown in the Arcana Caelestia, namely, that 
 " Father" in the Word signifies good, n. 3703, 5902, 6050, 7833, 7834; that " father" 
 signifies the church in respedl to good, thus the good of the church, and " mother " 
 the church in respe<5l to truth, thus the truth of the church, n. 2691, 2717, 3703, 5581, 
 8897. That the Divine good that was in Him from conception, and was the Esse 
 of life, from which was His Human the Lord called " Father," n. 2803, 3704, 7499, 
 8328, 8897 ; that the Lord is aclcuowledged as the Father in heaven because they 
 are one, n. 15, 1729, ^690; that the Lord is also called " Father" in the Word. n. 
 2005. »hat the Lord is a Father to those who are being regenerated, since they 
 are receiving new life from Him, and His life, n. 2293, 3690, 6492; that " Son cf 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 5. — N. 200. 29I 
 
 God," and "Son of man," are the Lord in respecl to the Divine Human and the 
 proceeding Divine truth, see .ibove, n. 63. 15I, 166.) Since, then, all who 
 
 come into heaven must be not only in good but also in truth (for 
 no one can be in the one unless he is also in the other, since 
 good is the esse of truth, and truth is the existere of good) ; and 
 since "the Father" signifies Divine good, and "angels" Divine 
 truth, both from the Lord, it is said, " I will confess his name be- 
 fore My Father and before His angels." So, too, in the Evan- 
 gelists : 
 
 "Every one who shall confess Me before men, him will I confess before 
 My Father who is in the heavens" {Matt. x. 32). 
 
 " Everyone who shall have confessed Me before men, him shall the Son 
 of man also confess before the angels of God" {Luke xii. 8). 
 
 [6.] Since "Father" signifies Divine good, and "angels" Divine 
 
 truth, the Lord also says, 
 
 "When the Son of man shall come in His glory and the glory of the 
 Father and of the holy angels " {Luke i.\. 26 ; Matt. xvi. 27). 
 
 Here the Lord calls His glory "the glory of the Father and of 
 the angels," for He says, " in His glory and the glory of the Father 
 and of the holy angels ;" but in another place. " in the glory of the 
 Father with the angels ;" and elsewhere, " in His glory with the 
 angels." As in Mark: 
 
 "When He shall come in the glory of His Father with the holy angels" 
 (viii. 38). 
 
 And in Jl fait hew : 
 
 "When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels 
 with Him " (xxv. 31). 
 
 Let it be added further that if it is accepted as a doftrine and 
 acknowledged, that the Lord is one with the Father, and that His 
 Human is Divine from the Divine in Himself, light will be seen 
 in every particular of the Word ; for that which is accepted as 
 do6lrine and acknowledged from doflrine is in light when the 
 Word is read ; moreover, the Lord, from whom is all light and 
 who has all power, will enlighten those who acknowledge this. 
 But on the other hand, if it is accepted and acknowledged as a 
 do6\rine that the Divine of the Father is another Divine than the 
 Lord's, nothing will be seen in light in the Word ; since the man 
 who is in that dodlrine turns himself from one Divine to the other, 
 and away from the Divine of the Lord which he can see (which is 
 done bv thought and faith), to a Divine that he cannot see ; for 
 the Lord says, 
 
 "Ye have neither heard the Father's voice at any time, nor seen Hii 
 form " {John v. 37 ; also i. 18) ; 
 
292 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 and to believe in a Divine and love a Divine that cannot be thought 
 of under any form is impossible. 
 
 20I. [Verse 6.] "He that hath an ear lei him hear what the 
 Spirit saith to the churches " signifies that he who understands 
 should hearken to what Divhie truth going forth from the Lord 
 teaches a7id says to those who are of His church, as is evident 
 from what has been said above (n. 108), where there are like 
 words. 
 
 VERSES 7-13. 
 
 202* "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, These things saith 
 the Holy, the True, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth and no one shutteth, 
 and shutteth and no one openeth : I hnow thy works ; behold, I have given before thee an 
 opened door, and no one is able to shut it; for thou hast some power, and hast l<ept My 
 word, and hast not denied My name. Behold, I wilt give, from the synagogue of Satan, of 
 those saying that they are Jews and they are not, but do lie ; behold, I will make them to 
 come and worship at thy feet, and to hnow that I have loued thee. Because thou hast iiept 
 the word of My endurance, I also will keep thee in the hour of temptation that Is to come upon 
 the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quictily ; hold what 
 thou hast, that no one take thy crown. He that overcometh I will make him a pillar in the 
 temple of My God, and he shall go out thence no more ; and I will write upon him the name 
 of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which is coming down 
 out of heaven from My God, and My new name. He that hath an ear let him hear what the 
 Spirit saith to the churches." 
 
 7. "And to the angel of the church in Philadephia write" signifies those of the 
 
 chtirch who are in the faith of charity [n. 203] ; "these things saith 
 the Holy, the True," signifies from whom is that faith [n. 204] ; "He 
 that hath the key of David" signifies zoho has power by t>ieatts of Divine 
 truth [n. 205] ; "He that openeth and no one shutteth, and shutteth and 
 no one openeth," siguiiiQS power to admit into heaven alt who are in the 
 faith of charity, and to remove from heaven all who are not [11. 
 206]. 
 
 8. "/ know thy works" signifies a life of charity [n. 207]; "behold, I have 
 
 given before thee an opened door, and no one is able to shut it," signifies 
 that they will be ad7nitted into heaven, and that to no one of that charac- 
 ter will it be refused [n. 208] ; "for thou hast some power, and bast 
 kept My word, and hast not denied Nly name," signifies that they have 
 power from the Lord over evils and falsities, in the measure in which 
 they make truths from the Word to be of their life, and acknowledge the 
 Divine of the Lord in His Lluman [n. 209]. 
 
 9. "Behold, I will give, from the synagogue of Satan," signifies those who are in 
 
 the doctrine of faith alone, and in no charity [n. 210] ; "of those saying 
 that they are Jews and they are not, but do lie," signifies who believe 
 themselves to be iti truths, wheti vet they are in falsities [n. 211] ; "Be- 
 hold, I will make them to come ana worship at thy feet," signifies the 
 state of such after death, that they will be out of heaven, and cannot be 
 admitted [n. 212]; "and to know that I have loved thee" signifies a 
 consequent knowledge that the Lord is present in charity, and not in 
 faith apart from charity [n. 213]. 
 w>. "Because thou hast kept the word of Hfy endurance "signifies that they have 
 lived according to the Lora' s commandments [n. 214] ; "I also will keep 
 thee in the hour of temptation that is to come upon the whole world. 
 to try them that dwell upon the earth," signifies the time of the last 
 judgment, ivhen there will be visitation upon those who are in the forvier 
 heaven, and that they will then be saved [n. 215]. 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 7. — N. 204[a]. 293 
 
 .T. "Behold. I come quickly," signifies t/tat this is cerfain [n. 216J; "hold what 
 thou hast" ---i^'iiities stecidfastyt(ss in a state of' faith from ,fiari/y eren 
 unto thi end [n. 217] ; "that no one take thy crown" signifies /est 
 intelligence should perish [n. 21S]. 
 
 12. "He that overcometh I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God" sig- 
 nitics that those ^l'/io are steadfast -cill tie in Di'ine truth in heaven [n. 
 219, 220] ; "and he shall go out thence no more" signifies that they 
 shall be in it to eternity [n. 221 1 ; "and I will write upon him the name 
 of My God" signifies their quality in respect to Divine truth implanted 
 in the life [n. 222]; "and the name of the city of My God, the New 
 Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from My Cot/," signi- 
 fies the doctrine of the ncco church, -which is in the heavens [n. 223]; 
 "and My new name " signifies that they will also acknowledge the Lord's 
 Divine Human [n. 224]. 
 
 73. 'He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches" 
 signifies that he who understands should hearken to what Divine truth 
 going forth from the Lord teaches and says to those who are of Kii 
 church [n. 225]. 
 
 203. \Verse 7.] "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia 
 write" signifies those of the church who are in the faith of char- 
 ity. — This is evident from the things written to the angel of this 
 church understood in the internal sense, for (as was said above, 
 n. 20) the "seven churches" mean, not seven churches, but all 
 persons whatever who are of the church, or all things whatsoever 
 with man that constitute the church ; since "seven" in the Word 
 means all persons and all things ; in fa6i:, every number in the 
 Word signifies something either of thing or state, as can be most 
 plainly seen in this prophetic book, in which numbers are so fre- 
 quently mentioned ; also in Ezekiel (chaps, xl.-xlviii.), where the 
 new temple and the new earth are described, which is done by 
 measurements given in numbers. The "new temple" and "new 
 earth," here mean a new church, and each measurement or each 
 number signifies something pertaining to the church. (That all 
 
 numbers in the Word signify things and states, see Heaven and Hell, n. 263.) 
 
 204[#l], "These things saith the Holy, the True," signifies 
 from whom is that faith. — This is evident from the signification 
 of "the Holy, the True," as meaning, in reference to the Lord, 
 He from whom are charity and faith. He is called "holy" be- 
 cause charity is from Him, and "true" because faith is from Him. 
 That the Lord is called "holy" because charity is from Him, con- 
 sequently that "holy" in the Word is predicated of charity and 
 of faith therefrom will be seen presently. The Lord is called 
 "true" because faith is from Him, and consequently "true" in the 
 Word is predicated of faith, for the reason that all truth is of 
 faith ; for that is called "true" which is believed ; other things are 
 not of faith because they are not believed. But because the faith 
 
294 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 of charity is here trea.te.c\ of, something shall first be said about 
 faith and what it is. [2.] There is spiritual faith, and there is 
 faith merely natural. Spiritual faith is wholly from charity, and 
 in its essence is charity Charity, or love towards the neighbor, 
 is to love truth, sincerity, and right, and to do them from the 
 will. For the neighbor in the spiritual sense is not every man, but 
 it is that which is in man ; if this be truth, sincerity, and right, and 
 the man is loved on account of these, the neighbor is loved. 
 That this is what charity means, in the spiritual sense, any one 
 may know if he will but refled. Every one loves another, not for 
 the sake of his person, but for the sake of what is in him ; this is 
 the ground of all friendship, all good will, and all honor. From 
 this it follows, that to love men for the sake of the truth, sincerity, 
 and right in them is spiritual love ; for truth, sincerity, and right 
 are spiritual things, because they are out of heaven from the Lord. 
 For no man thinks, wills, and does any good thing that is good 
 in itself, — it is all from the Lord ; and truth, sincerity, and right 
 are good things that are good in themselves when they are from the 
 Lord. These things, then, are the neighbor in the spiritual sense ; 
 from which it is clear what is meant in that sense by loving the 
 neighbor, that is, by charity. From that is spiritual faith ; for 
 whatever is loved is called truth when it is thought. Every one 
 can see that this is so if he will refledl upon it, for every one coz- 
 roborates that which he loves by many things in the thought, and 
 all things by which he convinces himself he calls truths ; the truth 
 that any one has is from no other source. From this it follows, 
 that the truths a man has are such as is the love in him ; conse- 
 quently, if the love in him is spiritual, the truths will also be spirit- 
 ual, since the truths a6l as one with his love. All truths, because 
 they are believed, are called in one complex, faith. From tliis it 
 is clear that spiritual faith in its essence is charity. So far concern- 
 ing spiritual faith. [3.] Faith merely natural is not a faith of the 
 church, although it is called faith ; it is merely knowing (scieftHa). It 
 is not a faith of the church, because it does not proceed from love 
 to the neighbor, or charity, which is the spiritual itself from which 
 faith comes, but proceeds from some natural love that has reference 
 either to love of self or love of the world, and whatever proceeds 
 from these loves is natural. Love forms the spirit of man ; for man 
 in respedl to his spirit is wholly as his love is ; from that he thinks, 
 from that he wills, and from that adls ; therefore he makes no other 
 truth to be of his faith than that which is of his love ; and truth 
 that is of love of self or the world is merely natural, because it 
 
CHAT. III., VERSE 7. — N. 204[a]. 295 
 
 comes from man and from the world, and not from the Lord and 
 from heaven ; for such a man loves truth, not from a love of truth 
 but from a love of honor, of gain and of fame, which he serves ; 
 and as his truth is such, his faith is the same. This faith, therefore, 
 IS not a faith of the truth of the church, or faith in a spiritual sense, 
 but only in a natural sense which is a mere knowing {scientia). And 
 because nothing of this is in man's spirit but only in his memory, 
 associated with other things of this world, therefore after death it is 
 dissipated. For only that which is of man's love remains with him 
 after death, for (as has been said) it is love that forms man's spirit, 
 and man in respe6l to his spirit is wholly such as his love is. (Other 
 
 t] ings respedling charity and faith therefrom may be seen in The Doflrine of the 
 Ntw Jerusalem, where Charity and Faith are treated of, n. 84-106, 108-122 ; also in 
 Last yudgment, where it is shown that there is no faith where there is not charity, 
 
 n- 33-39-) [4.] That " holy " in the Word is predicated of Divine 
 truth, and therefore of charity and its faith, is evident from the 
 passages where it is spoken of. There are two things that go 
 forth from the Lord and are received by angels. Divine good and 
 Divine truth. These two go forth from the Lord as one, but they 
 are received by angels variousl}- ; some receive Di\ane good more 
 than Divine truth, and some receive Divine truth more than 
 Divine good. Those who receive Divine good more than Divine 
 truth constitute the Lord's celestial kingdom and are called celes- 
 tial angels, and in the Word are called "the righteous ;" but those 
 who receive Divine truth more than Di\-ine good constitute the 
 Lord's spiritual kingdom, and are called spiritual angels, and in the 
 
 Word "holy" [or "saints"]. (Of these two kingdoms and their angels, 
 
 set Heaven and Hell, n. lo-Q.?,.) From this it is that "the righteous" 
 and "righteousness" in the Word mean the Divine good and 
 what proceeds therefrom, and that "the holy" and "holiness" 
 mean Divine truth and what proceeds therefrom. From this can 
 be seen what is meant in the Word by "being made righteous," 
 and "being made holy." As in the Apocalypse : 
 
 " He that is righteous let him be made righteous still, and he that is hoh 
 let him be made holy still" (xxii. 11). 
 
 And in L7ike : 
 
 " To serve Him .... in holiness and righteousness " (i. 74, 75). 
 
 [5.] Since Divine truth going forth from the Lord is meant by 
 " holy," the Lord is called in the Word "the Holy One," " the Holy 
 One of God," " the Holy One of Israel," " the Holy One of Jacob ;" 
 
296 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 and it is from this that angels are called "holy," and also pro- 
 phets and apostles ; and it is from this that Jerusalem is called 
 "holy." That the Lord is called "the Holy One," "the Holy 
 One of God," "the Holy One of Israel," and "the Holy One of 
 Jacob," may be seen in 
 
 Isa. xxix. 23 ; xxxi. i ; xl. 25 ; xli. 14, 16 ; xliii. 3 ; xHx. 7 ; Dan. iv. 13 ; 
 ix. 24 ; Mark 1. 24 ; Luke iv. 34. 
 
 He is also called " King of the holy [of saints] " in the Apocalypse : 
 " Righteous and true are Thy ways, Thou King of Saints " (xv. 3). 
 
 The Lord is called "the Holy One," "the Holy One of God," 
 "the Holy One of Israel," and "the Holy One of Jacob," because 
 He alone, and no one else, is holy, which is also declared in the 
 Apocalypse : 
 
 "Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? for Thou 
 only art holy " (xv. 4). 
 
 [6.] Angels, prophets, and apostles are called "holy" because by 
 them, in the spiritual sense, is meant Divine truth ; and Jerusalem 
 is called " the holy city," because by that city, in the spiritual sense, 
 is meant the church in respe6l to do6lrine of truth. That angels 
 in the Word are called "holy," see 
 
 Matt. XXV. 31 ; Mark viii. 38 ; Luke ix. 26 ; 
 
 the prophets, 
 
 Mark vi. 20 ; Luke i. 70 ; Apoc. xviii. 20 ; 
 
 the apostles, 
 
 Apoc. xviii. 20 ; 
 
 that Jerusalem is called " the holy city," 
 
 Isa. xlviii. 2 ; Ixvi. 20, 22 ; Dan. ix. 24 ; Matt, xxvii. 53 ; Apoc. xxi. 2, 10. 
 
 (That by " angels " in the Word Divine truth going forth from the Lord is meant, 
 see above, n. I30, 200; the same by "prophets," see A.C., n. 2534, 7269; likewise 
 by " apostles," see above, n. ICO; that by " Jerusalem " in the Word the church in 
 respe(5l to the dodlrine of truth is meant, see Doctrine of the A-civ yerusalem, n. 6.) 
 
 From all this it can be seen why it is that Divine truth going forth 
 from the Lord is called "the Spirit of truth," and " the Holy Spirit " 
 (see above, n. i83[iJ]), also why heaven is called the "habitation of 
 holiness" 
 
 (Zffl. Ixiii. 15: Deut. xxvi, 15); 
 
 and why the church is called "the sandluary" 
 
 {Jer. xvii. 12 ; Lam. ii. 7 ; Psalm Ixviii. 35). 
 
CIIAl'. III., VF.KSr 7. — N. 204[/^]. 297 
 
 [ft.] 17.] That "holiness" is predicated of Divine truth is 
 evident from the following passages. In John : 
 
 Jesus when praying said, " Sandlify them [make them holy] in Thy truth. 
 Thy Word is truth, . . . and for their sakes I sancflify Myself, that 
 they also may be sandified in the truth" (xvii. 17, 19). 
 
 Here " being made holy " is plainly said in resped to truth, and 
 ■'those made holy" in resped to those who receive Divine truth 
 from the Lord. In Moses : 
 
 "Jehovah came from Sinai, ... out of the myriads of holiness; from 
 His right hand the fire of the law unto them ; even He who loveth 
 the peoples ; in Thy right hand are all His saints, and they are 
 prostrated at Thy foot ; he shall receive of Thy words " {Deut. 
 .xxxiii. 2, 3). 
 
 "Sinai" signifies heaven where the Lord is, from whom is Divine 
 truth, or from whom is the "law," both in a limited and a broad 
 sense; "myriads of holiness" signifies Divine truths; "the law" 
 signifies, in a limited sense, the ten precepts of the Decalogue, and 
 in a broad sense, the whole Word, which is Divine truth ; those 
 are called "peoples" in the Word who are in truths, and those of 
 them that are in truths are called " saints." " Being prostrated at 
 Thv foot," and "receiving of Thy words," is a holy receiving of 
 Divine truth in outmosts, which is the Word in the sense of the 
 letter, and being instrudled therefrom. From all this it can be 
 known what the particulars in that prophecy signify in the spiritual 
 
 sense. (That "Sinai" in the Word signifies heaven where the Lord is, from 
 whom is Divine truth, or from whom is the law, both in a limited and a broad sense, 
 see/^.C,n.8399, 8753, 8793, 8805,9420. That" the law " signifies, in a limited sense, 
 the ten commandments of the Decalogue, and in a broad sense, the whole Word, n. 
 2606, 3382, 6752, 7463. That those are called "peoples" who are in truths, and 
 "nations" who are in goods, n. 1259, 1260, 2928, 3295, 3581, 6451, 6465, 7207, 
 10288. That "foot," a " place of feet," and " foot-stool," signify, in reference to the 
 Lord. Divine truth in outmosts, thus the Word in the letter, n. 9406.) From this 
 
 it is clear that "myriads of holiness " are Divine truths, and that 
 those here called " holy [saints] " are those who are in Di\'ine 
 truths. [8.] In Moses : 
 
 " Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto 
 them, Ye shall be holy, for I Jehovah [God] of Israel am holy " 
 ^Lev. xix. 2). 
 
 This chapter treats ot the statutes, judgments, and precepts which 
 they were to keep ; and as these signify Divine truths, it is said 
 that those who keep them " shall be holy." Moreover, " Israel " sig- 
 nifies the spiritual church, or the church which is in Divine truths, 
 therefore it is said.. " I Jehovah [God] of Israel am holy." In the 
 same, 
 
298 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 "Ye shall sancflify yourselves, and ye shall be holy. ... And ye shall 
 keep My statutes that ye ma\ do them " {Lev. xx. 7, 8) 
 
 Here also the statutes, judgments and jirecepts which are to be 
 kept are treated of. In the same, 
 
 If they have kept My statutes and judgments, they shall be "a holy 
 people unto Jehovah" {Deut. xxvi. 16-19). 
 
 In David : 
 
 "We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, with the holiness 
 of Thy temple " {Psalm Ixv. 4). 
 
 It is said " to be satisfied with the goodness of Jehovah's house and 
 with the holiness of His temple," because the " house of God" in 
 the highest sense signifies the Lord in respe<5l to Divine good, and 
 "temple" in respe(5l to Divine truth (see A.C., n. 3720). In Zacha- 
 riah : 
 
 " In that day there shall be upon the bells of the horses, Holiness unto 
 Jehovah " (xiv. 20). 
 
 The establishment of a new church is here treated of, and "bells" 
 signify truths merely known [scientifica] which are from the intellec- 
 tual. (That "bells" signify such truths, see A.C., n. 9921, 9926; and that 
 "horse" signifies the intellecSlual, sec 77/,? White Horse, n. 1-4.) [9.] From 
 
 this it can be seen what it represented and signified, 
 
 That upon the mitre which was upon the head of Aaron was placed a 
 plate of gold, upon which was engraved Holiness to Jehovah {Exod. 
 xxviii. 36-38; xxxix. 30, 31) ; 
 
 for the "mitre" signifies wisdom, which is of Divine truth (see A.C., 
 n. 9827, 9949) ; also what it represented and signified. 
 
 That Aaron, his sons, their garments, the altar, the tabernacle, with 
 everything pertaining thereto, were anointed with oil, and thus 
 made holy {Exod. xxix. 1-36 ; xxx. 22-30 ; Lev. viii. i to the end) ; 
 
 for "oil" signified the Divine good of the Divine Love, and "sanc- 
 tification " the proceeding Divine ; for it is Divine good that makes 
 holy, and Divine truth is what is holy therefrom, [lo.] That the 
 word " holy " is predicated of charity can be seen from what was 
 said above respedling the angels of heaven, namely, that there 
 are some who receive Divine good more than Divine truth, and 
 some who receive Divine truth more than Divine good ; the former 
 constitute the Lord's celestial kingdom, and are those who are in 
 love to the Lord, and because they are in lo\'e to the Lord are 
 called "righteous;" but the latter constitute the Lord's spiritua] 
 kingdom, and are those who are in charity towards the neigh- 
 
CHAP. III., VKRSE 7. — N. 205. 299 
 
 bor, and oecause these are in charity to\vard.s the neighbor, they 
 
 are called " holy [or saints]." (Th.-it there are two loves that make heaven, 
 n.imelv, love to the Lord, and love towards the neighbor or charity, and that the 
 heavens are thereby distinguished into two kingdoms, namely, a celestial kingdom and 
 a spiritual kingdom, see Hiaven an.i Ilc/t, 11. 13-19; 20-28.) 
 
 205. "He that hath the key of David" signifies who has pozcer 
 bv means of Divine truth. — This is evident from the signification 
 of " key," as meaning the power of opening and shutting, here 
 heaven and hell, for it follows, " He that openeth and no one shut- 
 teth, and shutteth and no one openeth ;" therefore "key" means 
 here the power of saving (as above, n. 86), since to open heaven 
 and to shut hell is to save. It is evident also from the representa- 
 tion of "David," as meaning the Lord in respedl to Divine truth. 
 By "David" in the Word the Lord is meant, because by "kings" 
 in the Word the Lord in resped to Divine truth is represented, 
 and by "priests" the Lord in respe6l to Divine good. The Lord 
 is represented especially by king David, because David was much 
 concerned with matters of the church, and also wrote the Psalms. 
 
 (That " kings " in the Word signify Divine truth, and "priests" Divine good, see 
 above, n. 3I ; moreover, that all names of persons and places in the Word signify spir- 
 itu.1l things, which are things pertaining to the church and to heaven, see above, n. 
 
 19, 50, io2[<i].) It is said, " He that hath the key of David," because 
 David (as was just said) represented the Lord in respect to Divine 
 truth, and the Lord has all power in the heavens and on earth from 
 Divine good through Di\ine truth ; for in general good without 
 truth has no power, neither has truth without good any power, for 
 good a6ls through truth. From this it is that Divine good and 
 Di\ine truth go forth from the Lord as one, and so far as they are 
 conjointly received by angels, so far the angels have power. This 
 then, is why it is said "the key of David." (That all power is in truths 
 
 from good, see Heaven and Hell. n. 228-233, where the Power of the Angels of 
 
 Heaven is treated of; also n. 539.) [2.] That by " David" in the Word 
 the Lord is meant is clearly evident' from certain passages where 
 he is mentioned in the prophets. As in Ezekiel : 
 
 "They shall be to Me for a people, and I will be to them for a God, and 
 My sei^ant David king over them, that they may all have one 
 
 shepherd They shall dwell upon the land, . . . they and their 
 
 sons and their son's sons even to eternity ; and David My serv- 
 ant shall be a prince to them to eternity " (.xxxvii. 23-25). 
 
 In Ho sea : 
 
 " The sons of Israel shall return, and shall seek Jehovah their God, and 
 David their king ; and with fear shall they come to Jehovah and 
 to His goodness in the end of days" (iii. 5). 
 
 It IS said ' ' They shall seek Jehovah their God, and David their king," 
 
300 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 because "Jehovah" in the Word means the Lord in respe6l to 
 Divine good, which is the Div'ne Esse, and " David a king" means 
 the Lord in respe6l to Divine truth, which is the Divine Existere. 
 
 (That " Jehovah " in the Word means the Lord in respe(5l to Divine good, see A.C., 
 
 n. 732, 2586, 2807, 2822, 3921, 4253, 4402, 7010, 9167, 9315.) [3.] In Zecha- 
 riah : 
 
 " Jehovah shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house 
 of David, and the glory of the inhabitant of Jerusalem, may not 
 exalt itself above Judah. In that day shall Jehovah defend the 
 inhabitant of Jerusalem, .... and the house of David shall be as 
 
 God, and as the angel of Jehovah before them And I will pour 
 
 upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitant of Jerusalem, 
 
 the spirit of grace In that day there shall be a fountain open 
 
 to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem " (xii. 
 7, 8, 10 ; xiii. i). 
 
 Here the Lord's coming is treated of, and the salvation at that 
 time of those who are of His spiritual kingdom. " Tents of Judah " 
 mean the celestial kingdom ; and the " house of David and the 
 inhabitant of Jerusalem," the spiritual kingdom. The spiritual 
 kingdom is constituted of those in heaven and on earth who are 
 in Divine truth, and the celestial kingdom of those who are in 
 Divine good (see j"ust above, n. 20\\b'^. From this it can be seen 
 what these words mean, namely, that these two kingdoms shall 
 a(5l as one, and that one shall not exalt itself above the other. (Of 
 
 these two kingdoms, see Heaven and Hell, n. 20-28.) That " Judah " signi- 
 fies the Lord in respe6l to celestial love and the Lord's celestial 
 kingdom may be seen above (n. 119). And that "Jerusalem" 
 signifies the Lord's spiritual kingdom, see in the Arcana Caelestia 
 (n. 402, 3654, 9166), The same is therefore signified by "house of 
 David ;" consequently it is here said, " the house of David shall 
 be as God, and as the angel of Jehovah ;" "God" also means the 
 Lord in respe6l to Divine truth (see a.c, n. 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921, 
 4287, 4402, 7010, 9167) ; and the same is meant by the "angel of Jeho- 
 vah" (see above, n. i30[<5], 200). [4.1 "David" and his "house" 
 Have a like signification in the following passages. In Isaiah: 
 
 "Incline your ear, and come unto Me; hear, and your soul shall live; 
 and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure 
 mercies of David. Behold I have given Him as a witness to the 
 peoples, a prince and a lawgiver to the nations*" (Iv. 3, 4). 
 
 These things are said of the Lord, who is here called " David." In 
 David : 
 
 * \ja.\Sngentibus, Schmidius the same. In other places ^ofiulis. 
 
CHAP. III., VKRSK 7. — X. 205. 3OI 
 
 "In the heavens thou shall establish thy truth : I have made a covenant 
 with My chosen ; I have sworn to David My servant, even to eter- 
 nity will I establish thy seed, and will build up thy throne to Ren- 
 eration and generation ; and the heavens shall confess Thy wonder, 
 O Jehovah ; Thy truth also in the congregation of the holy ones " 
 {Psalm Ixxxix. 2-5). 
 
 These things also were said of the Lord, and not of David ; for it is 
 said, " I have sworn to David My servant, even to eternity will I 
 establish thy seed, and will build up thy throne to generation and 
 generation ;" this is not applicable to David, whose seed and 
 throne were not established to eternity, and yet Jehovah sware, and 
 an oath from Jehovah is irrevocable confimiation from the Divine 
 (see >4.C., n. 2842). The "seed of David" in the spiritual sense, 
 means those who are in the truths from good from the Lord, and 
 in an abstradl sense, truths themseh-es that are from good (see a.c, 
 "• 3373. 3380. 10249, 10445) ; and "throne" means the Lord's spiritual 
 kingdom (see A.C. n. 5313, 5922. 6397, 8625). David is called " My serv- 
 ant" (as also above in Ezekiel xxxxn. 23-25), because "servant" 
 in the Word is used of every person and every thing that ser\-es 
 and ministers (see A.C, n. 3441, 7143, 8241), and Divine truth going forth 
 ser\'es and ministers to Divine good from \\hich it goes forth. That 
 it is the Lord in respedl to Divine truth, or Divine truth going forth 
 from the Lord that is meant by " David," is evident, for it is said, 
 " In the heavens thou shalt establish Thy truth, and the heavens 
 shall confess . . . Thy truth in the congregation of the holy ones." 
 That those also are called "holy" who are in Divine truths, see 
 just above (n. 204). [5.] In the same, 
 
 " I will not profane My covenant, and what is pronounced by My lips 
 will I not change. Once have I sworn by My holiness ; I will not 
 lie unto David. His seed shall be to eternity, and his throne as 
 the sun before Me. It shall be established as the moon to eternity, 
 a faithful witness in the clouds " {Psalm Ixxxix. 34-37). 
 
 That these things are said of the Lord is e\-ident from the whole 
 Psalm, for it treats of His coming, and afterwards of the repudia- 
 tion of Him by the Jewish nation. That the Lord is here treated 
 of, and that He is here meant by "David" is plain from these 
 words in the same Psalm : 
 
 " I have found David My sen-ant ; with the oil of My holiness have I 
 
 anointed him I will set his hand also on the sea, and his 
 
 right hand on the rivers. He shall call Me, Thou art my Father, 
 my God, and the rock of my salvation. I also will make him the 
 
 first-born, high above the kings of the earth I will set his 
 
 throne as the days of the heavens " (verses 20, 25-27, 29). 
 
 The Lord is meant also by "David," by "the anointed," and bv 
 
302 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 "king"," in other passages in the Psalms, as can be clearly seen by 
 those who understand the Word spiritually, and obscurely by those 
 who understand it only naturally. As in tliese words in David : 
 
 "Thy priests shall be clothed with righteousness, und Thy saints shall 
 shout for joy ; for Thy servant David's sake turn not away the 
 face of Thine anointed. . . . There will I make the horn of David 
 to bud: I will set in order a lamp for Mine anointed ;..., upon 
 himself shall his crown flourish " {Fsalm cxxxii. 9, 10, 17, 18). 
 
 Here also the Lord is meant by " David " and by "the anointed ;" 
 for the Lord is treated of in this Psalm, as is clear from what goes 
 before, where it is said, 
 
 " He swore unto Jehovah, .... I will not give sleep to mine eyes .... 
 until I find out a place for Jehovah, habitations for the mighty One 
 
 of Jacob. Lo, we have heard of it at Ephratah (Bethlehem) 
 
 We will go into His habitations, we will worship at His footstool" 
 (verses 2, 4-7). 
 
 [6.] That David might represent the Lord in respect to Divine 
 truth, it was the Lord's will to be born of the house of David, and 
 also to be called " the son of David," " his Root and Offspring," 
 also "the root of Jesse." But when the Lord put off" the human 
 from the mother, and put on the Human from the Father, which 
 is the Divine Human, He was no longer David's son. This is 
 meant by the Lord's words to the Pharisees : 
 
 "Jesus said to the Pharisees, How does it seem to you respecting the 
 Christ? whose Son is He? They said unto Him, David's. He 
 said unto them, How then doth David in spirit call Him Lord, 
 saying, The Lord said unto iny Lord, Sit thou at My right hand, 
 until I place thine enemies as a stool of thy feet? If David then 
 calleth Him Lord, how is He his Son " {Alatt. xxii. 42-45 ; Luke 
 XX. 41-44). 
 
 That the Lord glorified His Human, that is, put off" the human 
 from the mother, and put on a Human from the Father, which 
 is the Divine Human, see Do5lrine of the New yerzisaleni (n. 
 293-295, 298-310). For this reason He was not David's son, nor 
 yet the son of Mary, whom therefore He did not call His mother, 
 but "woman" 
 
 {Matt. xii. 46-49 ; Mark iii. 31 to the end ; Luke viii. ig-21 ; John ii. 4 ; 
 xix. 25, 26). 
 
 The same is meant by "the key of Peter," as by "the key of 
 David," namely, that the Lord has all power, and that He has this 
 DOwer through His Divine truths as will be seen in the article thai 
 BOW follows. 
 
 2o6. "He that openeth and no one shutteth, and shutteth and 
 
CHAP III., VRKSE 7. — N. 2o6. 303 
 
 no one openeth" si^^iiities poivcr to admit into heaven all who 
 are in the faith of charity, and to rcjuove from heaven all icho arc 
 not. — This is evident from the signification of "that openeth and 
 no one shutteih," as meaning, in reference to the Lord, to admit 
 into heaven (of which presently) ; and from the signification of 
 "antl shutteth and no one openeth," as meaning to remove from 
 hea\en. The former means to admit into heaven, and the latter 
 to remove from heaven, because the Lord alone opens heaven to 
 those who are admitted. This no man, spirit, or angel can do from 
 himself How this is shall be explained in a few words. When 
 a man after death is in such a state that he can be admitted into 
 hea\en there appears to him a way that leads to the heavenly so- 
 ciety' in which he is to be ; until he is in this state the way thither 
 does not appear to him ; this way is opened to him by the Lord 
 only. Such is each one's introdu6lion and admission into heaven. 
 The same is true of the evil man after death. WHien he is in the 
 state for passing into hell, a way appears to him that leads to 
 the infernal society in which he is to be ; until he is in this state 
 the way thither does not appear to him. The reason of this is 
 that ways in the spiritual world appear to each one according to 
 the intention of his thought, thus according to the affe6lion of his 
 love. When, therefore, a spirit has been brought into his reign- 
 ing love (for ever}' one after death is brought into that love), then 
 ways to the society where his love reigns appear. From this it 
 is clear that it is love itself that opens ; and as all love of good 
 and truth is from the Lord, it follows that the Lord opens the ways 
 to those who are admitted into heaven. On the other hand, as all 
 love of evil and of falsity is from man or spirit only, it follows that 
 the spirit himself opens for himself a way to hell. (These things are 
 
 more clearly set forth in Heaven and Hell, n. 545-550, where it is shown that the 
 Lord casts no one into hell, but that it is the spirit who casts himself thither. That 
 ways in the spiritual world appear to ever\- one according to the intention of his 
 thought, thus according to the aflfedlion of his love, see in the same work, n. 479, 
 
 590.) [2.] As regards the hells, they are all shut, and can in no 
 wise be opened except by the Lord's permission ; they are shut 
 because of the evils and falsities that are continually striving to 
 break out from them and do harm to those who are in goods and 
 
 truths from the Lord (about which see also Heaven and Hell, n. 584-592). 
 
 From this it is clear how it is and how it is to be understood that, 
 ■'He that hath the key of David" is He that "openeth and no 
 one shutteth, and shutteth and no one openeth." Heaven is 
 opened to those who are in the faith of charity, and is shut to those 
 who are not, for those who are in the faith of charity are here 
 treated of (see above, n. 203), and those who are in the faith of rlv •- 
 
304 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 ity are in Divine truth from the Lord, and Divine truth from the 
 Lord has all power, as was shown in the articles that immediately 
 precede. [3.] Similar to what is here meant by the " key of Da- 
 vid" is the signification of the "key of Peter," thus referred to in 
 Matthew : 
 
 " I say unto thee, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My 
 church ; and the gates of hell shall not prevail over it. And unto 
 thee will I give the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and what- 
 soever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in the heavens ; 
 and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in the 
 heavens" (xvi. 18, 19). 
 
 "Peter" here, in like manner as "David," signifies in the highest 
 sense. Divine truth going forth from the Lord's Divine good, and 
 in the internal sense, every truth from good that is from the Lord. 
 The "rock {petra)" that is spoken of in the Word in conne6lion 
 with Peter, and from which Peter's name is derived, has a like 
 signification. The Lord's twelve disciples represented all goods 
 and truths of the church in the complex ; Peter represented truth 
 or faith, James charity, and John works of charity. But here Peter 
 represents faith from charity, or truth from good which is from 
 the Lord, because Peter here acknowledged the Lord in heart, 
 saying 
 
 " Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answering, 
 said, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah ; for flesh and blood hath 
 not revealed it unto thee, but My Father, who is in the heavens. 
 I say unto thee. Thou art Peter," etc. (verses 16-1S, and the follow- 
 ing)- 
 
 (This may be seen illustrated in Lasi Judgment, n. 57.) [4.] There is a like 
 
 meaning in the Lord's words to the rest of the disciples, in 
 Matthew : 
 
 Jesus said to His disciples, "Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be 
 bound in heaven ; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall 
 be loosed in heaven" (xviii. 18). 
 
 These things are said to the disciples because they represented all 
 truths and goods in the complex that are from the Lord. (That 
 
 those things were represented by the twelve disciples, also by the twelve tribes of 
 
 Israel, see A.C., n. 2129, 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397.) This is what IS meant 
 by the disciples where it is said, that 
 
 They "shall sit upon twelve thrones, and shall judge the twelve tribes 
 of Israel" {Matt. xix. 28 ; Luke xxii. 30) ; 
 
 (•ec^.C, n. 2129, 6397). And the same is meant by "Eliakim," who 
 was to succeed Shebna over the house of the king, in Isaiah: 
 
CHAP. III., VEKSK 8. — N. 20S[a]. 3-.^ 
 
 "I will give dominion into his hands, that he may be as a father to the 
 inhabitant of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah ; and the key 
 of the house of David I will lay upon his shoulder, that he may 
 open and none shut, and that he may shut and none open" (xxii. 
 21, 22). 
 
 By "the house of the king" over which he was to be, is signified 
 a church that is in truth out of good from the Lord; "opening 
 and shutting," and "binding and loosing," mean in general to 
 save (see above, n. 86). 
 
 207* [K-rse 8.] "/ know thy works " signifies a life of charity 
 — This is evident from the signification of "works," as meaning 
 those tilings that are of man's love, thus of his life (see above, n. 
 98, 116, 1S5) ; here, therefore, the things that are of charity, since 
 that i.s wliat is treated of in what is written to this churcli. 
 
 2o8[rt]. Behold I have given before thee an opened door, 
 and no one is able to shut it," signifies t/iat they will be admitted 
 into heaven, and that to no one of that character will it be re- 
 ficsed. — This is evident from tlie signification of " giving an opened 
 door," as meaning to admit into heaven (of which presently') ; and 
 from the signification of "no one is able to shut," as meaning 
 that it will not be refused; for when a door is shut entrance is 
 refused, but when it is not shut it is not refused. This refers to 
 those who are in charity, because those are treated of in what is 
 written to this church (see above, n. 203). From this it is clear 
 that " I have given before thee an opened door, and no one is able 
 to shut it," signifies that all such will be admitted into heaven, and 
 that to none of these will entrance be refused. It is plain from the 
 common use of language, that "to give an opened door" signifies 
 to admit into heaven ; and still this is from correspondence ; for 
 a house and all things pertaining to a house correspond to the 
 interiors of man's mind, and from that correspondence they signify 
 in the Word things of the mind. That this is so can be seen from 
 representatives and appearances in heaven, where there are pal- 
 aces, houses, rooms, bedchambers, courts, hallways, and within 
 them a variety of things for uses ; these things the angels have 
 from correspondence ; and for this reason the wiser angels have 
 palaces more magnificent than the less wise have (but respe<5ling these, 
 
 see Heaven and Hell, n. 183-190, where The Habitations of the Angels of Heaven 
 
 are treated of) ; and as palaces, houses, and all things pertaining to 
 a house have a correspondence, so evidently do doorways, doors, 
 and gates, which correspond to entrance and admission ; and 
 when the doorway appears open, it is a sign that there is oppor- 
 tunity to enter, and when it is closed, that there is no opportunity. 
 r2.] Moreover, when newly arrived spirits are introduced into 
 
306 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 a heavenly society, the way tliat leads to it is opened to them by 
 the Lord ; and when they come thither there appears a gate with 
 a door at the side, where there are guards who admit them, and 
 afterwards there are others who receive and introduce them. 
 From this it can now be seen what "doorways," "doors," and 
 "gates," signify in the Word, namely, admission into heaven ; and 
 as the church is the Lord's heaven on earth, they also signify ad- 
 mission into the church ; and as heaven or the church is within 
 man, "doorways," "doors," and "gates" signify approach and 
 entrance in man (of which presently). And because all things 
 that signify heaven and the church signify also the things of heaven 
 and the church, and here the things that introduce, which are 
 truths out of good from the Lord, and because these truths are 
 from the Lord, and are therefore His, yea, are Himself in them, 
 "doorway," "door," and "gate" to heaven and the church, mean 
 in the highest sense the Lord. This makes clear the signification 
 of what the Lord says in yolin : 
 
 Jesus said, " Verily I say unto you, he that entereth not through the 
 door into the sheep fold, but climbeth up another way, the same is 
 a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in through the door is 
 
 the shepherd of the sheep ; to him the porter openeth I am 
 
 the door of the sheep,. . . .through Me if any one enter in, he shall 
 be saved, and shall go in and go out, and find pasture " (x. 1-3, 
 7, 9)- 
 
 Here "to enter in through the door" is evidently to enter in 
 through the Lord, for it is said, "I am the door of the sheep." 
 To enter in through the Lord is to go to Him, acknowledge Him, 
 believe in Him, and love Him, as He teaches in many passages ; 
 thus is man admitted into heaven, and in no other way ; conse- 
 quently the Lord says, "Through Me if any man enter in, he 
 shall be saved ;" also "he that climbeth up another way, the same 
 is a thief and a robber." [3.] Therefore he that goes to the Lord, 
 acknowledges Him, and believes in Him, is said to open the door 
 to the Lord, that He may enter in. In the Apocalypse : 
 
 " Behold I stand at the door and knock ; if any man hear My voice, and 
 open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and 
 he with Me " (iii. 20). 
 
 What this means will be told in what follows where this part of the 
 chapter will be explained. Here something shall be said about 
 doors or gates, in respe6l to man, since it is said, "I stand at the 
 door and knock." To man's rational two ways lead, one from 
 heaven, the other from the world. By the way from heaven good 
 is introduced, by the way from the world truth is introduced. So 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 8. — N. 20S[(5]. 307 
 
 far as the way from heaven is opened in man, so far lie is afifccled 
 by truth and becomes rational, that is, sees truth by the light of 
 truth. But if the way from heaven is shut, man does not become 
 rational ; for he does not see truth, and it is truth from the light 
 of truth that makes the rational ; he can, indeed, reason about truth, 
 and from reasoning or from memory can talk about it ; but he 
 is not able to see whether truth is truth. To think aright about 
 the Lord and about the neighbor opens the way from heaven ; 
 while to think not aright about the Lord and to think evil about 
 the neighbor shuts that way. As there are two wa\-s that lead 
 into man, so there are two doorways or gates through which en- 
 trance is effected. Through the gate or doorway that is open from 
 heaven spiritual affeclion for truth from the Lord enters, because 
 through that door (as was said abo\-e), good enters, and all spiritual 
 affeclion for truth is from good ; but by the gate or doorway that 
 is open from the world all knowledge from the Word and from 
 preaching from the Word enters, since by this way truth enters (as 
 was also said above), and knowledges from the Word and from 
 preaching therefrom are truths. A spiritual affeclion for truth 
 joined with such knowledges constitutes man's rational, and en- 
 lightens it according to the quality of the truth conjoined to good, 
 and according to the quality of the conjunction. Let this suffice 
 respe6ling the two doorways or gates pertaining to man. 
 
 [ft.] [4.] As " doorways," " doors," and " gates," signify admis- 
 sion into heaven and into the church, they signify also truths from 
 good which are from the Lord, because by them admission is 
 effected ; as in the following passages. In Isaiah : 
 
 " Open \c the gates, that the righteous nations keeping fidelities may 
 enter in " (xxvi. 2). 
 
 This means, in the sense of the letter, that they will admit those 
 who are righteous and faithful into cities ; but in the internal 
 sense, that they will admit them into the church ; for "gates" sig- 
 nify admission; "righteous nation" signifies those who are in 
 good; "keeping fidelities" signifies those who are in truths from 
 good. [5.] In the same, 
 
 " They shall open thy gates continually ; they shall not be shut day nor 
 night, that the hosts of the nations may be brought unto thee, and 
 their kings shall be led ; for the nation and kingdom that will not 
 
 serve thee shall perish Thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, 
 
 and thy gates Praise" (Ix. 11, 12, 18). 
 
 This treats of the Lord and of the church about to be established 
 by Him, and these words describe the unceasing admission of 
 
308 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 those who are in good and in truths therefrom. "The gates 
 shall be open continually, and shall not be shut day nor night," 
 signifies unceasing admission ; "the host of the nations" signifies 
 those who are in good, and "kings" those who are in truths ; and 
 that all shall serve the Lord is meant by " tlie nation and king- 
 dom that will not serve thee shall perish." That " nation " or " na- 
 tions " signify those who are in good, may be seen above (n. i75[a]), 
 and that "kings" signify those who are in truths (n. 31). [6.] In 
 the same, 
 
 " Thus saith Jehovah to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have 
 holden, to subdue nations before him ; that I may loose the loins 
 of kings, to open before him the doors that the gates may not be 
 
 shut And I will give him the treasures of dark places, and 
 
 hidden riches of secret places " (xlv. i, 3). 
 
 This likewise treats of the Lord and of the church to be established 
 by Him. "To open the doors that the gates may not be shut" 
 signifies unceasing admission; "nations and kings" signify those 
 who are in goods and truths, and in the abstrad, goods and truths 
 (as above) ; "treasures of dark places and hidden riches of secret 
 places" signifies interior intelligence and wisdom from heaven, for 
 the things that enter by the gate that is open from heaven (of 
 which above) come in secretly and affe<5l all things that are with 
 man ; from this comes the spiritual afiedion for truth, through 
 which things before unknown are revealed. [7.] In Jeremiali : 
 
 " If ye bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath 
 
 day, but hallow the sabbath day then shall there enter in by 
 
 the gates of this city kings and princes, sitting upon the throne of 
 David, riding upon the chariot and on horses, .... and the city shall 
 be inhabited to eternity" (xvii. 24, 25). 
 
 Anyone can see what is meant by these things in the sense of the 
 letter ; but that something more holy is contained in them may be 
 known, for this is the Word, and everything in the Word contains 
 things tliat relate to heaven and the church, and these alone are 
 holy ; thus what is holy in the meaning is known from the internal 
 sense. "The sabbath day" in that sense means the conjundiion 
 of the Lord's Divine Human with heaven and the church; "the 
 city" which jiere is Jerusalem, means the church; "to bring in 
 no burden through the gates of this city" means not to admit 
 that which is from man's own {proprium), but that which is from 
 the Lord. " Kings and princes that shall enter in by the gates 
 of the city" mean Divine truths which they should then have; 
 "sitting upon the throne of David" means truths from the Lord ; 
 "riding upon the chariot and on horses" means that from these 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 8. — N. 208[^]. 3O9 
 
 they should be in the dodrine of truth and intelligence ; " to be 
 inhabited to eternit)'" means life and eternal salvation. (That "sab- 
 bath" signifies the conjun<5lion of the Lords Divine Human with heaven and the 
 church, see A.C.. n. 8494, 8495, 8510, 10356, 10360, 10367, 10370, 10374, 10668. 
 10730. That " Jeriis.alem " siijnifies the church, see n. 402, 3654, 9166. That " bur- 
 den " or " work ■ on the sabbath day signifies not to be led by the Lord but by 
 one's own ( proprium). n. 7893, 8495, 10360, 10362, 10365. That " kings and princes" 
 signify those who are in Divine truths, and in the abstra(f\. Divine truths, see 
 above, n. 29, 3I. That "chariot" signifies doeftrine of truth, and "horses" the 
 intelleaual, see 77;.f H^A//<r i%rj^, n. 1-5.) [8.] \x\ \\\^ ApOCalypse : 
 
 The New Jerusalem, "having a wall great and high, and twelve gates, 
 and above the gates twelve angels, and names inscribed, which are 
 
 the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel The 
 
 twelve gates were twelve pearls The gates shall not be shut " 
 
 (xxi. 12, 21, 25). 
 
 That "gates" signify Divine truths introducing into the New 
 Church, thus those who are in truths from good from the Lord, 
 can be seen from the explanation of these words in The New 
 yenisalem (n. i, seq.). It is clear also from its being said that there 
 were "twelve gates," "twelve angels upon the gates," and "the 
 names of the twelve tribes written thereon," and that the "t^velve 
 
 gates were twelve pearls." (For "twelve" signifies all, and is predicated 
 of truths from good, see A.C., n. 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3858, 3913; in like 
 manner " angels," see above, n. I3C>['^]> 200; likewisethe " twelve tribesof Israel," 
 n. 3858, 3926, 4060, 6335 ; and likewise "pearls.") [9.] In 'Jeremiah: 
 
 "Out of the north an evil shall be opened, . . . that they may come and 
 set everj- one his throne at the door of the gates of Jerusalem, and 
 against all its walls round about, . .. . because they have forsaken 
 Me " (i. 14-16). 
 
 This treats of the destru6lion of the church ; the "north" signifies 
 falsity, here falsity from which is evil ; "to come and set every one 
 his throne at the door of the gates of Jerusalem " is to destroy 
 truths introdu6lory to the church by means of falsities; "and 
 against all the walls round about" means to destroy all protefling 
 truths. [10.] In Isaiah: 
 
 " Howl. O gate ; cry, O city ; thou whole Philistia art melted away, for 
 from the north cometh smoke" (xiv. 31). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " The choicest of thy valleys are full of chariots, and the horsemen have 
 set themselves in array even to the gate ; he hath stripped away 
 the covering of Judah" (xxii. 7. 8). 
 
 In these passages also the destru6lion of the church is treated ol • 
 and "gates" here signify introdu6lor)' truths which are destroyed ; 
 these truths are called "the covering of Judah," because "Judah" 
 
310 ArOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 signifies celestial love (see above, n. 119), and these truths cover 
 and proted that love. [II.] In the same, 
 
 "The remnant in the city is a waste, and the gate shall be beaten even 
 to devastation " (xxiv. I2'>. 
 
 In Jereviiah: 
 
 " Judah hath mourned, and the gates thereof have been made to languish " 
 (xiv. 2). 
 
 In the Book of Jtidges : 
 
 "The villages have ceased in Israel; he hath chosen new gods; 
 
 there was fighting at the gates " (v. 7, 8). 
 
 In Ezekiel: 
 
 " Tyre hath said about Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken, the doors of the 
 peoples ; she is brought unto me " (xxvi. 2). 
 
 Here also the destruction of the church is treated of; "Tyre" sig- 
 nifies knowledges of truth and good, which are introdu6lory 
 truths ; and "Jerusalem" the church in respe6l to the do6lrine of 
 truth ; this shows why Jerusalem is here called the "doors of the 
 peoples ;" also what this signifies, " Tyre says, Aha, Jerusalem is 
 broken, the doors of the people ; she is brought unto me, I shall 
 be filled." [12.] Since, as was said above, "doors" and "gates" 
 signify admission, and in particular, introdudory truths, which 
 are truths from good from the Lord, it is clear what "doors" and 
 "gates" signify in the following passages. In David : 
 
 "Lift up your heads, O ye gates ; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, 
 that the King of glory may come in" {Psalm xxiv. 7, 9). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " Recount the praises of Jehovah " in the gates of the daughter of Zion '' 
 {Psalm ix. 14). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Jehovah loveth the gates of Zion, more than all the dwellings of Jacob " 
 {Psalm Ixxxvii. 2). 
 
 By -'Zion" and "the daughter of Zion" the celestial church is 
 meant. In Isaiah: 
 
 "Thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel ; the God of the whole earth 
 
 He is called I will make thy windows of agates, and thv 
 
 gates of carbuncles " (liv. 5, 12). 
 
 In Matthew : 
 
 The five wise virgins went in to the marriage feast, "and the door was 
 shut ;" and the five foolish virgins came and knocked, but the dooi 
 was not opened to them (xxv. 10-12). 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 8. — N. 208[(5]. 3II 
 
 In Luke: 
 
 Jesus said, " Strive to enter in through the narrow gate ; for many . . , 
 shall seek to enter in, and sliall not be able. When once the Master 
 of the house is risen up and hath shut to the door, then shall ye 
 Iri^in to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, 
 1 vil. open unto us; and He shall answer and say, I know you not 
 .: ..:.ic you are"(.\iii. 24, 25). 
 
 These two passages treat of the state of man after death, showing 
 that those who are in faith and not in love cannot then be ad- 
 mitted into heaven, although they may wish to be admitted be- 
 cause they have so believed ; this is meant by the "door's being 
 shut," and admission refused when they knocked. [13.] Because 
 "gates" signify introductory truths, it was ordained among the 
 statutes. 
 
 That the elders should sit at the gates and judge {Deut. .\xi. 19 ; xxii. 
 15, 21 ; Amos v. 12, 15 ; Zeck. viii. 16) ; 
 
 it was also commanded 
 
 That they should write the commandments upon the posts and gates 
 {Dent. vi. 8, 9) ; 
 
 it was likewise among the statutes, 
 
 That the ear of the servant who was not willing to go out free in the 
 seventh year should be bored through at the door {Exod. xxi. 6 ; 
 Dent. XV. 17). 
 
 "Servants" from the sons of Israel signified those who were in 
 truths and not in good; and "freemen" those who are in good 
 and in truths therefrom. That "the ear should be bored through 
 at the door" signified perpetual obedience and sen'itude, when one 
 is unwilling to be introduced by means of truths into good : for 
 those who are in truths and this not from good, are perpetually in 
 a servile state, because they are not in a spiritual afTe6lion for truth ; 
 and it is the affeClion that is of the love that makes man free (see 
 
 The Donrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 141-149). Introdu6lory truths in 
 
 respe<5l to their quality are described also by the covering of the 
 door of the tent, and by the covering of the door of the tabernacle 
 
 {Exod. xxvi. 14, 36, 37; xxxviii. 18, 19); 
 
 also by the measurements in numbers of the doors and gates of 
 the house of God and of the temple 
 
 {Ezek. xl. 6, 8-ir, 13-15, 18-20, 24, 27, 28, 32, 35, 37 ; xli. 1-3, 11, 17-20, 
 23-25 ; xlii. 2, 12, 15 ; xliii. 1-4; xliv. 1-3, 17 ; xlvi. 1-3, 8. 12, 19 ; 
 xlvii. I, 2 ; xlviii. 31-34). 
 
 He who knows what these particular numbers signify, may know 
 many arcana respedling these truths. The gates of the house of 
 
312 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 Jehovah towards the north and towards the east are also spoken 
 of in the same prophet (viii. 3, 4 ; x. 19). 
 
 209. "For thou hast some power, and hast kept My word, and 
 hast not denied My name," signifies that they have power from 
 the Lord over evils and falsities, in the measure iti which they 
 make truths from the Word to be of their life, and acknowledge 
 the Divine of the Lord in His Human. — This is evident from the 
 signification of " having power," as meaning power from the Lord 
 over evils and falsities ; and as this refers to those who are in faith 
 from charity, it is said that they "have some power" (of which 
 presently). It is evident also from the signification of "to keep My 
 word," as meaning to make truths from the Word to be of the life ; 
 for to keep truths or commandments means not only to know and 
 perceive them but also to will and do them, that is, to obey them ; 
 and those who will and do, make the truths that they know and per- 
 ceive from the Word to be of their life (see above, n. 15). It is evi- 
 dent also from the signification of" not denying My name," as mean- 
 ing to acknowledge the Divine of the Lord in His Human (see 
 above, n. 135). [2.] It should be known that there are two funda- 
 mentals of the church, namely, acknowledgment of the Lord's 
 Divine in His Human, and making truths from the Word to be of 
 one's life ; moreover, no one can be in the one of these unless he is 
 at the same time in the other ; for all truths that are made to be of 
 the life are from the Lord, and this is done with those who acknow- 
 ledge the Divine in His Human. For the Lord flows-in with all, 
 both in the heavens and on the earth, from His Divine Human, and 
 not from the Divine separately, nor from the Human separately. 
 Consequently those who in their thought separate the Divine of the 
 Lord from His Human, and look to the Divine of the Father not 
 as in the Human but as near it or above it, thus separated from 
 it, receive no influx from the Lord nor from heaven, for all who 
 are in the heavens acknowledge the Lord's Divine Human (see 
 
 further, in Heaven and Hell, n. 2-12, 59-72, 78-86, seq., 212). From this it IS 
 
 clear that all truths that are made to be of the life are from the 
 Lord with those who acknowledge the Divine in His Human, that 
 is, the Divine Human. Truths are made to be of the life when 
 one lr)ves them, thus when he wills them and does them, for 
 he who loves, wills and does ; in a word, truths are made to be 
 of the life when man from affe(5lion lives according to them. Such 
 truths are from the Lord because the Lord flows into the love 
 with man, and through the love into truths and thus makes them 
 to be of the life. [3.] Something shall now be said about the 
 power that man has from the Lord over evils and falsities. All 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 8. — N. 209. 313 
 
 power that angels ha\e and that men have is from the Lord ; and 
 the measure in which they receive the Lord is the measure of their 
 power. He who believes that any power over evils and falsities 
 comes from what is man's own (proprium) is g'reatly mistiiken ; for 
 it is evil spirits, conjoined to the hells, that induce evils and 
 their falsities in men, and these spirits are numerous, and each 
 one of them is conjoined to many hells, in each of which 
 also there are many spirits, and no one except the Lord can 
 turn these away from man, for the Lord alone has power over the 
 hells, and man has no power at all from himself or from what is 
 his own (propnum) \ therefore he has power to the e.xtent that 
 he is conjoined to the Lord by love. There are two lo\es that 
 reign in the heavens and constitute the heavens, namely, love 
 to tht Lord and love towards the neighbor ; love to the Lord is 
 called celestial love, and love toward the neighbor is called spirit- 
 ual love. Those who are in celestial love have much power, but 
 those who are in spiritual love have some power; and because 
 what is written to the angel of this church, treats of those v. ho are 
 in love towards the neighbor, that is, in charity and in faith there- 
 from, which love is spiritual love, it is said " Thou hast some power." 
 [4.] But it is to be noted, that all the power that angels and men 
 ha\e from the Lord is from the good of love ; and since the good 
 of love does not a6l from itself but through truths, all power is from 
 the good of love through truths, and with those who are spiritual, 
 from the good of charity through the truths of faith. For good 
 takes on a quality through truths, good without truths ha\-ing no 
 quality, and where there is no quality there is neither force nor 
 power. From this it is clear, that good has all power through 
 truths, or charity through faith, and neither charity apart from 
 fiith nor faith apart from charity has any power. This is meant 
 also by the keys given to Peter, for "Peter" there means, in the 
 spiritual sense, truth from good which is from the Lord, thus 
 faith from charity ; and the " keys " given to him, power over evils 
 and falsities. These things were said to Peter when he acknow- 
 ledged the Divine of the Lord in His Human ; which means, that 
 those have power who acknowledge the Divine of the Lord in His 
 Human, and from Him are in good of charity, and in truths 
 of faith therefrom. That these things were said to Peter when 
 he acknowledged the Lord is shown in Matthew : 
 
 Jesus said to the disciples, "Who say ye that I am? Simon Peter 
 answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 
 And Jesus answering said unto him. Blessed art thou, Simon Bar- 
 Jonah ; for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but 
 Mv Father who is in the heavens. And I also say unto thee. Thou 
 
314 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church ; and the gates 
 of the hells shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee 
 the keys of the kingdom of the heavens" (xvi. 15-19). 
 
 (But of Peter .ind his keys, see what is was said above, n. 9; also what is shown in 
 The Last yudgment, n. 57, and in The Doftrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 122; 
 and that truth has all power from good, which is from the Lord, in Heaven and 
 Hell, n. 228-233, 539. and A.C., n. 3091, 3387, 3563, 4592.4933. ^344. 6423, 75i8, 
 7673, 8281, 8304, 9133, 9327, 9410, 10019, 10182.) 
 
 210. [r6v-j^9.] "Behold, I will give from the synagogue of 
 Satan," signifies ^/lose ivho arc in the doFlrine of faith alone, and 
 in no charity. — This is evident fi'om the signification of "from the 
 synagogue of Satan," as meaning those who are in the doctrine of 
 all falsities (see above, n. 1 20). Here, " from the synagogue of Satan " 
 means those who are in the dodrine of faith alone, and in no char- 
 ity, since what is written to the angel of this church treats of those 
 who are in faith from charity. These are said to be "from the 
 synagogue of Satan" because they are not in faith, although they 
 think they are, and because they rejedl charity as a means of 
 salvation, and yet the Lord flows into faith through charity, and 
 not into faith separate from charity ; for faith separate from charity 
 is merely knowing (scioitia) in which there is no life from the 
 Divine. From this it is that those who are in the dodrine of 
 faith alone and not in charity, are in no enlightenment ; they are 
 therefore in the dodrine of many falsities, which is specifically sig- 
 nified by "the synagogue of Satan." (That there is no faith where there 
 is no charity, see in The Last yudgment, n. 33-39 ; and what faith and what charity 
 are, in The Dodrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 84-107, 108, 122.) That SUch aS 
 
 these are in the do6lrine of many falsities will be seen in the follow- 
 ing article. 
 
 211. "Of those saying that they are Jews, and they are not, 
 but do lie," signifies who believe themselves to be in trziths, when 
 yet they are in falsities. — This is evident from the signification of 
 "Judah," which means, in the highest sense, the Lord in respedl 
 to celestial love ; in the internal sense the Lord's celestial kingdom 
 and the Word, and in the external sense, do6trine from the Word 
 which belongs to the celestial church (of which see above, n. 119). 
 From this it is that "to say that they are Jews" signifies to believe 
 themselves to be in genuine do6lrine, thus in truths themselves. 
 This Is evident also from the signification of " to lie," as meaning to 
 be in falsities, for "lying" signifies in the Word falsity of doflrine 
 (about which see A.C., n. 8908, 9248). Those who are in faith alone and in 
 no charity, are ignorant that they are in falsities, because they be- 
 lieve themselves to be in truths, when yet, out of the false principle, 
 which is that faith alone saves, falsities flow in a continual series • 
 
CHAP. HI., VERSn 9. — N. 212. 315 
 
 for a principle draws all things to its own side, since they must 
 conned with it ; and this is the cause of their great ignorance in 
 regard to the things of heaven and the church. That those who 
 are in faith alone are so ignorant is clear from this, that they do 
 not know what celestial love is, which is love to the Lord ; what 
 spiritual love is, which is charity towards the r-eighbor : what the 
 neighbor is, what good is, what conjunction of good and truth is, 
 what spiritual life is, what spiritual affe6lion is, what conscience is, 
 what freedom of choice is, what regeneration is, what spiritual 
 temptation is, what baptism and the holy supper are, and why they 
 are commanded, what the spiritual sense of the Word is, what 
 heaven and hell are, and that both of them are from the human race ; 
 and many other things. From this ignorance of theirs falsities 
 flow whenever these subjedls are thought about, since they are 
 unable to think, as was said above, from any enlightenment or to 
 have any internal sight respe6ling anything spiritual. (See, more- 
 over, what is shown on this subject in A.C.; that faith separate from charity is no 
 fliith, n. 654, 724, 1162, 1176, 2049, 2116, 2343, 2349, 3849, 3868, 6348, 7039, 7822, 
 9780, 9783 ; that such faith perishes in the other life, n. 2228, 5820 ; that when faith 
 alone is taken as the principle, truths are contaminated by a false principle, n. 2435 ; 
 that such persons will not suflFer themselves to be persuaded, because it is against 
 their principle, n. 2385 ; that the doclrinals of faith alone destroy charity, n. 6353, 
 8094 ; that those who separate faith from charity, are inwardly in the falsities of their 
 own evil, although they are ignorant of it, n. 7790, 7950 ; that therefore good cannot 
 be conjoined to them, n. 8981, 8993 ; that faith separate om love and charity, is as 
 the light of winter, in which all things of the earth become torpid, and there is no 
 production of corn, fruits, and flowers ; but that f .ith from love or charity is as the 
 light of spring and summer, in which all things flourish and are produc5tive, n. 2231, 
 3146, 3412, 3413 ; that the light of winter, which is t at of faith separate from charity, 
 is turned into dense darkness when light out of heaven flows in ; and that those who 
 are in such faith then become blind and stupid, n. 3412, 3413; that those who separate 
 faith from charity in doctrine and life are in darkness, thus in ignorance of truth and 
 in falsities, n. 9186; that they cast themselves into them, and into evils therefrom, n. 
 3325, 8094; the errors and falsities into which they cast themselves, n. 4721, 4730, 
 4776, 4783, 4925, 7779, 8313, 8765, 9224; that the Word is closed to them, n. 3773, 
 4783, 8780 ; that they do not see or attend to all that the Lord so often said about 
 love and charity, and about fruits ot good things in adl, n. 1017, 3416; that they 
 do not know what good is, thus what celestial love is, nor what charity is, n. 2417, 
 3603, 4126, 9995; that the simple in heart, who still are wise, know what the good 
 of life is, thus what charity is, but not what faith is separate from charity, n. 4741, 
 4754) 
 
 212* "Behold, I will make them to come and worship at thy 
 feet," signifies the state of such after death, that they ivill be out 
 qj heave7i, and cannot be admitted.— Th\s is evident from the con- 
 nexion with what precedes and follows. This verse treats of those 
 who say that they are in truths when yet they are in falsities, be 
 cause in no charity. Of such it is said in the Word that they will 
 come to the door and knock, but will not be admitted. " To come 
 
3l6 , APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 to the door and knock," is "to worship at the feet." It is said, 
 "at thy feet," because heaven in the whole complex resembles a 
 man ; the highest or third hea\-en answers to the head, the middle 
 or second heaven to the body, and the lowest or first heaven to the 
 feet ; therefore, to stand at the feet and worship, is to be out of 
 heaven and to wish to be admitted, but cannot be. (That the heavens 
 
 in one complex resemble a man, see Heaven and Hell, n. 59—67, seq. ; that there are 
 three heavens, n. 29-40; and that the highest heaven forms the head, the middle the 
 
 body, and the lowest the feet, n. 65.) This makes clear why those who 
 are out of heaven are said to stand "at the feet." They cannot 
 be admitted for the reason that the whole heaven is formed accord- 
 ing to affe6tions of good and truth, and is divided into societies 
 according to all the differences of those affe6lions ; therefore, those 
 who are not in charity are not in any affection which constitutes 
 heaven, for charity or love towards the neighbor is an affedlion ; 
 consequendy those who are not in charity have no place in heaven, 
 but are out of it ; and such of them as have been in evils and falsi- 
 ties are conjoined, according to their loves or affe6lions, to those 
 who are in the hells, and thither they are cast down. [2.] That 
 such a lot awaits those who are in faith alone and in no charity, 
 was foretold by the Lord in many passages. Thus in Matthew : 
 
 "Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast 
 into the fire ; therefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not 
 everyone that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the king- 
 dom of the heavens, but he that doeth the will of My Father who 
 is in the heavens. Many shall say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, 
 have we not prophesied by Thy name, and by Thy name cast out 
 demons, and in Thy name done many powers ? And then will I 
 confess unto them, I never knew you ; depart from Me all ye 
 workers of iniquity. Every one that heareth My words and doeth 
 them, I will liken to a prudent man, who built his house upon a 
 
 rock And every one that heareth My words and doeth them 
 
 not, shall be likened to a foolish man who built his house upon the 
 sand" (vii. 19-27). 
 
 Here those who are in faith from charity, and those who are in 
 faith and in no charity are described ; those who are in faith from 
 charity, by "the tree bearing good fruit," and by "the house that 
 was built upon a rock;" "fruits" signify in the Word works of 
 charity and a " rock " faith from charity ; but those who are in faith 
 separate from charity are meant by "the tree that bringeth not 
 forth good fruit," and by those "building a house upon the sand ;" 
 "evil fruit" signifies in the Word evil" works, and "sand" faith 
 separate from charity. Of such it is said that they will say, " Lord, 
 Lord, open to us," but that the reply will be, " I never knew you ; 
 depart from Me, all ye workers of iniquity." [3.] In Luke : 
 
CHAP. III., VERS!-: 9. — X. 213. 317 
 
 "Strive to enter in through the narrow pate ; for many. . . .shall seek to 
 enter in and shall not be able. When once the master of the house 
 is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye bc>;in to stand without 
 and to knock at the door, sayinjj. Lord, Lord, open unto us; and 
 He shall answer and say, I know you not whence ye are ; then 
 shall ye bepin to say, \Vc did cat and drink in Thy presence, and 
 thou didst teach in our streets. But He shall say, I tell you, I 
 know you not whence ye are ; depart from Me, all ye workers of 
 iniquity" (xiii. 24-27) 
 
 Here aoain those are treated of who are in faith and n(jt in cliarity, 
 of whom it is said that they "will stand without, knocking at the 
 door," btit that they will not be admitted; "to eat and to drink 
 in the presence of the Lord, and to be taught in the streets" 
 signifies to listen to the Word and preachings from the Word, and 
 to know what ought to be matters of faith ; but as such are in no 
 charity, it is said of them, " I know you not whence ye are, dejiart 
 from Sle ;" for the Lord knows all from love and not from faith 
 separate. [4.] The same is meant by 
 
 The five foolish virgins, who had not oil in their lamps, concerning 
 whom also it is said that they came, " saying, Lord, Lord, open to 
 us; but He answered. Verily I say unto you, I know you not" 
 (Matt. XXV. 1-12). 
 
 "Virgins" signify in the Word those who are of the church; 
 "lamps" the things that belong to faith, and "oil" the good of 
 love ; therefore by " the fi\'e foolish virgins, who had no oil in their 
 lamps," are signified those who are in faith and not in love. The 
 like is signified also by 
 
 The goats on the left hand to whom it was said that He hungered and 
 thirsted and they gave Him not to eat and to drink ; that He was 
 a stranger and they took Him not in ; that He was naked and 
 they clothed Him not; that He was sick and in prison and they 
 visited Him not {Matt. xxv. 41-43) ; 
 
 "the sheep at the right hand" here signify those who are in char- 
 ity ; "the goats" those who are in faith and in no charity. (That 
 
 such are signified by "goats," see A.C., n. 4769; and such by "sheep," n. 4169, 
 4809. ) 
 
 213. "And to know that I have loved thee" signifies a conse- 
 qucnt knozi'Iedge that the Lord is present in charity, and not i7i 
 faith apart fron charity. — This is evident from the signification of 
 "to know," as meaning knowledge ; and from the signification of 
 "to love," as meaning, in reference to the Lord, that He is present. 
 It means that He is present in charity, and not in faith apart from 
 charity, because those are here treated of who are in the faith of 
 charity (see above, n. 203") ; and the Lord is present in man's affec- 
 tion or love, thus in the life of his spirit, for it is love or aflfedlion that 
 
3l8 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 makes the life of his spirit ; consequently the Lord is present in 
 charity, for charity is affedlion itself or man's spiritual love; and as 
 the Lord is present with man in charity, He is evidently not present 
 in faith without charity ; neither is faith without charity spiritual, 
 consequently it is not inwardly in man, nor does it constitute his life» 
 but it is outside of him, in the memoiy, and in something of natural 
 thought therefrom. " To be loved," in reference to the Lord, means 
 that He is present, because love {dikaio seu amor) causes conjun6tion 
 and consequent presence, and to him who loves, the Lord enters in, 
 and teaches and leads him, and enables him to love Him, that is, to 
 do His commandments and precepts, for this is to love the Lord. 
 That with him whom He loves the Lord is present, and that he who 
 keeps His commandments and precepts loves Him, He teaches in 
 yoh7i : 
 
 "He that hath My commandments, and doeth them, he it is that loveth 
 Me ; and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will 
 love him, .... and we will come unto him, and make our abode with 
 him" (xiv. 2i, 23). 
 
 214. [ Verse 10] " Because ihou hast kepi the word of My en- 
 durance" signifies that they have lived according to the Lord's 
 commandments. — This is evident from the signification of "keep- 
 ing the word " of the Lord, as meaning to live according to His 
 commandments, for " word " means commandment, and to " keep " 
 it means to live. It is said, " the word of My endurance," because 
 of steadfastness in it without being wearied. The term " endur- 
 ance" is occasionally used in the Apocalypse, and when used it 
 signifies what is applied to life (as above, n. 98). 
 
 215. " / also will keep thee in the hour of temptation thai is 
 to come upon the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the 
 earth," signifies the time of the last judgment., when there will be 
 visitation zcpon those who a;r in the former heaven, and that they 
 will then be saved. — This is evident from the signification of "the 
 hour of temptation that is to come upon the whole world," as 
 meaning the time of the last judgment ; and from the signification 
 of "trying them that dwell upon the earth," as meaning visitation 
 upon those who are in the former heaven ; that those who are in 
 faith from charity, who are here treated of, will then be saved, is 
 meant by " I will keep thee." These things evidently relate to the 
 last judgment, for it is said, " the hour of temptation that is to come 
 upon the whole world, when they shall be tried that dwell upon 
 the earth." But as the last judgment, also the former heaven and 
 its abolition, and the new heaven and its formation, are treated ol 
 in The Last fiidgment, and The Neiv yerusalem, and will be 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 12. — N. 219. 319 
 
 ftirthur treated of in this work, additional explanation of these 
 words is deferred. 
 
 216. [ I'ersi II.] " Behold, I come quickly," signifies thai this is 
 certain. — This is evident from the signification of "quickly," as 
 meaning certiinty and fulness (see above, n. 7). " Quickly" signi- 
 fies ccrtaintv and fulness, because time and all things pertaining to 
 time in the Word signify states ; therefore " quickly " and " speed- 
 ily " signify a present state of affedlion and of thought therefrom, 
 
 consequently certainty and fulness. (That time and all things pertaining 
 to time correspond to states, and therefore signify states, see Heaven and Hell, n. 
 162-169; and that "quickly" signifies what is stirred up by affedlion, thus what is 
 present and certain, see A.C., n. 7695, 7866.) 
 
 217. " Hold what thou hast" signifies steadfastness in a state 
 of faith from charity even unto the end, as is evident from what 
 was said abo\e (n. 173), where there are similar words. 
 
 218. " That no one take thy crown" signifies lest intelligeiice 
 should perish. — This is evident from the signification of "crown," 
 as meaning wisdom (of which see above, n. 126), here intelligence, 
 because those who are in spiritual love or in charity and faith there- 
 from, are in intelligence ; while those who are in celestial love, or 
 in lo\e to the Lord, and in the perception of truth therefrom, are 
 in wisdom, "That no one take thy crown " signifies lest intelligence 
 should perish, since evils and flilsities therefrom take away man's 
 intelligence ; for intelligence pertains to truth, and this is taken 
 away from man by evil spirits when he is in evils, because he 
 is then associated with them ; and what is thus taken away per- 
 ishes. 
 
 219. [ Verse 12.] " He that overcometh I will make him a pillar 
 in the temple of My God," signifies that those who are steadfast unll 
 be in Divine truth in heave7i. — This is evident from the significa- 
 tion of "overcoming," as meaning to be steadfast in genuine afifec- 
 tion for truth (see above n. 128) ; here in foith from charity, since 
 that faith is ti'eated of in what is written to the angel of this church 
 (see above, n. 203) ; also from the signification of "pillar" as mean- 
 ing Divine truth upholding; also from the signification of " the 
 temple of God " as meaning in the highest sense, the Lord's Divine 
 Human, and in the relative sense, the Lord's spiritual kingdom, 
 thus the heaven that constitutes that kingdom (of which presendy). 
 "A pillar in the temple" means Divine truth upholding, because 
 "temple" signifies heaven, and heaven is heaven from the Divine 
 truth that goes forth from the Lord ; for by hea\en all angels are 
 meant, because heaven is made up of angels, and from them is called 
 heaven : and angels are angels in the measure in which they receive 
 
320 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 the Divine truth tliat goes forth from the Lord ; and for this rea- 
 son angels in the Word also signify Divine truths (see above, n. 130, 
 200). Now as heaven is Divine truth, and " temple" signifies heaven, 
 it follows that all things of the temple signify such things as pertain 
 to Divine truth, and that the "pillars" therein signify Divine truths 
 upholding. Divine truths upholding are in general lower truths, 
 because these uphold the higher ; for there are lower and higher 
 Divine truths, as there are lower and higher heavens. (There are de- 
 grees of these, on which see Heaven and Hell, n. 38, 208, 209, 211.) The heav- 
 ens that belong to a lower degree uphold those that belong to a 
 higher degree ; here, therefore, by the Lord's making him that . 
 overcometh "a pillar in the temple" is meant that such will be in 
 a lower heaven. Those who are in the faith of charity are in a 
 lower heaven, which is called the spiritual heaven ; while those 
 who are in love to the Lord are in a higher heaven, which is called 
 the celestial heaven, and this is upheld by the lower or spiritual 
 
 heaven. (But a clearer idea can be had of these things from what is shown in 
 three chapters in Heaveti and Hell, namely, in the chapter where it is shown that 
 The Divine of the Lord in Heaven is Love to Him and Charity towards the Neigh- 
 bor, n. 13-19 ; in another where it is shown that Heaven is distinguished into 
 Two Kingdoms, Celestial and Spiritual, n. 20-28 ; and in a third where it is shown 
 that There are Three Heavens, n. 29-40.) [2.] "Pillars" are frequently 
 
 mentioned in the Word, and they signify lower truths, because 
 they uphold the higher. That lower truths are signified by "pil- 
 lars" in the Word can be seen from the following passages. In 
 yere7niah : 
 
 Behold I have given thee this day for a defenced city, and for a pillar 
 of iron, and for walls of brass against the whole land, against the 
 kings of Judah, against the princes and against the priests thereof, 
 and against the people of the land, that they may fight against thee 
 and not prevail" (i. 18, 19). 
 
 These things were said to the prophet, because all prophets signify 
 do61rines of Divine truth, and because the church in which Divine 
 truths are falsified is here treated of it is therefore said, " Behold I 
 have given thee this day for a defenced city, and for a pillar of 
 iron, and for w^alls of brass against the whole land ;" "a defenced 
 city " signifies do6lrine of truth ; "a pillar of iron " truth upholding 
 it, "walls of brass" good defending, and "land" the church. It 
 is said, also, "against the kings of Judah, against the princes, 
 against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land ;" 
 and "the kings of Judah," and "princes," signify truths falsified; 
 "priests," goods adulterated, and "the people of the land," falsi- 
 ties in general ; of these it is said, that they will fight against truths 
 themselves, but shall not prevail. [3.] In the same, 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 12. — N. 219. 32I 
 
 "Set thee up sipns, place for thee pillars, set thine heart to the path, 
 the way thou maycst go ; return, O virgin of Israel, return to thy 
 cities " (xx.xi. 21). 
 
 The restitution of the church is here treated of: "tli£ virgin of 
 Israel " signifies the church ; " to set up signs, and to place pil- 
 lars," signifies instrudlion in such things of the church as are 
 fundamental, which are called "pillars" because they uphold ; "to 
 set the heart to the path, the way thou mayest go," signifies affec- 
 tion of truth leading to life. [4.] In David: 
 
 " I will judge in uprightness ; the earth and all the inhabitants thereof 
 are dissolved ; I will strengthen the pillars of it " {Psalm Ixxv. 2, 
 
 " The earth dissolving " signifies those of the church who are not 
 in truths but yet long for them ; "to strengthen the pillars" of it 
 signifies to sustain the church by those truths upon which it is 
 founded. Again, in yob : 
 
 "Who causeth the earth to shake out of its place, so that the pillars 
 thereof tremble" (ix. 6). 
 
 *' The earth" here signifies the church, and "pillars" the truths 
 that uphold it. That 
 
 "The pillars of the tabernacle" (mentioned in Exod. xxvii. 10-12, 
 
 14-17). 
 
 also signify lowest truths upholding higher ones, see Arcana Cae- 
 lesfia, in the explanation of those verses of that chapter. Like 
 truths are signified by 
 
 The pillars of the house of the forest of Lebanon built by Solomon 
 (mentioned in i Kings vii. 2, 6). 
 
 [5.] Such also is the signification of 
 
 The two pillars that Solomon set in the porch of the temple, and 
 that are described in the First Book of Kings. He "fashioned 
 two pillars of brass, eighteen cubits was the height of each pillar ; 
 and a line of twelve cubits compassed either. And he made two 
 chapiters of molten brass, to set upon the tops of the pillars : 
 
 .... seven for the one chapiter, and seven for the other chapiter 
 
 And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple ; and he setup 
 the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin : and he set up 
 the left pillar and called the name thereof Boaz" (vii. 15-21). 
 
 Since "the temple" signified heaven (as will be shown presently), 
 all diings of the temple signified such things as are of heaven, 
 thus of Divine truth there ; for, as said above, heaven is heaven 
 from the Di\'ine truth that goes forth from the Lord ; therefore 
 
322 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 " the porch of the temple signified the things pertaining to the 
 lowest heaven, and as this upholds the two higher heavens those 
 two pillars were placed in the porch. 
 
 220[r«], But it shall be told also what "temple" signifies in 
 the Word: — In the highest sense, "temple" signifies the Lord's 
 Divine Human, and in the relative sense, heaven ; and as it signi- 
 fies heaven, it also signifies the church, for the church is the Lord's 
 heaven on earth ; and as "temple" signifies heaven and the church 
 it also signifies Divine truth going forth from the Lord, for the 
 reason that this makes heaven and the church ; for those who 
 receive Divine truth in soul and heart, that is, in faith and love, are 
 they who constitute heaven and the church. As such is the signi- 
 fication of" temple," it is said, " the temple of My God ;" " My God," 
 when said by the Lord, meaning heaven and Divine truth there, 
 which is the Lord in heaven. The Lord is above the heavens, and 
 to those who are in the heavens He appears as a sun. From the 
 Lord as a sun heat and light go forth. Light in heaven is in its 
 essence Divine truth, and heat in heaven is in its essence Divine 
 good ; these two make heaven in general and in particular. Divine 
 truth is what is meant by " My God ;" therefore in the Word 
 of the Old Testament the Lord is called both "Jehovah" and 
 "God ;" "Jehovah" where Divine good is treated of, and "God" 
 where Divine truth is treated of; and for the same reason angels 
 are called "gods," and the word God in the Hebrew is in the 
 plural, Elohim. This shows why it is said, "the temple of My 
 
 God." (That the Lord is called " Jehovah " where Divine good is treated of, but 
 "God" where Divine truth is treated of, see A.C., n. 709, 732, 2586, 2769, 2807, 
 2822, 3921, 4283, 4402, 7010, 9167; that He is called "Jehovah" from Esse, thus 
 from Essence, but " God " from Existere, thus from Existence, n. 300, 3910, 6905 ; 
 that the Divine Esse is Divine good, and the Divine Existere is Divine truth, n. 3061, 
 6280, 6880, 6905, 10579; and in general that good is the esse, and truth the existere 
 therefrom, n. 5002 ; that the angels are called " gods " from their reception of Divine 
 truth from the Lord, n. 4295, 4402, 7268, 7873, 8301, 8192. That the Divine of the 
 Lord in the heavens is Divine truth united to Divine good, see Heaven and Hell, n. 
 13, 133, 139, 140. That light in the heavens is in its essence Divine truth, and heat 
 Divine good, both from the Lord, n. 126-140, 275.) [2.] That "temple" in 
 
 the Word signifies the Lord's Divine Human, and in the relative 
 sense, heaven and the church, consequently also Divine ti'uth, can 
 be seen from the following passages. In John: 
 
 The Jews asking, "What sign showest Thou unto us, that Thou doest 
 these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this 
 temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, 
 In forty and six years was this temple built, and wilt Thou raise 
 it up in three days But He was speaking of the Temple of His 
 body " (ii. 18-23). 
 
CHAP. TIL, VERSE 12. — N. 22o[a]. 323 
 
 That "temple" signifies the Lord's Divine Human is here plainly 
 declared ; for "destroying the temple and raising it up after three 
 days " means the Lord's death, burial, and resurrection. [3.] In 
 JIfa/ac/ii : 
 
 " Behold. I send My mcssenRer, and he shall prepare the way before 
 Me; and the Lord shall suddenly come to His temple, and the 
 messenger of the covenant whom ye seek" (iii. i). 
 
 Here also "temple" means the Lord's Divine Human; for the 
 Lord's coming is here treated of, therefore " coming to His temple" 
 signifies to His Human. [4.] In the Apocalypse : 
 
 "I saw no temple in the New Jerusalem, for the Lord God the Almighty 
 is its temple, and the Lamb" (xxi. 22). 
 
 The New Heaven and the New Earth, when they will be in inter- 
 nals, and not in externals, are here treated of, therefore it is said, 
 that " there will be no temple," but " the Lord God the Almighty, 
 and the Lamb." " The Lord God the Almighty," is the Divine 
 itself of the Lord, and "the Lamb" is His Divine Human ; from 
 which it is clear, that His Divine in the heavens is meant by "tem- 
 ple." [5.] In Isaiah : 
 
 " I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His 
 skirts filled the temple " (vi. i). 
 
 "The throne high and lifted up," upon which the Lord was seen 
 to sit, signifies the Lord in respecSl to Divine truth in the higher 
 heavens ; but " His skirts" signify His Divine truth in the church. 
 
 (That "skirts" si^ify, in reference to the Lord, His Divine truth in outmosts, see 
 A.C., n. 9917. That 
 
 The vail of the temple was rent into two parts from the top to the 
 bottom, after the Lord suffered {Matt, xxvii. 51 ; Mark xv. 34, 38 ; 
 Luke, xxiii. 45), 
 
 signified the union of the Lord's Divine Human with the Divine 
 itself (see ^.C, n. 9670). [6.] In the passages that follow "temple" 
 signifies the Lord's Divine Human, and at the same time heaven 
 and the church. In Da\'id : 
 
 " I will bow myself down toward the temple of Thy holiness, and will 
 give thanks unto Thy name " {Psalm cxxxviii. 2). 
 
 In yoyiah: 
 
 " I said, I am cast out from before Thine eyes, but yet will I add to look 
 back to the temple of Thy holiness,. . . .and my prayer came to 
 Thee to the temple of Thy holiness" (ii. 4, 7). 
 
 In Habakkuk : 
 
334 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 "Jehovah in the temple of His holiness" (ii. 20). 
 
 In Matthew : 
 
 "Woe unto you, ye blind guides, who say, Whosoever shall swear by 
 the temple, it is nothing ; but whosoever shall swear by the gold 
 of the temple, he is a debtor. Ye fools and blind ; for whether is 
 greater, the gold or the temple that san(5lifieth the gold?" (xxiii. 16, 
 17). 
 
 \'^ yohn: 
 
 Jcsas said to them that sold in the temple, " Take these things hence ; 
 make not My Father's house a house of merchandise. Then the 
 disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of Thine house 
 hath consumed me" (ii. 16, 17). 
 
 [6.] [7.] Beside these, there are many other passages in the 
 Word where " temple" is mentioned. That it may be known that 
 "temple" means heaven and the church, also Divine truth going 
 forth from the Lord, I will cite these passages here, lest the mind 
 should cling to the idea that a mere temple is meant, and not some- 
 thing more holy ; for the temple in Jerusalem was holy from its 
 having represented and thus signified what is holy. That " temple " 
 signified heaven is evident from these passages. In David : 
 
 "I called upon Jehovah, and cried unto my God: He heard my voice 
 from His temple" (Psalm xviii. 6). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "A day in Thy courts is better than thousands. I had rather stand at 
 * the door in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of 
 wickedness " {Psalm Ixxxiv. 10). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree; he shall grow like a 
 cedar in Lebanon. They that are planted in the house of Jehovah 
 shall flourish in the courts of our God" {Psalnt xcii. 12, 13). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "One thing have I asked of Jehovah ;. . . .that I may dwell in the house 
 of Jehovah to visit His temple in the morning " {Psalm xxvii. 
 
 4)- 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " I shall be at rest in the house of Jehovah for length of days " {Psalm 
 xxiii. 6). 
 
 In yohn: 
 
 Jesus said, "In my Father's house are many mansions " (xiv. 2). 
 
 It is clear that in these passages, by "house of Jehovah" and 
 "Father's house" heaven is meant. [8.] In the following pas- 
 sages the church also is meant. In Isaiah . 
 
CHAP. III., VERCE 12. — N. 22o[b\ 325 
 
 "Our holy and our beautiful hou.se, where our fathers praised Thee, is 
 burned with fire" (Ixiv. 11). 
 
 In ycremiah : 
 
 " I have forsaken my house, I have abandoned mine heritage" (xii. 7). 
 
 In HiJ(;^i;ai : 
 
 "I will shake all nations, that the choice of all nations may come ; and 
 I will fill this house with glory. . . . The silver is mine, and the 
 
 pold is mine The i;;lory of this latter house shall be greater 
 
 than that of the former" (ii. 7-9). 
 
 In Isaiah : 
 
 '• He shall say to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built ; and to the temple, Thy 
 foundation shall be laid" (xliv. 2S). 
 
 Here tlie comintr of the Lord and a new church at that time are 
 treated of. In Zcchariah the meaning is the same, 
 
 "The house of Jehovah was founded that the temple may be built" 
 
 (viii. 9). 
 
 In Daniel : 
 
 Belshazzar commanded to bring " the vessels of gold and silver which 
 Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem, 
 
 that .... they might drink from them They drank wine, and 
 
 praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, 
 and of stone," and then came the writing on the wall (v. 2-4, seq.). 
 
 The "gold and silver vessels that were brought from the temple 
 of Jerusalem" signified the goods and truths of the church; that 
 they "drank from them and praised the gods of gold, of silver, of 
 brass, of iron, of wood, and stone," signifies the profanation of 
 those goods and truths ; and on account of this the writing appeared 
 on the wall, and the king was changed from a man into a beast. 
 [9.] In Matthew : 
 
 And the disciples came to show Jesus the buildings of the temple. 
 Jesus said unto them, " See ye all these things ? . . . . there shall not 
 be left here stone upon stone that shall not be thrown down" (xxiv. 
 I, 2 ; Mark xiii. 1-5 ; Luke xxi. 5-7). 
 
 That "there should not be left of the temple stone upon stone 
 that should not be thrown down" signifies the total destrudlion 
 and vastation of the church ("stone" signifying the truth of the 
 church) ; and because this is what is meant, the advancing vasta- 
 tion of the church is what is treated of in these chapters of the 
 Evangelists. In the Apocalypse : 
 
 And the angel stood, saying, " Rise and measure the temple of God 
 and the altar, and them that worship therein " (xi. i). 
 
 The "temple" here also signifies the church, and "measuring" 
 
326 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 signifies to explore its quality. 
 
 The new temple and its measurements {Ezek. xl.-xlviL), 
 
 have a like signification. [10.] That "temple" signifies Divine 
 truth which is fi-om the Lord, is evident from the following pas- 
 sages. In Ezekiel: 
 
 " The glory of Jehovah mounted up from above the cherub over the thres- 
 hold of the house ; and the house was filled with the cloud ; but the 
 court was full of the brightness of the glory of Jehovah" (x. 4). 
 
 "House" here means heaven and the church, and "cloud" and 
 
 " glory ' ' Divine truth. (That " cloud " is Divine truth, see above, n. 36 ; and 
 "glory ■■ the same, n. 33.) [II.] In Micah : 
 
 " And many nations shalt go, and say, Come and let us go up to the 
 mountain of Jehovah, and to the house of our God ; that He may 
 teach us of His ways, and that we may go in His paths ; for from 
 Zion shall go forth instrudion, and the Word of Jehovah out of 
 Jerusalem " (iv. 2). 
 
 "Mountain of Jehovah, and house of God," signify the church, 
 likewise " Zion " and "Jerusalem ;" " to be taught of His waj's, and 
 to go in His paths," is to be instru6led in Divine truths ; it is 
 therefore said, " From Zion shall go forth instru6lion, and the 
 Word out of Jerusalem." [12.] \\\ Isaiah: 
 
 "A voice of tumult from the city, a voice of Jehovah out of the temple' 
 (Ixvi. 6). 
 
 "City" means dodlrine of truth, "temple" the church, and "a 
 voice of Jehovah out of the temple" Divine truth. In the Apoc- 
 alypse : 
 
 "There came forth a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the, 
 throne, saying " (xvi. 17). 
 
 Here, likewise, "voice" means Divine truth. Again, 
 
 "And the temple of God in heaven was opened, and there was seen in 
 the temple the ark of His covenant ; and there followed lightnings, 
 voices, thunderings " (xi. 19). 
 
 "Lightnings, voices, thunderings," signify in the Word Divine 
 truths out of heaven (see A.C., n. 7573, 8914). Again, 
 
 " The temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened ; 
 and there came out from the temple seven angels, having the seven 
 
 plagues And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory 
 
 of God, and from His power " (xv. 5, 6, 8). 
 
 Here seven angels are said to have come out from the temple in 
 heaven, because "angels" signify Divine truths (see above, n. 130, 
 200). What is signified by "smoke from the glory of God" will 
 
CHAP. III., VP:RSE 12. — N. 222[a]. ^,2-J 
 
 be seen in the explanation of these words furihur on. It should 
 be known, moreover, that the temple built by Solomon, also the 
 house of the forest of Lebanon, and each particular thing pertain- 
 ing to them (as described in i Kings vi., vii.), signified spiritual 
 and celestial things pertaining to the church and to heaven. 
 
 221. "And he shall go out thence no more" signifies that they 
 shall be in it to t'tcrnitv. — Tiiis is e\i(lcnt from the signification of 
 "going out thence no more," when it is said of heaven and Divine 
 truth there (which are signified by " the temple of God "), as mean- 
 ing that they shall be steadfast in these to eternity. 
 
 222[f(r]. "And I will write upon him the name of My God" 
 signities their quality in respect to Diiine truth implanted in the 
 life. — This is evident from the signification of "writing upon one," 
 when spoken by the Lord, as meaning to implant in the life (of 
 which presently) ; also from the signiiication of "name," as mean- 
 ing quality of state (see above, n. 1^.3) ; also from the signification 
 of "God," as meaning Divine truth going forth from the Lord in 
 heaven, thus the Lord in heaven (see above, n. 220[j]) ; for the 
 Lord is above the heavens, appearing to those who are in heaven 
 as a sun (see Heaven and Hell, n. 116-125). The Divine going forth 
 therefrom, which is called Divine truth, and which makes heaven in 
 general and in particular, is what is meant in the Word by " God ;" 
 from this it is that angels are called "gods," and that " God," in the 
 Hebrew is Elohim, in the plural. This makes clear why the Lord 
 here says, "the name of My God ;" also above, " I will make him a 
 pillar in the temple of My God" (n. 219') ; and in what follows, " I 
 will write upon him the name of the city of My God, the New 
 Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from My God" (n. 
 223.) [2.] "To write upon one" means to implant in the life, be- 
 cause to write is to commit to paper anything from the memory, 
 thought, or mind, that is to be preserved ; in the spiritual sense 
 therefore, it signifies that which is to endure in man's life, inscribed 
 on it and implanted in it. Thus the natural sense of this expression 
 is turned into a spiritual sense ; for it is natural to write upon paper 
 or in a book, but it is spiritual to inscribe on the life, which is done 
 when anything is implanted in faith and love, since love and faith 
 constitute man's spiritual life. Because "to write" signifies to im- 
 plant in the life, it is said of Jehovah or the Lord that "He writes," 
 and that "He has written in a book," meaning that which is in- 
 scribed by the Lord on man's spirit, that is, on his heart and soul, 
 or what is the same, on his love and faith. Thus, in David : 
 
 "My bone was not hidden from Thee when I was made in secret;... 
 upon Thy book were written all the days when they were fash« 
 ioned, and not one of them is wanting" {Psalm cxxxix. 15, 16). 
 
328 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 In the same 
 
 " Let them be blotted out of the book of lives, and not be written with 
 the righteous " {Psalm Ixix. 28), 
 
 In Daniel : 
 
 " The people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in 
 the book" (xii. i). 
 
 In Moses : 
 
 " Blot me, I pray Thee, out of the book which Thou hast written. And 
 Jehovah said. Whosoever hath sinned against Me will I blot out 
 of My book " {Exod. xxxii. 32, 33). 
 
 In the Apocalypse : 
 
 "A book written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals, which 
 no one could open but the Lamb only " (v. 1). 
 
 Again, 
 
 All shall worship the beast "whose names have not been written in the 
 Lamb's book of life " (xiii. 8 ; xvii. 81. 
 
 Again, 
 
 " I saw. . .that the boolcs were opened : and another book was opened 
 which is the book of life ; and the dead were judged out of those 
 things which were written in the books, according to their works. 
 . . . And if any one was not found written in the book of life, he 
 was cast into the lake of fire " (xx. 12, 13, 15), 
 
 Again, 
 
 And there shall enter into the New Jerusalem "only tney that are 
 written in the Lamb's book of life " (xxi. 27). 
 
 In these passages it is not meant that they are written in a book, 
 but that all things of faith and love are inscribed on man's spirit 
 
 (see Heaven and Hell, n. 461-469). 
 
 [ft.] [3.] That "to write," in the Word, signifies to inscribe 
 on and implant in the life, is clear from other passages where 
 "writing" is mentioned. Thus in yeremiah: 
 
 " I will give My law in the midst of them, and will write it op their heart " 
 (xxxi. 33). 
 
 "To give the law in the midst of them" means Divine truths in 
 them; "in the midst" signifies within man (see .,4. C, n. 1074, 2940, 
 2973) ; and "to write it on the heart" is to impress upon the love, 
 for "heart" signifies love (see A.c, n. 7542, 9050, 10336). In Ezekiel: 
 
 "The prophet saw a roll of a book written front and back, and there 
 were written thereon lamentations, mourning, and woe " (ii. 9, 10; 
 iii. 1-3). 
 
 "The roll of a book written front and back" signifies the state of 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 12. — N. 222[^]. 329 
 
 the church at .hat time, thus what the life was of those of the 
 church ; therefore "the roll of the book" means the same as "the 
 book of life" mentioned above; and as their life was destitute of 
 goods of love and truths of faith, it is .said that "there were written 
 thereon lamentations, mourning, and woe." 
 
 That the law was inscribed on tables of stone, and written with the 
 finger of God {Exod. xxxi. 18 ; Dcut. iv. 13 ; ix. 10), 
 
 signified that it mu.st be impressed on the life {A.c, n. 9416) ; for " the 
 law," in a stricl sense, means the ten commandments of the Deca- 
 logue, but in a broad sense, the whole Word (see A.C, n. 6752, 7463) ; 
 and "stone" signifies truth, here Divine truth (.4.C.. n.643. 1298, 3720, 
 6426, 8609, 10376). The same also is signified by 
 
 Their writing the words of the law upon the twelve stones taken out of 
 the Jordan {Dent, xxvii. 2-4, 8 ; jfosh. iv. 3, seq.). 
 
 [4.] In Ezekicl : 
 
 "Son of man, take thee one stick, and -write upon it. For Judah and for 
 the sons of Israel and his companions ; and take another stick, 
 and write upon it. For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and of all the 
 house of Israel and his companions ; and then join them for thee 
 one to another into one stick, that they both may be one in My 
 hand " (x.Kxvii. 16, 17) 
 
 What these things signify no one can know unless he knows what 
 was represented by "Judah," and what by "Joseph." "Judah" 
 represented the Lord's celestial kingdom, and "Joseph" His spir- 
 itual kingdom; and "writing them upon sticks" signifies each 
 one's state of love and of life therefrom. Their conjun6lion into 
 one heaven is signified by "j'oining them one to another into one 
 stick, that they both may be one in My hand." The signification 
 of these words is like that of the Lord's words, 
 
 'Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold, them also I must bring; 
 . . . .and there shall be one flock and one shepherd " {^Johti x. 16). 
 
 The writing was to be upon a stick, because a "stick (wood)" 
 signifies good, and it is good that conjoins. (But these things will be 
 
 more evident from what is shown in the Arcana Caelestia. namely, that the spiritunl 
 kingdom before the Lord's coming was not as it was after His coming, n. 6372, 8054 ; 
 that it was the spiritual especially that were saved by tjje Lord's coming into the 
 world, and that they were then joined with those who were of His celestial kingdom 
 into one heaven, n. 2661, 2716, 2833, 2834, 3969, 6S54, 6914, 7035, 7091, 7828, 7932, 
 8018, 8159, 8321, 9684. That there are two kingdoms, the celestial and spiritual, 
 and that there are three leavens, and that these are joined into one heaven, see 
 Heaven and Hell, n. 20-28 29-40. That " Judah " in the representative sense sig- 
 nifies the Lord's celestial kmgdom, A.C, n. 3654. 3881, 5583, 5603, 5782, 6363 ; that 
 " Joseph " signifies the Lord's spiritual kingdom, n. 3969, 3171, 4669,'64i7; that 
 "Ephraim" signifies the intelledlual of the spiritual church, n. 3969, 5354, 6222, 
 
33© APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 5234, 6238, 6267, 6296; that "wood" signil.es good of love, n. 643, 373c, 8354.) 
 
 [5.] In Isaiah: 
 
 "This one shall say, I am Jehovah's ; and another shall call himself by 
 the name of Jacob ; and another shall subscribe with his hand 
 unto Jehovah, and surname himself by the name of Israel " (xliv. 5). 
 
 These things are said of the Lord and of His Divine Human. 
 "Jacob" and "Israel," where the Lord is treated of, signifies His 
 Human, and that the Human is Jehovah is meant by "This one 
 shall say, I am Jehovah's," and "he shall subscribe with his hand 
 
 unto Jehovah." (That " Israel " and " Jacob " mean, in the highest sense, the 
 
 Lord, see ^.C, n. 4286, 4570, 6424.) [6.] \\\ Jereyyiiah : 
 
 "O Jehovah, the hope of Israel, all that forsake Me shall be ashamed, 
 and they that depart from Me shall be written on the earth, because 
 they have forsaken Jehovah, the fountain of living waters. Heal 
 me, O Jehovah, that I may be healed" (xvii. 13, 14). 
 
 "To be written on the earth" is to be condemned on account of 
 the state of life, since "earth" signifies what is condemned (see/i.C, 
 n. 2327, 7418, 8306). [7.] This makes clear what is signified by the 
 Lord's writing with His finger on the earth, in Johyi : 
 
 The Scribes and Pharisees brought to Jesus in the temple a woman taken 
 in adultery; and they said, "This woman was taken in the very 
 a6i." They asked whether she should be stoned according to 
 the law of Moses. "Jesus stooped down, and with His finger 
 wrote on the ground ; . . . . and rising He said. He that is without sin 
 among you let him first cast a stone at her ; and again stooping 
 down, He wrote on the ground." And when they heard these 
 things, they went out one after another ; " and Jesus was left alone, 
 and the woman; and He said to her, "Woman, where are thine 
 accusers ; hath no man condemned thee?. . . .And He said,. . .Go 
 and sin no more " (viii. 2-1 1). 
 
 The Lord's "writing on the ground" signifies the same as above 
 in Jeremiah, " they that depart from Me shall be written on the 
 earth," namely, that they also were condemned on account of 
 adulteries ; therefore Jesus said, " He that is without sin among 
 you, let him first cast a stone at her." The Lord's " writing twice on 
 the ground " in the temple, signified their condemnation for adul- 
 teries in the spiritual sense ; for the Scribes and Pharisees were 
 those who adulterated the goods and falsified the truths of the 
 Word, thus of the church ; and " adulteries " in the spiritual sense 
 ure adulterations of good and falsifications of truth (see above, n. 
 141, 161) ; therefore that nation was also called by the Lord 
 
 "An adulterous and sinful generation" {Mark viii. 38). 
 «23[#*]. "And the name of the city of My God, the New 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 12. — N. 223[<^]. 33I 
 
 Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from My God," 
 
 signifie.s ihe doclrine of the nciu church, which is in the heavens. — 
 This is evident irom the siijnification of "the city of My God," 
 as meaninsT the do(5lrine of Divine truth (of which presently) ; 
 also from the sii^nification of "the New Jerusalem," as meaning 
 the church in respedl to doclrine (see The New yemsalem, n. 6) ; also 
 from the signification of " which cometh down out of heaven from 
 My God," as meaning that it is out of heaven from Divine truth 
 there. That "God" means in the Word Divine truth, see above 
 (n. 220[ii], 222[iz]). And as Divine truth, which is in heaven and 
 which comes down from heaven, is from the Lord alone, the Lord 
 calls it His God. That "the city of My God" signifies the doc- 
 trine of Divine truth seems at first thought far-fetched, for the 
 mind cannot readily think of dodlrine when " city" is mentioned, or 
 think of the church when a " land " is mentioned ; yet in the Word, 
 "cities" mean nothing else in the spiritual sense ; and for the rea- 
 son that the idea of a city is merely natural, but the idea of doc- 
 trine as a city is spiritual. Angels, because they are spiritual, can 
 have no other idea of a city than of the people therein in respecl to 
 do6lrine, as they can have no other idea of a land than of the peo- 
 ple therein in respe<5l to their church or their religion. The reason 
 of this is that the societies into which the heavens are divided are 
 for the most part like cities [communities], all differing from one 
 another in respecfi: to reception of Divine truth in good ; when, 
 therefore, a "city" is mentioned angels think of do(5lrine of truth. 
 
 (That the heavens are divided into societies according to differences of the good of 
 love and faith, see Heaven and Hell, n. 41-50; and that their habitations are dis- 
 posed into the form of cities, n. 184). 
 
 [6.] [2.] That "cities [dvUates seu urbes)" in the Word signify 
 do6lrines can be seen from many passages, of which I will cite 
 here only the following. In yereiniah: 
 
 " Behold, I have given thee this day for a defenced city. . .against the 
 whole land" (i. 18). 
 
 These things are said to the prophet, because "a prophet" in the 
 Word signifies one who teaches truth, and in an abstra6l sense, 
 do6lrine of truth ; and as this is what " prophet " signifies, it is 
 said to him, " I have given thee for a defenced city," which signi- 
 fies doctrine of truth defending against falsities. (That " prophet "■ in 
 
 the Word signifies one who teaches truth, and in an abstradl sense, dodlrine of truth, 
 
 see A.C., n. 2534, 7269). In the same, 
 
 "The crown of your beauty cometh down. The cities of the south are 
 shut " (xiii. 18, 19. 
 
332 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 Here the falsification of truth is treated of; and "the crown of their 
 beauty cometh down " means that intelligence cometh down ; and 
 "the cities of the south are shut" means that all truths of doflrine 
 are closed, which otherwise would be in the light. (That " crown " 
 
 means intelligence and wisdom, see above, n. 1 26, 2 1 8 ; and that " south " means a 
 state of light, see Heaven and Hell, n. 148, 149, 151.) [3.] In Isaiah : 
 
 "Thou hast done [wonderful things, Thy] counsels from afar [are] 
 truth, fidelity ; and Thou hast made of a city aheap, of a defenced 
 city a ruin, a palace of strangers to be no city, that it may not be 
 built forever ; therefore a strong people shall honor Thee, a city of 
 powerful nations shall fear Thee" (xxv. 1-3). 
 
 The vastation of a former church, and the establishment of a new 
 one, are here treated of; the vastation of the church in respe6l to 
 do6lrine is meant by "Thou hast made of a city a heap, of a de- 
 fenced city a ruin, a palace of strangers to be no city ;" and the 
 establishment of a new church in respedl to doctrine is meant by 
 " a strong people shall honor Thee, a city of powerful nations shall 
 fear Thee." In the same. 
 
 In that day shall a song be sung in the land of Judah ; We have <» 
 strong city ; salvation will He appoint for walls and bulwarks. 
 Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation that keepeth fidelities 
 may enter in " (xxvi. i, 2). 
 
 Here "a strong city "signifies do6lrine of genuine truth, which 
 falsities cannot destroy; "walls and bulwarks" signify truths de- 
 fending; "gates" signify admission (as above, n. 208) ; "the right- 
 eous nation keeping fidelities " means those who are in good and 
 in truths therefrom. [4.] In the same, 
 
 "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer how art thou cut 
 
 down to the ground. . . . : that made the world as a wilderness, and 
 
 destroyed the cities thereof Prepare slaughter for his sons, 
 
 .... that they may not rise and possess the land, and fill the faces 
 of the land with cities " (xiv. 12, 17, 21). 
 
 Here "Lucifer" means Babylon, where every truth of the dodlrine 
 of the church was either falsified or annihilated ; " he made the 
 world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof," signifies 
 that this was done to the church and its do6^rines. " Prepare 
 slaughter for his sons, that they may not rise," signifies that the 
 falsities of Babylon must be destroyed ; "and may not possess the 
 land, and fill the faces of the land with cities," signifies in order 
 that a church and do(5lrine may be there. In the Apocalypse : 
 
 "And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the 
 nations fell" (xvi, 18, 19). 
 
 Here also Babylon is treated of; the do6lrine of its falsities is 
 what is meant by "a city divided into three parts," and the doc- 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 12. — X. 223[(5]. 333 
 
 trine of evils therefrom by "the cities of the niitions which fell." 
 (B.J In David : 
 
 "The redeemed of Jehovah . ..wandered in the wilderness in lonelinesi 
 of way ; they found not a city of habitation ; hungry and thirsty[, 
 
 their soul fainted in them] He led them into a straight way, 
 
 that they might go to a city of habitation " {Psalm cvii. 2, 4, 5, 7). 
 
 "to wander in the wilderness and in loneliness of way," is to be in 
 want of knowledges of truth and g;ood ; "to find not a city of 
 habitation" means not to find do(5lrine of truth according to which 
 they may live ; "the hungry and thirsty" are those who have a 
 longing to know good "id truth ; "to lead them into a straight 
 way, that they might go to a city of habitation " is to lead them 
 into genuine truth and into the doctrine of life. In Isaiah: 
 
 "Then said I, Lord, how long? And He said. Until the cities shall be 
 so devastated as to be without inhabitant, and the houses so that 
 no man be in them, and the land be reduced to a wilderness" (vi. 
 
 Here the total vastatir>n -S .he church is treated of; "cities" are 
 taiths of doctrine ; "nouses" the goods thereof; and "land" the 
 church. [6.] In the same, 
 
 "The land shall be emptied, the land shall be confounded,. . . . the land 
 shall be profaned under its inhabitants ; the empty city shall be 
 broken, every house shall be shut,. ... a cry over the wine in the 
 
 streets the remnant in the city is a waste, and the gate shall 
 
 be beaten down even to devastation " (xxiv. 3-5, 10-12). 
 
 Here also the devastation of the church is treated of; "the land 
 which is said to be emptied, confounded, and profaned," is the 
 church ; "city" is truth of do<5lrine, "house" is its good ; " wine, 
 over which there is a cry in the streets," is truth of doctrine falsi- 
 fied, over which there is contest and indignation. [7.] In Zeph- 
 aniah : 
 
 " I will cut off the nations ;....! will desolate their streets, and their 
 cities shall be laid waste " (iii. 6). 
 
 Here "nations" are those who are in evils ; "to desolate streets" 
 means to desolate truths, and "to lay waste cities" means to lay 
 waste doctrines. In ycrnniah : 
 
 "The lion is gone up from the thicket, ... to reduce thy land to a 
 waste ; thy cities shall be destroyed ;....! saw Carmel a wilder- 
 ness, and all its cities desolate ; . . . . for this shall the land mourn ; 
 .... the whole city fleeing before the voice of a horseman and of 
 
 the bowmen ; the whole city is deserted, not a man dwelling 
 
 therein " (iv. 7, 26-29). 
 
 The "lion from the thicket' is falsitv from evil ; "the land" is the 
 
334 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINElj. 
 
 church, "cities" are truths of dodrine ; "Carmel" is the spirituau 
 church ; " the voice of horseman and bowmen," because of which 
 " the city will flee," is reasoning and combat from falsities. [8.] In 
 the same, 
 
 " The spoiler shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape ; and 
 the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed " (xlviii. 8), 
 
 These words describe the total vastation of the church, until no- 
 thing of truth of doctrine shall remain. In the same, 
 
 " Behold, waters rising up out of the north, which shall become an over- 
 flowing stream, and shall overflow the land, .... the city and them 
 that dwell therein " (xlvii, 2). 
 
 Vastation also is signified by "an overflowing stream," In the 
 same, 
 
 " If ye hallow the day of Sabbath, ... there shall enter in through the 
 gates of this city kings and princes, . . . riding in chariot and on 
 horses,., .and this city shall be inhabited to eternity" (xvii. 24,25), 
 
 "Hallowing the Sabbath" in the spiritual sense signifies holy ac- 
 knowledgment of the Lord's Divine Human and of His conjun6lion 
 with heaven and the church ; " kings and princes entering in through 
 the gates of the city" signify truths of the church ; "their riding in 
 a chariot and on horses " signifies that they shall be in the truths 
 of do6lrine and in intelligence ; " the city," which here is Jerusalem, 
 is the church in respe6l to do6lrine. Such is the spiritual sense 
 of these words ; such is the sense in heaven. [9.] In Zechariah : 
 
 "Thus said Jehovah; I will return to Zion, and will dwell in the midst 
 of Jerusalem ; whence Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth. 
 ... And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls play- 
 ing in the streets" (viii. 3-5) 
 
 Here "Zion" does not mean Zion, nor "Jerusalem " Jerusalem ; 
 but " Zion " means the celestial church, and "Jerusalem " that 
 church in respe6l to do6lrine of truth; therefore it is called "a 
 city of truth ;" " streets of the city " signify truths of doclrine ; 
 "boys and girls playing in the streets" signify affe6lions for truth. 
 
 and good. (That "Zion" signifies the celestial church, see A.C., n. 2362, 
 9055 ; that " Jerusalem " signifies the church in respecfl to dodtrine, n. 402, 3654, 
 9166; and The New yerusalem, n. 6 ; that "streets" signify truths of dodlrines, n. 
 2336 ; that " boys and girls '" signify affecftions for truth and good, in which there is 
 innocence, n. 3067, 3110, 3179, 5236, 6742; that " to play" means what pertains to 
 interior festivity, which is the affeclion for truth and good, n. 10416). 
 
 \_€*\ [lO.J Because "Zion" signifies the celestial cliurch, and 
 "Jerusalem " the church in respect to the docHrine of truth, Zion 
 is called "the city of Jehovah," and Jerusalem is called "the holy 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 12. — N. 223[^]. 335 
 
 city," "the citv of God" and " the city of the great king." Thus 
 in Isaiah: 
 
 "They shall call thee, The city of Jehovah, the Zion of the Holy One 
 of Israel " (Ix. 14). 
 
 In Ezekiti : 
 
 The prophet saw upon a high mountain the frame of a city on the south, 
 and an angel measured the wall, the gates, the chambers, the porch 
 of the gate ; and the name of the city Was " Jehovah-is-there " (xl. 
 I, scq. ; .\Iviii. 35). 
 
 In Isaiah : 
 
 " Behold, Jehovah hath caused it to be heard, even to the end of the 
 earth, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation com- 
 eth And thou shalt be called a city sought out " (Ixii. 11, 12). 
 
 In David : 
 
 "As we have heard so have we seen in the city of Jehovah of hosts, in 
 the city of our God ; God will establish it for ever " {Psalm xlviii. 8). 
 
 (Wh.it the celestial church is, and what the spiritual church, see Heaven and Hell, n. 
 
 20-28.) These two cities are called "holy cities," in Isaiah: 
 
 "Thy holy cities are become a wilderness, Zion is become a wilderness, 
 Jerusalem a waste " (Ixiv. loi. 
 
 Jerusalem in particular is called "the holy city," in the Apocalypse : 
 
 The nations " shall tread down the holy city " (xi. 2). 
 Again, 
 
 "I saw the holy city,. . .coming down from God out of heaven " (xxi. 2). 
 
 In Matthew: 
 
 " The devil took Jesus into the holy city" (iv. 5). 
 
 And in the same, 
 
 "Coming forth out of the tombs... they entered into the holy city" 
 (xxvii. 53). 
 
 [II.] JeriKsalem was called "the holy city" because it signified the 
 church in respect to do6lrine of truth ; and Divine truth going forth 
 from the Lord is what is called "holy" (see .4. Cn. 6788, 8302, 9229,9820, 
 10361). That city, apart from such representation and consequent 
 signification, was not at all holy, but rather profane, is evident 
 from the Lord's having been reje6^ed and crucified there ; and for 
 this reason it is called "Sodom and Egypt" (yApoc. xi. 8). But 
 because it signified the church in respedl to the doctrine of truth, \\ 
 was called not only "the holj' city," but also "the city of God,*' 
 and "the city of the great king." Thus in David : 
 
 ■' There is a river, the streams whereof have made glad the city of God, 
 
^30 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the 
 midst of her " {Psa///i xlvi. 4, 5). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 •' Great is Jehovah ... .in the city of our God,. . . .beautiful in situation 
 . . . .the city of the great king" {Psalm xlviii. i, 2). 
 
 In Matthew: 
 
 "Swear not. . . .by the earth, for it is the footstool of God's feet ; neither 
 by Jerusalem, for it is a city of the great king " (v. 35). 
 
 Jerusalem was called "the city of God" because "God" in the 
 Word of the Old Testament means Divine truth going forth from 
 the Lord (as may be seen above, n. 220[a\, 222[a]) ; and it was 
 called "a city of the great king," because "king" also signifies, in 
 reference to the Lord, Divine truth going forth from Him (see 
 above, n. 31). From this it is that Jerusalem is called "the city of 
 truth" (.Z<f^/?ar^a/^ viii. 3). [12.] \nlsa2ah: 
 
 "Thus saith Jehovah, thy Redeemer and Former from the womb,.... 
 I frustrate the tokens of liars. . . .; turning wise men backward, 
 and making their knowledge foolish ;. . . .saying to Jerusalem, Thou 
 shalt be inhabited ; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, 
 and I will raise up the waste places thereof " (xliv. 24-26). 
 
 This treats of the rejection of a church whose do6lrine is from 
 self-intelligence, and of the establishment of a new church, whose 
 do61rine is from the Lord. Doflrine from self-intelligence is meant 
 
 by " I frustrate the tokens of liars, turning wise men backward, 
 
 and making their knowledge foolish," and doctrine that is from 
 the Lord by "saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and 
 to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built." [13.] In yeremiah: 
 
 "Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of 
 Jerusalem ?....! will cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and 
 from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of joy and the voice of 
 gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, 
 for the land shall become a waste " (vii. 17, 34). 
 
 Here " the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem " also signify 
 truths of do6lrine ; " the voice of joy and the voice of gladness" 
 is delight from affedtion for good and truth ; "the voice of the 
 bridegroom and the voice of the bride " are those affections them- 
 selves ; and that these are to cease is meant by "the land shall 
 become a waste ;" the "land" is the church. [14.] \n Isaiah: 
 
 " I will mingle Egypt with Egypt, that they may fight a man against his 
 brother, and a man against his companion ; city against city, and 
 
 kingdom against kingdom In that day there shall be five 
 
 cities in the land of Egypt that speak with the lip of Canaan and 
 
 that swear to Jehovah of Hosts In that day there shall be 
 
 an altar to Jehovah in the midst of Egypt" (xix. 2, 18, 19). 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE -.2. — N. 223[<:]. 337 
 
 " KjTypt " means the natural man and what it knows (ejus scienti/cum) \ 
 " that they may fi^ht a man aj^ainst his brother, and a man against 
 his companion," means against good and truth ; "city against city, 
 and kingdom against kingdom," signifies do(5lrine against do<5lrine, 
 and church against church ; " in that day " signifies the Lord's com- 
 ing, and the state then of those who are natural and in truths 
 known {scientificis) \ " fivc citics in the land of Eg)'pt that speak with 
 the lip of Canaan " signify truths of dodrine in abundance, which 
 are genuine truths of the church, "five" meaning many or in 
 abundance; "cities" truths of docflrine ; "the lip of Canaan" 
 genuine truths of the church. " An altar to Jehovah " here signifies 
 worship from good of love. [15.] In the same, 
 
 " The paths have been laid waste, he that passeth through the way hath 
 ceased ;. . . .he hath despised the cities, he regardeth not man. The 
 land mourneth and languisheth ; Lebanon. . .hath faded away" 
 (xxxiii. 8, 9). 
 
 " The paths that have been laid waste, and the way that is not 
 passed through," are truths leading to heaven, which are truths 
 of the church ; "to despise the cities" is to despise truths of doc- 
 trine ; "to regard not man" is to regard not truth and good. 
 " The land that mourneth and languisheth " is the church in respe(5l 
 to good ; " Lebanon that hath faded away " is the church in respe<5t 
 to truth. [16.] In the same, 
 
 " Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear, . . . for more are the sons of the 
 desolate than the sons of the married wife. . . . Enlarge the place 
 of thy tent;. . . .thy seed shall inherit the nations, and make the 
 desolate cities to be inhabited " (liv. 1-3). 
 
 "The barren that did not bear" signifies the nations that have 
 not as yet truths from the Word ; "the sons of the desolate" are 
 the truths that these will receive ; " the sons of the married w'ife " 
 are the truths that are with those who are in the church ; "to en- 
 large the place of the tent" means that their worship is from good ; 
 "seed" is truth therefrom; "the nations which the seed will in- 
 herit" are goods; and "the cities which shall be inhabited" are 
 do6lrines therefrom. [I7.] In Jeremiah: 
 
 " I will bring upon them every good ; . . . . they shall buy fields with 
 silver, and this by writing if a book, .... in the cities of Judah, and 
 in the cities of the mountain, and in the cities of the plain, and in 
 the cities of the south" (xxxii. 42, 44; xxxiii. 13). 
 
 These things are said of those in the church who are in good and 
 in truths therefrom; "to buy fields with silver" is to acquire for 
 themselves the good of the church by means of truths ; "to write 
 
338 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 in a book" is to implant in the life; "the cities of Judah " and 
 " the cities of the mountain " are the truths of do6lrine which those 
 have who are of the Lord's celestial kingdom ; " the cities of the 
 plain, and the cities of the south," are the truths of dodlrine which 
 those have who are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom, [i8.] In 
 Matthew : 
 
 "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a mountain cannot 
 be hid. Neither do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel" 
 (v. 14, 15)- 
 
 These things were said to the disciples, by whom all truths and 
 goods in the complex are signified ; therefore it is said, " Ye are 
 the light of the world;" for "light" signifies Divine truth and 
 intelligence therefrom. Because that is what these words signify, 
 it is said, " A city that is set on a mountain cannot be hid. Neither 
 can a lamp be lighted and be put under a bushel ;" for "a city set 
 on a mountain " signifies truth of do6lrine from good of love ; and 
 "a lamp" signifies in general truth from good and intelligence 
 therefrom. [I9.] In the same, 
 
 " Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and 
 every city or house divided against itself standeth not " (xii. 25). 
 
 "Kingdom," in the spiritual sense, signifies the church; "city" 
 or "house" the truth and good of its do6trine, which do not stand 
 but fall, if they do not wholly agree. [20.] In the same, 
 
 Jesus sends forth the twelve disciples, saying to them, "Go not into the 
 way of the nations, and enter not into a city of the Samaritans; 
 go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (x. 5, 6). 
 
 "The way of the nations" into which they were not to go, signi- 
 fies falsity from evil ; " a city of the Samaritans " into which they 
 were not to enter, signifies the false doctrine of those who reje6l 
 the Lord ; "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" signify those 
 who are in the good of charity and in faith therefrom, "Israel" 
 meaning all such wherever they may be. "A city of the Sa- 
 maritans" signifies the false do^lrine of those who reje6l the 
 Lord, because the Samaritans did not receive Him (as may be seen 
 in L^ike ix. 52-56). [21.] In the same, 
 
 Jesus said, "When they persecute you in one city flee ye into another" 
 
 (x. 23). 
 
 Here also by "city" is meant the do6lrine of falsity fi-om evil; 
 that where this doctrine is do6lrine of truth will not be admitted, 
 is meant by " when they persecute you in one city flee ye into 
 another." 122.] In Lzike : 
 
CHAl'. III., VKRSE 12. — N. 224. 339 
 
 " Then the master of the house beinp anRry, said to his servants, Go out 
 quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither 
 tlie poor and maimed and halt and blind " (xiv. 21). 
 
 " Their goiiii^ out into the streets and hines of the city " signifies 
 that they should enquire where those are who receive truths of 
 do6trine ; for "streets" and "lanes" are truths of do6lrine (as 
 above) ; and " city " means dotflrine. The " poor," " the maimed," 
 "the halt," and "the blind," signify those who are not in truths 
 
 and goods, and yet long for them. (Who are signified specifically by 
 " the poor," who by " the maimed," " the halt," and " the blind," may be seen in 
 The Dodrine 0/ the A'eiv yerusaUm, n. 107, from the Arcana Caelestia.) [23.] In 
 
 the same, 
 
 A certain nobleman going into a far country to receive for himself a 
 kingdom, gave to his servants ten pounds for trading ; when he 
 returned, he commanded the servants to be called. "The first 
 came, saying, Thy pound hath gained ten pounds. He said to him, 
 . . . .Good servant, because thou hast been faithful in a very little, 
 thou shalt have authority over ten cities. Then the second came, 
 saying. Lord, thy pound hath made five pounds. He said to him. 
 Be thou also over five cities" (xix. 12-19, seq.). 
 
 These words signify, in the spiritual sense, much more than can 
 be e.xpressed in a few words ; let it be noted that by "cities" here 
 are not meant cities but do<5irinals of truth and good ; and by 
 "having power over them" intelligence and wisdom are meant; 
 
 by " ten " much, and by " five" some. (That " ten " in the Word signi- 
 fies much, see A.C., n. 1988, 3107, 4638, ')7S7 '< and that "five" signifies some, n. 
 
 4638. 9604.) From all this it can now be seen that "the name of the 
 city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which is coming down out of 
 heaven from My God," signifies the doctrine of the new church, 
 
 which is in the heavens. (This dodlrine is given in a separate work, entitled 
 The A'eiv yerusalem and its Heavenly Dodrine.) 
 
 224. "And My new name" signifies that they will also ac- 
 knowledge the Lord's Divme Hianan. — This is evident from the 
 signification of " I will write upon him My new name," as mean- 
 ing that they will acknowledge the Lord's Divine Human. To 
 write upon one" is to iinplant in the life (see above, n. 222), here 
 to implant in the faith that is from charity, because that faith is 
 treated of in what is written to the angel of this church (see above, 
 n. 203) ; and to imj)lant in that faith is acknowledgment in heart. 
 "The Lord's new name" is His Di\iiie Human, becau.se this 
 prophetic book, which is called the Apocalypse, treats of those 
 who will be in the New Jerusalem, and of those who will not, and 
 not of the successive states of the church as is believed (see above, 
 n. 5) ; and those who will be in the New J'^rusalem are all who will 
 acknowledge the Lord's Divine Human. It is therefore said at 
 
34° APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 the end of the Do^lrine of the New yerusalem, 
 
 " That there is a trine in the Lord, namely, the Divine itself, the 
 Divine Human, and the proceeding Divine, is an arcanum from 
 heaven, and is for those who will be in the holy Jerusalem " (n. 297). 
 
 It can be seen that this is "the Lord's new name," since this truth 
 was not before acknowledged in the church. What besides this 
 is meant in the Word by " the name of Jehovah," "the name of 
 the Lord," and "the name of Jesus Christ," can be seen above (n. 
 26, 102, 135, 148) ; and that the Lord's Divine Human is meant (n. 
 26, 102). This is meant by "the name of Jehovah," because 
 "name" in the Word signifies the quaHty of a state and of a thing 
 see above, n. 148), and the Divine quality by which all things were 
 created and made in the heavens and on earth, is the Lord's 
 Divine Human, as is said in yo/m : 
 
 " In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the 
 Word was God All things were made through Him, and with- 
 out Him was not anything made that hath been made And 
 
 the world was made through Him And the Word became 
 
 flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as 
 of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth " (i. 
 1-3. 10, 14). 
 
 From this it can be seen why "the name of Jehovah" means the 
 Lord's Divine Human. That this is meant in the Word by " the 
 name of Jehovah" the Lord shows in yohn: 
 
 Jesus said, " Father, glorify Thy name. And there came a voice out of 
 heaven, saying, I have glorified it, and will glorify it again " (xii. 28). 
 
 To "glorify" is to make Divine. In the same, 
 
 Jesus said, " I have manifested Thy name unto men I have made 
 
 known unto them Thy name, and will make it known " (xvii. 6, 26). 
 
 225, [Verse 13.] "He that haih an ear let him hear what the 
 Spirit saith to the churches" signifies t/iat he who understands 
 should hearke?i to what Divine tr'uth going forth fy-oin the Lo?'d 
 teaches and says to those who are of His chiirch, as is evident from 
 what was said above (n. 108), where there are like words. 
 
 VERSES 14-22. 
 
 220* "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, These things saith 
 the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the worliing of God. I hnow thy 
 works, that thou art neither cold nor hot ; would that thou wert cold or hot. So because thou 
 art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to vomit thee out of My mouth. Because 
 thou sayest, I am rich and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing, and hnowest not that 
 thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked : I counsel thee to buy of Me 
 gold tried by fire, that thou mayest be enriched, and white garments that thou mayest be 
 clothed, that the shame of thy nakedness be not manifest, and anoint thine eyes with eye- 
 salve that thou mayest see. As many as I love I reprove and chasten ; be zealous, therefore, 
 
CHAP. III., CONTF.NrS VERSRS I4-22. — N. 226. 34 I 
 
 and repent. Behold I stand at the door and knock ; ,f any one hear My voice, and open the 
 door. I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me. He that ouercometh I 
 will give to him to sit with Me in My throne, as I also have overcome and am sitting with My 
 father in His throne. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. ' 
 
 14. 'And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write " signifies those who 
 
 are in J\tilh alone, that is, -who are in taith srfarate from charity [n. 
 227] ; "These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness," 
 signifies from whom is ez'ery truth and everythinir of faith [n. 228] ; 
 "the Beginning of the working of God" signifies faith from Jlim, which 
 in appearance is the first thim^ of the church [n. 229]. 
 
 15. "/ know thy works" signifies the life of faith alone [n. 230] ; "that thou art 
 
 neither cold nor Ao/" signifies that it is between heaven aiid hell, because 
 it is apart front charity [n. 231] ; "would that thou wert cold or hot" 
 signifies that it were better that there should be no faith or that t'lere 
 should be charity alone [n. 232]. 
 
 16. 'So because thou art lukewarm" signifies those who live according to the 
 
 doctrine of faith alone and of justification by faith [n. 233] ; "and nei- 
 ther cold nor hot" signifies that they are bet-ween heavefiand hell, be- 
 cause they are without charity [n. 234] ;" / am about to vomit thee out of 
 My mouth" signifies separation from ktiowledgesfroni the Word [n. 235]. 
 
 17. "Because thou sayest, I am rich and have gotten riches, and have need of 
 
 nothing," i,\gn\?i&^ their faith that they believe themselves to be in truths 
 more than others [n. 236] ; "and knowest not that thou art wretched" 
 signifies that they do not knew that their falsities have no coherence with 
 truths [n. 237] ; "and miserable and poor" signifies that they do not 
 know that they have neither knowledges of truth nor kno7vledges of good 
 [n. 238] ; "and blind and naked" signifies that they are without under- 
 standing of truth, and without understanding and will of good [n. 
 239, 240]. _ _ 
 
 18. "/ counsel thee" signifies the means of reformation of those who are in the 
 
 dodlrine of faith alone [n. 241] ; "to buy of Me gold tried by fire, that 
 thou mayest be enriched," signifies that they should acquire for them- 
 selves from the Lord gemdne good, that they may be able to receive truths 
 of faith [n. 242] ; "and white garments, that thou mayest be clothed" 
 signifies genuine truths and intelligence therefrom [n. 243] ; "that the 
 shame of thy nakedness be not manifest" signifies that filthy loves may 
 not appear [n. 244] ; "and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve that thou 
 mayest see " signifies that the understanding may be some^uhat opetied 
 [n. 245]. 
 
 19. "As many as I love I reprove and cAasfe/j" signifies temptations then [n. 
 
 246] ; "be zealous, therefore, and repent," signifies that they must 
 have charity [11. 247]. 
 
 20. "Behold I stand at the door and knock " signifies the unceasing presence of 
 
 the Lord [n. 248] ; "if any one hear My voice" signifies if one attends 
 to the Lord^s precepts [n. 249] ; "and open the door" signifies reception 
 in the heart or the life [n. 250] ; "/ will come in to Him " signifies con- 
 juntflion [n. 251] ; "and will sup with him, and he with Me," signifies 
 sharing with them the felicities of heaven [n. 252]. 
 
 2\. "He that overcometb I will give to him to sit with Me in My throne" signi- 
 fies that he who is steadfast to the end of life shall be conjoined with 
 heaven where the Lord is [n. 253] ; "as I also have overcome and am 
 sitting with My Father in His throne" signifies comparatively as Divine 
 good is united to Divine truth in hear'ett [n. 254]. 
 
 22. "He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches" 
 signifies that he who understands should hearken to what Divine 
 truth goin\^ forth from the Lord teaches and says to those who are of 
 His church [n. 255]. 
 
342 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 227* [ Verse 14] "And to the angel of the church of the Laod- 
 iceans write" signifies those who are hi faith alone, that is, who 
 are in faith separate froyn charity. — This is evident from the in- 
 ternal or spiritual sense of all things that are written to the angel 
 of this church ; for the essential of the church that is described in 
 what is written to each of the churches, is made evident only by the 
 internal sense ; for these are prophecies ; and all prophecies, like all 
 things else in the Word, are written by correspondences, to the end 
 that by means of these there may be conjun6lion of heaven with 
 the church. Conjunction is effe6led by means of correspondences ; 
 for heaven, that is, the angels in heaven, understand spiritually all 
 those things that man understands naturally, and between natural 
 and spiritual things there is correspondence throughout, and by 
 means of correspondences there is conjunction like that between 
 soul and body. On this account the Word is written in the style 
 that it is ; otherwise there would be no soul within it, consequently 
 no heaven within it ; and if heaven were not in it, the Divine 
 would not be in it. For this reason it is said that from the inter- 
 nal or spiritual sense of all things in what is written to each church, 
 it is made manifest what essential of the church is meant ; thus that 
 what is written to the angel of this church treats of those who are 
 in faith alone, that is, in faith separate from charity. It is said faith 
 separate from charity, by which is meant faith separate from the 
 life, for charity is of the life ; consequently when faith has been 
 separated from the life, it is not in the man but outside of him ; for 
 whatever has place in the memory only, and is taken up from the 
 memory into the thought, without entering into man's will and from 
 the will into a6t, that is not within man but outside of him ; for 
 the memory, and thought therefrom, is only as a court, through 
 which there is entrance into the house ; the house is the will. Such 
 is faith alone, that is, faith separate from charity. (What this foith is 
 
 may be seen further, in the Doctrine of the Neiu yerusalem, n. 108-122; also in 
 The Last Judgment, n. 33-39 ; and in Heaven and Hell, n. 270, 271, 364, 482, 526. 
 Also above, n. 204[rt], 21 1-2 1 3. Moreover, what charity is and what the neigh- 
 bor is, The Doflrine of the New yerusalem, n. 84-107 ; in Heaven and Hell, n. 
 13-19, 528-535; and above, n. 182, I98, 213.) 
 
 228. "These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true 
 Witness," signifies yr*?^ whom is eve^y truth a7id everythi?ig of 
 faith. — This is evident from the signification of "amen," as mean- 
 ing verity or truth (of which presendy) ; also from the signification 
 of "the faithful and true Witness," as meaning, in reference to the 
 Lord, everything of faith from Him ; " for " witness," in reference 
 to the Lord signifies Divine truth which is from Him, and there- 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 14. — X. 228. 343 
 
 fore everythinj^ of faith, for faith is of truth and truth Ls of faith. 
 Divine truth }:^oinp^ forth from the Lord is called "a witness," 
 because it is His Divine in heaven and in the church in which 
 He is, and is Himself there ; for this goes forth from His Divine 
 Human and fills the whole heaven and forms and constitutes it ; 
 and from this it is that heaven in the whole complex resembles a 
 single man. Because Divine truth is from that source and is such, 
 it is called "a witness ;" for it bears witness respetfling the Lord's 
 Divine Human, and makes it clear to all who receive Divine truth 
 from Him. From this it is that angels of the higher heavens do 
 not and cannot perceive any other Divine than the Lord's Divine 
 Human, and this because of the infiu.x of the whole heaven into 
 their minds. From this it can be seen why, in reference to the 
 Lord, "witness" signifies the Lord in respect to Divine truth in 
 heaven and in the church ; and why " to bear witness," in reference 
 to those who receive Divine truth from the Lord, signifies to ac- 
 knowledge in the heart the Lord's Divine in His Human (see above, 
 
 n. 27. That heaven as a whole and in every part resembles a single man, and 
 that this is from the Lord's Divine Human, see Heaven and Hell, n. 59-86, seq., loi ; 
 and that the Divine that goes forth from the Lord, which forms heaven, and form; 
 angels into the image of heaven, is Divine truth, n. 13, 133, 138-140). [2.] This 
 
 Divine truth is called by the Lord "the Comforter, the Spirit of 
 truth," about which it is said that it should "bear witness of Him," 
 and that it is "from Him;" that it bears witness of Him, in 
 John: 
 
 " When the Comforter is come,. . . .the Spirit of truth He shall bear 
 
 witness of Me " (xv. 26). 
 
 And that it is from Him, in the same, 
 
 The Comforter, " the Spirit of truth shall guide you into all the truth ; for 
 he shall not speak from himself, but whatsoever things he shall 
 
 hear, he shall speak He shall glorify Me ; for he shall take 
 
 of Mine, and shall declare it unto you. All things whatsoever the 
 Father hath are Mine ; therefore said I that he shall take of Mine 
 and shall declare it unto you" (xvi. 13-15). 
 
 That Divine truth is from the Lord, is meant by "He shall not 
 speak from himself, . . . but he shall take of Mine, and shall declare 
 it unto you ;" and that Divine truth is from the Lord's Divine 
 Human is meant by "All things whatsover the Father hath are 
 Mine, therefore said I that he shall take of Mine, and shall declare 
 it unto you ;" and that Divine truth makes clear the Lord's Divine 
 Human is meant by He shall glorify Me;" "to glorify" is to 
 make known the Lord's Divine Human. (That " to glorify," in reference 
 
 to the I-ord means this, see Dodlrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 294.) [3.] The 
 
344 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 like is signified by these words of the Lord, 
 
 " I tell you the truth ; it is well that I go away ; if I go, I will send 
 
 the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, unto you" {John xvi. 7, 8). 
 
 From this it is clear that Divine truth is from the Lord's Divine 
 Human, The Lord calls Himself the "Amen," because "amen" 
 signifies verity, thus the Lord Himself, because when He was in 
 the world He was Divine verity itself, that is, Divine truth itself. 
 It was for this reason that He so often said "Amen," and "amen, 
 amen [verily, verily]," 
 
 (as in Matt. v. 18, 26 ; vi. 16 ; x. 23, 42 ; xvii. 20 ; xviii. 3, 13, 18 ; xxiv. 2 ; 
 xxviii. 20; John 1. 51 ; iii. 11 ; v. 19, 24, 25 ; vi. 26,32, 47, 53 ; viii. 
 34, 51, 58 ; X. I, 7 ; xii. 24 : xiii. 16, 20, 21 ; xxi. 18, 25). 
 
 [4.] That the Lord was Divine truth itself when He was in the 
 world. He teaches in yohn: 
 
 " I am the way, the truth, and the life " (xiv. 6). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " For their sakes I sancftify Myself, that they also may be sancflified in 
 truth " (xvii. ig). 
 
 That "holy" in the Word is predicated of Divine truth, and "to 
 be sandlified [made holy] " is predicated of those who receive 
 Divine truth, see above (n. 204) ; therefore the Lord's san6lifying 
 Himself [making Himself holy], is making His Human to be 
 
 Divine. (But of these things see what is shown in Arcana Caelestia, in the quota- 
 tions therefrom in The Doilrine of the New yertisalem, n. 303-306). Moreover, 
 
 that "Amen" signifies Divine confirmation, see above (n. 34) ; as 
 also in the Old Testament 
 
 {Deut. xxvii. 15-26 ; i Kings i. 36 ; Isa. Ixv. 16 ; Jer. xi. 5 ; xxviii. 6; 
 Psalm xli. 13 ; Ixxii. ig ; Ixxxix. 52 ; cvi. 48). 
 
 229. "The beginning of the working of God" signifies yrti/Z/z 
 from Hi)??, which in appearance is the first thing of the church. — 
 This is evident from the signification of " beginning," as meaning 
 the first ; and from the signification of " the working of God," 
 as meaning the church (of which presently). Faith is what is 
 meant by "the beginning of the working of God," for this is the 
 subje6l treated of in what is written to the angel of this church ; 
 but that faith is "the beginning of the working of God," that is, 
 in appearance the first thing of the church, shall now be ex- 
 plained. By faith here is meant faith from the Lord, for faith 
 not from the Lord is not a faith of the church ; but faith from 
 the Lord is the faith of charity. This faith is in appearance the 
 
CIIAI'. III., VERSE 14. — N. 229 345 
 
 first thing- o; .he church, because it is the first to appear to 
 the man of the church. But charity itself is in fa(fl the first thing 
 of the cliurch, because this is what constitutes the church with 
 man. [2.] There are two things that constitute the church, charity 
 and faith. Charity is of afledlion, and faith is of thought therefrom. 
 Art'ecflion is the very essence of thought, for apart from affection 
 no one can think ; everything of hfe that is in thought is from 
 affe(5^ion. From this it is clear that the first thing of the church 
 is the affection that is of charity or love. But faith is called the 
 first thing of the church because it is the first to appear; for 
 what a man believes, that he thinks, and by thought sees ; but that 
 whereby he is spiritually affected he does not think, and therefore 
 does not see in thought, but he perceives it by a certain sensation 
 that has no relation to sight, but to another feeling called the 
 feeling of enjoyment. This enjoyment, as it is spiritual and is 
 above the sense of natural enjoyment, man does not perceive, 
 e.xcept when he has become spiritual, that is, when he has been 
 regenerated by the Lord. For this reason the things that are of 
 faith, and thus of sight, are believed to be the first things of the 
 church, although they are not first except in appearance. This 
 therefore is called "the beginning of the working of God," because 
 the Word in the letter is according to appearance, since it is for 
 the simple. But spiritual men, like angels, are lifted above appear- 
 ances, and have perception of the Word as it is in its internal sense ; 
 consequently they perceive that charity is the first thing of the 
 church, and that faith is therefrom ; for as was said above, the 
 faith that is not from charity and that is not of charity, is not 
 
 faith (about which, see also The Last Judgment, n. 33-39). [3.] Even from 
 
 ancient times, what the first thing of the church is, whether faith 
 or charity, has been a disputed point ; and those who have not 
 known what charity is have declared that faith is the first thing; but 
 those who have known what charity is have declared that charity is 
 the first thing, and that faith is charity in its manifestation, since 
 the affe6lion of charity made manifest to sight in thought, is faith ; 
 for when the delight of afie6tion passes from the will into the 
 thought it takes form, and presents itself to view in a variety of 
 forms. This the simple have not apprehended, consequently they 
 have tiken that which appeared before the sight of their thought 
 to be the first thing of the church ; and because the Word in the 
 letter is according to appearances, this is there called "the first," 
 "the beginning," and "the first-born." For the same reason, 
 Peter, by whom the faith of the church was represented, was called 
 the first of the apostles ; when, in faft, John was the first, because 
 
346 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 by "John ' the good of charity was represented. That John, not 
 Peter, \yas the first of the apostles, is clear from this, that it was 
 John who leaned on the breast of the Lord, and that he, and not 
 Peter, followed the Lord ( yohn xxi. 20-22). (That the twelve disciples 
 
 of the Lord represented all the truths and goods of the church, see A.C., n. 2129, 
 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397 ; that Peter represented fliith, n. 4738, 6000, 6073, 6344, 
 10087, 10580; and that John represented tlie good of charity, n. 3934, 6073, 10087.) 
 
 [4.] For the same reason, by Reuben also, because he was the first 
 born of the sons of Jacob, faith was represented, and it was believed 
 that the tribe that had its name from him was the first; yet that 
 iiibe was not the first, but the tribe of Levi, since by Levi the good 
 of charity was represented ; and for this reason the tribe of Levi 
 was appointed to the priesthood, and the priesthood is the first of 
 
 the chuich. (That the twelve sons of Jacob, or the twelves tribes named from 
 them, represented all truths and goods of the church, see A.C., n. 3858, 3926, 4060, 
 6335, 7836, 7691, 7996; that Reuben represented faith, n. 3861, 3866, 4605, 4731, 
 4734, 4761, 6342-6345; and that Levi represented the good of charity, n. 3875, 
 
 4497, 4502, 4503.) For the same reason in the first chapter of Ge7ie- 
 si's, where in the sense of the letter the creation of heaven and 
 earth is treated of, but in the internal sense the new creation or 
 regeneration of the man of the church at that time, it is said that 
 light was first made, and afterwards the sun and the moon (see 
 verses 3-5, 14-19) ; and yet the sun is first, and light is ft^om it. 
 Light was said to be the first of creation, because "light" signifies 
 the truth of faith, and "the sun and moon" the good of love and 
 
 charity. (That by the creation of heaven and earth in the first chapter of Gene- 
 sis, in the spiritual sense, the new creation of the man of the celestial church, that 
 is, his regeneration, is meant and described, see the explanation of that chapter m 
 the Arcana Caelest'ta, also n. 8891, 9942, 10545. That " light " signifies truth from 
 good, thus the truth of faith, see Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140 ; and that " the sun " 
 signifies the good of love, and " the moon " the good of charity, both from the 
 
 Lord, in the same work, n. 116-125, 146) From this it Can now be seen 
 what " the beginning of the working of God " signifies, namely, 
 faith from the Lord, which in appearance is the first essential of the 
 church. 
 
 230* [ Verse 15.] "I know thy works " signifies the life of faith 
 aloyie. — This is evident from the signification of "works," as 
 meaning the things that are of man's interior life, for works go 
 forth from these and are their efie6ls (see above n. 157-185) ; here, 
 therefore, they signify the life of faith alone, because this is treated 
 of in what is written to this church. To each of the churches it 
 is said first, " I know thy works," and in every case "works" sig- 
 nify the tilings of the church there treated of (see above, n. 98) ; 
 therefore what now follows describes what the life of faith alone is 
 or the life of faith separate from charity. 
 
CHAP. HI., VERSE 15. — N. 23I. 347 
 
 ajl. "That thou art neither cold nor hot" signifies (hat it is 
 bet7vecn heaven and hell, because it is apart from charity. — This 
 is evident from the signification of "cold," as meaning to be not in 
 spiritual love but in infernal love (of which presently) ; also from 
 the signification of " hot," as meaning to be in spiritual love (of 
 which also presently). From this it is clear that "to be neither 
 cold nor hot" signifies to be neither in infernal love nor in spiritual 
 love, but between the two, and he who is between the two is be- 
 tween hell and heaven. [2.] That those who are in faith alone, or 
 in faith separate from charity, are in this state, has not been known ; 
 but it is evident that they are so, not only from the particulars of 
 what is written to the angel of this church, but also from this, that 
 those who are in faith separate from charity live for themselves, the 
 world, and appetite, and those who so live are in infernal love ; and 
 yet these, by reading the Word, by hearing discourses therefrom, 
 by receiving the Holy Supper, and by many things from the 
 Word that they retain in the memor\' at least, look towards heaven ; 
 and when they do this, they are in a kind of s[)iritual heat ; and 
 yet this is not spiritual heat, that is, spiritual love, since they do 
 not live according to the Word ; consequently they are neither 
 cold nor hot. Moreover, they thus draw the mind in two direc- 
 tions, for by the things that are from the Word they turn them- 
 selves towards heaven, and by the things that are of the life they 
 turn themselves towards hell, thus they halt between the two. 
 When such as these come into the other life, they are eager for 
 heaven, saying, that they have had faith, have read the Word, 
 heard sermons, often partaken of the Holy Supper, and by these 
 things ought to be saved. But when their life is explored, it is 
 seen to be wholly infernal, that is, they have made enmities, hatred, 
 revenge, craft, evil-devices, of no account, and when they did what 
 was upright, ^ncere, and just, it was only an outward show for the 
 sake of appearing such before the world, whilst within themselves, 
 that is, in their spirit, they had other thoughts, some, opposite 
 thoughts, believing that thoughts and intentions are of no account 
 providing they do not become manifest to the world. For this 
 reason their spirit becorties such when freed from the ties of the 
 earthly body ; for it is the spirit of man that thinks and pur- 
 poses. [3.] Such as these are meant by the Lord's words in 
 Matthew : 
 
 " Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied 
 by Thy name, and by Thy name cast out demons, and in Thy 
 name done many mighty works ? And then will I profess unto them. 
 
34^ APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 I never knew you ; depart from Me, ye '.hat work iniquity" (vii. 23, 
 23). 
 
 Also by these words in Luke : 
 
 " When ye begin to stand without and to knock at the door, saying. 
 Lord, Lord, open unto us ; and He shall answer and say, I know 
 you not whence ye are ; then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten 
 and drunk in Thy presence, and Thou hast taught in our streets. 
 But He shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are ; de- 
 part from Me, all ye workers of iniquity" (xiii. 25-27). 
 
 [4.] " Cold " signifies infernal love, because " heat " signifies heav- 
 enly love. (That " heat " signifies heavenly love, see Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140, 
 567, 568 ; that love to the Lord, and love toward the neighbor or charitj are heav- 
 enly loves, and constitute heaven, n. 13-19 ; that love of self and love of the world 
 are infernal loves and constitute hell, n. 551-565, That in the hells also there is heat, 
 but impure, see A.C., n. 1773, 2757, 3340 ; and that that heat is turned into cold when 
 heavenly heat flows in, see Heaven and Hell, n. 572.) 
 
 232. " Would thai thou werf cold or hot " signifies that it were 
 better that there should be 710 faith or that there shotild be charity 
 alone. — This is evident ft-om the signification of " would that thou 
 wert cold," as meaning that it were better that there should be 
 no faith (of which below) ; also from the signification of "or hot," 
 as meaning that there should be charity alone. What charity 
 alone is, will be shown presently ; first let it be shown what no 
 faith is. Those who are in the do6lrine of faith alone have, in- 
 deed, no faith, but this means no spiritual faith, or no faith of the 
 church ; yet they have a natural faith, which may be called a faith 
 of persuasion. They believe, for example, that the Word is divine 
 they believe in eternal life, in the remission of sins, and in many 
 other things ; but with those who are without charity, this belief 
 is a faith of persuasion, which, regarded in itself, is not different 
 from a belief in things not known, which are heard from others 
 in the world and believed in, although neither seen nor under- 
 stood, on the authority of someone thought worthy of credit. 
 This is not one's own faith, but another's faith within oneself; 
 and such a faith, if not made our own by seeing and understand- 
 ing, is not unlike the faith that one born blind and whose sense of 
 touch is dull might have regarding colors and objeifls of sight in 
 the world, of which he has a remote idea that no one knows about 
 but himself This is what is called historical faith, and is not at 
 all a spiritual faith, such as the faith of the church must be. Spir- 
 itual faith, or faith of the church, is wholly from charity, so that in 
 its essence it is charity ; moreover, to those who are in charity, 
 things spiritual that are believed are seen in light. This I say 
 from experience ; for every one who has lived in charity in the 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE l6. — N. 233. 349 
 
 world sees in the other life his truths that he believes, while those 
 who have been in faith alone, see nothing at all. [2.] Yet faith 
 merely historical has a kind of conjun<5tion with heaven through 
 thought about God, heaven, and eternal life, but only through 
 obscur** thought, and not through affeflion, which is of charity, 
 for of ihis it has none. Such therefore, through the affedion 
 they have, which is an affecftion of love of self and the world, are 
 conjoined to hell. From this it can be seen that such are be- 
 tween heaven and hell, looking with their eyes towards heaven, 
 and with the heart towards hell. To do this is profanation, and 
 the lot of profaners in the other life is the worst of all. To j^ro- 
 fane is to believe in God, in the Word, in eternal life, and in many 
 things taught in the sense of the letter of the Word, and still to 
 live contrary to them. [3.] It is for this reason that it is said, 
 "would that thou wert cold or hot;" for he who is cold, that is, 
 without faith, does not profane ; neither does he who is hot, that 
 
 is, who has charitV alone. (What profanation is and the nature of it, see The 
 Doflrine of the New yerusalem, n. 169, 172; and what and of what nature the faith 
 of persuasion is, n. 116-119; also, that there is no spiritual faith where there is no 
 charity, in Last Judgment, n. 33-39.) It shall nOW be told briefly what 
 
 charity alone is. Charity regarded in itself is spiritual affection, 
 but charity alone is natural afifedion, and not spiritual ; for charity 
 itself, which is spiritual affe6lion, is formed by truths from the 
 Word, and so far as it is formed by these, so far it is spiritual. 
 But charity alone, which is natural affe6lion, is not formed by any 
 truths from the Word, but exists with man from hearing dis- 
 courses, without giving heed to truths or learning them ; there- 
 fore charity alone is without faith, for faith is of truth, and truth is 
 of faith. 
 
 233. [Fkri,fi6.] "So because thou art lukewarm" signilfies 
 those who live according to the doSlrine of faith aIo7ie a7id of jus- 
 tification by faith. — This is evident from the signification of "luke- 
 warm," as meaning those who are between heaven and hell, and 
 thereby serve two masters. That those who think, believe, and 
 live according to the do6lrine of faith alone and justification by 
 faith are such, has not yet been known ; it shall therefore be made 
 clear. With men of the church, there are two states of faith and 
 of life therefrom, or of life and of faith therefrom ; one is from doc- 
 trine, the other from the Word or from preachings from the Word. 
 That there are these two states hardly any one knows ; yet that 
 there are these two, and that with some they a(ft as one, and with 
 many others they do not acfl as one, has been granted me to see 
 and know through living experience with spirits recently from the 
 
350 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED, 
 
 world, since these carry with them all the states of their life. But so 
 long as men live in the world this cannot be seen and known, since 
 what man's spirit in itself thinks, believes, and loves, in spiritual 
 things, cannot be disclosed to any one except by speech and out- 
 ward deeds ; and these, so far as faith is concerned, proceed either 
 from the do6lrine received in the church, or from the Lord's pre- 
 cepts out of the Word without thought from do6lrine. The 
 former is true of the learned, the latter of the simple. [2.] What 
 the state of thought, faith, and life from doftrine is, shall first be 
 described. The doctrine of the churches in the Christian world 
 at this day declares that faith alone saves, and that a life of love 
 is of no account ; also that when a man has received faith he is 
 righteous, and that when he is thus made righteous nothing of evil 
 can thenceforth be imputed to him ; consequently, that any man is 
 saved, even a wicked man, if he only has faith, or receives faith, 
 though it be in the last hour of life. Those, therefore, who think 
 and live according to this do6lrine disregard good works, be- 
 cause they believe that these do not affe6l a man, or contribute 
 to his salvation. They are also unconcerned about evils of their 
 thought and will, such as contempt of others in comparison with 
 themselves, enmities, hatreds, revenge, craft, deceits, and othei 
 like evils, because they believe that such evils are not imputed to 
 those who have been justified by faith ; saying in heart that they 
 are not under the yoke of the law because the Lord fulfilled the 
 law for them, nor under condemnation because the Lord took 
 this upon Himself From this it is, that those who think, live, 
 and believe according to the doctrine of faith alone and justifica- 
 tion, do not look to God in their life, but only to self and the 
 world ; and those who in the condudl of their life look only to self 
 and the world join themselves to the hells, for all who are in the 
 hells make good and evil of no account. In a word, to live accord- 
 ing to that do6trine is to confirm oneself in life that it is all the 
 same to think, will, and do good, since this does not save, or to 
 think, will, and except from fear of the law, do evil, since this 
 does not damn, provided one has the confidence or trust, which 
 
 is called saving faith (see The Doflrine of the Ne7v Jerusalem, n. 115). 
 
 These are evidently the "lukewarm" since they think, talk, and 
 preach about God, the Lord, the Word, eternal life, whenever 
 they are thinking, talking, or preaching according to this do<5lrine, 
 but give no thought to these subje6ls when they think or talk 
 apart from do6lrine. By such thought they look to heaven, but 
 by their life they join themselves to hell ; consequently they are 
 between heaven and hell, and those who are between the tuo are 
 
CHAP, in., VERSE l6. — N. 234. 35I 
 
 "lukewarm." Thus much about the state of faith and of life there- 
 from wiili those within the church, when their state is from do6lrine. 
 [3.] Something shall now be said about the state of faith and of life 
 therefrom with men of the church, when it is from the Word. The 
 greater i)art of those born within the churches where the do6lrine 
 of faith alone and of justification by f lith is received, do not know 
 what faith alone is, nor what is meant by justification ; when, there- 
 fore, they hear those things preached, they think that a life accord- 
 ing to the commandments of God in the Word is meant, for they 
 belie\'e that this is faith and also justification, not entering more 
 deeply into the mysteries of docftrine. .'\nd when these are taught 
 about faith alone and justification by faith, they have no other idea 
 than that faith alone is to think about God and salvation, and how 
 they ought to live ; and that justification is to live in the presence 
 of God. All within the church who are saved are kept by the Lord 
 in this state of thought and faith, and after their departure from this 
 world they are enlightened in truths, for they are capable of receiv- 
 ing enlightenment. But those who have lived according to the 
 dodtrine of faith alone and justification by faith (of whom above), 
 become blind, for the reason that faith alone is no faith, and there- 
 fore justification by faith alone is a thing of nought. (That faith alone 
 is no faith, see Last Judgment, n. 33-39.) [4.] From all this it can be Seen 
 who are meant by "the lukewarm," namely, those who say in 
 heart. What does it signify if I think, will, and do good, since this 
 does not save? it is enough to have faith. Again, What does 
 it signify also if I think, will, and do evil, since this does not damn? 
 Thus they relax all restraints to their thoughts and purposes, that 
 is, to their spirit, for it is the spirit that thinks and purposes, and 
 doing is wholly in agreement herewith. But it should be known 
 that there are very few who thus live according to do6lrine, 
 although it is believed by the preachers that all do so who listen 
 to their preachings. In fa6l, it is of the Divine providence of the 
 Lord that there are very few such, for the reason that the lot of the 
 "lukewarm" is not unlike that of profaners, and their lot is, that 
 after their life in the world, all that they have known from the 
 Word is taken aw\ay from them, and they are then left to the 
 thought and love of their spirit. And when the thought that they 
 had from the Word is taken away, they become the most stupid 
 of all ; and they appear in the light of heaven like burnt skeletons 
 
 covered over with some skin. (Of profanation, and the lot of those who 
 profr.ne. see The DoiHrinc of the AVrc Jerusalem, n. 172). 
 
 234. "And neither cold nor hot" signifies that they are be 
 
352 
 
 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 tweett heaven and hell, because they are without charity, as is 
 evident from what was said and shown above (n. 231). 
 
 235. "I am about to vomit thee out of My mouth" signifies 
 separation from knowledges from the Word. — This is evident 
 from the signification of "vomiting," when said by the Lord, as 
 meaning separation ; not that the Lord separates them from Him- 
 self, but they separate themselves from the Lord. It is said "to 
 vomit," because the "lukewarm" are treated of, and in the world 
 what is lukewarm produces vomiting. And this is from corre- 
 spondence ; for the food that man takes corresponds to knowledges, 
 and so in the Word signifies knowledges ; therefore separation 
 from knowledges means non-admission ; but as those here treated 
 of do admit something from the Word, it means ejedion or vomit- 
 ing. (That " food," from correspondence, signifies knowledges and intelligence 
 therefrom, see A.C., n. 3114, 4459, 4792, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5410, 5426, 5576, 
 5582, 5588, 5655, 8562 ; for the reason that knowledges nourish the internal man 
 or spirit, as food nourishes the external man or body, n. 4459, S293. 5576, 6277, 
 
 8418.) This is evident also from the signification of "out of My 
 mouth," as meaning, in reference to the Lord, out of the Word. 
 "Out of the mouth" signifies, in reference to the Lord, out of the 
 Word, because the Word is Divine truth, and this goes forth from 
 the Lord, and what goes forth from the Lord and flows-in with 
 man is said to be "out of the mouth," although it is not from the 
 mouth, but is like light from the sun. For the Lord is seen above 
 the heavens where the angels are as a sun, and light therefrom is 
 Divine truth, by which angels and men have all their intelligence 
 and wisdom (see Heaven and Hell, n. 116-125, 126-140). From this it can 
 be seen that " I will vomit thee out of My mouth " signifies to 
 separate from Divine truth, or what is the same, from knowledges 
 from the Word. [2.] That those who are "lukewarm," that is, 
 " neither cold nor hot," who are those that live according to the doc- 
 rine of faith alone and justification by faith (of which just above), 
 are separated from knowledges from the Word, is not known to 
 themselves, for they believe that they are in knowledges more than 
 others ; but they are not, yea, they are in scarcely any knowledge , 
 and this for the reason that the principles of their do6lrine and 
 religion are false, and from false principles nothing results but falsi- 
 ties ; when therefore they read the Word, their minds are occupied 
 with their falsities, and as a consequence, either they do not see 
 truths, or if they see them they pass them by or falsify them. 
 These false principles are, that salvation is by faith alone, and that 
 man is justified by faith. That they are separated from knowledges 
 from the Word and that they do not see truths therein, they may 
 know if they will ; for what is more frequently declared by the 
 Lord, than that they ought do do His words. His commandments, 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE l6. — N. 235. 353 
 
 His will, and that every one shall be recompensed according to his 
 deeds ; also that tlie whole Word is based upon two command- 
 ments, which are to love God, and to love the nci*^hbor ; also that 
 lovinq- God is dointi;- His commandments {yohn xiv. 21, 23, 24)? 
 Tiiat men must do in order to be saved is said a thousand times in 
 each Testament, also that hearing and knowing are nothing with 
 out doing. But do those who have confirmed themselves in faith 
 alone and justification by faith, see these things? And if they see 
 them do they not falsify them ? Consequently they have no doc- 
 trine of life, but a do6lrine of faith alone ; when in truth, life 
 makes the man of the church, and those things come to be of his 
 fiith which are of his life. [3.] That such persons are separated 
 from knowledges from the Word, can be seen also from this, that 
 they are not aware that they are to live as men after the death of 
 the body ; that they have a sjiirit that lives ; that heaven is from 
 the human race, and hell also ; that they know nothing at all 
 about heaven and heavenly joy ; nothing about hell and infernal 
 fire ; thus nothing about the spiritual world ; nothing about the 
 internal or spiritual sense of the Word ; nothing about the glorifica- 
 tion of the Lord's Human ; nothing about regeneration ; nothing 
 about temptation ; about baptism, what it involves ; about the 
 Holy Supper, and what the flesh and blood, or the bread and wine 
 in it signify ; nothing about freedom of choice ; nothing about the 
 internal man ; nothing about charity, about the neighbor, about 
 good, about love ; neither do they know what the remission of 
 sins is ; and many other things. Moreover, I have heard angels 
 say that when they are permitted to look into the church, and to 
 see those who believe themselves to be intelligent from do6trine, 
 they see nothing but thick darkness, and those so believing are 
 seen as if deep down under waters. [4.] These are separated 
 from knowledges from the Word for two reasons ; first, because they 
 cannot be enlightened from the Lord, for the Lord flows into man's 
 good, and from that enlightens him in truths, that is, He flows into 
 man's love and therefrom into his faith ; secondly, because they 
 profane truths by falsifications, and those who do this are sepa- 
 rated from essential truths while they live in the world, that they 
 may not know them, and in the other life they cast away from 
 themselves all things they knew from the Word while in the 
 world. Roth these separations are meant by "being vomited out 
 of the mouth." Like things are meant by "vomiting" and 
 "vomit" elsewhere in the Word ; as in the following passages. In 
 Isaiah : 
 
 * lehovah hath mingled a spirit of perversities in the midst of Egypt; 
 
354 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 whence they have led Egypt astray in every work thereof, even u 
 a drunkard goeth astray in his vomit" (xix. 14). 
 
 "Egypt" signifies kno\vledg;e (scienHa) of thino;s, both spiritual and 
 natural ; "mingling" the spirit of perversities in the midst thereof" 
 signifies to pervert and falsify these things ; "a drunkard " signifies 
 those who are insane in spiritual things ; and as truths mingled 
 with falsities are cast out, it is said "as a drunkard goeth astray in 
 
 his vomit." (That" Egypt "signifies knowledge (jtiV«//a), see y^.Cn. 1164, 1165, 
 I186, 1462, 5700, 5702, 6015, 6651, 6679, 6683, 6692, 7296 ; also knowledges {scienti- 
 fica) of the church, n. 7296, 9340, 9391 ; that " drunkards" signify those who are 
 insane in spiritual things, n. 1072.) [5.] In Jeremiah .* 
 
 " Drink ye, and be drunken, and vomit and fall, and rise no more because 
 of the sword" (xxv. 27). 
 
 "To drink and be drunken" is to drink in falsities and mix them 
 with truths, and thus be insane ; "to vomit and fall" is to cast out 
 wholly things falsified; "the sword," because of which they shall 
 rise no more, signifies falsity destroying and ravaging truth (see 
 A.C., n. 2799, 4499, 7102) ; which shows clearly what is meant by 
 "vomiting and falling." In the same, 
 
 " Make Moab drunken, for he hath lifted himselr up against Jehovah, 
 that he may clap hands in his vomit " (xlviii. 26). 
 
 " Moab " signifies those who adulterate the goods of the church, 
 therefore "vomiting" is predicated of them. [6.] In Habakkuk : 
 
 "Woe unto him that maketh a companion to drink, . . .till he be drunken, 
 that thou mayest look upon their nakednesses. Thou shalt be 
 satiated with shame more than with glory ; drink thou also, and let 
 thy foreskin be uncovered; the cup... of Jehovah shall go about 
 unto thee, and shameful vomiting shall be on thy glory "(ii, 15,16). 
 
 "To drink till he be drunken" also signifies to drink in truths and 
 mix them with falsities ; the "nakednesses" upon which they look, 
 signify deprivation of truth and of intelligence therefrom (see A.C., n. 
 1073,5433,9960). The "foreskin that shall be uncovered" signifies 
 defilement of good (see A.c, n. 2056, 3412, 3413, 4462, 7225. 7245) ; " glory " 
 signifies Divine truth, thus the Word (see A.C, n. 4809, 5922, 8267, 8427, 
 9429); which shows what is meant by "shameful vomiting upon 
 their glory." [7.] In Isaiah : 
 
 "These err through wine, through strong drink they are gone astray; 
 the priest and the prophet err through strong drink, they are swal- 
 lowed up of wine,. . . .they err among the seeing, they stumble in 
 judgment ; yea, even all tables are full of vomit of filthiness; there 
 is no place. Whom shall he teach knowledge?" (xxviii. 7-9) 
 
 Here " wine " and "strong drink," by which they err, signify truths 
 mixed with falsities; "priest" and "prophet" signify those who 
 teach goods and truths, and in an abstradl sense, the goods and 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 17. — N. 236[aJ. 355 
 
 tniths of the churcli ; "the seeing" among whom they err signify 
 those who were about to see truths; "to stumble in judgment" 
 signifies insanity; "tables" signify all things that should nourish 
 spiritual life, for tables mean the food that is on them, and "food" 
 signifies all truths and goods, because these are what nourish spir- 
 itual life; thereft)re "tables full of the vomit of filthiness" signify 
 the same things falsified and adulterated. [8.] In Moses : 
 
 " Defile not yourselves in any of these things ; for in all these the nations 
 are defiled which I cast out before you ; whence the land is de- 
 filed ; . . . . and the land hath vomited out her inhabitants ; thus 
 
 the land will not vomit you out, . . . as it vomited out the nations 
 that were before you" {Lev. xviii. 24, 25, 28). 
 
 Adulteries of everv kind are here treated of, by which in the spir- 
 itual sense all kinds of adulterations of good and falsifications of 
 truth or profanations are meant ; and as it is not possible for evils 
 and goods, nor for falsities of evil and truths of good to exist to- 
 gether without being cast out, it is said that "the land," that is, 
 the church, " hath vomited them out." From all this it can be seen 
 what is signified by "vomiting out." 
 
 iB36[r#]» [ Verse 17.] " Because thou sayesf I am rich, and have 
 gotten riches and have need of nothing," signifies thei?' faith, that 
 they believe themselves to be in tniths more than others. — This is 
 evident from the signification of "saying," as involving what is 
 believed by them ; and as those who are in faith alone are here 
 treated of, "saying" signifies their faith. Moreover, "to say," in 
 the spiritual sense, signifies to think, because what is said goes forth 
 from the thought, and thought is spiritual because it pertains to 
 the spirit of man, while expression and speech from thought are 
 natural, because they pertain to the body. For this reason, "say- 
 ing" has many significations in the Word. This is evident also 
 from the signification of " being rich," as meaning to possess know- 
 ledges of truth and good, and to be intelligent and wise thereby (of 
 which presently) ; also from the signification of " have gotten riches 
 and have need of nothing," as meaning to know all things so that 
 nothing is lacking. [2.] That those who are in the do6lrine of faith 
 alone and justification by faith arc thus wise, or believe themselves 
 to be so, is not known to those who are not in that faith, although 
 much with them ; but that they are so, it has been given me to 
 know by much experience. I have talked with many who in the 
 world believed themselves to be more intelligent and wise than 
 others, from their knowing so much about faith alone and justifi- 
 cation by faith, and such things as the simple minded are ignorant 
 of; and these they called interior things and mysteries of doflrine, 
 and believed they knew and understood ever}'thing, with nothing 
 
356 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 lacking. Among them were many who had written about faith 
 alone and justification by faith. But it was shown to these that 
 they know nothing of truth, and that those who have hved a life 
 of faith, which is charity, and have not understood justification by 
 faith alone, are more intelligent and wise than they. It was also 
 shown that the things they knew are not truths, but falsities, and 
 that knowing and thinking falsities is not being intelligent and 
 wise, for intelligence is of truth, and wisdom is of the life therefrom. 
 And the reason of this was disclosed, namely, that they were in 
 no spiritual affection for truth, but only in a natural affection for 
 knowing the things taught by their leaders, by some as a matter 
 of business, by others to gain reputation for learning ; and that 
 those who are in natural and not in spiritual affe6lion believe 
 that when they know these things they know everything. This is 
 especially true of those who who have confirmed themselves in 
 these do6lrines by the sense of the letter of the Word, and have 
 busied themselves to connedl these with other falsities by means 
 of the fallacies of reason. 
 
 [ft.] [3.] I will also say something from experience about these 
 things. Some spirits who were believed by others when they lived 
 as men in the world to be men of learning, were examined to 
 ascertain whether they knew what spiritual faith is. They said that 
 they knew. They were therefore sent to those who were in that 
 faith ; and when they had had communication with these they per- 
 ceived that they had no faith, and did not know what faith is. 
 They were then asked what they now believe about faith alone, 
 on which the whole do6lrine of their church rests, but they were 
 ashamed and dumbfounded. There were also many of the learned 
 of the church who were asked about regeneration, whether they 
 knew what it is ; they replied that they knew that it is baptism, since 
 the Lord declares, that " unless a man is born of water and spirit, 
 he cannot enter into the kingdom of God ;" but when it was shown 
 them that baptism is not regeneration, but that " water and spirit " 
 mean truths and a life according to them, and that no one can 
 enter heaven unless he is regenerated through these, they went 
 away confessing their ignorance. Again, when they were asked 
 about angels, about heaven and hell, about the hfe of man after 
 death, and many other matters, they knew nothing, and these 
 things were all like thick darkness in their minds. They therefore 
 confessed that they had believed that they knew all things, but 
 they now know that they know scarcely anything. Knowing 
 something means, in the spiritual world, knowing something of 
 truth ; but knowing falsities is not knowing, because it is not 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 17. — N. 2T,6[d']. 357 
 
 understanding or being wise. They were afterwards told that this 
 is what is meant by the Lord's words, " Because thou saycst I am 
 rich, and have gotten riches, .... and knowest not that thou art 
 wretched and miserable and ])Oor and blind and naked." [4.] The 
 "rich" in the Word signify those who are in truths, because spirit- 
 ual riches are nothing else; and therefore "riches" in the Word 
 signify knowledges of truth and good, and "the rich" those who 
 are in intelligence thereby ; as can be seen from the following 
 passages. In Ezekiel: 
 
 " In thy wisdom and in thine intelligence thou hast made to thee wealth, 
 ....gold and silver in thy treasures; by the abundance of thy 
 wisdom .... thou hast multiplied to thee wealth " (xxviii. 4, 5). 
 
 These things were said to the prince of Tyre, by whom in the spirit- 
 ual sense those who are in knowledges of truth are meant ; " wealth " 
 itself means those knowledges in general; "gold in treasures" 
 means knowledges of good, and "silver in treasures" knowledges 
 of truth. That these signify knowledges is very clear, for it is 
 said, " In thy wisdom and in thine intelligence thou hast made to 
 thee wealth, .... and by the abundance of thy wisdom .... thou 
 
 hast multiplied to thee wealth." ("The prince of Tyre" means those who 
 are in knowledges of truth, becpuse " prince " signifies primary truths, A.C., n. I482, 
 2089, 5044 ; and " Tyre " knowledges of truth, n. 1201 ; " treasures " signify posses- 
 sions of knowledges, n. 1694, 4508, 10227; "gold" signifies good, and "silver" 
 
 truth, n. 1551, 1552, 2954, 5658.) [5.] In Zcchariah : 
 
 "Tyre .... heapeth up silver as dust, and gold as the mire of the streets ; 
 behold the Lord will impoverish her, and smite her wealth in the 
 sea " (ix. 3, 4). 
 
 Here also "Tyre" stands for those who acquire for themselves 
 knowledges, which are "silver," "gold," and "wealth." In Da- 
 vid : 
 
 "The daughter of Tyre shall bring to thee a gift," a king's daughter; 
 "the rich of the people shall intreat thy faces" (Fsalm xlv. 12). 
 
 This describes the church in respedl to affection for trtith, which 
 is meant by "a king's daughter," for "daughter" means the 
 church in respe6l to affe6lion {A.c, n. 3262, 3963, 6729, 9059; and "king" 
 means truth, n. 1672, 2015, 2069, 3670, 4575, 4581, 4966, 6148). For this reason 
 it is said that "the daughter of Tyre shall bring thee a gift," and 
 that "the rich of the people shall intreat thy faces ;" "the rich 
 of the people" are those who abound in truths. [6.] In Hosca: 
 
 "Ephraim said, Truly I am become rich, I have found me wealth, all my 
 
 labors shall not find iniquity to me which is sin; but I will yet 
 
 speak to the prophets, and I will multiplj vision " (xii. 8, 10). 
 
358 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 "I am become rich, and I have found me wealth," does not mean 
 being enriched by worldly but by heavenly riches and wealth, 
 which are knowledges of truth and good ; for " Ephraim " means 
 the intelle6lual of those who are of the church, which is enlight- 
 ened when the "Word is read {A.C., n. 5354, 6222, 6238, 6267) ; therefore 
 it is said, "I will yet speak to the prophets, and I will multiply 
 vision;" "prophets" and also "visions" signifying truths of doc- 
 trine. [7.] In Jeremiah: 
 
 " I Jehovah . . . giving to every one according to his ways, and according 
 to the fruit of his doings ; as the partridge gathereth but bringeth 
 not forth, he maketh riches but not with judgment ; in the midst 
 of his days he shall leave them, in the end of his days he shall be- 
 come foolish" (xvii. 10, 11). 
 
 This treats of those who acquire for themselves knowledges with 
 no other purpose than merely to know, when, in fa6l, knowledges 
 ought to be subservient to the life. This is what is meant by 
 "gathering as the partridge and not bringing forth," and by "mak- 
 ing riches but not with judgment ;" and by "becoming foolish jn 
 the end of days." And as knowledges of truth and good ought 
 to be subservient to the life, for by these the life will be perfected, 
 it is said that "Jehovah gives to every one according to his ways, 
 and according to the fruit of his doings." [8.] In L2tke : 
 
 " Whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all his possessions, he can- 
 not be My disciple " (xiv. 33). 
 
 He who does not know that "possessions" mean in the Word 
 spiritual riches and wealth, which are knowledges from the Word, 
 can have no other idea than that he ought to deprive himself of 
 all wealth in order to be saved ; but that is not the meaning of these 
 words. " Possessions " here mean all things that are from self- 
 intelligence, for one cannot be wise from himself, but only from 
 the Lord; "to renounce all possessions" is to attribute nothing 
 of wisdom and intelligence to oneself, and he who does not do this 
 cannot be instru61:ed by the Lord, that is, cannot be His disciple. 
 [9.] They who do not know that "the rich" mean those who 
 possess knowledges of truth and good, thus who have the Word, 
 and that "the poor" mean those who do not possess knowledges, 
 but yet long for them, can have no other idea than that "the rich 
 man who was clothed in purple and fine linen," and " the poor 
 man who was laid at his gate" {Luke xvi.), mean the rich and the 
 poor in the common acceptation of these words, when yet "the 
 rich man" there means the Jewish nation, which had the Word, 
 in which are all knowledges of truth and good ; the " purple" with 
 which he was clothed means genuine good {A.c, n. 9467) ; "fine 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 17. — N. 237[i^]. 359 
 
 linen" genuine truth {A.C.. n. 5319, 9469. 9596.9744); and "the poor 
 man who was hiid at his gate" means the nations that were outside 
 of the church, and did not have the Word, and yet longed for the 
 truths antl goods of heaven and the church. From this it is clear 
 that " the rich" mean those who have the Word, and thus know- 
 ledges of truth and good, since these are in the Word. [io.] Also 
 in the prophecy to Elizabeth, in Ltike : 
 
 God "hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He hath sent 
 empty away " (i. 53). 
 
 "The hungry" are those who long for knowledges; such were 
 the nations that received the Lord and doctrine from Him ; but 
 " the rich " are those who have knowledges because they ha\'e the 
 Word ; such were the Jews, and yet they did not wish to know 
 truths from the Word, consequently they did not receive the Lord 
 and doctrine from Him. These are "the rich" who were sent 
 empty away; but the others are "the hungry" who were filled 
 with good things. 
 
 237[g^]. "And knowest not that thou art wretched" signifies 
 //lat they do not know that their falsities have no coherence with 
 truths. — This is evident from the signification of "wretchedness," 
 as meaning the breaking up of truth by means of falsities, and 
 also no coherence; this shows what is meant by "the wretched." 
 They are so because their doctrine is founded on two false prin- 
 ciples, faith alone and justification by faith ; consequently falsities 
 flovv in from these in constant succession, and the truths drawn 
 from the sense of the letter of the Word to confirm these are 
 broken up and falsified, and truths in themselves when falsified are 
 falsities. This is described in many passages in the Word, and is 
 meant by the "vanities" that the prophets see, and the "lies" that 
 they speak. It is described also by the "breaches" in walls 
 and houses so that they fall; likewise by "idols" and "graven 
 images" that the artificer makes and conne<fls by chains that they 
 may be united ; for " idols" and "graven images" signify falsities 
 of do6lrine ; the same is signified by "breaches in walls" and "in 
 houses," and by "prophets who see vanities and speak lies;" for 
 "piophets" mean dodrines, "vanities" such things as are of no 
 account, and "lies" falsities. But these things are mentioned in 
 too many passages in the Word to be cited here ; they will there- 
 fore be omitted, and a few only quoted in which "wretched- 
 ness" and "wall" are mentioned, to show that these signify the 
 breaking down of truth by falsities, and thus no coherence. 
 
360 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED 
 
 [2.] In Isaiah: 
 
 "Thy wisdom and thy knowledge it hath misled thee, when thou hast 
 said in thine heart, I, and none like me besides. Therefore shall 
 wretchedness fall upon thee,.... and desolation shall come upon 
 thee " (xlvii. 10, 11). 
 
 Here also those are described who beheve that they know all 
 things and that they are more intelligent than all others, and 
 yet they know and understand nothing of truth ; and that 
 therefore the understanding of truth is taken away from them. 
 Their belief that they are more intelligent than all others is 
 meant by "Thy wisdom and thy knowledge it hath misled thee, 
 when thou hast said in thine heart, I, and none like me be- 
 sides ;" and the loss of all understanding of truth is meant by 
 "wretchedness shall fall upon thee, .... desolation shall come 
 upon thee." [3.] In Ezckiel: 
 
 " Wretchedness shall come upon wretchedness ;. . . .therefore they shall 
 seek a vision from the prophets ; but the law hath perished from 
 the priest, and counsel from the elders. The king shall mourn, 
 and the prince shall be clothed with astonishment" (vii. 26, 27). 
 
 Here the vastation of the church is treated of, which takes 
 place when there is no truth that is not falsified. Falsity from 
 falsity is meant by "wretchedness upon wretchedness ;" "a vis- 
 ion from the prophet" is dodlrine, here do6lrine of falsity ; "the 
 law hath perished from the priest "means that the Word is not 
 understood, for "law" signifies the Word, and the "priest" one 
 who teaches; "counsel hath perished from the elders" means 
 that right hath perished with the intelligent, "counsel" signify- 
 ing right, and "elders" the intelligent; "the king shall mourn, 
 and the prince shall be clothed with astonishment," means 
 that there is no longer any truth, "king" signifying truth, and 
 "prince" truths that are priinarily of service. [4.] In David: 
 
 Right is not in their mouth, wretchedness is in their inward part " 
 {Psalm V. 9). 
 
 where "wretchedness" likewise stands for falsities not cohering 
 with any truth. So too in yeremiah : 
 
 " Lament, and wander among the walls ; for their king is gone into 
 exile, and his priests and his princes together" (xlix. 3). 
 
 "Wandering among the walls" is among truths destroyed by 
 falsities; "the king gone into exile" signifies truth; and "his 
 priests and princes together" signify goods and truths of life 
 and dodlrine (see above). [5.] In Ezckiel: 
 
CUM'. III., VERSE 17. — N. 237[/;]. 361 
 
 "When they build a wall {"tacericni), behold they daub it with untempered 
 mortar. Say to them which daub it with untempered mf)riar, that 
 
 the wall {paries) shall fall Is it not said unto you, Where 
 
 is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it?" (xiii. ia-12.) 
 
 "The wall which they daub with untempered mortar" si.iiiiifies 
 fal-sity assumed as a principle, and by application of the Word 
 according to the sense of the letter made to appear as truth ; 
 "daubing" is application and seeming confirmation thereby; 
 "untempered mortar" is what has been falsified ; and because the 
 truth of the Word is thus destroyed, and the truths used to con- 
 firm become truths falsified, which in themselves are falsities, and 
 these with the false principle perish together, it is said, " Behold, 
 
 the wall shall fall Is it not said unto you. Where is the 
 
 daubing wherewith ye have daubed it?" [6.] In Hosea: 
 
 " Behold, I obstru<ft thy way with thorns, and I will encompass wall with 
 wall, that she shall not find her paths" (ii. 6). 
 
 " To obstru(5l the way with thorns " is to obstru6l all thoughts by 
 falsities of evil, that truths be not seen ; falsities of evil are " thorns ;" 
 "to encompass wall with wall" is to heap falsities upon falsities; 
 "that she shall not find her paths" means that nothing of truth 
 can be seen ; this comes to pass because truths and falsities of evil 
 cannot be together, as heaven cannot be with hell ; for truths are 
 from heaven, and falsities of evil are from hell ; therefore when 
 falsities from evil prevail communication with heaven is taken 
 away, and when that is taken away truths cannot be seen, and if 
 presented by others they are rejected. For this reason, those who 
 are in false principles, as those are who are in the principles of 
 faith alone and justification by faith, cannot be in any truths (as 
 may be seen above, n. 235, 236). 
 
 [6.] [7.] But let examples illustrate this. Those who have 
 adopted faith alone and justification by faith as a principle of re- 
 ligion, when they read the Word and see that the Lord teaches that 
 man shall be recompensed according to his deeds and works, and 
 that he who has done good deeds shall come into heaven, and he 
 who has done evil into hell, call the good things that they do fruits 
 of faith, not knowing and not wishing to know, that the good things 
 called fruits are all from charity, and none of them from faith sep- 
 arate, which is called faith alone ; in fa6t, every good is of charity, 
 and truth is of faith therefrom. From this it is clear that they per- 
 vert the Word ; and they do this because they cannot otherwise 
 adapt truth to their principle, believing all the time that the two 
 are thus brought into agreement ; but the result is that truth per- 
 ishes and becomes falsity, and not only falsity but evil as well. 
 
362 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 [8.] From this falsities evidently follow in constant succession, for 
 they teach that the good works that man does are meritorious, not 
 wishing to see that as faith and its truths are from the Lord, and 
 thus not meritorious, so are charity and its goods. They teach also 
 that as soon as a man receives faith he is reconciled to God the 
 Father through the Son, and that the evils thenceforth done, 
 as well as those done before, are not imputed ; for they say 
 that all are saved however they have lived, if only they re- 
 ceive faith, even though it be a few hours before death. But these, 
 and many other things which are dedu6lions from the falsity of the 
 principle, are not consistent with truths from the Word, but de- 
 stroy them, and truths destroyed are falsities, even such falsities as 
 emit a bad odor. From these a grievous smell is perceived in the 
 other life, which is such that it cannot be endured by any good 
 spirit ; it is like stench of foul matter from the lungs. Many other 
 examples might be adduced ; there is an abundance of them ; for 
 anything deduced from a false principle becomes thereby a falsity 
 since in the dedu6lion the principle only is regarded ; for to 
 this it clings because from this it flows and to this it is ap- 
 plied. [9.] What the religion of faith alone and justification 
 by faith is, can be inferred from the simple fa6l that all who 
 have confirmed these tenets in themselves by do6lrine and 
 life, send out from themselves in the other life a sphere of 
 abominable adultery like that of a mother or stepmother with a 
 son ; this abominable adultery corresponds to such, and is also 
 perceived from them wherever they go ; from that sphere I have 
 a thousand times recognized their presence. Such a sphere flows 
 out from them because they adulterate the goods of charity and 
 of the Word, and adulteries correspond to adulterations of good, 
 while whoredoms correspond to the falsifications of truth fsee 
 A.c, n. 2466, 2729, 3399, 4865, 6348, 8904, 10648). [10.] There is a like 
 meaning in 
 
 Reuben's lying with Bilhah, of whom his father begat Dan and Naphtali 
 (^Gen. XXXV. 22); and therefore he was accursed {Gen. xlix. 4) ; and 
 because he defiled his father's couch the birthright was taken 
 away from him and given to Joseph (i Chron. v. 1). 
 
 By " Reuben " in the Word faith is meant, and here faith alone (see 
 A.C, n. 3325, 3861, 3866,3870, 4601, 4605, 4731, 4734, 4761, 6342, 6350) ; and by 
 "Joseph" the good of faith (see^.Cn. 3969,3971,4669, 6417). [II.] That 
 such things are to take place at the end of the church is predidled 
 in Daniel, where the statue that Nebuchadnezzar saw in a dream 
 is described in these words : 
 
 " Whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle them. 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 17. — N. 23S. 363 
 
 selves with the seed of man ; but they shall not cleave one to the 
 other, even as iron doth not mingle with clay" (ii. 43). 
 
 By "iron" truth without good is meant; by "miry clay" the 
 falsity that is from self-intelligence; by "the seed of man" the 
 Word of the Lord {Matt. xiii. 24, 37). That these do not cohere 
 is meant by "they shall not cleave, even as iron doth not mingle 
 with clav." 
 
 238. "And miserable and poor" signifies that they do not 
 know that they have neither knowledges of tridh nor kno7vledges 
 of good. — This is evident from the signification of "miserable" or 
 "pitiable," as meaning those who are in no knowledges of truth : 
 and from the signification of "poor," as meaning tho.se who are in 
 no knowledges of good. That this is the meaning of " miserable " 
 and "poor" is evident from many passages in the Word, and also 
 from this, that spiritual misery and poverty are nothing else than 
 a lack of knowledges of truth and good, for the spirit is then 
 miserable and poor ; but when tlie spirit possesses these it is rich 
 and wealthy; therefore "riches" and "wealth" in the Word sig- 
 nify spiritual riches and wealth, which are knowledges of truth 
 and good (as was shown just above, n. 236). [2.] "Miserable and 
 poor" are terms used in many passages in the Word. He who is 
 ignorant of the spiritual sense of the Word believes that by the.se 
 no others are meant than the miserable and poor in the world. 
 These, however, are not meant, but those who are not in truths 
 and goods and in knowledges thereof; by the "miserable" those 
 who are not in truths because not in knowledges of truths, and 
 by the "poor" those who are not in goods because not in know- 
 ledges of goods. As these two, truths and goods, are meant by 
 these two expressions, the two in many places are mentioned to- 
 gether ; as in the passages that now follow. In David : 
 
 "I am miserable and poor, Lord, remember me" (JPsalm xl. 17 ; Ixx. 5). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Incline Thine ear, O Jehovah, answer me, for I am miserable and 
 poor" {Psalm Ixxxvi. i). 
 
 The "miserable and poor" here mean evidently those who are 
 miserable and poor, not in respe6l to worldly riches but in respe6l 
 to spiritual riches, as David says this of himself; therefore he also 
 said, "Jehovah, incline thine ear, and answer me." [3.] In the 
 same, 
 
 "The wicked draw out the sword and bend their bow, to cast down the 
 miserable and poor" {Psalm xxxvii. 14). 
 
364 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 Here also "the miserable and poor" mean evidently those who 
 are spiritually such and yet long for knowledges of truth and good, 
 for it is said that "the wicked draw out the sword and bend the 
 bow," "sword" signifying falsity combating against truth and 
 striving to destroy it, and "bow" do6lrine of falsity fighting against 
 the do61rine of truth ; therefore it is said that they do this "to cast 
 
 down the miserable and poor." (That " sword " signifies truth combating 
 against falsity, and in a contrary sense, falsity combating against truth, see above, n. 
 131 ; and that "bow" signifies dodlrine in both senses, see A.C., n. 2686, 2709.) 
 
 [4.] So in another place in the same, 
 
 "The wicked man hath persecuted the miserable and poor and the 
 broken in heart, to slay them " {Psalm cix. 16). 
 
 In Isaiah : 
 
 " The fool speaketh folly, and his heart doeth iniquity to praiflise hypoc- 
 risy and to utter error against Jehovah, to make empty the hun- 
 gry soul, and to make him who thirsteth for drink to faint 
 
 He deviseth wicked devices to destroy the miserable by words of 
 falsehood, even when the poor speaketh judgment " (xxxii. 6, 7). 
 
 Here likewise "the miserable and poor" mean those who are 
 destitute of knowledges of truth and good, therefore it is said that 
 " the wicked deviseth wicked devices to destroy the miserable by 
 words of falsehood, even when the poor speaketh judgment ;" "by 
 words of falsehood" means by falsities, and "to speak judgment" 
 is to speak what is right. Because such are treated of, it is also said 
 that he " practises hypocrisy and utters error against Jehovah, to 
 make empty the hungry soul and to make him who thirsteth for 
 drink to faint." "To pradlise hypocrisy and to utter error" is to 
 do evil from falsity, and to utter falsity from evil ; " to make empty 
 the hungry soul" is to deprive those of knowledges of good who 
 long for them, and "to make him who thirsteth for drink to faint" 
 is to deprive those of knowledges of truth who long for them. In 
 the same, 
 
 " The miserable shall have joy in Jehovah, and the poor of men shall 
 rejoice in the Holy One of Israel " (xxix. 19). 
 
 Here also "the miserable and poor" signify those who are in lack 
 of truth and good and yet long for them ; of these, and not of those 
 who are miserable and poor in respedl to worldly wealth, it is said 
 that they "shall have joy in Jehovah, and shall rejoice in the Holy 
 One of Israel." [5.] From this it can be seen what is signified by 
 the "miserable and poor" in other passages in the Word, as in 
 the following. In David : 
 
 " The poor shall not always be forgotten ; and the hope of the miserable 
 shall not perish forever" {Psalm ix. 18). 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 17.— N. 238. 365 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "God shall judge the miserable of the people, He shall keep the sons of 
 
 the poor He shall liberate the poor when he crieth, and the 
 
 miserable He shall spare the weak and the poor, and the souls 
 
 of the poor He shall save " {Psalm Ixxii. 4, 12, 13). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "The miserable shall see, they that seek God shall be glad. ... For 
 Jehovah heareth the poor" {Psalm l,\ix. 32, 33). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Jehovah deliverest the miserable from him that is too strong for 
 
 him, . . . the poor from them that spoil YCwnV {Psalm xxxv. 10.) 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "The miserable and poor praise Thy name " {Psalm Ixxiv. 21 ; cix. 22). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " I know that Jehovah will maintain the cause of the miserable, and the 
 judgment of the poor" {Psalm cxl. 12). 
 
 Also elsewhere 
 
 (as Isa. X. 2 ; Jer. xxii. 16 ; Ezek. xvi. 49; xviii. 12 ; xxii. 2g ; Amos viii. 
 4 ; Deut. XV. 1 1 ; xxiv. 14). 
 
 "The miseralile" and "the poor" are both mentioned in these 
 pa.ssages, because it is according to the style of the Word that 
 where truth is spoken of, good is also spoken of; and in a con- 
 trary sense, where falsity is spoken of, evil is also spoken of, 
 since they make a one, and as it were a marriage ; this is why 
 "the miserable and the poor" are mentioned together; for, by 
 "the miserable" those deficient in knowledges of truth are meant, 
 and by "the poor" those deficient in knowledges of good. (That 
 
 there is such a marriage almost everywhere in the prophetical parts of the Word, see 
 A.C., n. 683, 793. 801, 2516. 2712, 3004, 3005, 3009, 4138, 5138, 5194,5502, 6343, 
 
 7022. 7945, 8339, 9263, 9314.) For the same reason it is said in what 
 follows, "and blind and naked ;" for by "the blind" one who is in 
 no understanding of truth is meant, and by " the naked" one who 
 is in no understanding and will of good. So in the following verse, 
 " I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried by fire, and white gar- 
 ments that thou mayest be clothed ;" for by "gold tried by fire" 
 good of love is meant, and by " white garments " truths of faith. 
 And further, "That the shame of thy nakedness be not manifest ; 
 and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see," which 
 means, lest evils and falsities be seen. So elsewhere. But that 
 there is such a marriage in every detail of the Word, none but 
 those who are acquainted with its internal sense can see. 
 
366 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 239[«]. "And blind and naked" signifies that they are zvithout 
 tinderstaiiding of truth, and without understanding and will of 
 good. — This is evident from the signification of "blind," as mean- 
 ing those who are without understanding of truth (of which pres- 
 ently) ; and from the signification of" naked," as meaning those who 
 are without will of good, and thus of understanding of it (of which 
 presently). That those who are in the do6lrine of faith alone and 
 of justification by faith are without understanding of truth, can be 
 seen from this, that faith alone, that is, faith apart from charity, has 
 its seat altogether in the memory, with nothing of it in the under- 
 standing ; those, therefore, who are in it withdraw the understand- 
 ing from matters of faith, saying that these must be believed, and 
 that the understanding has nothing to do with matters of faith ; 
 thus they can say whatsoever they wish, be it ever so false, provided 
 they know how to quote something in proof of it from the sense 
 of the letter of the Word, the spiritual sense of which they know 
 nothing about ; in this there lurks something like the decree of the 
 popes, which is that all should hang on their lips ; thus persuading 
 the people that they know and see, when in fa6i: they see nothing. 
 Those, therefore, who do not see, that is, understand the things 
 they believe, are "blind." And in consequence of this they are 
 unable to pei'fe6l the life by means of the things pertaining to 
 faith ; for the understanding is the way to man's life ; by no other 
 way can man become spiritual. All who are in heaven see truths 
 with the understanding, and thus receive them ; and what they do 
 not see with the understanding they do not receive ; and if any- 
 one says to them that they must have faith, although they do not 
 see, that is, understand, they turn away, saying, "How can this 
 be? I believe what I see, that is, understand; and I am unable 
 to believe what I do not see, that is, not understand ; such 
 things may be falsities that destroy spiritual life." [2.] That those 
 who are in the do6lrine of faith alone and justification by faith 
 are without the understanding of good, because they are with- 
 out the will of good, can be seen from this, that they know no- 
 thing whatever about charity towards the neighbor, consequently 
 nothing about good ; for all spiritual good is from charity, and 
 there is nothing of good without charity ; consequently those 
 who separate faith from charity, saying that charity contributes 
 nothing to salvation, but only faith, are wholly ignorant of what 
 good is because they are ignorant of what charity is, and yet spir- 
 itual good and the afifedlion for it that is called charity is the very 
 spiritual life of man, and without it there is no faith. From this 
 it is clear that such are without understanding of good. And 
 this is in consequence of their being without the will of good, for 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE l6. — N. 239[<^]. 367 
 
 the reason that they declare themselves to be righteous or to have 
 been made rifrhteous [justified] when they have faith ; and by 
 "justified " they mean not to be condemned on account of anything 
 that they think and will, since they have been reconciled to 
 God ; consequently they believe, because it follows by connection 
 with their postulate, that the evil equally with the _q;ood are saved 
 if only they receive faith, even in the last hours of life. The mys- 
 teries of this do(5lrine consist in this, that they descant upon pro- 
 gressive degrees of justification that are not from anything of man's 
 life, that is, from his afire6lion for charity, but are from mere faith 
 in the reconciliation of God the Father through the Son, which 
 faith they call confidence or trust, and saving faith itself; not 
 knowing that where there is nothing of charity there can be 
 nothing of spiritual life. That which is interiorly perceived or 
 is manifest in their confidence, has nothing in it derived from 
 spiritual aflfe^lion, but onlv from natural thought about happiness 
 and escape from damnation. [3.] Moreover, those who know 
 nothing about the good of charity have no will of good, and those 
 who know nothing about this good know nothing about e\il, for 
 good discloses evil, consequently such persons cannot examine 
 themselves, see their evils, and thus shun them and reje6l them. 
 They therefore relax all restraints on their thought and their will, 
 only being careful on account of the laws, the loss of fame, of 
 honor, of gain, and of life, to avoid evil doings. And for this 
 reason when such persons become spirits and these fears are taken 
 away, they associate themselves with de\dls, for they think and will 
 as devils do, because they so thought in the world ; for it is the 
 spirit in man that thinks. But it is otherwise with those who have 
 lived a life of charity. [4.] Again, those who believe that they have 
 been justified by faith alone, are of the opinion that they are led by 
 God, and therefore that what they do is good, saying, that all good 
 is from God, and nothing from man, and that otherwise good would 
 be meritorious. They do not know that there ought to be reception 
 on man's part, and that reception is not possible unless man gives 
 heed to his thoughts and intentions, and thus to his deeds; and 
 then refrains from evils and does good, which is done when he has 
 regard for the truths that he has learned from the Word, and lives 
 according to them. Unless man does this, there is no reciproca- 
 tion, and therefore no reformation : and of what other use are the 
 precepts of the Lord in the Word? That man is able to do this 
 is from the Lord, for every man has this ability from the Lord's 
 Divine presence, and His will that there be reception. In a word, 
 unless man receives in understanding and will, that is, in thought 
 and af!e(^lion, or what is the same, in faith and lo\e, there is no re- 
 ception on his part, consequently no conjunction with the Lord. 
 
36S APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 Every one knows that the Lord is continually present with good, 
 and desires to be received, but He cannot flow in when all re- 
 straints on the thoughts are cast ofif; He can flow in only when 
 the thoughts and intentions which are from lust are held in check 
 by truths from the Word. [5.] That the Lord is continually present 
 with, good, and desires to be received, He teaches in the following 
 words of this chapter, where He says, " Behold, I stand at the 
 door and knock ; if any will hear My voice, and open the door, I 
 will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me" 
 (verse 20). "Opening the door" is reception on man's part, as 
 has just been said. The Lord teaches the same elsewhere in the 
 Word. As in yohn: 
 
 " He that loveth Me keepeth My words ; and My Father will love him, 
 and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him. He 
 that loveth Me not keepeth not My words" (xiv. 23, 24). 
 
 In Mattheiv: 
 
 " He that is sown upon the good ground, this is he that heareth the Word 
 and understandeth it, who beareth fruit and bringeth forth " (xiii. 
 23). 
 In Mark: 
 
 " Those are they that were sown upon the good ground, such as hear 
 the Word and receive, and bear fruit " (iv. 20). 
 
 As it is reception by man that conjoins him to the Lord, and thus 
 makes him spiritual, so when the Lord said these things He cried 
 saying, 
 
 "He that hath ears to hear let him hear" (iJ/a«. xiii. 9 ; Mark\v.ti\ 
 Luke viii. 8). 
 
 [ft.] [6.] That "the blind " signify those who are in no under- 
 standing of truth, and that "the naked" signify those who are in 
 no understanding of good, because they are in no will of good, is 
 evident from many passages in the Word, which I will cite 
 in passing, so that it can be seen that the Word in its bosom 
 is spiritual, while in the letter it is natural ; consequently that the 
 sense of the letter of the Word, which is natural, has a spiritual 
 sense treasured up within it. That "the blind" signify those who 
 are in no understanding of truth, is clear from the following pas- 
 sages. In Isaiah: 
 
 "And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes 
 of the blind shall see out of thick darkness, and out of darkness " 
 (xxix. 18). 
 
 In this passage, the re-establishment of the church is treated of, 
 and "the deaf who shall hear the words of the book" mean those 
 
CHAT. III., VKKSE I7. — N. 239[(5]. 369 
 
 who wish to obey truths, and thus to live a life of good, but are 
 not able because they liave not the Word, and "the blind whose 
 eyes shall see in thick darkness, and in darkness," means that those 
 who are in no understajiding of truth because in ignorance, are 
 then to understand. It plainly does not refer to the deaf and 
 blind. [7.] In the same, 
 
 " Behold your God will come for vengeance, for the retribution of God 
 will He come, and will save you; then shall the eyes of the blind 
 be opened, and the cars of the deaf shall be opened ; . . . . waters 
 shall break out in the desert, and rivers in the plain of the desert" 
 (xxxv. 4-6). 
 
 These things are said of the Lord's coming, that then those will 
 be saved who believe in Him. That those who are in no under- 
 standing of truth will then understand, is signified by "the eyes 
 of the blind shall be opened ;" and that those who are in no 
 perception and will of good shall then obey and live in good, is 
 signified by "the ears of the deaf shall be opened ;" therefore it is 
 said "waters shall break out in the desert, and nvers in the plain 
 of the desert ;" "desert" signifying where there is no good because 
 there is no truth, "waters" truths, and "rivers" intelligence de- 
 rived from truths. [8.] In the same, 
 
 "I will give thee for a covenant to the people, for a light of the nations, 
 
 to open the blind eyes, to lead him that is bound out of prison 
 
 I am Jehovah ; that is My name : and My glory will I not give to 
 another" (xlii. 6-8). 
 
 These things also are said of the Lord, and the establishment of 
 a church by Him among the nations. That those who have been 
 in ignorance are then to understand truths is signified by "the 
 blind eyes which He will open ;" and that they are to be led out 
 of ignorance and falsities is signified by "He will bring hiin that 
 is bound out of prison." That the Very Divine would assume a 
 human is meant by " I am Jehovah ; that is My name : and My 
 glory will I not give to another." [9.] In the same, 
 
 *' I will lead the blind into a way that they have not known ; I will lead 
 them into paths that they have not known ; I will make their dark- 
 ness light" (xlii. i6). 
 
 Here also "the blind" are those who are in no understanding of 
 truth ; the truths and goods of truth that they are to receive are 
 signified by "they will be led into a way and into paths that they 
 have not known ;" dispersion of the falsity of ignorance and en- 
 lightenment are signified by " I will make their darkness light." 
 [lO.] In the same, 
 
 " I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west ; 
 I will say to the north. Give up ; and to the south, Keep not back; 
 
37° APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 bring My sons from far, and My daughters from the end of the 
 earth ; every one that is called by My name. . . .1 have created ; I 
 nave formed him ; yea, I have made him. Bring forth the blind 
 people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears " (xliii. 5-8). 
 
 These things also are said of the estabhshment by the Lord of a 
 church among the nations ; "to bring seed from the east, the west, 
 the north, the south," means all of whatsoever religion ; for "east" 
 and "west" signify where good of love is clear and obscure ; and 
 "north" and "south" where the truth of faith is in obscurity and 
 clearness. Here those who are in obscurity from ignorance are 
 meant, for it is said, " Bring My sons from far, and My daughters 
 from the end of the earth ;" those who receive truths are called 
 " sons," and those who receive goods are called "daughters ;" " from 
 far," and "from the end of the earth," signify those who are re- 
 mote from the truths and goods of the church. That all will be 
 received and reformed by the Lord who acknowledge Him, is sig- 
 nified by " I have created, have formed, and have made every one 
 called by My name." These are here meant by "the blind who 
 have eyes," and by " the deaf who have ears." [II.] In the same, 
 
 " We look for light, but behold darkness ; .... in thick darkness we walk, 
 we grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as they that have 
 no eyes, we stumble in the noonday as in twilight, among the liv- 
 ing we are as dead " (lix. 9, 10). 
 
 Here likewise "the blind" stand for those who are in no under- 
 .standing of truth; "darkness" and "thick darkness" mean falsi- 
 ties ; " to stumble in the noonday as in twilight" is to go astray in 
 falsities, although able to be in light from the Word. [12.] In the 
 same, 
 
 " His watchmen are all blind ; . . . . and they are shepherds who know not 
 to understand" (Ivi. 10, 11). 
 
 Here again "the blind" stand for those who do not understand 
 truths, although they have the Word; "the blind" evidently sig- 
 nify such, for it is said "they know not" and "know not to under- 
 stand." [13.] In yereniiah : 
 
 " I bring them from the land of the north, among them the blind and 
 
 the lame ; . . . . with tears they shall come, and with prayers I will 
 bring them ; I will lead them to fountains of waters in the way of 
 right " (xxxi. 8, g). 
 
 "The land of the north" is where falsity of ignorance prevails; 
 those who are in it are called "blind ;" that these are to be led to 
 truths is meant by " I will lead them to fountains of waters in the 
 way of right." [14.] In Lainentatio7is : 
 
 " Jehovah . . . hath kindled a fire in Zion, which hath devoured the founda- 
 tions thereof, . . . because of the sins of her prophets and the iniqui« 
 
CIIAI'. III., VKRSE 17. — N. 239[(5]. 37 1 
 
 tics of her priests; they have wandered as blind men in the 
 
 streets, they were polluted with blood, the things that they cannot, 
 they touch with their garments" (iv. 11, 13, 14). 
 
 " Zion " is the church ; the " fire . . . that will devour her founda 
 tions " is the love of self which will disperse all knowlcd^res of triitli ; 
 "sins of prophets," and "iniquities of priests," are the perversions 
 of those who teach what is true and good ; that they will on 
 this account understand nothing of truth is signified by their 
 "wandering as blind men in the streets." The "blood with which 
 they were polluted " is falsification of the truth and adulteration 
 of the good in the Word ; the profanation of good and of truth 
 therefrom by evils and falsities is meant by "the things that they 
 cannot, they touch with their garments." [|5.] In Zcchariah : 
 
 "In that day . . . I will smite every horse with astonishment and the 
 horseman with madness ; . . . I will smite every horse of the peoples 
 with blindness" (xii. 4). 
 
 "Horse" signifies the intelledlual, and "horseman" one that is 
 intelligent. This makes clear what is signified by "smiting every 
 horse with astonishment," and "every horse of the people wnth 
 blindness," and " the horseman with madness." (That "horse" signi- 
 
 nifies the intelledlual, see The While Horse, n. 1-6.) [16.] In David : 
 
 "Jehovah looseth the bound, Jehovah openeth [the eyes of] the blind" 
 {Psalm cxivi. 7, S). 
 
 Those are called " bound " who are in falsities and long to be loosed 
 from them ; "the blind" are those who on this account are not in 
 understanding of truth; "to open their eyes" is to make them 
 understand. [17.] In yohn : 
 
 " Isaiah said. He hath blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, that 
 they may not see with their eyes and understand with their heart" 
 (xii. 39, 40). 
 
 "To blind the eyes that they may not see with their eyes" sig- 
 nifies evidently not to understand truths. [18.] In the same, 
 
 "Jesus said. For judgment came I into this world, that they who see 
 not may see, and that they who see may become blind. . . . They 
 said, Are we blind then ? Jesus said, If ye were blind ye would 
 not have sin ; but now ye say. We see, therefore your sin remain- 
 eth " (ix. 39-41). 
 
 "They who see not" mean those who are outside of the church 
 and do not know truths because they have not the Word, that is, 
 Gentiles; but "they who see" mean those who are within the 
 church and have the Word, that is, Jews ; of these it is said that 
 "they shall become blind;" but of the former, that "they shall 
 see." It is said that "their sin remaineth" because they say that 
 they are not blind but see, for the reason that they are in the 
 
372 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 church where the Word is, and yet are not willing to see and 
 
 acknowledge truths, nor, consequently, the Lord. On this account 
 
 the Scribes and Pharisees among the Jews were called by the 
 
 Lord 
 
 Blind guides of the blind {Matt. xv. 14 ; Luke vi. 39) ; 
 
 Also "blind guides fools and foolish" {Matt, xxiii. 16, 17, 19, 24). 
 
 [19.] In John: 
 
 Jesus sees a man blind from birth. He said to the disciples, " So long as 
 I am in the world I am the light of the world. When He had 
 thus spoken. He spat on the ground, and made mud of the spittle, 
 and anointed the eyes of the ijlind man with the mud, and said. Go 
 
 and wash thee in the pool of Siloam He went away and 
 
 washed himself, and came seeing" (ix. i, 5-7). 
 
 Why the Lord did this he only understands who is acquainted 
 with the internal or spiritual sense of the Word ; in that sense, by 
 "a man blind from birth" those are meant who are born outside 
 of the church, and who therefore have not been able to know any- 
 thing about the Lord, or to be taught out of the Word. " The mud 
 that the Lord made from spitde on the ground" signifies reforma- 
 tion by means of truths from the sense of the letter of the Word ; 
 "the ground" is the church where the Word is; "mud" is the 
 Divine outmost forming ; "anointing the eyes of the blind with it" 
 is to give thereby understanding of truth; "the pool of .Siloam" 
 also signifies the Word in the letter ; " to be washed there" is to be 
 purified from falsities and evils. That this is what is here meant has 
 
 been hitherto concealed. (That "ground" signifies the church, see A.C., n. 
 566, 10570; that " mud" signifies good from which is truth, thus good forming, n. 
 1300, 666g ; that " the pool of Siloam " signifies the Word in the sense of the letter, is 
 evident in Isaiah viii. 6 ; and that " the pools " that were in Jerusalem in general 
 signify this, /faza/% xxii. 9, II.) [20.] In Mark: 
 
 "Jesus Cometh to Bethsaida ; where they bring to Him a blind man and 
 beseech Him to touch him. And He took hold of the blind man 
 by the hand, and led him out of the town ; and spitting on his 
 eyes, He asked him if he saw aught. And looking up, he said, I 
 see men as trees walking. After that He put his hands again upon 
 his eyes, and made him look up ; then he was restored, and saw 
 every one clearly " (viii. 22-27). 
 
 What these words involve can be known only from the internal or 
 spiritual sense of the Word ; he who does not understand this 
 sees nothing except that these things occurred, and his thought 
 about it will pet'haps be merely sensual ; but all things that the 
 Lord spake and all things that He did in the world contained 
 spiritual things in order from things highest to outmost, thus in 
 fulness as do all iniracles and the accounts of thein. The "blind" 
 whoin the Lord restored to sight signified the spiritually blind, 
 who are those that do not know and understand truths. The 
 
CIIAP. III., VERSE 17. — X. 239[r]. 373 
 
 blind man here was " led out of the town " of Bethsaida, be- 
 cause " Bethsaida " signified damnation, on account of its not re- 
 ceiving the Lord ; "spitting on his eyes " has the same signification 
 as "making mud of spittle," before ; that He then touched his eyes 
 signifies that he was enlightened from tlie Divine ; then the blind 
 man at first "saw men as trees walking," which signifies com- 
 mon and obscure perception of truth from the sense of the letter, 
 "trees" signifying knowledges, and "to walk" signifying to live. 
 "His seeing every one clearly" after he was touched by the Lord, 
 signifies that after instrudion and enlightenment from the Lord he 
 understood truths ; this meaning is in these words and this mean- 
 ing is perceived by angels. (That the town " Bethsaida ■' signifies damnation 
 on account of its not receiving tlie Lord, is clear from Matthexv xi. 21, and Luke-s.. 13; 
 that " touch " signifies communication and transference, but here enlightenment, be- 
 cause the eyes were touched, see above, n. 79. That " trees " signify knowledges, 
 see A.C., n. 2722, 2972, 7692 ; that " to walk " signifies to live, see n. 519, 1794, 8417, 
 8420; and above, n. 97.) 
 
 [c] [21.] Moreover, by all "the blind" whom the Lord 
 healed those were meant who are in ignorance, and who receive 
 Him and are enlightened by Him through the Word ; and in 
 general all the Lord's miracles signify such things as are of heaven 
 and the church, thus spiritual things ; from this it is that His mir- 
 acles were Divine, for it is Divine to a6l from firsts and to pre- 
 sent these in outmosts. From all this it is clear what was signified 
 by "the blind" whom the Lord healed 
 
 (about whom see Matt. ix. 27-31 ; xii. 22 ; xx. 29 to end ; xxi. 14 ; Mark 
 X. 46 to end ; Luke vii. 21-23 ; xviii. 35 to end). 
 
 [22.] As "the blind" signify those who are not in knowledges of 
 truth, and who therefore are not in understanding of truth, it was 
 among the laws and statutes given to the sons of Israel, 
 
 That no one blind of the sons of Aaron or of the Levites should ap- 
 proach to offer the bread of his God, that is, to offer sacrifice {Lev. 
 xxi. iS) ; 
 
 Also that anything blind should not be offered {Lev. xxii. 22 ; Deut. xv. 
 21); 
 
 Likewise that a stumblingblock should not be placed before one blind 
 {Lev. xix. 14) : 
 
 And that he should be cursed who made the blind to wander from the 
 way {Deut. xxvii. 18). 
 
 These laws were ena6led because the church instituted among 
 the sons of Israel was a representative church, in which all things 
 represented spiritual things because they corresponded to them. 
 Therefore the following curse is pronounced upon those who do 
 not keep the commandments, in Moses : 
 
374 APOCALYPSI-: explainkd. 
 
 "If thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of thy God, to observe to do all 
 
 His commandments Jehovah shall smite thee with madness 
 
 and blindness and astonishment of heart; that thou mayest grope 
 at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness" {Deut. xxviii 15, 28, 
 29). 
 
 This also means that those shall be smitten with spiritual blind- 
 ness and astonishment who do not hearken to the voice of the 
 Lord by doing those things that He has commanded in the 
 Word. Spiritual blindness of the eyes and spiritual astonishment 
 of the heart mean no understanding from truth and no will from 
 good ; "to grope at noonday" is to be such in the church, where 
 the light of truth is given through the Word. (That " noon-day " 
 
 signifies where truth is in light, see A.C., n. 9642 ; and in Heaven and Hell, n. 148, 
 149. 151-) 
 
 240[ct]. That " naked " signifies those who are without under- 
 derstanding from truth because without the will from good, is evi- 
 dent from passages in the Word where "naked" and "naked- 
 ness " occur, which will be cited below. This is what " naked " and 
 "nakedness" signify, because "garments" signify truths that are 
 of the understanding, and he that is without truths is also without 
 good, for all spiritual good is procured by means of truths ; with- 
 out truths, that is, except by means of truths, spiritual good is not 
 possible; spiritual good is charity. "Naked" and "nakedness" 
 signify lacking in, or the lack of, intelligence and love, thus of 
 understanding and will from good ; and for the reason that gar- 
 ments cover the body and flesh, and "body" and "flesh" sig- 
 nify good, therefore "garments" signify the things that cover 
 good. [2.] There is understanding from truth, and understand- 
 ing from good ; understanding from truth is understanding from 
 such things as are of faith, and understanding from good is under- 
 standing from such things as are of love and charity. There is also 
 will from truth and will from good ; will from truth pertains to 
 those who are of the Lord's spiritual kingdom ; and will from good 
 to those who are of His celestial kingdom. The latter, because they 
 are in love to the Lord, and from this in mutual love, which is to them 
 charity towards the neighbor, have truths inscribed on their hearts, 
 and accordingly do them ; and what goes forth out of the heart 
 is out of the will from good, "heart" meaning the will from good. 
 But those who are in love towards the neighbor, which love is char- 
 ity, have truths inscribed not on their hearts but on the memory, and 
 therefore on the intellectual mind, and what goes forth therefrom 
 by afife6lion is the will from truth. Thus it is that spiritual angels 
 are distinguished from celestial angels. The latter appear naked 
 in heaven, but the former clothed. Celestial angels appear naked 
 
C:iAI'. III., VKRSE 17. — N. 240[<J]. 375 
 
 because they have no need of memory to retain truths, nor of under- 
 standinj; therefrom to comprehend them, because they have them 
 inscribed on the heart, that is, on the love and will, and thus see 
 them. But spiritual ang^els appear clothed because they have 
 truths inscribed on the memory and on the understanding^ there- 
 from, and truths of memory and of understanding therefrom corre- 
 spond to g-arments ; they therefore all appear clothed according to 
 
 their intelligence. (That angels are thus clothed, see Heaven and Hell, n. 177-182.) 
 
 From all this it can be seen what "naked" signifies in both senses, 
 namely, in the one sense it signifies those who are in celestial good, 
 but in the other those who are not in good because not in truths. 
 [6.] [3.] But these things can be better seen from passages in 
 the Word where "naked" and "nakedness" occur, which now 
 follow. In Isaiah: 
 
 "Jehovah said to the prophet, Put off the sackcloth from upon ihy joins, 
 
 and put off thy shoe from upon thy foot. And he did so Then 
 
 Jehovah said, Like as My servant Isaiah hath gone naked and 
 barefoot ..... so shall the king of Assyria lead the captivity of 
 Egypt, and the crowd of Cush that is to be carried away, boys and 
 old men, naked and barefoot, and with buttocks uncovered, the 
 nakedness of Egypt" (xx. 2-4). 
 
 What of heaven and the church lies hidden in these words no one 
 can see unless he knows their spiritual sense ; for in every particu- 
 lar of the Word there is something of heaven and the church, 
 because the Word is spiritual ; this shall therefore be explained. 
 l>y " pr()j)het " the doctrine of the church is here meant ; " putting 
 off the sackcloth from upon his loins," or presenting the loins 
 naked, means to disclose filthy loves; the customary "sackcloth" 
 of the prophet here means the breeches that cover, and " the loins " 
 signify such loves; "putting off the shoe from upon his foot," or 
 unshoeing the soles of the foot, signifies to disclose the filthy things 
 of nature; that "the king of Assyria shall lead the captivity of 
 Egypt, and the crowd of Cush that is to be carried away," means 
 that the perverted rational shall confirm evils and falsities by 
 means of knowledges (scienti/ca) and by mea«s of fallacies ; 
 " boys and old men " means by means of all things both general 
 and particular; "naked and barefoot" means that they are lack- 
 ing in all truth and all good; "buttocks uncovered" means 
 the evils of self-love ; "the nakedness of Egypt" means falsities 
 therefrom. From this it is clear what state of heaven and the 
 church is here treated of, namely, when the perverted rational, 
 which is a rational that denies God and attributes all things to 
 nature, confirms itself by means of things known {scicntifica) and 
 fallacies, until it is destitute of all understanding from truth and will 
 
376 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 from good. (That "prophet" in the Word means dodlrine, see A.C., n. 2534, 
 7269 ; that the " loins " signify loves in both senses, n. 3021, 4280, 5059 ; that " feet " 
 signify natural things with man, and " soles of the feet " the things that are in out- 
 mosts, n. 2162, 3147, 3761, 39S6, 4280, 4938-4952; that " shoes" signify these same 
 things in respect to their covering, n. 1748, 2162, 4835, 6844; that "the king of 
 Assyria" signifies the rational in both senses, n. 119, 1186; that " Egypt" signifies 
 the faculty for knowing {^scientijicum) of the natural man, in both senses, good and 
 bad, n. 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 5700, 5702, 6015, 6651, 6679, 6683, 6692, 7296, 9340, 
 9391. That " Cush " signifies the fallacies of the senses, n. 1163, 1164, 1166.) 
 
 [4.] In Ezekiel : 
 
 "When I passed by thee, and saw thee, .... I covered thy nakedness 
 
 Then washed I thee I clothed thee also But thou didst 
 
 trust in thy beauty and play the harlot and thou hast not remem- 
 bered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare ; . . . . 
 
 thou hast committed whoredom with the sons of Egypt, and 
 
 with the sons of Asshur And thou hast multiplied thy whore- 
 dom even unto Chaldea Moreover, thy nakedness was re- 
 vealed through thy whoredoms Therefore they shall stone 
 
 thee with stones, and shall cut thee in pieces wfth swords ; and 
 shall burn thine houses with fire " (xvi. 6, seq.). 
 
 Jerusalem is here treated of, by which the church in respedl to 
 do6lrine is meant, and these and many other expressions in the 
 same chapter describe what the church was in its beginning, and 
 what it became when it turned away from good and from truth. 
 What the church was when it was established by the Lord, thus 
 what it was in the beginning, is described by these words, "When 
 
 I passed by thee, and saw thee, I covered thy nakedness, .... 
 
 I washed thee . . . and clothed thee." " To cover nakedness" sig- 
 nifies to remove evils of the will and falsities of the understanding ; 
 "to wash" signifies to purify from evils, and "to clothe" signifies 
 to instruct in truths. But what the church became when it turned 
 away from good and truth is described in what follows: "thou 
 didst trust in thy beauty" signifies intelligence from one's own 
 [ex propria), and that this gave delight; "committing whoredom" 
 signifies that thus falsities were imbued; "committing whoredom 
 with the sons of Egypt, and with the sons of Asshur," signifies 
 falsifications confirmed by things known {scientifica) and by things 
 rational therefrom; "multiplying whoredom even unto Chaldea" 
 signifies even to the profanation of truth. This shows what is 
 signified by "Moreover, thy nakedness was revealed through thy 
 whoredoms," namely, that the church through falsities and falsifica- 
 tions was made destitute of all understanding of truth. " They shall 
 .stone thee with stones" signifies that the church is to die through 
 falsities ; "they shall cut thee in pieces with swords" signifies that 
 the church will utterly die through falsifications of truth ; and " they 
 shall burn thy houses with fire" signifies that it will wholly perish 
 throug-h infernal loves, "houses" meaning all things pertaining to 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 17.— N. 24o[<^]. 377 
 
 man, and "fire" meaning infernal love. From all this it is clear 
 what is contained in these words relating to heaven and the church, 
 and that this can be seen only from the spiritual sen.se. (That 
 
 ■• to wash " signifies to purify from evils and f.ilsities, see A.C., n. 3147. 10237. 10240, 
 10243; th.-it " to clothe" signifies to instrucfl in truths, n. 1073, 2576, 5248, 5319, 
 59^4,92I2, 9216, 9952, 10536; that "beauty" signifies intelligence, n. 3080, 4985, 
 5199, here intelligence from one's own {ex propria). That " to commit whoredom " 
 means to become imbued with falsities, see above, n. I4I ; that " Egypt " means 
 the faculty for knowing (scienti/cum); and " Asshur" the rational, see just above. 
 That "Chaldea" is profanation of truth, A.C., n. 1182. 1283. 1295. 1304. 1306-1308, 
 1321, 1322, 1326; that " to stone with stones" signifies to die through falsities, n. 
 5156,7456, 8575, 8799; that "sword" signifies falsity combating ag.ainst truth and 
 destroying it, n. 2799, 4499, 7102 ; therefore " to cut in pieces with swords " means 
 to die utterly through falsifications of truth. That " fire" signifies infcrn.al love, n. 
 1861, 5071, 6314, 6832, 7575, 10747 ; and that " house " signifies the whole man, and 
 the things pertaining to him, thus that are of his understanding and will, n. 710, 2231, 
 2233, 2559, 3128, 3538, 4973, 5023, 6690, 7353, 7848, 7910, 7929, 9150. From this it is 
 clear what is signified by " they shall burn thy houses with fire.") [5.] In Hosca : 
 
 "Strive with your mother that she may put away her whoredoms 
 
 .... and her adulteries ; . . . . lesl I strip her naked and make 
 
 her as a desert as a land of dryness, and slay her with thirst ; 
 
 and her sons I will not pity, because they are the sons of whore- 
 doms" (ii. 2-4). 
 
 Here also the church fallen into falsities and evils is treated of; 
 "the mother with whom they should strive" signifies the church ; 
 " whoredonis" and "adulteries" signify flilsities and evils therefrom ; 
 " to make her as a desert, and as a land of dryness," signifies to 
 be without good and truth ; " to slay her with thirst " signifies a 
 total lack of truth ; " her sons whom I will not pity " signify all the 
 falsities thereof in general, and they are therefore called "sons of 
 
 whoredoms." (That " mother " signifies the church, see A.C., n. 289, 2691, 2717, 
 3703, 4257, 5581. 8897; that "desert" signifies where there is no good, because no 
 truth, n. 2708, 4736, 7055 ; " a land of dryness " signifies where there is no truth, because 
 " water " signifies truth of faith, n. 2702,3058,5668, 8568, 10238; that" to be slain with 
 thirst " signifies to perish from deficiency of truth, n. 8568 at the end. That " sons " 
 signify affeClions for truth and truths in general, n. 2362, 3963, 6729, 6775, 6779, 9055 ; 
 thus, in the opposite sense, affedlions for falsity and falsities in general. From this it 
 can be seen what is signified by " stripping her naked," namely, that the church will 
 
 be without good and truth.) [6.] In Lamentations : 
 
 "Jerusalem hath sinned a sin; therefore .... all that honored her de- 
 spise her, because they have seen her nakedness" (i. 8). 
 
 In Ezekiel : 
 
 Oholah, which is Samaria, committed whoredom with the Egyptians and 
 with the sons of Asshur; "these disclosed her nakedness, they 
 took her sons and her daughters, and her they finally slew with the 
 sword ; . . . . therefore will I give thee into the hand of those whom 
 thou hatest, . . . that they may deal with thee in hatred, and take away 
 all thy labor, and leave thee naked and bare, that the nakedness 
 of thy whoredoms may be disclosed" (xxiii. 4, 8-10, iS, 28, 29). 
 
 In this chapter Samaria, which is called " Oholah," and Jerusalem. 
 
378 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 which is called "Oholibah," are treated of, and by both the 
 church is signified. "Samaria," where the sons of Israel were, 
 signifies the church in which there are not truths but falsities, 
 and "Jerusalem" the church where there are not goods but 
 evils. What is signified by "committing whoredom with the 
 Egyptians, and with the sons of Asshur," and by "slaying her 
 daughters and sons with the sword," was explained above. From 
 this it is clear that "leaving her naked and bare " signifies without 
 truth and good. [7.] In Isaiah: 
 
 "The Lord will make bald the crown of the head of the daughters of 
 Zion, and Jehovah will make naked their secret parts " (iii. 17). 
 
 " The daughters of Zion " signify the celestial church and the things 
 of that church, but here that church perverted. "The crown of 
 their head which shall be made bald " signifies intelligence of which 
 the church shall be deprived ; and "the secret parts which shall be 
 made naked " signify the love of evil and falsity. [8.J In NaJuiyn: 
 
 "Woe to the city of bloods ; it is all full of lies and rapine,. . .because 
 
 of the multitude of her whoredoms I will uncover thy skirts 
 
 upon thy faces ; and will show the nations thy nakedness, and 
 kingdoms thy shame" (iii. i, 4, 5). 
 
 "The city of bloods" signifies the doclrine of falsity which offers 
 violence to the good of charity. [9.] In Habakkuk : 
 
 "Woe unto him that maketh his companion drink,. . .and makest him 
 drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakednesses.... ; 
 drink thou also, that thy foreskin may be uncovered" (ii. 15, 16). 
 
 "To make a companion drink, and drunken," signifies to so 
 imbue one with falsities that he does not see truth ; "to look on 
 nakednesses " means so that falsities which are of the understand- 
 ing and e\ils which are of the will are seen ; " that the foreskin 
 may be uncovered" means so that filthy loves are seen. (That 
 
 " to drink" is to be instrudled in truths, see A.C., n. 3069, 3772, 4017, 4018, 8562, 
 9412 ; in the contr.iry sense, therefore, it means to be imbued with f.ilsities. That 
 " to be made drunken " means to become insane from falsities, thus not to see 
 truths, n. 1072; that "the foreskin" signifies corporeal and earthly loves, n. 4462, 
 
 7045.) From this it can be seen what is signified by 
 
 Noah's drinking wine and becoming drunken, so that he lay naked in 
 the midst of his tent, and that Ham laughed at the nakedness of 
 his father; . . .but Shem and Japheth covered his nakedness, and 
 turned away their faces that they might not see the nakedness of 
 their father" (Gen. ix. 21-23). 
 
 (But these things may be seen explained in Arcana Caelestia, where they are treated 
 
 of.) [10.] In Lamc?itaiw7is : 
 
 "O daughter of Edom,...the cup shall pass through unto thee also; 
 thou shalt be drunken, and shall be made naked" (iv. 21). 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 17. — N. 24o[<:]. 379 
 
 Here, " being drunken and made naked " signify the same as above. 
 
 (But who those are who are meant by "Edom," see^.C, n.3322, 8314.) In Isaiall : 
 
 Daughter of Babylon and of Chaldea, " sit upon the ground Take 
 
 the millstone, and grind meal ; uncover thy locks,. . . .uncover the 
 thigh, pass through the rivers. Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, 
 yea, thy shame shall be seen " (xlvii. 1-3). 
 
 By "the daughter of Babylon and of Chaldea" those are meant 
 who profane the goods and truths of the church. " To grind meal " 
 means to falsify truths ; " to uncover the locks and the thigh " means 
 to be lacking in intelligence from truth and will from good ; the 
 same is meant by "passing through the rivers," and "uncover- 
 ing nakedness." 
 
 [c.] [II.] Because "nakedness" signified lack of understand- 
 ing from truth and of will from good, it was commanded 
 
 That Aaron and his sons should not ascend by steps upon the altar, 
 " that their nakedness be not discovered thereon " {Exod. xx. 26) ; 
 
 Also that " they should make them linen breeches to cover the flesh of 
 
 their nakedness and that these should be upon them when 
 
 they went in unto the tent of meeting, and when they came near 
 to the altar, .... and that otherwise they should bear iniquity and 
 die " {Exod. xxviii. 42, 43). 
 
 From all this it is clear what is signified by the words in the fol- 
 lowing verse of this chapter : " I counsel thee to buy of Me .... 
 white garments, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame 
 of thy nakedness be not manifest." Also in the following pas- 
 sage of this book, the Apocalypse : 
 
 " Blessed is he that is wakeful and keepeth his garments, lest he walk 
 naked, and his shame be seen " (xvi. 15). 
 
 [12.] Moreover, "the naked" in the Word mean those also who 
 are not in truths and therefore not in good, being ignorant of truths 
 and yet longing for them. This is the case with those within the 
 church when those who teach are in falsities, and with those out- 
 side of the church who do not have the Word and are conse- 
 quently ignorant of truths and know nothing about the Lord. 
 Such are meant in the following passages. In Isaiah : 
 
 " Is not this the fast that I chose To break bread to the hun- 
 gry, .... and when thou seest the naked that thou cover him ?" 
 (Iviii. 6, 7.) 
 
 In Ezekiel : 
 
 " Let him give his bread to the hungry, and cover the naked with * gar- 
 ment " (xviii. 7). 
 
 And in Matthew : 
 
 ■' I was naked, and ye clothed Me not" (xxv. 43). 
 
380 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 "To cover with a garment," and "to clothe," signify to instru6l 
 
 in truths. (That "garments" are truths, see above, n. I95M- That "naked" 
 signifies also good of innocence, see A.C., n. 165, 8375, 9960; and in Heaven and 
 Hell, n. 179, 180, 280.) 
 
 24.1* [ Verse 18.] "/ counsel thee " signifies the ?neans of reform- 
 ation of those who are in the doHrine of faith aloiie. — This is 
 evident fi^om wliat now follows, for the reformation of those who 
 are in that do6lrine is now treated of; therefore "I counsel thee"' 
 implies dire6lions how such must live that they may be reformed 
 and thus saved. 
 
 242[«]. "To buy of Me gold tried by fire, that thou mayesi 
 be enriched," signifies that they should acqtiire for themselves 
 from the Lord geyiuine good, that they may be able to receive 
 truths of faith. — This is evident from the signification of " buying," 
 as meaning to acquire and appropriate to oneself (see A.c, n. 4397, 
 5374, 5397,5406, 5410, 5426) ; also from the signification of "gold tried 
 by fire," as meaning genuine good, thus good from the Lord (of 
 which presently) ; also from the signification of "that thou mayest 
 be enriched," as meaning to be enabled to receive truths of faith. 
 This is the signification of being "enriched," because "riches" and 
 "wealth" signify knowledges of truth and good, and "the rich" 
 are those who are in intelligence by means of knowledges, and 
 here, those who are in faith by means of them, since those who 
 are in the do6lrine of faith alone are here treated of From this it 
 is clear that " to buy of Me gold tried by fire, that thou mayest be 
 enriched," signifies that they must acquire for themselves genuine 
 good from the Lord so that they may receive truths of faith. 
 [2.] It shall first be told how this is to be understood. As has often 
 been said before, truth that is truth in itself is not possible unless 
 it be from good, thus faith that is faith in itself is not pos- 
 sible unless it be from charity ; for truth that is truth in itself is 
 not possible unless there is spiritual life within it, and spiritual life 
 is within it when it is formed according to good of charity ; for 
 truth is the form of good, and good is the esse of truth, thus its 
 life ; and good is from no other source than the Lord. When there 
 is good from the Lord the truth that is from the good looks 
 primarily to the Lord and also to the neighbor and his good, 
 for the Lord flows in with good and by it forms truth, which 
 is the truth of faith, and causes man's spiritual sight to look 
 
 to, Him and to the neighbor. (That this is so, see what is shown in 
 Heaven and Hell, n. 145, 251, namely, that the Lord looks at angels and men in 
 the forehead, and these look to the Lord through the eyes; for the reason that the 
 forehead corresponds to the good of love, and the eyes to the understanding en- 
 lightened thereby, consequently to truths of faith. Also in the same work, n. 17, 
 123, 124, 142-144, 510, it is shown that in the spiritual world all are turned to theil 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE l8. — N. 242[rt]. 381 
 
 own loves, .ind those who have acknowledged the Lord and believed in Him are 
 turned to Him, and therehy have good, and through good, eniightmcnt in rcspecfl to 
 
 truths.) From all this it can be seen what the genuine good is that 
 is signified by "gold tried by fire," namely, that it is good from the 
 Lord alone. [3.] As what is written to the angel of this church 
 treats of those who live according to the do61rine of faith alone, and 
 as those who had confirmed themselves in that do<5lrine, and were 
 on that account called learned in the world, were able to join falsi- 
 ties with truths and make the do<5lrine appear as if it were true, 
 it was granted me to talk with some of these in the other life ; and 
 as the things that were then said on either side may serve for illus- 
 tration I will present them. These learned ones, from their belief 
 while in the world, supposed that there might be faith without 
 charity, and that man may be made righteous by that alone. Their 
 talk was very ingenious ; they said that faith without charity is pos- 
 sible because it is prior to charity, and because by it man is in good. 
 "Who," they said, "is not able to believe that there is a God, that 
 the Word is Divine, and other like truths, which unless believed 
 could not be received and thought of by man?" From this they 
 concluded that as faith precedes, or is prior to, charity, there can 
 be faith without charity ; and if there can be, that- it must be saving, 
 since man cannot do good from himself; unless, therefore, that faith 
 were saving all would perish : moreover, without faith there could 
 be no presence of God with man ; and without the presence of God 
 evil would reign, and no one would have any good. This, they said, 
 is what is meant by justification by faith alone. But it was shown 
 them that there could not be faith unless there was at the same 
 time charity ; and that what they called faith was nothing but the 
 knowledges that are first acquired by every man ; for example, that 
 there is a God, that the Word is Divine, and the like, and that these 
 knowledges are not in the man until they are in his will, but are in 
 the entrance to him, which is his memory ; but so far as they are 
 in his will so far they are in the man himself, for the will is the man 
 himself; and so far as they are in the will so far they are in his 
 sight, which is faith. These knowledges that precede, and that ap- 
 pear to the natural sight as if believed, do not until then come to 
 be of faith ; consequently this seeing knowledges, that is thought to 
 belong to faith, recedes step by step from man as he begins Ir^^m 
 willing evil to think evil, and also recedes from him after death 
 when he becomes a spirit, if the knowledges have not been rooted 
 in his life, that is, in his will or love. [4.] This may be illustrated 
 by a comparison with the stomachs of birds and beasts of the earth 
 that are called ruminating stomachs. Into these they first collect 
 
3S2 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 their food, and afterwards by degrees take it out and eat it, and 
 thus nourish the blood; food thus becomes a part of their life. 
 With man the memory corresponds to these stomachs ; and man 
 is endowed with memory instead of these because he is spiritual ; 
 into this he first gathers spiritual foods, which are knowledges, 
 and afterwards he takes them out by a sort of ruminating, that is, 
 by thinking and willing, and assimilates them, and thus makes 
 them a part of his life. From this comparison, although ti'ifling, 
 it can be seen that knowledges, unless implanted in the life by 
 thinking and willing them and then doing them, are like food 
 that remains unconsumed in ruminating stomachs, where it either 
 becomes putrid or is vomited out. Moreover, the circle of man's 
 life is to know, to understand, to will, and to do; for man's spirit- 
 ual life begins with knowing, passes next to understanding, then 
 to willing, and finally to doing. From this it is clear that so long 
 as knowledges are in the memory they are merely in the entrance 
 to the life, and that they are not fully in man until they are in 
 a6ls, and the more fully they are in a6ls the more fully they are 
 in understanding and will. 
 
 [ft.] [5.] It was further shown that faith of knowledges before 
 it becomes faith of life is historical faith, the nature of which is 
 well known, namely, that it is belief grounded upon what another 
 has said ; until this has been made man's own it is an alien thing, 
 or something belonging to some one else. Historical faith, more- 
 over, is like belief in things unknown, for it is asserted that 
 things must be believed though not understood, in fact, that they 
 must not be searched into by the understanding ; and yet spirit- 
 ual faith is such that by it truths themselves are seen and are 
 consequently believed. In heaven no one believes any truth 
 unless he sees it or has seen it ; for they say, " Who can believe 
 that a thing is so unless he sees it? it may possibly be false." 
 And only the evil can believe what is false ; for the evil from evil 
 see falsities, but the good from good see truths ; and as good is 
 from the Lord, seeing truth from good is also from the Lord. 
 Angels see truths because the light of heaven, in which they are, 
 is Divine truth going forth rom the Lord ; all, therefore, even 
 those in the world, who are in that light are able to see truth. 
 
 (Of the light of heaven, and that it is such, see Heaven and Hell, n. 126-140.) 
 
 [6.] It was then shown that charity and faith a6l as one and enter 
 together into man, thus that man so far as he is in faith is in char- 
 ity, since faith in its essence is charity, just as truth in its essence 
 is good ; for good, when it comes forth in manifestation or in form 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE l8. — X. 242[f]. 383 
 
 is truth ; in like manner charity is faith, for good is of charity 
 and truth is of faith ; moreover, the one loves the other and con- 
 joins itself to the other, therefore one is not possible unless the 
 other be with it. This was illustrated by man's thought, which is 
 of his understanding, and his affection, which is of his will ; to 
 think apart from affection is impossible, for the very essence of 
 thought is affe(5lion or love. Man is able, to be sure, to think all 
 things that he knows from the doclrine of the church, but only 
 from a natural affection, which is an affecflion or love for glory, 
 fame, honor or gain ; and such an affe<5tion does not make thought 
 to be spiritual ; this requires charity, which is spiritual afife6tion 
 itself When this is joined with knowledges there is faith, and 
 then so far as man is in that affedtion he sees in thought the things 
 that are of his faith, which are called truths, and acknowledges 
 them, because they are from his very spirit, thus from his very 
 spiritual life. This is what is called enlightenment ; and this is 
 why no one can be enlightened from the Word unless he is in a 
 spiritual affedion for truth. Something like enlightenment is pos- 
 sible with those who have confirmed themselves in such things 
 as are of the doctrine of faith alone and justification by faith ; 
 but that enlightenment is a fatuous enlightenment, since falsities 
 as well as truths can be confirmed, like all those heresies that 
 prevail both among the Jews and among Papists. To those who 
 are called naturalists, who deny God, the Divinity of the Word, 
 and all things belonging to the church, a similar light is possible, 
 after confirmations ; like that with those who have confirmed them- 
 selves in faith alone and justification by faith. (That the light of 
 
 confirmation is natural, not spiritual, and is possible also with the evil, see ^I.C, 
 n. 8780.) 
 
 [r.] [7.] But let us return to the faith that in its essence is 
 charity. That faith is continually perfe6t;ed by such things as con- 
 firm ; for from spiritual light more truths are constantly being seen, 
 and all these join themselves to the good of charity, and perfe6l 
 it. From this man has intelligence and wisdom, w-hich at length 
 become angelic. Moreover, those who are merely in knowledges 
 of faith, and not in a life according to them, suppose that man can 
 easily receive" faith, if not in the world yet in another life, saying 
 within themselves, " When I hear and see that a thing is so can I 
 not believe it?" But they are greatly mistaken ; for those who 
 have not received spiritual faith in the world can never afterwards 
 receive it, even if they were to hear of it and see it a thousand 
 times ; and for the reason that such a faith is not in man, but out- 
 
384 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 side of him. That this is so can be clearly seen from this, that all 
 who come from the world are first received by angels and good 
 spirits, and instruded in every way, and in fad, many things are 
 shown them to the life and before their very eyes, and yet they 
 do not receive ; thus they alienate themselves from angels and 
 good spirits, and join those who are in no faith. [8.] Again, 
 those I talked with were told that if faith could be received by 
 merely knowing and thinking it would be received by all, the evil 
 and the good alike, and thus no one would be damned. That 
 charity, which is spiritual afifedlion, can never be given to any 
 one unless he knows truths, examines himself by means of them, 
 accepts them, and leads a new life in accordance with them, may 
 be seen above (n. 239). From this it follows that charity is the 
 life of faith, and that there is nothing of life in faith except in the 
 measure of the charity that is in it ; also that in the measure that 
 charity is in faith man is led by the Lord, but in the measure that 
 charity is not in faith man is led by himself; and he who is led 
 by himself and not by the Lord is unable to think of good, still 
 less to will and do good which is good in itself; for from what is 
 man's own {ex propria) nothing goes forth except evil ; for when a 
 man thinks of good, and wills and does good from what is his own 
 {ex propria), it is Only for his own sake and for the sake of the world, 
 which are the ends of what he does, and ends are the loves that lead 
 him ; and man cannot be withdrawn from his selfhood {a sua propria) 
 or raised up unless he looks to the Lord in regard to the things 
 that are of life ; by this looking he is conjoined with heaven, and 
 from heaven a spiritual affedion is given him by the Lord. 
 When all this had been said, it was granted to those with whom I 
 was talking on this subjed to be in spiritual light, which light is 
 such that in it truths can be seen as clearly as objeds in the world 
 are seen in its light ; and then those who were in the dodrine of 
 faith alone and justification by faith could not but affirm that this 
 was true ; but as soon as that light was taken away from them, 
 and they were let back into their own light, which was natural, they 
 were unable to see otherwise than that seeing from knowledges is 
 saving faith, and therefore that the falsities that they had made 
 their faith to consist of were truths. Falsities come to be of the 
 faith when evils are of the life. 
 
 [#!.] [9.] But to return to the explanation of the words of this 
 passage, " I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried by fire, that thou 
 mayest be enriched," which signifies that they should acquire for 
 themselves from the Lord genuine good, that they may be able to 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE l8. — N. 2^2[d'\. 385 
 
 receive truths. It now remains to be shown that "gold" in the 
 Word signifies good of love. This can be seen from the following 
 passages. In Malachi : 
 
 "Behold I send My messenger, who shall prepare the way before Me; 
 and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to His temple, 
 even the messenger of the covenant whom ye desire ; . . . . He 
 shall sit refining and purifying silver, and shall purify the sons of 
 Levi, and shall purge them as gold and silver, that they may bring 
 to Jehovah an ofifering in righteousness " (iii. 1-3). 
 
 These things are said of the Lord's coming. It is said that Jeho- 
 vah is to send a messenger who will prepare the way before Him ; 
 and the messenger meant is John the Baptist, as is known. " Before 
 Me," that is, before Jehovah, means before the Lord's Very Divine ; 
 "the temple to which He is to come" means His Divine Human ; 
 this is also called " the messenger of the covenant," because through 
 it there is a conjunction of men and angels with the Very Divine, for 
 covenant means conjundlion. "The silver that He shall sit refin- 
 ing and purifying" means truth from good; "the sons of Levi" 
 mean all who are in good of charity and in truths of faith there- 
 from ; it is therefore said, " He shall purge them as gold and silver." 
 This is said because "gold" signifies good, and "silver" truth 
 therefrom. "Bringing to Jehovah an ofifering in righteousness" 
 means worship of the Lord from good of charity. (That " temple " 
 
 signifies the Lord's Divine Human, see above, n. 220[a]; that "covenant" sig- 
 nifies conjuncftion, see A.C., n. 665, 666, 1023, 1038, 1864, 1996, 2003, 2021, 6804, 
 8767, 8778, 9396, 10632; that " silver " signifies truth from good, n. 1551, 1552, 
 2954, 5658 ; that" an offering " signifies good of love and charity, n. 4581, 9992-9994, 
 10079, 10137; that " righteousness " is predicated of good, n. 2235, 9857.) There- 
 fore "to bring an ofifering in righteousness" signifies worship from 
 good of love. [10.] \n Zechariah : 
 
 " Two parts in all the land shall be cut off, shall expire, but the third shall 
 be left therein. Yet I will lead the third part through the fire, and 
 will refine them as silver is refined, and I will try them as gold is 
 tried " (xiii. 8, 9). 
 
 "All the land" does not mean all the land, but the whole church ; 
 nor does "the third part" mean a third part, but some in the 
 church. " To lead it through the fire, and refine as silver is refined, 
 and to try as gold is tried," signifies to so purify them from evils and 
 falsities that good and truth may be implanted. (That "earth " in the 
 
 Word signifies the church, see A.C, n.662, 1066, 1068, 1262, 1413, 1607, 2928, 3355, 
 4447,4535,5577,6516,9325,9643; that "a third part" signifies some, n. 2788.) 
 
 In these passages there are comparisons of "silver" and "gold" 
 with truth and good ; but in the Word all things that serve as 
 comparisons also correspond, and thence signify (see /i.e.. n. 3579 
 
386 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED, 
 
 8989). Because "gold tried by fire" signifies good of love purified 
 from evils, it was commanded 
 
 That the gold and silver taken from the Midianites should pass through 
 the fire, and thus be purified (Num. xxxi. 22, 23). 
 
 [II.] That "gold" signifies the good of love and of charity is 
 shown further in the following passages. In Hosea: 
 
 "Israel hath forsaken good; the enemy pursueth him ;.... they have 
 made their silver and their gold into idols for themselves" (viii. 
 
 3,4). 
 
 " Making their silver and their gold into idols for themselves " 
 signifies that they have turned truth and good into falsities and 
 evils, as is evident from its being said, " Israel hath forsaken good, 
 and the enemy pursueth him ;" "the enemy" is falsity from evil, 
 and evil from falsity. [12.] \r\ Joel : 
 
 "Yea, what are ye to Me, O Tyre and Zidon ? My silver and My gold ye 
 have taken, and the desirable things of My goods have ye brought 
 into your temples, and the sons of Judah, and the sons of Jerusalem 
 ye have sold to the sons of the Grecians, that ye might remove 
 them far from their borders " (iii. 4-6). 
 
 "Tyre and Zidon" mean those within the church who are in the 
 knowledges of truth and good ; here those who have perverted 
 these, and applied them to falsities and to the evils thereof; this is 
 signified by " Ye have taken My silver and My gold, and the de- 
 sirable things of My goods have ye brought into your temples ;" 
 "silver" signifying truth, "gold" good, and "the desirable things 
 of goods" signifying derived truths and goods, which are know- 
 ledges from the sense of the letter of the Word ; " to carry into 
 their temples" signifies to turn into profane worship; that "they 
 sold the sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem to the sons of 
 the Grecians" means that they changed all truths of good into 
 falsities of evil; "removing them far from their borders" means 
 
 far from truths themselves. (That "Tyre and Zidon" mean those within 
 the church who are in knowledges of truth and good, see A.C., n. 1201 ; that " sons 
 of Judah and sons of Jerusalem " mean all truths of good, because " sons " signify 
 truths, n. 1729, 1733, 2159, 2623, 2803, 2813, 3373, 3704, 7499. 8897, 9807; "Ju- 
 dah" the celestial church, n. 3654, 6364; "Jerusalem" the church where there is 
 genuine dodlrine, n. 3654, 9166 ; that " sons of the Grecians " mean falsities, be- 
 cause "Grecians" signify the nitions that are in falsities, see above, n. 50-) 
 
 [13.] In Ezekiel : 
 
 " The traders of Sheba and Raamah ..... by the chief of all spices, an(? 
 by every precious stone and gold, they have carried on thy trad- 
 ings" (xxvii. 22). 
 
 In the same, 
 
CMAP. III., VERSK iS. — X. 242[rt']. 3S7 
 
 "In thy wisdom and thy intelligence thou hadst made to thyself wealth, 
 
 and hadst gotten gold and silver in thy treasuries Thou wast 
 
 in Eden, the garden of God ; every precious stone was thy cover- 
 ing, .... and gold " (xxviii. 4, 13). 
 
 In these two passages also Txre is treated of, and by it, as was 
 said above, th jse within the church who are in knowledges 
 
 of truth and good are meant. (By "her tradings" those knowledges 
 themselves are meant. " Sheba and Raamah " also mean those who are in these 
 knowledges, see A.C., n. 1171, 3240; "spices" signify truths which are pleasing 
 because from good, see n. 4748, 5621, 9474, 9475, 10199, 10254; " precious stones " 
 signify truths, which are beautiful because from good, n. 9863, 9865. 9868, 9873, 
 9905; " the garden of Eden" signifies intelligence and wisdom therefrom, n. 100, 
 
 108, 1588, 2702,3220.) Now because these things signify knowledges 
 of truth and of good, and "gold and silver" the goods and truths 
 themselves, and because through these all intelligence and wisdom 
 is acquired, it is said, " In thy intelligence and thy wisdom thou 
 hadst gotten .... gold and silver in thy treasuries." [14.] In 
 Lamentations : 
 
 "How is the gold become dim ! how is the most pure gold changed! 
 the stones of holiness are poured out at the head of every street. 
 The sons of Zion are esteemed equal to pure gold ; how are they 
 reputed as earthen bottles, the work of the hands of the potter!" 
 (iv. I, 2.) 
 
 Here the vastation of the church is treated of; "the gold that is 
 become dim, and the most pure gold that is changed," signify the 
 goods of the church ; "the stones of holiness that are poured out 
 at the head of every street" signify the truths therefrom that are 
 falsified; "the sons of Zion, who were esteemed equal to pure 
 gold," signify the truths of the former church ; "earthen bottles, 
 the work of the hands of the potter," signify evils of life from fals- 
 ities of do6lrine, which are from self-intelligence. [15.] In Eze- 
 kiel: 
 
 " I decked thee with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and 
 a chain on thy neck Thus wast thou decked with gold and sil- 
 ver ; and thy garments of fine linen and silk and broidered work 
 
 Thou didst also take the vessels of thine adorning of my gold and 
 of my silver which I had given thee, and madest for thee images 
 with which thou couldst commit whoredom" (xvi. ii, 13, 17, 18). 
 
 Here Jerusalem is treated of, which signifies the church in respedl 
 to do6lrine (as above). "The ornaments with which she was 
 decked" signify in general all truths from good and intelligence 
 therefrom (A.C., n. 10536. 10540) ; " bracelets upon the hands " signify, 
 in particular, truths from good (A.C.,n. 3103. 3105) ; "the chain upon 
 the neck" signifies the conjun6tion of inner goods and truths with 
 OMter, or things spiritual with things natural (A.C.n. 5320); "fine 
 h'nen" signifies genuine truth, and "silk" the same, resplendent 
 
3S8 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 from interior good (^.C, n. 5319, 9469) ; "broidered work " signifies 
 knowledge {sdentificum) pertaining to the natural man (n. 9688) ; "the 
 images with which she could commit whoredom " are the fallacies 
 of the senses, that appear as truths to those who are in falsities ; 
 "to commit -whoredom with them" is to establish falsities by fal- 
 lacies (that " to commit whoredom " signifies to imbue with falsities, see above, 
 
 n. 141 ). From this it is clear that the contents of this chapter de- 
 scribe the church as it was when first established by the Lord, and 
 as it afterwards became. [|6.] \n Isaiah: 
 
 "Behold, I stir up against them the Medes, who shall not value silver, 
 and shall not delight in gold ; their bows shall strike the young 
 men, .... their eye shall not spare the sons " (xiii. 17, 18). 
 
 The "Medes" mean those who are against the goods and truths 
 of the church ; it is therefore said of them, "they shall not value 
 silver nor delight in gold;" "silver" is the truth of the church, 
 and "gold" its good. Their "bows" signify do6lrinals of falsity 
 fighting against truths and goods (A.C., n. 2686, 2709) ; "the young 
 men whom they shall strike " signify those who are intelligent from 
 truths (n. 7668) : " the sons whom they shall not spare " signify truths 
 themselves. [17.] In the same, 
 
 "The troop of camels shall cover thee; ....they all shall come from 
 Sheba ; they shall bring gold and frankincense ; and they shall pro- 
 claim the praises of Jehovah. . . . The isles shall trust in Me, and 
 the ships of Tarshish, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and 
 their gold with them " (Ix. 6. 9). 
 
 Here the coming of the Lord is treated of, and "the troop of cam- 
 els" means all who are in knowledges of truth and good {A.C., 
 n. 3048, 3071, 3143, 3145); "Sheba, from which they shall come," 
 means where those knowledges themselves are (n. 1171,3240) : "the 
 gold and frankincense which they shall bring" mean goods and 
 truths from good, which are therefore pleasing, "gold" is goods, 
 and "frankincense" truths (n. 9993, 10177, 10296) ; "the isles which 
 shall trust" mean the nations that are in Divine worship, but more 
 remote from truths of the church (n. 1158): "ships of Tarshish" 
 mean general knowledges of truth and good, which contain many 
 knowledges in particular (n. 1977, 6385); "the sons whom they 
 shall bring from far" mean truths more remote, "sons" meaning 
 truths (as above), and "from far" those more remote (n. 1613, 9487) ; 
 "their silver and gold with them" signify knowledges of truth 
 and good with them. 
 
 [c] Like things are signifed by 
 
 The wise men who came from the East to the place where the Christ was 
 born, offering gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh {Matt. ii. 11). 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 1 8. — N. 242[d']. 389 
 
 They oflTeretl these because these signified goods and truths, inte- 
 rioi and e.xtcrior, which are gifts plcixsing to God. [18.] In David, 
 
 All kings shall bow themselves before Him ; and all nations shall 
 serve Him. . . . He shall save the souls of the needy. . . . And they 
 shall live, and He shall give thcin of the gold of Sheba " {Psalm 
 Ixxii. II, 13, 15). 
 
 Here also the coming of the Lord is treated of; by " kings that 
 shall bow themselves before Him," and "nations that shall serve 
 Him," all who are in truths from good are meant (that "kings" 
 signify those who are in truths, see above, n. 31 ; and that "na- 
 tions" signify those who are in good, see also above, n. i75[<i]) ; 
 "the needy whom He shall save" mean those who are not in 
 knowledges of good and truth and yet long for them (see also 
 above, n. 238); "gold of Sheba, of which He shall give them," 
 means good of love into which the Lord shall lead them by means 
 of knowledges (what "Sheba" signifies see just above). [19.] In 
 Haggai: 
 
 " I will stir up all nations, that they may come, the choice of all nations, 
 
 and I will fill this house with glory The silver is Mine, and 
 
 the gold The glory of this latter house shall be greater than 
 
 that of the former " (ii. 7-9). 
 
 This also treats of the coming of the Lord; by "nations" those 
 who are in good and in truths therefrom are meant; by "house" 
 the church {A.c, n.3720) ; "the glory with which it shall be filled" 
 means Divine truth (n. 4809. 5922, 8267, 8427. 9429). " The silver is 
 Mine, and the gold," means truth and good that are from the Lord 
 alone. [20.] \r\ Zechariah : 
 
 " The wealth of all nations round about shall be gathered together, gold, 
 silver, and garments in great abundance " (xiv. 14). 
 
 "The wealth of all nations" means knowledges, wheresoever thev 
 are, even with the evil ; " gold, silver, and garments, in great abund- 
 ance," mean goods and truths, spiritual and natural. The same 
 was signified by 
 
 The gold, silver, and garments that the children of Israel borrowed from 
 the Egyptians, when they went away from them (Exod. iii. 22 ; xi. 
 2, 3 ; xii. 35, 36). 
 
 Why this was done, and what it involves, may be seen in Arcana 
 Caelestia (n. 6914, 6917), namely, to represent that the things the 
 evil have shall be taken away from them and be given to the 
 pood 
 
 (according to the Lord's words in Matt. xxv. 28, 29; and in Luke xix 
 24, 26 ; 
 
390 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 and that tliey should make to themselves friends of the unright- 
 eous mammon 
 
 (accoi'ding to the words of the Lord in Luke xvl. 9) 
 
 " The unrighteous mammon " means knowledges of truth and good 
 with those who do not possess them justly, who are those that do 
 not apply them to life. [21.] In David : 
 
 " Kings' daughters are among thy precious ones ; at thy right hand doth 
 stand the queen in the best gold of Ophir The king's daugh- 
 ter within is all glorious ; her clothing is inwrought with gold " 
 (xlv. 9, 13). 
 
 This treats of the Lord ; and "a king's daughter" means a church 
 that is in affe6lion for truth, which is described by "kings' 
 daughters are among His precious ones," which means affe(5lions 
 for truths themselves ; " at His right hand doth stand the queen in 
 the best gold of Ophir" means the Lord's celestial kingdom, which 
 is in good of love ; "her clothing is inwrought with gold" means 
 ihat its truths are from good, [22.] In Matthew : 
 
 Jesus said to His disciples whom He sent forth to preach the gospel, that 
 they " should have no gold, nor silver, nor brass in their purses " 
 
 (X. 9) ; 
 
 by this was represented that they should have nothing of good 
 and truth from themselves, but only from the Lord, and that all 
 things would be given them freely. Because "gold" signified 
 good of love. 
 
 The table on which the shewbread was placed was overlaid with gold 
 
 (Exod. XXV. 23, 24) ; 
 Likewise the altar of incense, which was therefore called " the golden 
 
 altar " {Exod. xxx. 3) ; 
 For the same reason the lampstand was made of pure gold {Exod. xxv. 
 
 31, 38) ; 
 Also the cherubim {Exod. xxv. 18); 
 And for the same reason the ark was overlaid within and without with 
 
 gold {Exod. xxv. 11) ; 
 Likewise many things in the temple at Jerusalem. 
 
 For the tabernacle, in which were the ark, the cherubim, the table 
 on which was the shewbread, the altar of incense, and the lamp- 
 stand, rejiresented heaven, and so did the temple ; therefore the 
 gold therein signified good of love, and the silver truth from good. 
 [23.] As what is most holy in heaven was represented by the 
 gold in the temple, 
 
 When Bclchazzar drank wine out of the vessels of gold brought out of 
 that temple, and at the same time "praised the gods of gold, silver, 
 brass, iron, wood and stone," there appeared written on the wall 
 " Numbered, weighed, divided :" and in that night he was slain 
 'Dan. V. 2, seq.) ; 
 
CHAP. III., VEIiSE IS.— N. 254. 391 
 
 for thereby was siti^nified profanation of good. [24.] Moreover 
 "gold" in the Word in a contrary sense signifies the e\il of 
 self-love, and "silver" falsity therefrom. As in Moses: 
 
 The silver and gold of the nations they shall not covet, for they are abom- 
 inations, nor bring them into their houses, but they shall be ac- 
 cursed, because they arc to be abhorred and detested {Dent. vii. 25, 
 26). 
 
 But this signification of "gold" and "silver" shall be spoken of 
 furthur on. 
 
 243. " And white garments, that thou mayest be clothed," 
 signifies genuine truths and intelligence therefrovi. — This is evi- 
 dent from the signification of "white garments," as meaning genu- 
 ine truths, for garments signify truths (see above, n. I95[<J]), and 
 "white" signifies what is genuine, and is predicated of truths (see 
 above, n. 196) ; also from the signification of "to clothe," as mean- 
 ing to acquire intelligence for oneself therefrom, for by means of 
 genuine truths all intelligence is acquired ; the human understand- 
 ing, indeed, is formed to receive truths, therefore it becomes such 
 as the truths are out of which it is formed. It is supposed that un- 
 derstanding is also an ability to reason from thought and to speak 
 from falsities, and to confirm falsities by many arguments ; but this 
 is not understanding, it is only a power granted to man with the 
 memory to which it is adjoined, and of which it is an adlivity. 
 Yet by means of this power the understanding is born and formed, 
 so far as man receives truths from affe(5lion ; but genuine truths it 
 is not possible for any man to receive from afie6lion except only 
 from the Lord, since they are from Him ; consequently, to receive 
 understanding, that is, to become intelligent, is not possible for 
 any man, except only from the Lord, but it is possible for every 
 one who applies himself to receive (according to what was said 
 above, n. 239[a]). This, therefore, is signified by " I counsel thee 
 to buy of Me white garments, that thou mavest be clothed." 
 
 244. "That the shame of thy nakedness be not manifest" 
 signifies that Jilt hy loves may not appear. — This is evident from 
 the signification of "nakedness," as tneaning absence of truth and 
 good from the understanding, because of absence of these from 
 the will, that is, absence of truth which is of faith, because there is 
 no good which is of love (see above, n. 240[a]). And because this 
 lack is signified by "nakedness," "the shame of nakedness" signi- 
 fies filthy loves, for these appear when they are not removed by 
 love of good and by the faith of truth therefrom. For man is 
 born into two loves, the love of self and the love of the world, 
 therefore by heredity he inclines to love self and the world above 
 
392 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 all thing-s ; these loves are filthy loves, because out of them all 
 evils flow, namely, contempt of others in comparison with oneself, 
 enmity against those who do not favor oneself, hatreds, revenges, 
 craftiness, and deceits of every kind. These loves with their evils 
 cannot be removed except by the two loves, love to the Lord and 
 love towards the neighbor; from these man inclines to love the 
 Lord above all things, and the neighbor as himself These two 
 loves are pure loves, since they are out of heaven from the Lord. 
 Moreover, from these all goods flow ; so far, therefore, as man is 
 in these, so far the filthy loves into which he is born are removed, 
 even until they do not appear ; and they are removed by the Lord 
 by means of truths. From this it can be seen that " I counsel thee 
 to buy of Me white garments, that thou mayest be clothed, and 
 that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear," signifies that 
 one must acquire for himself genuine truths, and from these intel- 
 ligence from the Lord, that filthy loves may not appear. 
 
 245. "And anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou may- 
 est see," signifies that the tnider standing may be somewhat 
 opened. — This is evident from the signification of " eyes," as mean- 
 ing understanding (see above, n. 152); therefore "to anoint the 
 eyes that thou mayest see'" signifies that the understanding may 
 be opened. It is said "to anoint with eye-salve," because "eye- 
 salve" means an ointment made out of flour mixed with oil, and 
 "flour" signifies truth of faith, and "oil" good of love. (That 
 
 "flour" signifies truth of faith, see A.C., n. 2177, 9995; and that "oil" signifies 
 
 good of love, n. 3728, 4582, 4638.) This is SO said because the under- 
 standing sees nothing of truth unless the will is in good, for truth 
 in the understanding is nothing but the form of the good that is 
 in the will. 
 
 246. \_Vcrse 19] "As many as I love / reprove and chasten" 
 signifies temptations then. — This is evident from the signification 
 of "reproving and chastening," as meaning to let into temptations, 
 when it is said of those who are acquiring for themselves good, and 
 by means of it are receiving truths, of whom the preceding verse 
 treats. It is said "as many as I love," which means all those 
 in the do6lrine of faith alone who are in good, that is, in charity, 
 and in truths, that is, in faith, therefrom. These are loved by the 
 Lord because the Lord is present in good, that is, in charity ; and 
 through good or charity is present in truths or faith, and not con- 
 versely. It is here said of those who are in the do<51rine of faith 
 alone that the Lord " reproves and chastens" them, because it was 
 said above, "I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried by fire, 
 and white garments, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the 
 
CHAP. III., VKR.SE 19. — N. 246. 393 
 
 shame of thy nakedness be not manifest, and anoint thine eves 
 with eye-sahc that thou mayest see," which means that those who 
 are in the do6lrine of faith alone should acquire for themselves 
 genuine good and genuine truths, and intelligence therefrom, that 
 filthy loves may not appear, and that the understanding may be 
 somewhat opened. And when this takes place with those who 
 have been in the doctrine of faith alone, they cannot but be let into 
 temptations ; for the principles of falsity in them respecting faith 
 alone and justification by faith cannot be done away with except by 
 means of temptations ; and they must be wholly done away with, 
 since they cannot be conjoined with good of charity, with this 
 truths only are conjoined ; therefore truths must be acquired, as 
 has been said. There is, to be sure, a conjundlion of truths through 
 their declaring that when man has received faith he is led by God, 
 and is thus in good of charity ; and yet they make this of no ac- 
 count, as contributing nothing to salvation, saying, moreover, that 
 nothing condemns one who is in that faith, neither evil of thought 
 and will nor evil of life ; also that he is not under the law, because the 
 Lord fulfilled the law for him ; and that nothing is regarded except 
 faith ; by these things there is disjun6lion. This conjunction they 
 admit, because otherwise the do6lrine would not be consistent with 
 the Word, where charit}- and works are so often mentioned ; but this 
 conjunction is not conjunction with those who are in a life according 
 to the doCtrine, but with those who are in a life according to the 
 Word. [2.] It is said, "As many as I love I reprove and chasten," 
 but by this it is meant not that it is the Lord who reproves and 
 chastens, but infernal spirits, who are in principles of like falsity; 
 it is these who chastise, that is, tempt men. God tempts no one, 
 as is well known ; this, therefore, must always be kept in mind, 
 although in the letter it is said of God that He leads into tempta- 
 tion, that He does evil, that He casts into hell, and many like 
 things. This makes clear that Divine truth in the Word is but 
 litde understood except through its spiritual sense, that is, through 
 teaching by those who have been enlightened. In respeCt' to 
 temptations, man comes into them when he is let into what is his 
 own (in suum proprium), for then Spirits from hell who are in the fals- 
 ities of his dogma and in the evils of his love join themselves to 
 him and hold his thoughts therein ; but the Lord holds his thoughts 
 in truths that are of faith and in goods that are of charity, and as 
 he then is in constant thought about salvation and heaven, there 
 arises in him interior anxiety of mind and combat, which 's called 
 temptation. But those who are not in truths and goods, thus 
 not in any faith from charity, cannot be let into temptations, 
 
394 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 for there is nothing in them that combats with falsities and 
 evils. From this it is that at this day there are few who are 
 tempted, and that it is little known what spiritual temptation is. 
 
 (This is more fully explained in the Arcana Caelestia : see extracts therefrom in The 
 Doflruie of the New yemsalem, n. 196-201.) 
 
 247. "Be zealous, therefore, and repent," signifies that they 
 must have charity. — This is evident from the signification of "being 
 zealous," as meaning to act from spiritual affedion, for this affec- 
 tion is zeal in the spiritual sense ; and as charity is this afifeclion 
 itself, it is said, "be zealous and repent," which signifies that they 
 must have charity. Moreover, no one is let into spiritual tempta- 
 tion unless he is in spiritual affedion, which is called charity ; for 
 unless he is in that, no combat arises with falsities and evils, because 
 there is no zeal in behalf of truths and goods. Since by tempta- 
 tion not only are evils subdued and falsities removed, but also 
 truths are implanted in their place, and these are so conjoined with 
 good of charity as to be one with it, to "be zealous and repent" 
 signifies that they must have charity. 
 
 248. {Verse zo.'] " Befio/d / Stand at the door and knock" Signi- 
 fies the tinceasing presence of the Lord. — This is e\ndent fiom the 
 signification of "door {ostu seu januae),'' as meaning in the highest 
 sense the Lord in respe6l to admission into heaven or into the 
 church, and in the internal sense truth from good, which is from 
 Him, since by this man is admitted (see above, n. 20S). Since 
 it is here said by the Lord, " Behold, I stand at the door and 
 knock," not only His unceasing presence is signified, but also His 
 unceasing wish to admit, and He does admit and conjoin Himself 
 with all who receive Him, which is effeded by means of truths 
 from good or by means of faith from charity ; therefore this fol- 
 lows, " If any one hear My voice, and open the door, I will come 
 in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me." As the word 
 "door" is used, so the word "knocking" is used, which signifies 
 the Lord's unceasing wish to conjoin Himself with man, and to 
 share with him the blessednesses of heaven. That this is the 
 meaning can be seen from this, that in the Lord is Divine love, 
 and Divine love is wishing to give all its own to others, and wish- 
 ing that they may receive it ; and as this can be effected only by 
 man's receiving good and truth, or love and faith, since these are 
 the Divine things that go forth from the Lord and are received 
 (and as these are Divine, the Lord is in them), therefore there is 
 conjunflion of the Lord with angels and with men by means of 
 truths from good or by means of faith from love. The desire to 
 give these things to man and to implant them in him is signified 
 
CHAP. III., VKRSE 20. — N. 248. 395 
 
 especially by, "I stand at the door and knock." [2.] There are 
 two things that are in man's freedom by reason of the unceasing 
 presence of the Lord, and His unceasing desire to conjoin Himselt 
 with man. The first thing therefrom in man's freedom is that he 
 has the means and capacity to think in the right way about the 
 Lord and the neighbor ; for every one is able to think in a riglit 
 or a wrong way about the Lord and the neighbor; if he thinks in 
 a right way the door is opened, if in a wrong way it is shut. To 
 think in a right way about the Lord and the neighbor is not from 
 man himself and what is his own {ejus propria), but from the Lord, 
 who is unceasingly present and by His unceasing presence gives 
 man that means and capacity ; but to think in a wrong way about 
 the Lord and the neighbor is from man himself and what is his 
 own {ejus propria). The other thing which is in man's freedom by rea- 
 son of the unceasing presence of the Lord with him, and the Lord's 
 unceasing desire to conjoin Himself with man, is man's ability 
 to abstain from evils ; and so far as he does abstain the Lord opens 
 the door and enters ; for the Lord is unable to open and enter so 
 long as evils are in man's thought and will, since these block the 
 way and close it up. Moreover, it has been granted to man by the 
 Lord to become acquainted with the evils of thought and will, 
 and the truths by which evils are to be dispersed ; for the Word is 
 given wherein these things are disclosed. [3.] From all this it can 
 be seen that nothing is lacking that man may be reformed if he 
 wishes to be ; for all the means of reformation have been be- 
 queathed to man in his freedom ; but it should be clearly recog- 
 nized that this freedom is from the Lord, as was said above, and 
 that the Lord effedls reformation thereby, provided man, from the 
 freedom that is given to every one, receives. Reception must be 
 wholly from man, which is meant by "If any one hear My voice 
 and open the door." It does not matter, since man does not per- 
 ceive the inflowing, that in the beginning he does not know that this 
 is done by the Lord, provided he afterwards believes from the 
 Word that all good of love and truth of faith are from the Lord, for 
 the Lord effecls these things, although man does not know it, and 
 this by His unceasing presence, which is signified by " I stand at the 
 door and knock." In short, it is the Lord's wish that man of him- 
 self should abstain from evil things and do good, but should believe 
 that the ability to so do is not from man, but from the Lord ; for it 
 is the Lord's will that there be reception on man's part, and recep- 
 tion is possible only as man a6ls as of himself, though in facfl from 
 the Lord. Thus ability to reciprocate is given in man, and this is 
 
396 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 his new will. [4.] From all this it can be seen how mistaken 
 those are who say that man is justified and saved Vjy faith alone, 
 because he cannot do good from himself. What else would this 
 be than letting his hands hang down waiting for immediate in- 
 flux? He who does this receives nothing at all. They also err 
 who believe that they can make themselves receptive of influx by 
 prayers, adorations, and external 3.6\s of worship ; these things 
 are of no effe6l unless man abstains from thinking and doing evils, 
 and by truths from the Word leads himself, as of himself, to things 
 good in respe6l to life ; when man does this he makes himself re- 
 ceptive, and then his prayers, adorations, and external adls of 
 
 worship avail before the Lord. (On this see more in Heaven and Hell, 
 n. 521-527.) 
 
 249. "If any one hear My voice" signifies if one attends 
 to the Lord's precepts. — This is evident from the signification of 
 "to hear," as meaning to attend, that is, to observe with attention, 
 and to hearken or obey ; for things that enter by the hearing are 
 not only seen by the understanding, but also, if they are in accord 
 with man's affeflion, are obeyed ; for interior afife6lion joins itself 
 to things heard, but not to things seen. There are therefore two 
 significations of hearing and hearkening in common discourse, 
 namely, to hear anyone or listen, and to hear to anyone or hearken 
 to him ; the latter means to obey, but the former means to per- 
 ceive ; consequently "hear thou" means to be obedient, and "see 
 thou" means to be intelligent. Such things in common discourse 
 have their origin in the spiritual world, in which man is in respedl 
 to his spirit (see above, n. 14 and 108). This is evident also 
 from the signification of " My voice," that is, the Lord's voice, 
 as meaning truths of the Word, of do6lrine, and of faith therefrom, 
 thus precepts (see A.C., n. 219, 220, 3563, 6971, 8813, 9926). [2.] It is 
 said, if one attejids to the Lord^s precepts ; which means if one 
 wishes to know truths, and to study them from the Word ; this 
 no one can do who is in evils of life, and who has confirmed him- 
 self in falsities of do6lrine. Those who have confirmed themselves 
 in falsities of do6lrine attend to nothing in the Word except what 
 favors the principles of their falsity ; other things they either pass 
 by, as if not seen, or pervert and falsify ; while those who are in 
 evils of life do not concern themselves about truths, and when they 
 hear them do not listen to them. Thus in one way of hearing, 
 which is seeing and perceiving truths, they receive, but not in the 
 other way, which is hearkening to or obeying truths. But those who 
 wish to know truths, and to study them from the Word, are such 
 
CHAP. III., VKKsi-: 20. — X. 25o[a]. 3^7 
 
 as are in spiritual affection for truth ; these love truth because it is 
 truth; and those are in that affection who wish to live according 
 to truths tioni the Word, thus accordint,^ to the Lord's command- 
 ments. Such are meant by " If any one hear My voice and open 
 the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, an<l he 
 with Me." 
 
 *50[/l]. "And open ihe c/oor " signifies reception in the heart 
 or the life. — This is e\ident from the signification of "opening the 
 door," as meaning to admit, for " door" signifies admission (see 
 above, n. 208); but here "opening the door" signifies reception 
 in the heart or the life, for it follows, "I will come in to him." 
 It is said, "if he open the door," as if man opened it, when yet it 
 is the Lord Himself who opens, as was said and shown above (n. 
 248). It is so said because it so appears to man, by reason of the 
 freedom gi\en him by the Lord. Moreover, in the sense of the 
 letter of the Wortl many things are said according to appearances ; 
 but those appearances are put off in heaven, where the internal or 
 spiritual sense of the Word is. The sense of the letter of the Word 
 is in many places according to appearances, in order that it may 
 serve as a basis for the sj^iritual sense ; otherwise it would have no 
 basis or foundation. That many things in the Word are said accord- 
 ing to appearances can be seen from this, that it is said in the Word 
 that evil is from God, that wrath, anger, and revenge pertain to God, 
 and other like things ; when yet God does evil to no one, nor does 
 any anger or revenge pertain to Him ; in fa6^. He is good itself and 
 love itself; but because such is the appearance when man does evil 
 and is punished it is so said in the sense of the letter ; but .'n the spir- 
 itual sense of the Word the meaning is different. So is it with this 
 "if any one open the door." [2.] It shall also be explained what 
 is meant by "opening the door," when this is said to be done by 
 man, as here. The Lord is always present with the good and trui.K 
 in man, and strives to open his spiritual mind ; this door the Lord 
 wishes to open, and to endow man with heavenly love and faith ; 
 for He says, " I stand at the door and knock." But of this endea\or 
 or this unceasing desire of the Lord man has no perception ; for 
 he believes that he does good from himself, and that this endea\or 
 or this wish is in himself. It is sufficient then for man to acknow- 
 ledge from the doctrine of the church that all good is from God, and 
 nothing thereof from man. This is not perceived by man, in order 
 that there may be reception by man, and by reception appropriation, 
 for otherwise man cannot be reformed. [3.] This shows how much 
 in error those in the do<5lrine of faith alone are in saying and be- 
 
39^ APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 Heving that it is faith and not good of life that saves, that is, that 
 man is justified by faith alone, thus excluding man's inclination 
 to receive. They know that man must examine himself, must see 
 and confess his evils, not only those of a6l but also those of 
 thought and intention, and that he must afterwards abstain from 
 them and shun them and lead a new life, which must be a life of 
 good ; and that unless he does this there is no forgiveness for 
 him, but damnation. This the do6i:ors and leaders of the church 
 teach when they preach from the Word, and this they teach 
 everyone who comes to the Holy Supper ; this they then teach 
 as if from faith ; but as soon as they go away and give attention 
 to their do6lrine of justification by faith alone they no longer 
 believe these things, but say that all are led from evil to good by 
 God when they have received faith ; and some of them, that they 
 may conne6t their principles of falsity with truths, say that when 
 they have been justified by faith they are led by God to examine 
 themselves, to confess their sins before God, to abstain from 
 them, and so on. This, however, is true of no one who believes 
 in justification by faith alone, but it is true of those who live a 
 life of charity. By that life a man is conjoined with heaven, 
 but no man is so by faith alone. He who is conjoined with 
 heaven by a life of charity is led by the Lord to see his evils, 
 both evils of thought and evils of will. Man sees evils from 
 good, because evils are contrary to good. But one who be- 
 lieves in salvation by faith alone says in heart, " I have faith, 
 since I believe the things that are said ; nothing condemns 
 me ; I have been justified ;" and one who so believes can in no 
 way be led by the Lord to examine himself and to repent of 
 evils. Thus do they teach truths before the people, who from 
 this believe that living aright and believing aright are meant by 
 being justified by faith, neither do they look any deeper into the 
 arcana of their do6lrine. These are the ones who are saved ; 
 the former are the ones who are condemned. That they are 
 condemned they themselves might see if they were willing, for 
 they believe from do6lrine that goods of life, which are works, 
 contribute nothing to salvation, but faith alone ; when yet works 
 are abstaining from evils and living a new life, without which 
 there is condemnation. [4.1 That such preachings as are not 
 from the arcana of their dodrine, and also the prayers received 
 in the church teach thus, can be seen from what is read before 
 all the people who come to the altar to enjoy the Sacrament of 
 the Supper, which shall be quoted here, as follows; 
 
CHAP. HI VERSE 20. — N. 25o[f]. 399 
 
 [ft.] " The way and means to be received as worthy partakers 
 of that liolv table is, first, to examine your lives and conversations by 
 the rule of God's commandments; and whereinsoever ye shall per- 
 ceive yourselves to have offended, cither by will, word, or deed, there 
 to bewail your own sinfulness, and to confess yourselves to Almighty 
 God, with full purpose of amendment of life. And if ye shall per- 
 ceive your ofTences to be such as are not only against God but also 
 against your neighbors, then ye shall reconcile yourselves unto 
 them; being ready to make restitution and satisfacflion according 
 to the uttermost of your power, for all injuries and wrongs done by 
 you to any other; and being likewise ready to forgive others that 
 have offended you, as ye would have forgiveness of your offences at 
 God's hand ; for otherwise the receiving of the holy communion doth 
 nothing else but increase your damnation. Therefore if any of 
 you be a blasphemer of God, a hinderer or slanderer of His Word, 
 an adulterer, or be in malice or envy, or in any other grievous crime, 
 repent vou of your sins, or else come not to that holy table; lest 
 after the taking of that holy sacrament the devil enter into you, as 
 he entered into Judas, and fill you full of iniquities, and bring you 
 to destru(flion both of body and soul 
 
 "Judge therefore yourselves, that ye be not judged of the Lord ; 
 repent ye trulv for your sins past; have a lively and steadfast faith 
 in Christ our Saviour; amend your lives, and be in perfect charity 
 with all men 
 
 " Ye that do truly and earnestly repent of your sins, and are in love 
 and charity with vour neighbors, and intend to live a new life, fol- 
 lowing the commandments of God, and walking from henceforth in 
 His holy ways, draw near with faith, and take this holy sacrament to 
 your comfort : and make your humble confession to Almighty God." 
 
 [c] [5.] From this it can now be seen that the do6lors and 
 leaders of the church know, and yet do not know, that this way, 
 and not the way of faith apart from this, is the way to heaven ; 
 they know when they pray and preach before the people what 
 is here quoted ; but they do not know when they teach from 
 their do6lrine. The former way they call pradlical religion, the 
 latter the Christian religion ; the former they believe to be for 
 the simple, but the latter for the wise. But I am able to assert 
 that those who live according to the dodlrine of faith alone and 
 justification by faith have no spiritual faith at all, and after the 
 life in this world they come into damnation. But those who 
 live according to the do<5lrine drawn from the above exhorta- 
 tions have spiritual faith, and after the life in this world come 
 into heaven. This also perfectly agrees with the faith received 
 throughout the Christian world, called the Athanasian Faith, in 
 which are these words respefling the Lord : 
 
 "At whose coming all men shall give account for their own 
 works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlast- 
 ing ; and they that have done evil into everlasting fire : this is the 
 catholic faith." 
 
4CXD APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED, 
 
 [6.] That these things are in perfedl agreement with the Word is 
 evident from the following passages : 
 
 " The Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels, 
 and then He shall render unto every man according to his works " 
 {Matt. xvi. 27). 
 
 " They that have done good shall go forth unto the resurrecflion of life, 
 and they that have done evil unto the resurredlion of damnation " 
 {John V. 28, 29). 
 
 "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord ; yea, saith the Spirit, that 
 they may rest from their labors ; their works do follow them " 
 {Apoc. xiv. 13). 
 
 " I will give unto each one of you according to his works " {Apoc. ii. 23). 
 
 " I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God ; and books were 
 opened ; . . . . and the dead were judged out of the things which 
 were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea 
 gave up the dead who were in it, and death and hell gave up the 
 dead that were in them, and they were judged every one according 
 to their works" {Apoc. xx. 12, 13). 
 
 ** Behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give every man 
 according to his works" {Apoc. xxii. 12). 
 
 In what is written to the seven churches it is said to each, " I 
 know thy works." Thus, 
 
 " To the angel of the Ephesian church write. These things saith He that 
 
 holdeth the seven stars in His right hand, I know thy works" 
 
 {Apoc. ii. I, 2). 
 " To the angel of the Church of the Smyrneans write, These things saith 
 
 th€ First and the Last, I know thy works " {Apoc. ii. 8, 9). 
 
 "To the angel of the church in Pergamum write, These things saith 
 
 He that hath the sharp two-edged sword, I know thy works " 
 
 (verses 12, 13). 
 "To the angel of the church in Thyatira write, These things saith the 
 
 Son of God, I know thy works and charity" (verses 18, 19). 
 
 "To the angel of the church of Sardis write. These things saith He that 
 
 hath the seven spirits of God, 1 know thy works " (chap. iii. i). 
 
 " To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write. These things saith 
 
 the Holy, the True, I know thy works" (verses 7, 8). 
 
 "To the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write. These things saith 
 
 the Amen, the faithful and true Witness I know thy works " 
 
 (verses 14, 15). 
 
 In yeremiah : 
 
 •' I will recompense them according to their work, and according to the 
 doing of their hands " (xxv. 14). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 Jehovah, " whose eyes are open upon all the ways of men, to give 
 every one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his 
 works" (xxxii. 19). 
 
 In Ho sea : 
 
 "And I will visit upon his ways, and reward his works to him " (iv. o). 
 
 In Zechariak : 
 
 "Jehovah. ...according to our ways and according to our works doeth 
 with us" (i. 6). 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 20.— N. 250[fJ. 40I 
 
 So in tlie following' passages. In yolin : 
 
 " If ye know these things, blessed are ye if ye have done theni"(xiii. 17). 
 
 In Luke : 
 
 "Why call ye Me, Lord, and do not the things that I say?" (vi. 46.) 
 
 In Matthew : 
 
 " Whosoever doeth and teacheth, he shall be called great in the kingdom 
 of the heavens " (v. 19). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn down, and 
 
 cast into the fire Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, 
 
 Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but he that 
 
 doeth the will of My Father who is in the heavens Who 
 
 heareth My words and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise 
 
 man But who heareth My words and doeth them not, I will 
 
 liken him unto a foolish man " (vii. 19-27). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " He that was sown upon good ground, this is he that heareth the Word 
 
 and understandeth, who beareth fruit and bringeth forth "(xiii. 23). 
 (In Mark, " These are they that were sown on good ground who hear 
 
 the Word and accept it, and bear fruit " iv. 20). 
 (In Luke, "The seed that fell into good ground are such as in a simple 
 
 and good heart hear the Word, hold fast, and bring forth fruit " 
 viii. 15). 
 When the Lord had said these things. He cried, saying, "He that hath 
 
 ears to hear let him hear " {Matt. xiii. 9 ; Mark iv. 9 ; Luke viii. 8). 
 
 In Matthew : 
 
 " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy 
 
 soul This is the first and great commandment. The second 
 
 is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these 
 two commandments hang the Law and the Prophets " (xxii. 37-40). 
 
 "The Law and the Prophets " means the Word in its whole com- 
 plex. [7.] That to love the Lord God is to obey His words or 
 precepts He Himself teaches in J^ohfi : 
 
 " He that loveth Me keepeth My words ; and My father will love Him, 
 and We will come unto him and make our abode with him. But 
 he that loveth Me not keepeth not My words" (xiv. 21, 23, 24). 
 
 Also in Matthew : 
 
 The Lord said to the goats on His left hand that they should go away 
 into everlasting fire ; and to the sheep on His right hand that they 
 should go into eternal life (xxv. 31-46). 
 
 That " goats " are those who do not do the good things of charity, 
 and "sheep" those who do, is clear from what is there said; 
 they both declared that they did not know that doing good to the 
 neighbor is doing it to the Lord ; but they are taught at the day 
 
402 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 of judgment, if not before, that to do good is to love the L.ord. 
 "The five foolish virgins who had no oil in their lamps" also mean 
 those who are in faith, and not in the good of charity ; and " the 
 five wise virgins who had oil in their lamps" mean those who are 
 in the good of charity also; for "lamp" signifies faith, and "oil" 
 the good of charity. 
 
 It is said that "the wise virgins were admitted ;" but the others who said 
 " Lord, Lord, open to us," received the answer, "Verily, I say unto 
 you, I know you not" {Matt. xxv. 1-12). 
 
 That in the last time of the church there would be no faith in the 
 Lord because no charity, was signified by 
 
 Peter's denying the Lord thrice before the cock crew {Matt. xxvi. 34, 
 69-74). 
 
 The same is signified by 
 
 The Lord's saying to Peter, when Peter saw John following the Lord, 
 "What is that to thee," Peter? " Follow thou Me," John ; for Pe- 
 ter had said of John, "What of this man?" {John xxi. 21, 22.) 
 
 For "Peter" in a representative sense signifies faith, and "John" 
 the good of charity ; and because John signified good of charity he 
 reclined on the Lord's breast {yoh?i xxi. 20). [8.] That this good 
 is what makes the church is signified by the Lord's words from 
 the cross to yohn : 
 
 "Jesus saw His mother, and the disciple standing by whom He loved; 
 and He said unto His mother, Woman, behold thy son ! And 
 He said to the disciple, Behold thy mother ! And from that hour 
 that disciple took her unto himself" (John xix. 26, 27). 
 
 "Mother" and "woman" here mean the church, and "John" the 
 good of charity, and thus these words signify that the church will 
 
 be where there is the good of charity. (But these things maybe seen 
 more fully explained in the passages quoted in The Doftrine of the New Jerusalem, 
 n. 122 ; moreover, that there is no faith where there is no charity, see in The Last 
 yudgmeni, n. 33-39 ; and that man after death is such as his life was in the world, 
 and not such as his faith was, see Heaven and Hell, n. 470-484 ; also what charity 
 is, and what faith is in its essence, see T^e Doftrine of the New jfcrusalem, n. 
 84-122.) 
 
 [fl.] [9,] From what has now been presented let it be con- 
 sidered whether having faith is anything else than living it ; and 
 whether living it is merely knowing and thinking, and not also will- 
 ing and doing ; for faith is not in man when it is only in his knowing 
 and thinking, but when it is also in his willing and doing. Faith in 
 man is faith of the life, but faith not yet in man is faith of the mem- 
 ory and of thought therefrom. Faith of the life means believing 
 in God ; but believing those things that are from God, and not 
 
CflAP. III.. VF.RSF. 20. — N. 251 403 
 
 bclievinc;' in God, is historical faith, which is not saving^. Who 
 that is a true priest and tjood pastor does not wish that men 
 should live aright ; and who does not know that a faith of know- 
 ledges, based on what another has said, is not a faith of the life, 
 but historical faith ? ; lo.] Faith of the life is faith of charity, for 
 charitv is life. But even though this be so. I foresee that those 
 who have confirmed themselves in the do6trine of faith alone 
 and of justification by faith will not recede from it, because they 
 conne(5l falsities with truths ; for they teach truths when they 
 teach from the Word, but falsities when they teach from do6lrine ; 
 and they therefore confound these things by saying that the fruits 
 of faith are goods of life, and that these follow from faith, and 
 yet that goods of life contribute nothing to salvation, but that 
 faith alone saves. Thus they both join and separate the two ; 
 and when they join the two they teach truths, but only before the 
 people, who do not know that they are shifting about, and that 
 they say these things of necessity, in order that their do6trine 
 may be consistent with the Word ; but when they separate 
 the two they teach falsities, for they declare that faith saves, 
 and not the goods of charity which are works, not knowing 
 that charity and faith a6l as one. and that charity is a6ling 
 aright and faith is believing aright, and that believing aright 
 apart from a6ling aright is impossible ; thus that there can be no 
 faith apart from charity ; also that charity is the esse of faith and 
 its soul ; consequently faith alone is faith without a soul, thus 
 a dead faith ; and as such faith is not faith, so justification by 
 faith is a thing of nought. 
 
 251. "/ will come in to Him " signifies coyijun6lio7i. — This is 
 evident from the signification of " coming in," as meaning, in 
 reference to the Lord, to be conjoined with Him ^see a.c, n. 
 3914, 3918. 6782, 6783I. The Lord is conjoined with those who receive 
 Him in heart and life, because the Lord enters or flows into life ; 
 He enters or flows in only with those who are in a life of spir- 
 itual love, or in a life of charity ; for charity is spiritual love. 
 When that love makes a man's life, the Lord enters or flows in 
 through it into truths of faith, and causes man to see. that is. to 
 know these ; from this man has spiritual affedlion for truth. It 
 is a great mistake to suppose that the Lord enters or flows into 
 faith alone or into faith separate from charity with man ; in such 
 a faith there is no life, for it is like the breathing of the lungs 
 without the inflow from the heart, which breathing would be only 
 a lifeless mo\ement. for the breathing of the lungs is made alive 
 by the inflow from the heart, as is well known. This makes clear 
 by what way the Divine that goes forth from the Lord is ad- 
 
404 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 mitted, namely, by the way of the heart, that is, of the love ; 
 whether you say the heart or the love, it is the same as the life 
 of the spirit therefrom. Love makes man's life, as any one 
 may know and see if he is willing to give thought to it ; for 
 what is a man without love? is he not a stock? Therefore, 
 as the love is so is the man. Love is willing and doing, for 
 what a man loves he wills and does. An idea of good of 
 charity and of truth of faith may be formed from the sun's light 
 and heat. When the light that goes forth from the sun is con- 
 joined with heat, as in spring and summer time, all things of the 
 earth bud and blossom ; but when there is no heat in the light, 
 as in winter time, all things of the earth become torpid and die. 
 Spiritual light is truth of faith, and spiritual heat is good of 
 charity. From this an idea may be formed of the man of the 
 church ; that when faith in him is conjoined to charity he is like 
 a garden and a paradise ; but when faith in him is not conjoined 
 to charity he is like a desert, or a land covered with snow. 
 
 252[r#]. "And will sup with him, and he with Me," signifies 
 sharing with ihejn the felicities of heaven. — This is evident from 
 the signification of "supping," as meaning to share the goods 
 of heaven. "To sup" means to share, because "banquets," 
 "feasts," "dinners," and "suppers" in the Word signify con- 
 sociations by love, and thus a sharing of love's delights, for all 
 delights are of love. These things derive their signification 
 from that of bread and of wine, which signify good of love, 
 celestial and spiritual ; and from that of eating together, which 
 signifies sharing and appropriation. This was formerly signi- 
 fied by the paschal supper, and is at this day signified by the 
 
 holy supper (see above, n. 1 46; and in The DoCtrine of the New yenisalem, 
 
 n. 210-222). Mention is made of "supping," because weddings 
 were celebrated at supper time, and weddings signify the con- 
 jun6lion of good and truth, and consequent sharing of delights. 
 It therefore is said in the Apocalypse, 
 
 " Blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb " 
 (xix. 9) ; 
 
 and afterwards, 
 
 " Come and be gathered together unto the supper of the great God " (verse 
 17). 
 
 [2.] As suppers signify consociations by love, and consequent 
 sharing of delights, the Lord compared the church and heaven 
 to a "supper," and also to a "wedding;" to a "supper" in 
 Luke : 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 20. — N. 252[rt]. 405 
 
 "The master of the house made a great supper, and bade many; but 
 all those that were bidden excused themselves. Therefore, being 
 angry, he ordered his servant to bring in the poor, and the maimed, 
 and the halt, and the blind ; saying of those bidden that none ol 
 them should taste of the supper" (xiv. 16-24). 
 
 (Nearly the same is meant by the wedding to which invi- 
 tations were given in Matthew xxii. 1-15.) "Supper" here 
 means heaven and the church; "those bidden who excused 
 themselves" mean the Jews with whom the church then was; 
 for the church specifically is where the Word is, and where the 
 Lord is known through the Word. "The poor, the maimed, 
 the halt, and the blind," mean those who are spiritually such, 
 and who were then outside the church. Heaven and the church 
 are here likened to "a supper" and to "a wedding," because 
 heaven is conjundlion of angels with the Lord by love, and their 
 consociation among themselves by charity, and consequent shar- 
 ing of all delights and felicities ; the same is true of the church, 
 since the church is the Lord's heaven on the earth. (That heaven 
 
 IS conjunction of angels with the Lord by love, and also their mutual consociation 
 by charity, see Heaven and Hell, n. 13-19, and a consequent sharing of all delights 
 
 and felicities, n. 396-400.) [3.] In the Word it is said in many places 
 that those admitted into heaven are "to eat together ;" and this 
 means in the spiritual sense that they are to enjoy blessedness 
 and felicity; thus "eating together" has here the same signi- 
 ficance as "supping," Thus in Luke: 
 
 "They shall come from the east and the west, and from the north and 
 the south, and shall sit at meat in the kingdom of God" (xiii. 29). 
 
 and in Matthew: 
 
 " Many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down to meat 
 with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of the heavens" 
 (viii. 11). 
 
 Those who are to " come from the east and west, and north 
 and south," are all who are in good of love, and in the truths 
 
 of faith therefrom. (That the "four quarters" in the Word have such a 
 signification, see Heaven and Hell, n. 141-153 ; that " Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," 
 mean the Lord in respetft to the Divine itself and the Divine Human, A.C., n. 1893, 
 4615, 6098, 6185, 6276, 6804, 6847; consequently "to sit at meat with them" 
 means to be conjoined with the Lord, and to be consociated together by love, and by 
 such conjundlion and consociation to enjoy eternal blessedness and felicity, and this 
 fix)m the Lord alone.) [4.] In L.uke : 
 
 "Jesus said. Let your loins be girded about, and your lamps burning, 
 and be ye yourselves like unto men looking for their Lord when 
 He shall return from the wedding, that when Hecometh and knock- 
 eth they may open unto Him. Blessed are those servants whom 
 the Lord when He cometh shall find watching ; verily I say unto 
 you, that He shall gird Himself, and make them to sit down to 
 meat, and drawing near, He will minister to them " (xii. 35, seq.). 
 
406 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 "The loins that are to be girded" mean the good of love (yi.C, 
 n. 3021,4280, 9961); "the lamps that are to be burning" signify 
 truths of faith from good of love {A.c, 9548, 9551, 9783) ; "girding 
 Himself, making them to sit down to meat, and ministering to 
 them," signifies to bestow upon them every good. [5.] In the 
 same, 
 
 "Ye are they which have continued with Me in My temptations ; I ap- 
 point unto you, even as My Father hath appointed unto Me, a king- 
 dom, that ye may eat and drink at My table in the kingdom " (xxii. 
 28-30). 
 
 ''To eat and drink at the Lord's table in the kingdom of God" 
 is to be conjoined to the Lord by love and faith, and to enjoy 
 heavenly blessedness. [6.] In Matthew : 
 
 Jesus said, " I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of 
 the vine, until that day when I will drink it new with you in My 
 Father's kingdom " (xxvi. 29). 
 
 These words were spoken by the Lord after He instituted the 
 Holy Supper ; and "the fruit of the vine" signifies Divine truth 
 from Divine good, and blessedness and felicity therefrom. [7.] 
 The signification of "feast" is the same as that of "supper;" 
 in Isaiah : 
 
 "In this mountain shall Jehovah make unto all peoples a feast of fat 
 things, a feast of wines on the lees " (xxv. 6) ; 
 
 Here the coming of the Lord is treated of, and "a feast of fat 
 things" signifies the appropriation and sharing of goods, and 
 " a feast of wines oji the lees," or best wine, the appropriation 
 
 of truths. (That "fat things" signify goods of love, see A.C., n. 353, 5943, 
 10033 ; and also delights of love, n. 6409 ; and that " wine " signifies good of charity, 
 which in its essence is truth, n. 1071, 1798, 6377.) 
 
 [6.] [8.] The "wedding to which the ten virgins were in- 
 vited" has a like meaning, of which in Matthew : 
 
 "The kingdom of the heavens is like unto ten virgins, who took their 
 lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them 
 were wise, and five were foolish. The foolish, when they took their 
 lamps, took no oil with them ; but the wise took oil in their vessels 
 with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom tarried they all 
 slumbered and slept. But at midnight a cry arose, Behold the 
 bridegroom cometh ; go ye out to meet him. Then all those vir- 
 gins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto 
 the wise, Give us of your oil ; for our lamps are going out. But 
 the wise answered, saying, Peradventure there will not be enough 
 for us and you ; go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for your- 
 selves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came ; and 
 they that were ready went in with him to the wedding, and the 
 door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, 
 
CHAP, in., VF.RSK 21. — N. 253[<;]. 407 
 
 Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say 
 to you, I know you not" (xxv. 1-12). 
 
 This treats of conjundion with the Lord by love and faith ; this 
 the " wedding " signifies ; " oil " signifies good of love, and "lamps " 
 truth of faith. To make clear that in every least thing that th€ 
 Lord spake there is a spiritual sense, I will lay open the partic- 
 ulars of the spiritual sense of this parable. The kingdom of the 
 heavens, to which the ten virgins are likened, means heaven and 
 the church ; "the ten- virgins" signify all who are of the church, 
 (" ten " all, and "virgins " those who are in an affection for spiritual 
 truth and good, which affedion constitutes the church,) therefore 
 "Zion" and "Jerusalem," by which the church is signified, are 
 called in the Word "virgins," as "the virgin Zion," and "the 
 virgin Jerusalem," and in the Apocalypse it is said that "virgins 
 follow the Lamb." " The lamps that they took to go forth and 
 meet the bridegroom" signify truths of faith ; "the bridegroom" 
 means the Lord in respe6l to conjunction with heaven and the 
 church by love and faith ; for " a wedding " is treated of, which sig- 
 nifies that conjunction. "The five wise virgins" and "the five 
 loolish" signify those of the church who are in faith from love, 
 and those who are in faith apart from love (the same as "the 
 wise and foolish " in Matthew \\\. 23, 26). " Midnight, when the 
 cry arose," signifies the last judgment, and in general the end of 
 man's life, when he will be adjudged either to heaven or to hell ; 
 " the foolish virgins then saying to the wise, Give us of your oil, 
 and the wise answering that they should go to them who sell," 
 signifies the state of all after death, — that those who have no good 
 of lo\-e in faith, or truth of faith from good of love, then wish 
 to acquire it for themseves, but in vain, since such as man's life 
 has been in the world such he remains. This makes clear what is 
 signified by " the wise virgins " going in to the marriage, and that 
 the foolish who said, " Lord, Lord, open to us," received for an- 
 swer, "Verily I say unto you, I know you not." "I know you 
 not" signifies that the Lord was not conjoined to them, since spirit- 
 ual love conjoins, and not faith without love ; for the Lord has 
 His abode with those who are in love, and in faith therefrom, and 
 these He knows because He is in them. 
 
 253[r#]. {Verse ■21. '\ "He that overcometh, I will give to him 
 to sit with Me in My Mro/;e," signifies that he who is steadfast to 
 ike end of life shall be conjoined ivith heaven where the Lord is. 
 ' — This is evident from the signification of " overcoming," as mean- 
 ing to be steadfast in spiritual affetlion for truth even to the end 
 
408 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 of life (see above, n. 128) ; but here it means to be steadfast in a 
 state of faith from charity, since charity is here treated of This is 
 what "overcoming" means; because so long as man lives in the 
 world he is in combat against the evils and the falsities therefrom 
 that are in him ; and he who is in combat, and is steadfast in the 
 faith of charity even to the end of life, overcomes ; and he who 
 overcomes in the world overcomes to eternity, since man after 
 death is such as his life had been in the world. This is evident 
 also from the signification of "to sit with Me in My throne," as 
 meaning to be conjoined with heaven where the Lord is ; for 
 "throne" signifies heaven, and to "sit with Me" signifies to be 
 together with the Lord, thus conjoined to Him. [2.] In many 
 passages of the Word the word "throne" is used, and in reference 
 to the Lord it signifies in general, heaven, in particular the spirit- 
 ual heaven, and in the abstra6l, Divine truth going forth from the 
 Lord, since this is what makes heaven. For this reason "throne" 
 is also predicated of judgment, since all judgment is effeded by 
 truths. That such is the signification of "throne" in the Word 
 can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah : 
 
 "Jehovah said, The heavens are My throne" (Ixvi. i). 
 
 In David : 
 
 "Jehovah hath established His throne in the heavens" {Psalm ciii. 19). 
 
 And in Matthew : 
 
 " He that sweareth by heaven sweareth by the throne of God and by 
 Him that sitteth thereon" (xxiii. 22). 
 
 It is clear that "throne" in these passages signifies heaven ; for it is 
 said that "the heavens are His throne," that " He hath established 
 His throne in the heavens," and that " he who sweareth by heaven 
 sweareth by the throne of God ;" not because Jehovah or the Lord 
 there sits upon a throne, but because His Divine in the heavens is 
 called "throne," and indeed appears at times as a throne to those 
 to whom it is given to look into heaven. That the Lord was thus 
 seen is evident in Isaiah : 
 
 " I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and His train 
 
 filling the temple" (vi. i). 
 
 "His train filling the temple" signifies that Divine, truth going 
 forth filled the outmost of heaven and the church, for the "Lord's 
 train" signifies in general Divine truth going forth, and in par- 
 ticular Di\ine truth in the outermosts of heaven and in the church 
 
CMAF III., VF.RSE 21. — N. 253[a]. 409 
 
 (see above, n. 220[.;]). [3.] In Ezekicl : 
 
 "Above the firmament tliat was over the head [of the cherubim] there 
 was as the appearance of a sapphire stone, the likeness of a throne, 
 and upon the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the appear- 
 ance of a man upon it above " (i. 26 ; x. i). 
 
 The "throne" had an appearance Hke a sapphire stone, because 
 "sappliire" signified Divine truth goinp;- fortli from the Lord's 
 Divine good, and therefore spiritual truth pellucid from celestial 
 good (see AC, n. 9407, 9873) ; thus "throne" here signifies the whole 
 heaven, for heaven is heaven from Divine truth. (What " chemb" sig- 
 nifies, see A.C., n. 9277 end, 9509, 9673.) [4.] In the Apocalypse : 
 
 " Behold, a throne set in heaven, and upon the throne One sitting 
 
 A rainbow round about the throne, in aspecft like an emerald 
 
 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunders and 
 
 voices Before the throne a glassy sea like unto crystal ; . . . 
 
 and round about the throne four animals, full of eyes before and 
 behind" (iv. 2-6, 9, 10). 
 
 That heaven in respefl to Divine truths is here described will 
 be seen in the explanation of these words in the following chap- 
 ter. There is a like meaning in the following from the Apoca- 
 lypse : 
 
 "A pure river and bright as crystal went forth out of the throne of God 
 and of the Lamb" (xxii. i), 
 
 "A pure river and bright as crystal was seen going forth out 
 of the throne," because a "river" as well as "cr\'star' signifies 
 Divine truth. [5.] "The throne of David" in the Word has 
 the same meaning ; by " David " in the prophetic Word is meant, 
 not David, but the Lord in respect to royalty, which is Divine 
 truth in the spiritual heaven, which is the second heaven. So in 
 Luke : 
 
 The angel said to Mary, " He shall be great, and shall be called the Son 
 of the Most High, and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne 
 of His father David" (i. 32). 
 
 And in IsaiaJi : 
 
 " Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government 
 shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Won- 
 derful, Counsellor, God, Mighty, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace. 
 Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no 
 end ; upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to estab- 
 lish it .... in judgment and in righteousness, from henceforth and 
 even to eternity" (ix. 6, 7). 
 
 It is clear that David is not here meant, nor his throne, on which 
 the Lord was to sit ; for the Lord's kingdom was not on earth 
 
4IO APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 but in heaven ; by "the throne of David," therefore, heaven in re- 
 spe6l to Divine truth is meant (see above, n. 205). The meaning 
 is the same in the Psalms of David, where the Lord speaks of 
 His throne and His kingdom ; as in the whole oi Psalm Ixxxix., in 
 which aii'e tliese words, 
 
 "I have sworn unto David My servant: Thy seed will I establish for 
 ever ; and .... thy throne to generation and generation Judg- 
 ment and righteousness are the foundation of thy throne ; .... I 
 will establish .... his throne as the days of the heavens " (verses 3, 
 4. 14. 29). 
 
 That the Lord is here meant by David, see above (n. 205). The 
 same is signified by "the throne of glory" where the Lord is 
 spoken of, for "glory" signifies Divine truth. As in Matthew : 
 
 "When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels 
 with Him, then shall He sit on the throne of His gJory " (xxv. 31). 
 
 (That " glory" signifies Divine truth in heaven, see A.C., n. 4809, 5922, 8267, 8427, 
 
 9429; and above, n. 33.) This shows what is signified by "the throne 
 of glory" in yeremiah: 
 
 " Do not disgrace the throne of thy glory " (xiv. 21 ; and xvii. 12) ; 
 
 which signifies that Divine truth should not be disgraced. Jeru- 
 salem is called "the throne of Jehovah" from a like signification ; 
 for "Jeiusalem" signifies the church in respe6l to do6lrine; and 
 doctrine is Divine truth. From this it is clear how these words are 
 to be understood in yeremiah : 
 
 "At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of Jehovah, and all 
 the nations shall be gathered unto it" (iii. 17). 
 
 In David, 
 
 "Jerusalem is builded . . . . ; thither the tribes go up ; ... . and there are 
 set thrones for judgment, the thrones of the house of David" 
 (cxxii. 3-5). 
 
 In Ezekiel: 
 
 " The glory of Jehovah came into the house by the way of the gate 
 
 whose face was toward the east And He said unto me, Son 
 
 of man, behold the place of my throne, and the place of the soles 
 of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the sons of Israel for 
 ever" (xliii. 4, 7). 
 
 (That "Jerusalem" signifies the church in respetft to dodlrine, thus Divine truth 
 in the heavens and on the earth, for this makes the church, see A.C., n. 3654, 9166 , 
 
 and above, n. 22^[a,c].) [6.] As all judgment is effeded by truths, 
 and judgment in the heavens by Divine truth, "throne" is also 
 mentioned where the Lord in respetl to judgment is treated of, as 
 above (Matthew xxv. 31 ; and in David, Ps. cxxii. 3-5). Again, 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 21 — N. 253[/5]. 4II 
 
 in David 
 
 Jehovah, "Thou hast e.vecutcd my judpment ; ....thou sattcst on the 
 throne a judge of righteousness: thou hast rebuked the nations, 
 thou hast destroyed the wicked ; . . . . Jehovah shall sit for ever ; 
 lie will establish His throne for judgment" (ix. 4, 5, 7). 
 
 [ft.] It is :il.s(i said in many places in the Word, not only that 
 the LortI i.-> to sit on a throne, but that others shall sit upon thrones, 
 and these " thrones " do not mean thrones, but Divine truths. Thus 
 in the First Book of Samuel: 
 
 " He raiseth up the humbled out of the dust, and lifteth up the needy 
 from the dunghill, to make them sit with princes, and to make them 
 inherit the throne of glory " (ii. 8). 
 
 In the Apocalypse : 
 
 " The four-and-twenty elders who are before the throne of God, sitting 
 upon their thrones" (xi. 16). 
 
 Again, 
 
 " I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto 
 them" (xx. 4). 
 
 In Matthew: 
 
 **Ye who have followed Me in the regeneration, when the Son of man 
 shall sit upon the throne of His glory ye also shall sit upon 
 thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel " (xix. 28 ; Luke xxiL 
 
 30). 
 
 Here "thrones " mean Divine truths, according to and from which 
 all are to be judged ; "twelve" and "twenty-four" signify all things 
 and are predicated of truths ; "elders," and " disciples" also, like- 
 wise "tribes," signify Divine truths. When all this is known, what 
 is meant by "thrones" in the above passages can be seen; also 
 what is meant by "throne" in these words, "He that overcometh 
 will I give to him to sit with Me in My throne." (That " twelve "■ signifies 
 
 all, and that it is predicated of truths, see A.C., n. 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3858, 
 3913; likewise " twenty-four " because that number Is the double of twelve, and 
 arises from it by multiplication, n. 5291, 5335, 5708, 7973. That " the elders of Israel " 
 signify all in the church who are in truths from good, n. 6524, 6525, 6890, 7912, 8578, 
 8585, 9376, 9404; likewise " the Lord's twelve disciples," n. 2129, 3354, 3488, 3858, 
 6397; likewise "the twelve tribes," n. 3858, 3926, 4060, 6335, 7836, 7891.) [7.] 
 
 From this it can be seen what was represented by the throne built 
 by Solomon, thus described in the First Book of Kings : 
 
 Solomon " made a great ivory throne, and overlaid it with pure gold. 
 There were six steps to the throne ; the head of the throne was round ; 
 and behind it were hands on either side near the place of the seat, 
 and two lions standing near the hands ; and there were twelve lions 
 standing upon the six steps on the one side and on the other ; 
 there was not the like made in any kingdom " (x. 18-20). 
 
412 APOCALYPSE EXPLAIXKD. 
 
 Here "ivory" signifies Divine truth in outmosts ; "the head 
 being round," the corresponding good; "the gold with which 
 it was overlaid" Divine good from which is Divine truth. 
 "The six steps" signify all things from first to last; "the two 
 hands" all power; "lions," the truths of the church in thdr 
 power; "twelve," all things. As "throne," in reference to the 
 Lord, signifies heaven in resped to all Divine truth, so in a 
 contrary sense it signifies hell in respedl to all falsity. 
 
 (In this contrary sense "throne" is mentioned Apoc. ii. 13; Isa. xiv. 
 9, 13; xlvii. I ; Hagg. ii. 22; Dan. vii. 9; Luke i. 52; and else- 
 where.) 
 
 254. "As I also have overcome, and am sitting with My 
 Father in His throne," signifies co77iparatively as Divine good 
 is united to Divine truth in heaven. — This is evident from the 
 signification of " overcoming," as meaning in reference to the 
 Lord Himself, to unite Divine good to Divine truth. Because 
 this was effefted through temptations and viflories, it is said, 
 
 "as I also have overcome." (That the Lord united Divine good to Divine 
 truth through temptations admitted into His Human, and through continual vidlo- 
 ries in these, see The Doilrine of the New yemsalem, n. 201, 293,302.) " To 
 
 sit with My Father in His throne" signifies Divine good united 
 to Divine truth in heaven, because "Father," when said by 
 the Lord, means the Divine good that was in Him from con- 
 ception, and "Son" Divine truth, both in heaven, "throne" 
 meaning heaven (see above). This Divine of the Lord in the 
 heavens is called Divine truth, but it is Divine good united to 
 
 Divme truth. (That this is so, see Heaveti and Hell, n. 13, 133, 139, 140.) 
 
 [2.] There is a comparison made between men of the church 
 and the Lord Himself, in His saying, " He that overcometh I 
 will give to him to sit with Me in My throne, as I also have 
 overcome and am sitting with My Father in His throne," be- 
 cause the Lord's life in the world was an example according 
 to which men of the church are to live, as the Lord Himself 
 teaches in yohn: 
 
 " I have given unto you an example that ye also should do as I have 
 
 done to you If ye know these things, blessed are ye if ye do 
 
 them" (xiii. 15, 17). 
 
 So in other places the Lord compares Himself with others ; for 
 example, in yohi : 
 
 Jesus said, " Even as the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you ; 
 abide ye in My love, ....as I have kept My Father's command- 
 ments, and abide in Hif love " (xv. 9, 10). 
 
CHAP. III., \i;ksi- 2 1. — .\. 254. 413 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "They are not of the world, even as I am not of tlic world As Thou 
 
 didst send Me into the world, even so sent I them into the world" 
 (xvii. 16, 18). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "As the Father hath sent Mc, even so send I you" (xx. 21). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "The glory which Thou hast given Me I have given unto them ; that 
 
 they may be one even as we are one, I in them, Thou in Me 
 
 Father, those whom Thou hast given Me, I will that where I am 
 they also may be with Me, that they may behold My glory which 
 
 Thou hast given Me I have made known unto them Thy 
 
 name, and will make it known that the love wherewith Thou 
 hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them " (xvii. 22-24, 26). 
 
 The Lord' spoke of His conjunction with men in the same way 
 as He spoke of His conjunction with the Father, that is, the 
 conjun6lion of His Human with the Divine that was in Him, 
 for the reason that the Lord is not conjoined with what is man's 
 own (proprLi) but with His own that is with man. The Lord 
 removes what is man's own { proprium), and gives of His own, 
 and dwells in that. That this is so is known in the church, as 
 is clear from the customary prayer and the exhortation to 
 those who come to the sacrament of the Supper, in which are 
 these words, 
 
 " If with a true penitent heart and lively faith v/e receive that 
 holy sacrament (for then we spiritually eat the flesh of Christ, and 
 drink His blood), then we dwell in Christ, and Christ in us; and we 
 are one with Christ, and Christ with us." 
 
 (See also yohn vi. 56.) (But these things may be better understood from 
 what is shown in Heaven and Hell, n. Ti, 12.) From this it follows that 
 
 as the Divine of the Lord received by angels and by men makes 
 heaven and the church in them, they are one with the Lord, as 
 He and the Father are one. [3.] That the meaning of these 
 words of the Lord, that " He is sitting with His Father in His 
 throne," may be more clearly seen, it must be noted that " God's 
 throne" is heaven (as was shown in the preceding article), and 
 that heaven is heaven from the Divine that goes forth from the 
 Lord, and this Divine is called Divine truth, but is Divine good 
 united to Divine truth (as was said above). The Lord Himself 
 is not in heaven, but is above the heavens, and is seen by 
 those who are in the heavens as a sun. He is seen as a sun 
 because He is Divine love, and Divine love is seen by angels 
 as solar fire; this is why "sacred fire" in the Word signifies 
 love Divine. From the Lord as a sun light and heat go 
 
414 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 forth : the light that goes forth, since it is spiritual light, is 
 Divine truth ; and the heat, since it is spiritual heat, is Divine 
 good. This, the Divine good, is what is meant by "the Father 
 
 in the heavens." (That the Lord is the Sun of Heaven, and that the light and 
 heat therefrom are Divine truth united to Divine good, may be seen in Heaven and 
 Hell, n. 116-125, 126-140; and that Heaven is Heaven from the Divine tlmt goes 
 
 forth from the Lord, n. 7-12.) From this what is meant in the Word 
 by "Father in the heavens " and by " Heavenly Father" can be 
 seen. Thus in Matthew : 
 
 Do good to your enemies, " that ye may be sons of your Father who is 
 in the heavens" (v. 44, 45). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Ye shall be perfecft, as your Father in the heavens is perfe(5l" (verse 
 
 48). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " Ye who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children ; how 
 much more shall your Father who is in the heavens give good things 
 to them who ask Him " (vii. 11). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " He that doeth the will of the Father who is in the heavens shall enter 
 into the kingdom of the heavens "(vii. 21). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Every plant which the heavenly Father planted not is rooted up' 
 
 (xv. 13). 
 
 Also in other places 
 
 (as in Matt. v. 16 ; vi. r, 6, 8 ; xii. 50 ; xvi. 17 ; xviii. 14, iq, 35 ; Mark xi. 
 25, 26 ; Luke xi. 13). 
 
 [4.] That " Father" means the Divine good can be seen also from 
 this, passage in Matthew : 
 
 " Despise not one of these little ones ; . . . . for their angels do always be- 
 hold the face of My Father who is in the heavens "(xviii. 10); 
 
 that " they behold the face of the Father who is in the heavens " sig- 
 nifies that they receive Divine good from the Lord ; that they do 
 not see His face is evident from the Lord's words in yohn: 
 
 That "no one hath ever seen the Father" (i. 18 ; v. 37 ; vi. 46). 
 
 The same can be seen from this passage in Matthew : 
 
 " Call no man your Father on the earth, for one is your Father who is 
 in the heavens" (xxiii. 9). 
 
 It is plain that no one is forbidden to call his father on the earth 
 
CHAP. III., VERSE 22. — N. 256. 415 
 
 " father," nor is that here forbicklen by the Lord ; Init this was said 
 because " Father" means the Divine good, and 
 
 " No one is good except the one God" {Matt. xix. 17). 
 
 (The Lord spoke thus because " Father" in the Word of both Testaments means 
 in the spiritual sense good, see A.C., n. 3703, 5902, 6050, 7833, 7834 ; also heaven 
 and the church in respedt to good, n. 2691, 2717, 3703, 55B1, 8897; and " Father," 
 when said by the Lord, means the Divine good of His Divine love, n. 2803, 3704, 
 7499. 832S, 8897.) 
 
 255. \Verse 22] "He that hath an ear let him hear what the 
 Spirit saith to the churches" signifies t/iai he who 7inderstands 
 should hearken to 7vhat Divine tnith going forth f7-07n the Lord 
 teaches and says to those who are of His church, as is evident from 
 what was said and shown above (n. loS). 
 
 256* It has been said above, that " the seven churches," which 
 are liere written to, mean not seven churches but all who are 
 of the church, and in an absti'a(5l sense all things of the church. 
 That this is so can be seen from this, that "seven" signifies all per- 
 sons and all things, and that by names things are meant. That the 
 things written to these se\'en churches mean all who are of the 
 church, or all things of the church, can be seen also from the ex- 
 planation of the things addressed to them. For all things of the 
 church have reference to these four generals, namely, Doctrine: 
 A life according to do Brine : Faith according to life : these three 
 are treated of in what is written to six of the churches ; Doctri?ie, 
 in what is written to the churches in Ephesus and Smyrna ; A life 
 according to doctriyie, in what is written to the churches in Thya- 
 tira and Sardis ; and Faith according to life, in what is written to 
 the churches in Philadelphia and Laodicea ; and since do(5lrine 
 cannot be implanted in life and come to be of faith unless man 
 combats against evils and falsities, which he has by heredity, that 
 combat is treated of in what is written to the church in Pergamos ; 
 for there Temptatio7is are treated of, and temptations are combats 
 
 against evils and falsities. (That temptatious are there treated of, see 
 above, n. I3O; that dodlrine is treated of in what is written to the churches in 
 Ephesus and Smyrna, see above, n. 93, 95, 112; that a life according to doc- 
 rine is treated of in what is written to the churches in Thyatira and Sardis, n. 
 150, 182; and that faith according to life is treated of in what is written to the 
 churches of Philadelphia and Laodicea, n. 203 and 22J.) Since what is 
 
 written to this last church, that in Laodicea, treats of those who 
 are in do6lrine of faith alone, and near the end treats also of the 
 faith of charity, it should be added to what has been said, that love 
 makes heaven, and because it makes heaven it also makes the 
 
|l6 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 church ; for all the societies of heaven, and they are innumerable, 
 as well as all within each society, are arranged according to affec- 
 tions of love ; so that it is affedlion or love according to which all 
 things are arranged in the heavens, and not one person has place 
 according to faith. Spiritual affe6tion or love is charity ; it is ev- 
 ident, therefore, that no one can in any way enter heaven if he is 
 not in charity. 
 
 257. Since in this prophetical book numbers are often men- 
 tioned, and no one can know the spiritual sense of what is con- 
 tained therein unless it is known what particular numbers signify 
 (for all numbers in the Word, like all names, signify spiritual 
 things), and since the number "seven" is often mentioned among 
 others, I will here show that "seven" signifies all persons and all 
 things, likewise fulness and totality ; for that which signifies all 
 persons and all things signifies also fulness and totality, for fulness 
 and totality are predicated of the magnitude of a thing, and all per- 
 sons and all things are predicated of multitude. That "seven" 
 has such signification can be seen from the following passages. 
 In Ezekiel : 
 
 " They that dwell in the cities of Israel shall set fire to and burn the 
 arms, the shield also, and the buckler, with the bow and the ar- 
 rows, and the hand-staff, and the spear ; and they shall make a 
 
 fire with them seven years And they shall bury Gog and 
 
 all his multitude, . . . and they shall cleanse the earth seven months " 
 (xxxix. 9, II, 12), 
 
 Here the desolation of all things in the church is treated of: "those 
 that dwell in the cities of Israel" signify all goods of truth ; "to 
 set fire" signifies to consume by evils. "The arms, the shield 
 the buckler, the bow, the arrows, the hand-staff, the spear," are 
 all things pertaining to do6lrine ; " to make a fire with them seven 
 years" means to consume them all and fully by evils. "Gog" 
 signifies those who are in external worship and in no internal wor- 
 ship ; "to bury them and cleanse the earth" means to destroy all 
 such, and completely purge the church of them. [2.] In yeremiah : 
 
 "The widows shall be multiplied more than the sand of the seas, and I 
 will bring to them upon the mother of the youths the waster at 
 
 noonday She fhat hath borne seven shall languish, she shall 
 
 breathe out her soul " (xv. 8, 9). 
 
 "The widows," that shall be multiplied, signify those who are in 
 good and who long for truths, and in a contrary sense, as here, 
 those who are in evil and desire falsities; "the mother of the 
 youths" signifies the church; "the waster at noonday" signi- 
 
CHAP. III. — N. 257. 41'/ 
 
 fies the vastation of that church, however much it may be in 
 truths from the Word ; " she that hath borne seven shall lan- 
 gui.sh, she shall breathe out her soul," signifies that the church, 
 to which all truths were given because the Word was given to 
 it, is to perish; for "she that hath borne seven" signifies to 
 whom all truths were given. This was particularly said of the 
 Jews. [3.] Likewise in the First Book of Samuel: 
 
 " They that were hungry have ceased ; even when the barren hath borne 
 seven, she that hath many children hath failed" (ii. 5). 
 
 "They that were hungry," who have ceased, are those who long 
 for the goods and truths of the church ; " the barren bearing 
 seven " signifies those who are outside of the church, and are 
 ignorant of truths, because they have not the Word, thus the 
 nations, to whom all things will be given ; "she that hath many 
 children failing" signifies those who have, from whom will be 
 taken away. In David : 
 
 " Render unto our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom " {Fs. Ixxix. 12). 
 
 And in Moses : 
 
 That the Jews should be punished seven times for their sins {Levit. xxvi. 
 
 18, '21, 24, 28); 
 
 "seven times" here signifying fully. [4.] In Luke: 
 
 *' If thy brother sin against thee seven times in the day, and seven times 
 in the day turn again to thee, saying, I repent, thou shalt forgive 
 him" (xvii. 4). 
 
 " To forgive seven times, if he should turn again seven times," 
 
 means to forgive as often as he turns, thus every time. But 
 
 lest it should be understood to mean seven times, the Lord 
 
 e.xplained his meaning to Peter, who supposed seven times to 
 
 be meant, in Matthew: 
 
 "Peter said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me and I for- 
 give him? until seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto 
 thee, Until seven times, but. Until seventy times seven" (xviii. 21, 
 22). 
 
 "Seventy times seven" means always, without counting. In David : 
 
 " Seven times a day do I praise thee for the judgments of righteousness " 
 (/'j. cxix. 164). 
 
 "Seven times a day" means always, or at all times. [5.] In 
 
 the same, 
 
 "The sayings of Jehovah are pure sayings, as silver refined in a furnace 
 purified seven times" {Ps. xii. 6). 
 
 " Silver" signifies truth from the Divine ; " purified seven times " 
 
4l8 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 means wholly and fully pure." [6.] In Isaiah: 
 
 'The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light ol 
 the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days " (xxx. 26). 
 
 " The light of the sun " signifies Divine truth from Divine good ; 
 that "this light shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days," 
 signifies that Divine truth in heaven shall be without any falsity, 
 thus wholly and fully pure. [7.] In Matthew : 
 
 The unclean spirit "shall take seven other spirits more evil than him- 
 self, and .... shall dwell there " (xii. 45 ; Luke xi. 26), 
 
 Here profanation is treated of, and "the seven unclean spirits" 
 with which the unclean spirit would return, signify all falsities of 
 evil, thus a complete destruftion of good and truth. [8.] The 
 "seven times" that were to pass over the king of Babylon have a 
 like meaning, in Dajiiel : 
 
 " His heart shall be changed from man, and a beast's heart shall be given 
 unto him, while seven times shall pass over him" (iv. 16, 25, 32). 
 
 " The king of Babylon " signifies those who profane the goods and 
 truths of the Word ; that "his heart should be changed from man, 
 and a beast's heart be given him," means that nothing spiritual, 
 which is the truly human, should remain, but instead there should 
 be the diabolical ; "the seven times which were to pass over him" 
 signify profanation, which is complete destrudlion of truth and 
 good. [9.] Because "seven" and "seven times" signified all 
 things and fulness, the following commands were given : 
 
 Seven days the hands [of Aaron and his sons] should be filled {Exod. 
 
 xxix. 35). 
 Seven days [the altar] should be sancflified {Exod. xxix. 37). 
 Seven days Aaron should be clothed with the garments when he was to 
 
 be initiated {Exod. xxix. 30). 
 For seven days Aaron and his sons were not to go out of the tabernacle 
 
 when they were to be initiated into the priesthood {Lev. viii. 33, 34). 
 Seven times was the altar to be sprinkled for expiation upon its horns 
 
 {Lev. xvi. 18, 19). 
 Seven times was the altar to be sandlified with oil {Lev. viii. 11). 
 Seven times was the blood to be sprinkled before the veil {Lev. iv. 16, 17). 
 Seven times was the blood to be sprinkled with the finger eastward, when 
 
 Aaron went towards the mercy-seat {Lev. xvi. 12-15). 
 Seven times was the water of separation to be sprinkled towards the 
 
 Tent {A''um. xix. 4). 
 Seven times the blood was to be sprinkled in the cleansing of leprosy 
 
 {Lev. xiv. 7, 8, 27, 38, 51). 
 The lampstand was to have seven lamps {Exod. xxv. 32, 37 ; xxxvii. 
 
 18-25). 
 For seven days were the feasts to be kept {Exod. xxxiv. 18 ; Lev. xxiii. 
 
 4-9, 39-44 ; Deui. xvi. 3, 4, 8). 
 For the seven days of the feast there was to be a burnt offering of seven 
 
 bullocks, and seven rams daily {Ezek. xlv. 23X 
 
CHAP. III. — X. 257. 419 
 
 Ba.aam caused seven altars to be built, and seven oxen and seven rams 
 
 to be sacrificed {.Viirn. xxiii. 1-7, 15-18, 29, 30). 
 They numbered seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, and 
 
 then they were to cause the trumpet of the jubilee to be sounded 
 
 in the seventh month (Lev. xxv. 8, 9). 
 
 From the signification of the number "seven" it can be seen 
 what is signified 
 
 By the seven days of creation {Gen. i.) ; 
 
 Also by the fadl that four thousand men were satisfied by seven loaves 
 
 and that seven basketsful remained {Matt. xv. 34-38 ; Mark viii. 
 
 5-9)- 
 
 From this it is evident also what is signified in the Apocalypse 
 
 By the seven churches (i. 4, 11) ; 
 
 By the seven golden lampstands, in the midst of which was the Son of 
 
 man (i. 13) ; 
 By the seven stars in His right hand (i. 16, 20) ; 
 By the seven spirits of God (iii. i) ; 
 By the seven lamps of fire before the throne (iv. 5) ; 
 By the book sealed with seven seals (v. i) ; 
 
 By the seven angels to whom were given seven trumpets (viii. 2) ; 
 By the seven thunders which uttered their voices (x. 3, 4) ; 
 By the seven angels having the seven last plagues (xvi. i, 6); 
 And by the seven vials full of the seven last plagues (xvi. i ; xxi. 9) : 
 
 and elsewhe.-e in the Word, where "seven " is mentioned. 
 
420 APOCALYPSE. 
 
 A 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 FTER these things I saw, and behold a door 
 opened in heaven ; and the first voice that I 
 heard, as of a trumpet speaking with me, 
 
 said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things 
 
 that must come to pass hereafter. 
 
 2. And immediately I became in the spirit ; and 
 behold, a throne set in heaven, and upon the throne 
 One sitting. 
 
 3. And He that sat was in aspect like to a jasper 
 stone and a sardius ; and a rainbow was round about 
 the throne, in aspect like an emerald. 
 
 4. And around the throne were four-and-twenty 
 thrones, and upon the thrones were four-and-twenty 
 elders sitting, arrayed in white garments, and they 
 had on their heads golden crowns. 
 
 5. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and 
 thunders and voices ; and there were seven lamps of 
 fire burning before the throne, which are the seven 
 spirits of God ; 
 
 6. And in sight of the throne a glassy sea like 
 crystal. And in the midst of the throne and around 
 the throne were four animals, full of eyes before and 
 behind. 
 
 7. And the first animal was like a lion ; and the 
 second animal like a calf; and the third animal had 
 a face like a man ; and the fourth animal was like a 
 flying eagle. 
 
 8. And the four animals, each by itself, had six 
 wings around about; and they were full of eyes 
 within; and they had no rest, day and night, saying, 
 
CHAP. IV., PREFACE.— N. 258. 42I 
 
 Holy, holy, holy. Lord God Almighty, who was, and 
 who is, and who is to come. 
 
 9. And when the animals gave glory and honor 
 and thanksgiving to Him that sitteth on the throne 
 and liveth unto ages, of ages, 
 
 10. The four-and-twenty elders fell down before 
 Him that sitteth on the throne, and worshipped Him 
 that livetli unto ages of ages, and cast down crowns 
 before the throne, saying, 
 
 1 1. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and 
 honor and power, for thou hast created all things, 
 and by Thy will they are, and they were created. 
 
 EXPOSITION. 
 
 258. It was pointed out above (n. 5) that this prophetical 
 book does not treat of the successive states of the Christian 
 church from beginning to end, as has been believed heretofore, 
 but of the state of the church and of heaven in the last times, 
 when there is to be a new heaven and a new earth, that is, when 
 there is to be a new church in the heavens and on the earth, 
 thus when there is to be a judgment. It is said a new church 
 in the heavens, because the church is there as well as on the 
 
 earth 'see Heaven and Hell, n. 221-227). As this is the Subjecl of this 
 
 book, the first chapter treats of the Lord who is the Judge ; 
 and the second and third treat of those who are of the church 
 and of those who are not of the church, thus of those in the 
 former heaven which was to be done away with, and of those 
 in the new heaven which was to be formed. That " the seven 
 churches" treated of in the second and third chapters mean 
 all who are in the church and all things of the church, see 
 above (n, 256, 257). This fourth chapter treats of the arrange- 
 ment of all things, especially in the heavens, before the judg- 
 ment ; consequently a throne was now seen in heaven, and 
 round about it four-and-twenty thrones, upon which were four- 
 and-twenty elders ; also four animals were near the throne, 
 which were cherubim. That these things describe an arrange- 
 ment of all things before judgment and for judgment will be 
 seen in the e.xplanation of this chapter. Be it observed, that be- 
 fore any change takes place all things must be pre-arranged 
 and prepared for the coming event ; for all things are foreseen 
 
422 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 by the Lord, and disposed and provided for according to what is 
 foreseen. A "throne," therefore, in the midst of heaven means 
 judgment, and " He that sat upon it," the Lord ; the "four-and- 
 twenty thrones, upon which were four-and-twenty elders," mean 
 all truths in the complex, by which and according to which is 
 judgment. "The four animals," which are the cherubim, mean 
 the Lord's Divine providence that the former heavens should 
 not suffer injury through the notable change about to take 
 place, and that all things should thereafter be done accord- 
 ing to order ; that is, that those interiorly evil should be sepa- 
 rated from those interiorly good, and the latter be raised up 
 into heaven, but the former cast down into hell. 
 
 VERSE I. 
 
 2^Q* " After these things I saw, and behold a door opened in heaven ; and the first 
 voice that I heard, as of a trumpet spealiing with me, said, Come up hither, and I will show 
 thee things that must come to pass hereafter." 
 
 I. "After these things I saw" signifies the tinderstaftdi-itg enlightened [n. 260] ; 
 "and behold a door opened in heaven" signifies the arcana of heaven 
 revealed [n. 26014] ; "and the first voice that I heard" signifies revela- 
 tion ttow 0/ things to come [n. 261] ; "as of a trumpet speaking with 
 me " signifies clear and manifest [n. 262] ; "said, Come up hither," sig- 
 nifies elevation of 7nind and attention [n. 263] ; "and I will show thee 
 things that must come to pass hereafter" signifies instruction about 
 the things thatzuill occur in the last time of the church [n. 264]. 
 
 260. [Verse 1.] "After ffiese things I saw" signifies f/ie un- 
 derstanding enlightened. — This is evident from the signification 
 of "to see," as meaning to understand. "To see" signifies to 
 understand because the sight of the eye corresponds to the 
 sight of the mind, which is understanding. The correspond- 
 ence is from this, that as the understanding sees spiritual things 
 so the sight of the eye sees natural things. Spiritual things are 
 truths from good, and natural things are objects in various forms. 
 Truths from good, which are spiritual things, are seen in heaven 
 as distin6lly as objedls before the eye, yet very differently ; for 
 these truths are seen intelle61:ually, that is, they are perceived ; 
 and the nature of this sight or perception cannot be described by 
 human words ; it can be apprehended only so far as this, that it 
 has in it consent and confirmation from the inmost that so it is. 
 There are, indeed, confirming reasons in great abundance, which 
 present themselves to the intelle6lual sight as a one, and this 
 one is as it were a conclusion from many particulars. These 
 confirming reasons are in the light of heaven, which is Divine 
 truth or Divine wisdom going forth from the Lord, and which 
 
CHAP. IV., VERSE I. — N. 26o^. 423 
 
 has elTecfl in each angel according to his state of reception. 
 This is spiritual sight or understanding. Since with angels 
 this sight operates upon the sight of the eyes, and presents 
 the truths of the understanding in correspondent forms that 
 appear in heaven not unlike forms in the natural world that 
 are called objc<fls, so "to see," in the sense of the letter of the 
 
 Word, signifies to understand. (What the appearances in heaven are, 
 and that tliev correspond to tlie obje(5ts of the interior sight of the angels, see 
 
 Heaven and Heti, n. 170-176.) [2.] The expression " to sec," and 
 not to ioidersta7id, is used in the Word because the Word in 
 its outmosls is natural, and the natural is the basis on which 
 spiritual things have their foundation ; consequently if the 
 Word were spiritual in the letter it would have no basis, 
 thus it would be like a house without a foundation. (On this also, 
 see Heaven and Hell, n. 303-310.) That in the Word " to sce " Signi- 
 fies to understand, is evident from the following passages. In 
 Isaiah : 
 
 "Who said to the seers, See not ; and to those that have vision, See not 
 for us right things ; speak to us smooth things, see illusions " (xxx. 
 10). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "The eyes of them that see shall not be closed, and the ears of them 
 that hear shall hearken " (xxxii. 3). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " Look, ye blind, that ye may behold seeing great things ye do not 
 
 keep them" (xlii. 18, 20). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "The priest and the prophet .... err among the seeing, they stumble in 
 judgment" (xxviii. 7). 
 
 And in other places, 
 
 "Seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not" {Matt. xiii. 13-15 ; 
 Mark iv. 11, 12 ; viii. 17, iS ; Isa. vi. 9, 10 ; Ezek. xii. 2) ; 
 
 besides numerous other instances, that do not need to be quoted, 
 since everyone knows, from the customary modes of expression 
 that "to see" signifies to understand; for it is said "I see that 
 this is so," or "that it is not so," meaning "I understand." 
 
 260)^. "And behold a door opened in heaven" signifies the 
 arcana of heaveii revealed. — This is evident from the significa- 
 tion of "door, "as meaning admission (of which above, n. 208), 
 here, a looking into, which is admission of the sight ; moreover, 
 the sight is admitted into heaven when the sight of the bodily 
 eyes is dimmed, and at the same time the sight of the spirit's 
 
424 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 eyes is enlightened. By this sight all things seen by the proph- 
 ets were seen. A "door opened in heaven" here signifies the 
 arcana of heaven revealed, because at such a time things that 
 are in the heavens appear ; and before prophets the things that 
 are arcana of the church appear ; in the present case arcana 
 respecting things that were to take place about the time of the 
 last judgment, which have not all been revealed as yet, and which 
 could not be revealed until the judgment was acomplished, and 
 then only through some one in the world to whom it was granted 
 by the Lord to see them, and to whom was revealed at the same 
 time the spiritual sense of the Word. For all things written in 
 this prophetic book were written respe6lingthe last judgment, but 
 by means of representatives and correspondences ; for whatever 
 is said by the Lord and is perceived by angels, in coming down 
 is changed into representatives, and is so made to appear before 
 the eyes of angels in the lowest heavens and before prophetic 
 men when the eyes of their spirit have been opened. From 
 this it can be seen what is meant by " a door opened in heaven." 
 261* "And the first voice that I heard" signifies revelation 
 now of things to come. — This is evident from the signification 
 of "voice," as meaning whatever goes forth from the Lord and 
 is perceived by angels and by men ; here especially revelation 
 of things to come, that were to occur before the last judg- 
 ment, at the time of it, and after it, since these are treated of 
 in what now follows. That "the voice of Jehovah" in the 
 Word signifies the Divine going forth, which is Divine truth, 
 from which is all intelligence and wisdom, see A.C. (n. 219, 220, 
 375. 3563, 6971, 8813, 9926); this is clear also from the following 
 passages. In David : 
 
 "The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters, .... the voice of Jehovah is 
 in strength ; . . . . the voice of Jehovah is with majesty. The voice 
 
 of Jehovah breaketh the cedars The voice of Jehovah falling 
 
 as a flame of fire. The voice of Jehovah maketh the wilderness 
 to tremble. The voice of Jehovah maketh the hinds to bring forth ; 
 ... .and in His temple doth everyone speak of glory" {Ps. xxix. 
 3-9)- 
 This Psalm treats of the Divine that goes forth from the Lord, 
 and that is called, in a word. Divine truth. Its effe<5l both 
 upon the good and upon the evil is described in this passage ; 
 from which it is evident what is meant by "the voice of Jeho- 
 vah." [2.] In John: 
 
 " He is the Shepherd of the sheep ; to Him the porter openeth, and 
 
 the sheep hear His voice A stranger they do not follow, ... .for 
 
 they know not the voice of strangers And other sheep I have, 
 
 which are not of this fold ; them also I must bring, and they shall 
 hear My voice. But ye . . . are not of My sheep, . . . for My sheep 
 
CHAP. IV., VERSE I. — X. 262. 425 
 
 hear My voice, and I know ihcm, and they follow Me" (x. 25, 16, 
 26, 27). 
 
 "Sheep" in the W'ord mean those wlio are in truths from good, 
 thus who are in faith from charity; "voice" here means not a 
 voice but tlie Divine going forth, which is Divine truth. This 
 flows in with those who are in good of charity, and gives them 
 intelligence, and so far as they are in good gives them wi.sdom ; 
 intelligence is of truth, and wisdom is of truth from good. [3.] In 
 y ere mi ah : 
 
 "The Maker of the earth,. .. .through His understanding hath He 
 stretched out the heavens, at the voice which He utters there is a 
 multitude of waters in the heavens" (x. 12, 13 ; li. 16). 
 
 In David, 
 
 "The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters,. . . .Jehovah upon great wa- 
 ters " {Psalm xxix. 3). 
 
 In the Apocalypse : 
 
 The voice of the Son of man was "as the voice of many waters "(i. 
 15). 
 
 Again, 
 
 " I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters " (xiv. 2). 
 
 "The voice of Jehovah" and "the voice from heaven" is the Di- 
 vine going forth, or Divine truth, from which is all intelligence and 
 wisdom ; it is said to have been heard " as the voice of many wa- 
 ters" because "waters" signify Divine truths in outmosts (that this 
 is the signification of "waters," see above, n. 71). [4.] In David ; 
 
 "Ye kingdoms of the earth, sing psalms unto the Lord. To Him who 
 rideth upon the heaven of the heaven of old; behold, He will ut- 
 ter with His voice, a voice of strength" {Psalm Ixviii. 32, 33). 
 
 In yohn : 
 
 "I say unto you, that the hour is coming. . . .when the dead shall hear 
 the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live" (v. 25). 
 
 In yoel: 
 
 Jehovah. . . .shall utter His voice from Jerusalem, that the heavens and 
 the earth may shake " (iii. 16). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Jehovah hath given forth His voice before His army ; for number- 
 less [is the army] that doeth his word" (ii. 11). 
 
 That Divine truth here is "the \'oice of Jehovah" is evident, as in 
 many other places. 
 
 262. " As of a trumpei speaking with me " signifies clear ajid 
 manifest. — This is evident from the signification of "trumpet," as 
 
4.26 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 meaiiinq^ Divine truth manifeste.i and revealed out of heaven (of 
 which above, n. 55). A voice that is heard out of heaven by those 
 who are in the spirit is heard usually as a human voice ; but it was 
 heard "as a trumpet speaking" because it was clearly and mani- 
 festly perceived by angels, and what is clearly and manifesdy per- 
 ceived by them falls loudly into the hearing of the spirit ; this was 
 the case with John that his attention might be awakened, and thus 
 his sight, lest anything should be obscure to him. This is meant 
 by "the voice of a trumpet" in other places also 
 
 {Matt. xxiv. 31 ; Zeck. ix. 14 ; Psalm xlvii. 5 ; Apoc. viii. 2, 7, 8, 13 ; ix. 
 I, 13, 14; X. 7 ; xviii. 22 ; and elsewhere). 
 
 263. "Said, Come up hither," signifies elevatio7i of mind and 
 attention. — This is evident from the signification of " coming up," 
 when said of hearing from the Divine, as meaning elevation of mind 
 (see A.C., n. 3084, 4539, 4969, 5406, 5817, 6007). It also means attention, 
 because when the mind is elevated attention is awakened. In re- 
 spe6l to thought and will, man has interiors and exteriors ; inte- 
 riors pertain to the internal man, exteriors to the external man. 
 Interiors, which pertain to the internal man, are in the spiritual 
 world, consequently the things there are spiritual ; but exteriors, 
 which pertain to the external man, are in the natural world, and 
 things of the natural world are natural. As the latter things are 
 exterior and the former interior, "coming up" signifies elevation 
 towards the interiors, that is, elevation of mind. (Butof this elevation, 
 
 see what is shown in Heaven and Hell, n. 33, 34, 38, 92, 499, 501 ; and in The Doc- 
 trine of the New yerusalem, n. 36-53.) 
 
 264. "And / will show thee things that must come to pass 
 hereafter" signifies instrii£lion about the things that will occur in 
 the last time of the church. — This is evident from the signification of 
 "to show," as meaning to instru6l vividly (of which presently); and 
 from the signification of " things that must come to pass hereafter," 
 as meaning things that are to take place in the last time of the church. 
 This is the signification because in what now follows the state of 
 heaven and the church just before the last judgment is treated of, and 
 afterwards the judgment itself: and because the judgment was to 
 take place at the end of the church, these things signify what was 
 to take place at the last time of the church. (That the last judgment 
 
 takes place at the end of the church, and that it has taken place, see Last Judgment, 
 
 n. 33-39. 45-52) " I will show thee" signifies vivid instru6lion about 
 these things, because all the things shown contain these, for they 
 lie hidden in the representatives described in the Apocalypse ; but 
 they are manifest to angels, and also to such men as are ac- 
 quainted with the spiritual sense of the Word. 
 
CHAP. IV., VEKSE 2. — N. 267. 427 
 
 VERSES 2-b'Jirsl fiurt). 
 
 203* "And immediately I became In the spirit ; and behold, a throne set In heaven, 
 and upon the throne One sitting. And He that sat was in aspect Ithe to a jasper stone and a 
 aardius ; and a rainbow was round about the throne in aspect lihe an emerald. And around 
 the throne were four-and-twenty thrones, and upon the thrones I saw four-and-twenty elders 
 sitting, arrayed in white garments, and they had on their heads golden crowns. And out of 
 the throne proceeded lightnings and thunders and voices ; and there were seven lamps of fire 
 burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of Ood ; and in sight of the throne a 
 glassy sea lihe crystal." 
 
 2. 'And immediately I became in the spirit" signifies a spiritual state, when 
 
 then is a revelation [n. 266] ; "and behold, a throne set in heaven, and 
 upon the throne One sitting," signifies the Lord in respedl to the last 
 juJgmeiit [n. 267]. 
 
 3. "And He that sat was in aspect like to a jasper stone and a sardius " signifies 
 
 the Lord's appearance in respect to Divine truth transparent by virtue 
 of the Divine good of the Divine I've [n. 26S] ; "and a rainbow was 
 round about the throne in aspect like an emerald" signifies the appear- 
 of Divine truth in the heavens about the Lord [n. 269]. 
 
 4. "Andaround the throne were four-and-twenty thrones, and upon the thrones 
 
 four-and-twenty elders sitting," signifies a/l truths from good in the 
 higher heavens, arranged by the Lord before judgment [n. 270]; "ar- 
 rayed in white garments" signifies all truths from good in the lower 
 heavens [n. 271] ; "and they had on their heads golden crowns" sig- 
 nifies all truths brought into order by Divine good, as weil as all the 
 former heavens [n. 272]. 
 
 5. 'And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunders and voices " sig- 
 
 nifies illustration, understanding, and perception of Divine truth in the 
 heavens [n. 273] ; "and there were seven lamps of fire burning before 
 the throne, which are the seven spirits of God," signifies Divine truth 
 itself united to Divine good, going forth from the Lord's Divine love 
 [n. 274]. 
 
 6. 'And in sight of the throne a glassy sea like crystal" signifies the appearance 
 
 of Divine truth in otttmosts where its generals are, transparent by 
 virtue of the influx of Divine truth united to Divine good in firsts [n. 
 275]- 
 
 266. [Verse 2.'] " And immediately I became in the spirit" sig- 
 nifies a spirihial state, when there is revelation, as is evident from 
 what was said and shown above (n. 53), where Hke words occur. 
 
 267* "And behold, a throne set in heaven, and upon the 
 
 throne One sitting," signifies the Lord in respeH. to the last judg- 
 ment. — This is evident fi-om the signification of "throne," which 
 in general means heaven, in particular the spiritual heaven, and 
 abstra6Hy Divine truth going forth from the Lord ; it also sig- 
 nifies judgment, because all are judged by Divine truth ; and also 
 all who are in heaven (of which see above, n. 253[rt]). That the 
 " One sitting upon the throne " is the Lord is clear ; and that judg- 
 ment belongs to the Lord alone He teaches in Mattheiv : 
 
 "When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy 
 angels with Him, He shall sit on the throne of His glory ; and be- 
 fore Him shall be gathered all the nations ; and He shall separate 
 them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from 
 the goats " (xxv. 31, 32). 
 
428 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 And in yohn : 
 
 "The Father judgeth no one, but hath given all judgment unto the Son ; 
 .... He hath given Him authority to execute judgment, because He 
 is Son of man" (v. 22, 27). 
 
 Because judgment is not by Divine good but by Divine truth, it 
 is said "the Father judgeth no one, but . . . the Son, ... because 
 He is Son of man;" "the Father" signifies Divine good, and 
 
 " Son of man " Divine truth going forth. (That " Father" signifies Di- 
 vine good, see above, n. 254; ^"d that " Son of man " signifies Divine truth going 
 
 forth, see above, n. 53, 151.) Here "throne" signifies judgment be- 
 cause the arrangement of all things for judgment is treated of in 
 this chapter (see above, n. 25S). 
 
 268. [V^rse 3.] "And He that sat was in aspect like to a jasper 
 stone and a sardius " signifies the Lord^s appearayice in respefl to 
 Divine truth trmispareyit by virtue of the Divine good of the Di- 
 vine love. — This is evident from the signification of " One sitting 
 upon the throne," as meaning the Lord in respe6l to the last judg- 
 ment (of which just above, n. 267) ; and from the signification of 
 "in aspedl like," as meaning appearance; from the signification 
 of "jasper stone," as meaning spiritual love of truth (of which in 
 what follows) ; and from the signification of a " sardius stone " as 
 meaning celestial love of good ; thus " a jasper stone and a sardi- 
 us," which the Lord appeared like, signify Divine truth transpa- 
 rent by virtue of the Divine good of the Divine love. [2.] That 
 a "jasper" signifies the Divine love of truth, or Divine truth going 
 forth, is evident from passages in the Word where it is mentioned, 
 as Exod. xxviii. 20; and Ezekiel xxviii, 13; also in the Apoc- 
 alypse : 
 
 "The lamp {Itiminare) of the holy Jerusalem was like unto a stone most 
 precious, as it were a jasper stone, shining like crystal" (xxi. 11) ; 
 
 "the lamp of the holy Jerusalem " signifies the Divine truth of the 
 church shining, "the lamp" truth itself shining, and "Jerusalem" 
 the church in respecl to do6lrine ; this is likened to "a jasper 
 stone," because "jasper" has a like signification. Again, 
 
 " The building of the wall [of the holy Jerusalem] was of jasper, and the 
 city was pure gold, like unto pure glass " (xxi, 18). 
 
 The " wall " of the holy Jerusalem is said to be " of jasper," because 
 " wall " signifies Divine truth guarding ; and because of this signi- 
 fication of "wall," the first stone of its foundations is said to be 
 jasper (verse 19), "foundation" signifying truth upon which the 
 church is founded. [3.] The "sardius" is mentioned because 
 that stone signifies good, here Divine good, because the Lord is 
 
CHAP. IV., VERSE 4. — N. 27O. 429 
 
 described. This is the stone that is called " pyropus " [firestone], 
 and since it shines as by fire, both names signify the trans- 
 parency of truth and good. (That all precious stones signify truths from 
 good of heaven and of the church, see A.C., n. 114, 9863, 9865, 9868, 9873; 
 for this reason twelve precious stones were set in the breast-plate of Aaron, which 
 is called the Urim and Thummim, and by them responses were given by their shining 
 forth, and at the same time by a perception of the matter in question or by a living 
 voice, n. 9905.) 
 
 269* "And a rainbow was round about the throne in aspect 
 like an emerald" signifies t/ie appearajice of Divine irtith in the 
 heavens about the Lord. — This is evident from the signification 
 of "a rainbow in aspe(5l like an emerald," as denoting the appear- 
 ance of Divine truth in its circumference ; for " a rainbow round 
 about the throne" signifies Divine truth round about ; "in aspe6l 
 like" signifies appearance. The appearance was like an emerald, 
 because it had reference to the last judgment ; for the color of this 
 stone is green, and "green " signifies truth obscured. Divine truth 
 in its brightness appears either of the color of heaven, or in various 
 colors in beautiful order like a rainbow ; but when obscured it ap- 
 pears of the color of an emerald. The heaven that was obscured 
 was the heaven called "the former heaven," on which judgment 
 was to be executed, and which was about to perish (see Apoc. 
 xxi. i). On this account "a rainbow round about like an eme- 
 rald" is mentioned. "Rainbow" signifies Divine truth in the 
 heavens in its order and consequently in its beauty, because 
 there are infinite varieties of truth from good in the heavens, 
 and when these are represented by colors, they present the 
 aspe6l of a most beautiful rainbow. For this reason "a rain- 
 bow" was made the sign of the covenant after the flood {Gen. 
 
 IX. 1 2—17). (That there are infinite varieties in the heavens see Heaven and Hell, 
 n. 56, 405, 418, 486; and in the Last yudj^ment, n. 13 ; and in A.C.. n. 684, 690, 
 3744. 5598. 7236, 7833, 7836, 9002; that colors in heaven appear by reason of light 
 there, and that they are modifications and variegations of the light, n. 1042, 1043, 
 1053, 1624, 3993, 4530, 4742, 4922; and that various colors appear according to 
 the varieties of the states of truth from good, and therefore of intelligence and 
 wisdom, n. 4530, 4677, 4922, 9466; that rainbows are seen in heaven, and whence 
 and what they are, n. 1042, 1043, 1623-1625.) 
 
 270. [Verse ^.1 " And around the throno were four-and-twenty 
 thrones, and upon the thrones I saw four-and-twenty elders sit- 
 ting," signifies all truths from good iyi the higher heavens, ar- 
 ranged by the Lord before judgfne7it. — This is evident from the 
 signification of "throne" on which was "One sitting," as meaning 
 the Lord in respe(5\ to the last judgment (on which see above, n. 267; 
 
 and that "throne" signifies judgment, see n. 253[a]). Also from the sig- 
 nification of "the four-and-twenty thrones around it, and four-and- 
 
43© APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 twenty elders on them," as meaning all the truths of heaven in the 
 complex, arranged before judgment. " Four-and-tvventy " signifies 
 all, " thrones "judgment, and " elders " those who are in truths from 
 good, and abstra6lly truths from good. The higher heavens are 
 here meant, because all who are in them are in truths from the 
 good of love, and because the lower heavens are treated of in what 
 
 immediately follows. ("Twenty-four" agnifies all, because that number 
 signifies the same as the number " twelve," and " twelve " signifies all, and is pre- 
 dicated of truths, see A.C., n. 577, 2089, 2129, 2130, 3272, 3858, 3913. The number 
 " twenty-four" signifies the same as the number " twelve," because it is the double 
 thereof, and the double of a number signifies the same as the number from which it 
 arises by multiplication, as may be seen, n. 5291, 5335, 5708, 7973.) [2.] The 
 
 same is signified by "the thrones upon which the twelve apostles 
 were to sit," of which in Matthew: 
 
 " Ye who have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son of man 
 shall sit on the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve 
 thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (xix. 28 ; Luke xxii. 
 30); 
 
 the " twelve apostles " signifying all truths in the complex. Like- 
 wise in the following words in the Apocaly,pse : 
 
 " I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto 
 them" (xx. 4). 
 
 '•Judgment was given to those who sat upon thrones " signifies 
 that judgment belongs to the Lord alone, for "elders" in the 
 Word signify all who are in truths from good, and abstra6lly, 
 truths from good by which is judgment. He who supposes that 
 "elders" and "apostles " in the Word mean elders and apostles 
 is much mistaken ; in the spiritual sense of the Word no persons 
 are perceived, but things abstra61;ly from persons, for what is spirit- 
 ual has nothing in common with persons. It is otherwise in the 
 sense of the letter of the Word, which is natural ; in that sense 
 not only are persons mentioned, but the idea of person is implied 
 in many expressions, in order that the Word in its outmosts may 
 be natural, and thus be a basis for the spiritual sense. It is the 
 same with the signification of "elders" as with that of "infants," 
 "children," "young men," "old men," "virgins," "women," and 
 many words of like kind ; in the natural sense these are all thought 
 of simply as persons; but in the spiritual sense " infants" mean 
 innocence, "children" charity, "young men" intelligence, "old 
 men" wisdom, "virgins" afifedlion for truth and good, and "wo- 
 men " the goods of the church ; and so in other cases. The same 
 is true of the natural and spiritual senses of "neighbor ;" in the 
 natural sense "neighbor" means any man whatever; but in 
 
CHAP. IV., VKRSE 4. — N. 2'J-o[(l]. 431 
 
 the spiritual sense the good itself, truth, sincerity, and justice, that 
 are in the person. Every one who refie<5ls can see that this is the 
 neighbor in the spiritual sense ; for who loves a person for any 
 other reason ? For good and truth make the man, and cause him 
 to be loved, and not the countenance and body. [3.] But to re- 
 turn to the signification of "elders." That "elders" signify tiuths 
 from good can be seen from passages in the Word where they are 
 mentioned. \n Isaiah : 
 
 "Then the moon shall blush, and the sun be ashamed, and Jehovah 
 of Hosts shall reign in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem ; and before 
 His elders shall be glory " (xxiv. 23). 
 
 The " moon " and " sun " mean their idolatrous worship and fals- 
 ity of faith and evil of love ; "Mount Zion" and "Jerusalem" 
 mean heaven and the church ; " elders " mean truths from good ; 
 it is therefore said, "before them shall be glory," for "glory " sig- 
 nifies Divine truth in heaven (see above, n. 33). [4.] In La- 
 meyitations : 
 
 "My virgins and my young men have gone into captivity. I have 
 cried to my lovers, they have deceived me ; , . . . and mine elders 
 gave up the ghost in the city " (i. 18, 19). 
 
 Here the vastation of the church is treated of, over which there 
 is lamentation ; there is such vastation when there is no longer 
 any spiritual afifedlion for truth, and therefore no intelligence in 
 such things as pertain to the church, and thus no truth. The 
 "virgins," that are gone into captivity, mean spiritual afiedion 
 for truth, "young men" intelligence; " captivity " is removal from 
 this affe6lion and intelligence; the "elders," who gave up the 
 ghost, mean the truths of the church. [S.] In Ezekiel : 
 
 " Slay to destruclion the old man and the young man, and the virgin, 
 and the infant and the women ; . . . . begin from My sancfluary : 
 therefore they began from the elders who were before the house " 
 (ix. 6). 
 
 This, too, treats of the vastation of the church : and "old man" 
 and " young man " mean wisdom and intelligence ; " virgin " means 
 aflre(5tion for truth and good, "infant" innocence, "women" 
 goods of the church ; "to slay to destruction " signifies devast- 
 ation; the "san6luary," from which they should begin, is the 
 church in respe61 to good of love and truth of faith, which are 
 "the elders who were before the house." [6.] In Lamenta- 
 tions : 
 
432 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 "The faces of old men were not honored The elders have ceased 
 
 from the gate, the young men from their music " (v. 12, 14). 
 
 " Old men" signify the wisdom diat is of good ; "elders," truths 
 that are from good; "young men," intelligence. That the God 
 of Israel was seen, 
 
 "Under His feet as a work of sapphire," by Moses, Aaron, Nadab, and 
 Abihu, and seventy of the elders, and not by the rest {Exod. xxiv. 
 I, 9-12). 
 
 signified that the Lord is seen solely by those who are in good and 
 
 in truths from good (see explanation of the passage in the Arcana Caelestia, 
 
 n. 9403-941 1 ). This is what the seventy elders of Israel represented, 
 and what the " four-and-twenty elders " sitting upon as many thrones 
 signified ; this also is what the " twelve apostles " signify, of whom 
 it is said that " they are to sit upon thrones, judging the twelve 
 
 tribes of Israel." (That the " twelve apostles " signify all truths from good, A JO., 
 n. 2129,3354,3488, 3858,6397; that the "twelve tribes of Israel" have the same signi- 
 fication, n. 3858, 3926, 4060, 6335 ; likewise the " elders of Israel," n. 6524, 6525, 6890, 
 7912, 8578, 8585, 9376, 9404.) 
 
 271. "Arrayed in white garments" signifies a// fruf /is /rom 
 good in the lower heave?is. — This is evident from the signification 
 of "white garments," as meaning truths that invest, which specific- 
 ally are truths known {scientifica vera) and knowledges (see above, 
 n. I95[a,3], 196, 198) ; and because the lower heavens are in these 
 truths, they are meant. That " white garments " signify the lower 
 heavens may seem far-fetched to those who know nothing about 
 appearances and representatives in heaven. All in the heavens 
 are clothed according to truths, and lower truths correspond to 
 garments, and because the lower heavens are in these truths, the 
 garments of the angels in the higher heavens also correspond to 
 
 these. (This arcanum may be more clearly understood from what is said and 
 shown respedling the Garments in which the Angels are Clothed, in Heaven and Hell, 
 n.177-182 ; likewise from what was represented and signified by the garments of Aaron 
 and his sons, explained in A.C., n. 9814, 10068 ; and by the garments of the Lord 
 when he was transfigured, n. 9212, 9216.) 
 
 272. "And they had on their heads golden crowns" signifies 
 all truths brozight into order by Divine good, as well as all the for- 
 mer heavens. — This is evident from the signification of "four-and- 
 twenty elders sitting upon four-and-twenty thrones, arrayed in 
 white garments," as meaning all truths of the heavens, thus all the 
 heavens both higher and lower (of which just above, n. 270, 271) ; 
 also from the signification of a "golden crown," as meaning Divine 
 good, from which are truths (of which in what follows). All the 
 truths of heaven and of the church are from Divine good ; truths 
 that arc not therefrom are not truths. Truths that are not from 
 
CHAP. IV., VEfiSE 4. — N 272. 433 
 
 good are like shells without a kernel, ami like a house inhabited 
 not by a man but by a uikl l^east ; such are the truths that are 
 called truths of faith apart from the good of charity ; good of char- 
 ity is good from the Lord, thus good Divine. Now as "the elders 
 upon thrones" signify truths of the heavens, and "golden crowns" 
 the gootl from which these are, therefore the elders were seen 
 with crowns. "Crowns of kings" have the same signification; 
 for "kings" in a representative sense signify truths, and "crowns" 
 upon their heads signify the good from which the truths are (that 
 " kings " signify truths may be seen above, n. 31 [a]). For this rea- 
 son the crowns are of gold, for "gold" in like manner signifies good 
 (see above, n. 2^2[,j,(f.e]). [2.] That "crowns" signify good and 
 wisdom therefron-., and that truths are what are crowned, can be 
 seen from the following passages. In David : 
 
 •■ I will make the horn to spring forth for David ; I will set in order a lamp 
 for Mine anointed ; his enemies will I clothe with shame ; but upon 
 himself shall his crown flourish" {Psalm cxxxii. 17, 18). 
 
 Here "David" and "anointed" mean the Lord (see above, n. 
 205) ; "horn" His power; "lamp" is Divine truth from which is 
 Divine intelligence ; " crown " Divine good from which is Divine 
 wisdom, and from which is the Lord's governinent ; and the "ene- 
 mies," that shall be clothed with shame, are evils and falsities. 
 [3.] In the same, 
 
 " Thou showest anger with Thine anointed Thou hast condemned 
 
 to the earth his crown " (Ixxxix. 38, 39). 
 
 Here also "anointed" stands for the Lord, and "anger" for a state 
 of temptation, in w-hich He was when in combats with the hells. 
 "Anger" and "condemnation" describe the lamentation at that 
 time, that is, the Lord's last lamentation on the cross, because He 
 was forsaken ; for the cross was the last of His temptations or com- 
 bats with the hells ; and after that last temptation He put on the 
 Divine good of the Divine love, and thus united the Divine Hu- 
 man to the Divine itself which was in Him. [4.] In Isaiah: 
 
 " In that day shall Jehovah of Hosts be for a crown of adorning, and for 
 a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of His people " (xxviii. 5). 
 
 Here "ciown of adorning" means wisdom that is of good from 
 Ja^ Divine ; and " diadem of beauty " intelligence that is of truth 
 from that good. [5.] In the same, 
 
 * For Zion's sake will I not be silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not 
 rest, until her righteousness go forth as brightness, and her salvation 
 as a lamp burneth ; . . . . and thou shalt be a crown of beauty in the 
 
434 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 hand of Jehovah, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God * 
 (Ixii. I, 3). 
 
 Here "Zion" and "Jerusalem" mean the church, " Zion " the 
 church which is in good, and "Jerusalem " the church which is 
 in truths from that good ; therefore it is called "a crown of beauty 
 in the hand of Jehovah," and "a royal diadem in the hand of thy 
 God;" a "crown of beauty" is wisdom that is of good, and a 
 "royal diadem" is intelligence that is of truth; and because 
 "crown" signifies wisdom that is of good it is said to be "in the 
 hand of Jehovah ;" and because "diadem" signifies intelligence 
 that is of truth it is said to be "in the hand of God ;" for "Je- 
 hovah" is used where good is treated of, and "God" where truth 
 is treated of (see A.c, n. 2586, 2769, 6905). [6.1 In yere^niah : 
 
 "Say to the king and to the queen-mother. Humble yourselves, sit ye; 
 for your headtire is come down, the crown of your beauty" (xiii. 
 18); 
 
 a "crown of beauty" meaning wisdom that is of good ("beauty " is 
 
 the Divine truth of the church, A.C., n. 9815). [7.] In the same, 
 
 "The joy of our heart hath ceased ; our dance is turned into mourning ; 
 the crown of our head hath fallen " {Lain. v. 15, 16) ; 
 
 " the crown of the head that hath fallen " means the wisdom 
 which those who are of the church have through Divine truth, 
 which wisdom hath ceased, together with internal blessedness. 
 [8.] In Ezekiel : 
 
 " I have put a jewel upon thy nose, and ear-rings in thine ears, and 'a. 
 crown of adorning upon thine head" (xvi. 12). 
 
 This refers to Jerusalem, which is the church, here the church at 
 its first establishment; "the jewel upon the nose" signifies the 
 perception of good ; and "ear-rings in the ears" the perception of 
 truth and obedience; and the "crown upon the head " signifies 
 wisdom therefrom. In yob : 
 
 " He hath torn away from me the glory, and taken away the crown of 
 my head " (xix. 9) ; 
 
 "glory" meaning intelligence from Divine truth, and "crown of 
 the head " wisdom therefrom. [9.] In the Apocalypse : 
 
 " I saw, and behold a white horse ; and He that sat on him had a -io'<\ 
 and there was given unto Him a crown ; and He went forth con- 
 quering and to conquer" (vi. 2). 
 
 "The white horse and He that sat on him" is the Lord in resped 
 to the Word; "the bow" is the do6lrine of truth bv which the 
 
CHAP. IV., VERSE 5. — N. 273. 435 
 
 combat is wa.^ed ; which makes clear tliat "crown," since it is 
 attributed to the Lord, is the Divine good that He put on even in 
 respecfl to the human, as a reward of vi6lory. [lo.] Again, 
 
 " Afterwards I saw, and behold a white cloud ; and on the cloud One sal 
 like unto the Son of man, having on His head a golden crown, and 
 in His hand a sharp sickle" (xiv. 14) ; 
 
 a "white cloud" standing for the literal sense of the Word (A.C., 
 n. 4060, 4391, 5922, 6343, 6752. 8281, 8781) ; "the Son of man" meaning 
 the Lord in respedl to Divine truth ; " golden crown," the Divine 
 good from which is Di\inc truth ; and "sharp sickle," the disper- 
 sion of evil and falsity. [11.] That a "crown" is Divine good 
 from which is Di\ine truth was represented by the plate of gold 
 upon the front of the mitre that was upon Aaron, which plate was also 
 called a " crown " and a " coronet ;" it is thus described in Exodus: 
 
 " Thou shalt make a plate of gold, and grave upon it the engraving of 
 a signet. Holiness to Jehovah ; and thou shalt put it on a thread 
 of blue, and it shall be on the mitre, over against the face of it " 
 (.xxviii. 36, 37). 
 
 That this plate was called a "crown of holiness" and a "coronet," 
 
 see Exod. XXxix. 30 ; Levit. viii. 9. (But what was specifically signified 
 thereby, see A.C., n. 9930-9936, where the particulars are explained.) 
 
 273, [/',;>.• 5] "And oui of the throne proceeded lightnings 
 and thunders and voices" signifies illustration, uyidcrstanding, 
 and perception of Divine truth in the heavens from the Lord. — 
 This is evident from the signification of " lightnings, thunders, and 
 voices," as predicated of Divine truth; "lightnings" referring to 
 illustration, "thunders" to understanding, and "voices" to per- 
 ception of it ; that these things are thereby signified will be made 
 clear by passages in the Word where they are mentioned. But let 
 something first be said in respe6l to the origin of these significa- 
 tions. All things that appear before the eyes of men in the visible 
 heaven, as the sun, the moon, the stars, the air, the ether, light, 
 heat, clouds, mists, showers, and many more, are correspond- 
 ences ; they are correspondences for the reason that all things in the 
 natural world correspond to those in the spiritual world. These 
 are also correspondences in heaven where the angels are, because 
 like things are seen by them ; but there they are not natural but 
 
 spiritual (as can be seen from what is shown respedling them in Heaven and 
 Hell. On the Sun an^ Moon in Heaven, n. 116-125 ; On Light and Heat in Heaven, 
 n. 126-140; and in general. On the Correspondence of Heaven with all things of the 
 Earth, n. 103-115 ; and On Appearances in Heaven, n. 170-176). Therefore 
 
 "lightnings" and "thunders" also are correspondences; and be- 
 cause they are correspondences, they have the same significance as 
 
436 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 the things have to which they c(>rrespond. Their significance in 
 general is Divine truth received and uttered by the higher angels ; 
 which, when it descends to the lower angels sometimes appears 
 as lightning, and is heard as thunder with voices. From this it 
 is that " lightning " signifies Divine truth in respect to illustration ; 
 " thunder " Divine truth in respe6l to understanding ; and " voices " 
 Divine truth in respect to perception. It is said i7i respeH. to 
 understanding and in respeH, to perception, since what enters 
 into the mind through the hearing is both seen and perceived ; 
 seen in the understanding, and perceived through communication 
 
 with the will. (What perception is, stridlly, such as the angels in heaven have, 
 may be seen in The Do£lrine of the New yerusalein, n. 140.) [2.] From this 
 
 it is that "lightnings" and "thunders" in the Word signify Divine 
 truth in respe6l to illumination and in respect to understanding, 
 as can be seen fi-om the following passages. In David : 
 
 "Thou hast with Thine arm redeemed Thy people The clouds 
 
 poured out waters ; the skies uttered a voice ; Thine arrows also 
 went forth ; the voice of Thy thunder into the world ; the light- 
 nings lightened the world" {Psalm Ixxvii. 15, 17, 18). 
 
 Here the establishment of the church is treated of; "the clouds 
 poured out waters" signifies truths from the sense of the letter of 
 the Word; "the skies uttered a voice" (that is, the upper air) 
 signifies truths from the spiritual sense of the Word ; " the arrows 
 that went forth" (meaning thunderbolts, as there is an appear- 
 ance of arrows from a bow when there are thunders and light- 
 nings) signify Divine truths; "the voice of thunder into the 
 world " signifies Divine truth in respe6l to perception and under- 
 standing in the church ; and " the lightnings lightened the w^orld " 
 signifies Divine truth in respe6l to illustration ; "the world" signi- 
 fies the church. [3.] In the same, 
 
 "A fire shall go before " Jehovah, "and burn up His enemies round 
 about ; His lightnings shall lighten the world " {Psalm xcvii. 3, 4). 
 
 From these words also it is clear that " lightnings" signify Divine 
 truth in respe6l to illustration, for it is said " His lightnings shall 
 lighten the world." [4.] In Jeremiah : 
 
 "The maker of the earth by His power, He prepareth the world by His 
 wisdom, and by His intelligence spreadeth out the heavens ; at 
 the voice that He uttereth there is a multitude of waters in the 
 heavens, and He maketh the vapors to go up from the end of the 
 earth. He maketh lightnings for the rain " (x. 12, 13 ; li. 16 ; Psalm 
 cxxxv. 7, 8). 
 
 Here again the establishment of the church is treated of. That 
 "the voice of thunder" signifies Divine truth in respedl to percep- 
 
CHAP. IV., VKRSK 5. — N. 273. 437 
 
 tion and understanding, and "lightning.s" Divine truth in respe<5l 
 to illustration, can be .seen from its being said, "Tlie maker of the 
 earth prepareth the world by His wisdom, and by His intelligence 
 strctcliL-th out the heavens;" and then, "at the voice that He 
 uttcrcth there is a multitude of waters in the heavens," and " He 
 maketh lightnings for the rain;" "earth" and "world" sig- 
 nifying the church; "waters in the heavens" spiritual truths; 
 "rain" these truths when they descend and become natural; 
 "lightnings" their illustration. [5.] In the Second Book of 
 Samuel: 
 
 "Jehovah thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered His voice, 
 and sent forth arrows and scattered them, lightning, and discom- 
 fited them" (xxii. 14, 15). 
 
 Thunders are here described by "thundering from heaven" and 
 by "uttering a voice," flying thunderbolts by "arrows," and all 
 these signify Divine truths, and "lightning" their light; and as 
 these vivify and enlighten the good, so they terrify and blind the 
 wicked, which is meant by " He sent forth arrows and scattered 
 them, lightning, and discomfited them ;" for the evil cannot bear 
 Divine truths, nor any light at all from heaven, therefore they flee 
 away when it is present. [6.] Likewise in David : 
 
 "Jehovah thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered His 
 voice ; . . . . and He sent forth His arrows and scattered them, and 
 many lightnings and discomfited them " {Psalm xviii. 13, 14). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " Lighten forth lightning and scatter them ; send forth thine arrows and 
 discomfit them" {Psalm cxliv. 6), 
 
 That "thunders" and "lightnings" signify Divine truth in respe6l 
 to understanding and illustration is still further evident from the 
 following passages. In David : 
 
 " In distress thou didst call and I delivered thee ; I answered thee in the 
 secret place of thunder" {Psalm Ixxxi. 7). 
 
 In the Apocalypse : 
 
 "I heard one of the four animals saying, as with a voice of thunder, 
 Come and see" (vi. i). 
 
 Again, 
 
 "And the angel took the censer and filled it from the fire of the altar, 
 and cast it into the earth ; and there followed thunders and voices 
 and lightnings" (viii. 5). 
 
 Again, 
 
 The angel " cried with a great voice, as a lion, and when he cried the 
 seven thunders uttered their voices " (x. 3, 4). 
 
438 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 Again, 
 
 "The temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in the 
 temple the ark of the covenant ; and there followed lightnings and 
 voices and thunders" (xi. 19). 
 
 Again, 
 
 " I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the 
 voice of great thunder" (xiv. 2). 
 
 And again, 
 
 " I heard the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, 
 as the voice of mighty thunders, saying, Alleluia ; for the Lord 
 our God, the Almighty, hath received the kingdom " (xix. 6). 
 
 Moreover, since "thunders " and "lightnings " signify Divine truths, 
 when Jehovah came down upon Mount Sinai to promulgate these 
 truths, 
 
 "There were voices and lightnings and the voice of a tnimpet" 
 
 {Exod. xix. 16). 
 
 That "the voice of a trumpet" signifies Divine truth in respedl to 
 revelation, see above (n. 55, 262). 
 
 (A voice out of heaven to the Lord was heard as thunder, John xii. 28, 
 
 29). 
 (That James and John were called Boanerges, or sons of thunder, Mark 
 
 iii. 14, 17), 
 
 274. "And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the 
 throne, which are the seven spirits of God," signifies Divine truth 
 itself U7iited to Divine good, going forth from the Lord's Divine 
 love. — This is evident from the signification of "seven," as mean- 
 ing all things in the complex ; also from the signification of" lamps 
 of fire burning before the throne," as meaning Divine truth united 
 to Divine good, going forth from the Lord's Divine love : for 
 "lamps" signify truths ; therefore "seven lamps" signify all truth 
 in the complex, which is Divine truth; and "fire" signifies the 
 good of love ; and since the lamps were seen "burning before the 
 throne" upon which the Lord was, it is thereby signified that truth 
 is from the Lord. As " the seven spirits of God " signify all truths 
 of heaven and the church from the Lord (see above, n. i83[a]), it 
 is said, "which are the seven spirits of God." (That "seven" signi- 
 fies all, see above, n. 256; that "fire" signifies the good of love, see A.C., n. 
 
 934, 4906, 5215,6314, 6832, 10055.) [2.] That "lamps" signify truths, 
 which are called truths of faith, can be seen from the following 
 passages in the Word. In David : 
 
 "Thy Word is a lamp to my feet, and light to my path" [Psalm cxix. 
 105). 
 
CHAP. IV., VERSE 5. — N. 274. 439 
 
 The Word is called a "lamp" because it is Divine truth. In the 
 same, 
 
 "Thou lightest my lamp; Jehovah God maketh my darkness to shine" 
 {Psalm xviii. 28). 
 
 "To light a lamp" signifies to enlighten the understanding by 
 Divine truth ; and "to make darkness to shine" signifies to dis- 
 perse the falsities of ignorance by die light of truth. In Luke: 
 
 " Let your loins be girded about, and your lamps burning " (xii. 35). 
 
 The " loins " to be girded signify the good of love (see A.c, n. 3021, 
 4280. 4462, 5050-5052, 9961); and "lamps burning" signify truths of 
 faith from good of love. [3.] \n Matthew : 
 
 " The lamp of the body is the eye ; if the eye be good the whole body 
 is light, if the eye be evil the whole body is darkened. If, there- 
 fore, the light be darkness, how great is the darkness" (vi. 22, 23). 
 
 The eye is here called " lucenia,'" that is, a lighted lamp, because 
 the "eye" signifies understanding of truth, and therefore truth 
 of faith ; and as the understanding derives its all from the will 
 (for such as the will is, such is the understanding), so truth of 
 faith derives its all from good of love ; consequently when the 
 understanding of truth is from good of the will the whole man 
 is spiritual, which is signified by the words, "if the eye be good 
 the whole body is light :" but the contrary is true when the 
 understanding is formed out of evil of the will ; that it is then 
 in mere falsities is signified by the words, "If thine eye be evil the 
 whole body is darkened. If, therefore, the light be darkness, how 
 
 great is the darkness." (That "eye" signifies understanding, see above, n. 
 152; and that " darkness " signifies falsities, A.C., n. 1839, i860, 3340, 4418, 4531, 
 
 7688, 7711, 7712.) He who does not know that "eye" signifies un- 
 derstanding does not apprehend at all the meaning of these words. 
 [4.] In Jeremiah : 
 
 " I will take away from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, 
 the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice 
 of the millstones and the light of the lamp"(xxv. 10). 
 
 "To take away the voice of joy and the voice of gladness" signi- 
 fies to take away the interior felicity that is from good of love and 
 the truths of faith; "to take away the voice of the bridegroom 
 and the voice of the bride" signifies to take away all conjunction 
 of good and truth, which makes hea\'en and the church with man ; 
 " to take away the voice of the millstones and the light of the lamp" 
 signifies to take away the do6lrine of charity and faith. (What is 
 
 signified by "millstone" and "grinding," see A.C., n. 4335, 7780, 9995, 10303.) 
 
 Likewise in the Apocaly'Pse : 
 
440 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 "And the light of a lamp shall shine no more in" Babylon; "and the 
 voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more 
 there" (xviii. 23). 
 
 In Isaiah : 
 
 " Her salvation as a lamp that burneth " (Ixii. i) ; 
 
 signifying that truth of faith should be from good of love. In 
 
 Matthew : 
 
 " The kingdom of heaven is like ten virgins, who took their lamps and 
 
 went forth to meet the bridegroom The five foolish took 
 
 their lamps, but no oil ; but the five wise took oil also When, 
 
 therefore, the bridegroom came, the wise went in to the wedding, 
 but the foolish were not admitted" (xxv. 1-12). 
 
 "Lamps" here signify truths of faith, and "oil" good of love. 
 What the rest of this parable signifies may be seen above (n. 
 252[3]), where the particulars are explained. 
 
 ^75[^*]» [ ^^^''^^ ^^ "And in sight of the throne a glassy sea 
 /ike crystal" signifies the appearance of \_Divine~\ tnith in out- 
 mosts where its generals are, and its transparericy by virtue of the 
 influx of Divine truth united -to Divine good in firsts. — This is 
 evident from the signification of " in sight of the throne," as mean- 
 ing appearance; also from the signification of "sea," as meaning 
 generals of truth (of which in what follows) ; also from the signi- 
 fication of " glassy," as meaning transparent. It is also said " like 
 crystal," that transparency from the influx of Divine truth united 
 to Divine good in firsts may be described ; this is signified by 
 "seven lamps of fire burning before the throne" (as shown just 
 above, n. 274). In this and what precedes, the state of the whole 
 heaven arranged in order for judgment is described, and its out- 
 most is meant by "a glassy sea like crystal." The truth of the 
 outmost heaven is signified by "a glassy sea," because "sea" sig- 
 nifies the generals of truth, such truth as exists in the outmosts of 
 heaven, and with man in the natural man, which truth is called 
 knowledge {scientifiaan). The "sea" signifies such truths becaui',*; 
 in the sea is the gathering together of waters, and " waters " signiiy 
 truths (see above, n. 71). [2.] That this is the signification of 
 "sea" is evident from many passages in the Word, some of wSicJi 
 I will cite here. In Isaiah : 
 
 " I will shut up the Egyptians into the hand of a hard lord ; and a fierce 
 
 king shall rule over them Then the waters shall fail from the 
 
 sea, and the river shall dry up and become dry'' (xix. 4, 5). 
 
 By "the Egyptians" knowledges [sdentiae) that are of the natural 
 man are meant ; " the hard lord into whose hands they should be 
 shut up" signifies the evil of self-love; "a fierce king" signifies 
 
CHAP. IV., VERSE 6. — N. 2-J^[a]. 44! 
 
 falsity therefrom ; "the waters sliall fail from the sea" signifies 
 that with all the abuntlance of knowledges iscientiamm) there still are 
 no truths ; and "the river shall dry up and become dry" signifies 
 that there is no dodrine of truth and no intelligence therefrom. 
 [3.] In the same, 
 
 "Jehovah will visit with His sword, hard, great, and strong, leviathan 
 the stretched out serpent, and leviathan the crooked serpent, and 
 will slay the monsters that are in the sea" (xxvii. i). 
 
 This is also said of " Egypt," by which knowledges {scieutiae) that 
 are of the natural man are signified: "leviathan the stretched 
 out serpent" signifies those who rejed all things not seen with 
 the eyes, thus the merely sensual, who are without faith, because 
 they do not comprehend. "Leviathan the crooked serpent" sig- 
 nifies those who, for the same reason, do not believe, and yet say 
 that they believe. "The sword, hard, and great, and strong, with 
 which they shall be visited," signifies extinction of all truth, for 
 "sword" signifies falsity destroying truth. "The monsters in the 
 sea," that shall be slain, signify things know^n [scientifica) in general. 
 
 (That these are signified by " monsters," see A.C., n. 7293.) [4.] In the Same, 
 
 "Let the inhabitants of the isle be silent: thou merchant of Zidon pass- 
 ing over the sea, they have filled thee Blush, O Zidon, for the 
 
 sea hath said, the stronghold of the sea, saying, I have not travailed, 
 and I have not brought forth, and I have not trained up young 
 men, and have not brought up virgins ; when the report comes to 
 Egypt they shall be seized with grief, as the report respe(fling 
 Tyre " (xxiii. 2-5). 
 
 " Zidon " and " Tyre" signify knowledges of good and truth ; there- 
 fore it is said "the merchant of Zidon passing over the sea," "mer- 
 chant" meaning one who acquires these knowledges for himself 
 and communicates them. That they acquired for themselves 
 theieby nothing of good and truth is signified by "the sea said, 
 I have not travailed and I have not brought forth, I have not 
 trained up young men, and have not brought up virgins;" "to 
 travail and bring forth " is to produce something from knowledges ; 
 "young men" mean truths, and "virgins" goods. That the use 
 of knowledges {cognitionum et scientiarujn) would therefore perish, is sig- 
 nified by " when the report comes to Egypt they shall be seized 
 with grief, as the report respe6ling Tyre." [5.] In Ezckiel: 
 
 "All the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and cast 
 away their robes, and strip off their broidered garments, they shall 
 
 be clothed with terrors They shall take up a lamentation over 
 
 thee, and shall say. How hast thou perished, thou that dwelt by the 
 seas, the renowned city which was strong in the sea ; . . . . therefore 
 the islands in the sea shall be dismayed at thy departure" (xxvi. 
 15-18). 
 
442 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 These things are said of " Tyre," which signifies knowledges of 
 truth, the negle6l and loss of which are thus described ; the " princes 
 of the sea" that shall come down from their thrones signify prim- 
 ary knowledges ; that these together with things known (sdentificis) 
 shall be abandoned is signified by " they shall cast away their robes, 
 and strip off their broidered garments," " broidered work " is what is 
 known {scientificum) ; " the city that dwelt by the seas and was strong 
 in the sea " signifies the power of knowing in all abundance (" seas " 
 signify collections) ; "islands in the sea" signify nations more re- 
 mote from truths that long for knowledges, of which it is said 
 " therefore the islands in the sea shall be dismayed at thy depart- 
 ure." [6.] In Isaiah : 
 
 " They shall not do evil nor corrupt themselves in all the mountain of My 
 holiness ; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge {scientia) of 
 Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea" (xi. 9). 
 
 This treats of a new heaven and a new church, which are meant by 
 "mountain of holiness," in which "they shall not do evil nor cor- 
 rupt themselves ;" their understanding of truth from the Lord is 
 described by "the earth shall be full of the knowledge {scientia) of 
 Jehovah;" and as "waters" signify truths, and the "sea" fulness 
 of them, it is said, " as the waters cover the sea." [7.] In the same, 
 
 " By My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a desert ; their fish 
 shall become putrid because there is no water, and shall die of 
 thirst " (1. 2). 
 
 "To dry up the sea" signifies an entire lack of the general know- 
 ledges of truth ; "to make the rivers a desert" signifies depriva- 
 tion of all truth and of intelligence therefrom ; " the fish shall be- 
 come putrid " signifies that the knowledges {sdentifica) pertaining to 
 the natural man shall be without any spiritual life ; this takes place 
 when they are applied to confirm falsities in opposition to the 
 truths of the church ; "because there is no water" signifies because 
 there is no truth ; " to die of thirst" signifies the extinction of truth. 
 
 (That " rivers" signify things of intelligence, see A.C., n. 108, 2702, 3051 ; that " des- 
 ert " signifies where there is no good because there is no truth, n. 2708, 4736, 7055 ; 
 that " fish " signifies the knowledge {scientificum) pertaining to the natural man, 
 n. 40, 991 ; that " water " signifies truth, n. 2702, 3424, 5668, 8568 ; and that " to die 
 of thirst" signifies the absence of spiritual life from lack of truth, n. 8568 at the 
 
 end.) [8.] In David : 
 
 O Jehovah, "Thou rulest in the uprising of the sea; when it raiseth 
 up its waves . . . . " {Psalm Ixxxix. 9). 
 
 The "sea" here signifies the natural man, because in the natural 
 man are the generals of truth ; " the uprising of the sea" signifies 
 its exalting itself against the Divine, denying the things that are 
 
CHAT. IV., VERSE 6. — N ^7 sl^]- 443 
 
 of the churcli ; the "waves" which it raiseth up signify falsities. 
 [9.] In the same, 
 
 Jehovah " hath founded the globe upon the seas, and established it upon 
 the rivers" (J^sa/m xxiv. 2). 
 
 The " globe " signifies the church ; the " seas " knowledges in gen- 
 eral which are in the natural man ; and "rivers" truths of faith: 
 upon these two the church has its foundation, [lo.] In Amos : 
 
 Jehovah, "who buildeth His steps in the heavens, and calleth the 
 
 waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the faces of the 
 earth " (ix. 6). 
 
 "The steps that Jehovah buildeth in the heavens" signify interior 
 truths which are called spiritual ; "the waters of the sea" signify 
 exterior truths, which are natural because they are in the natural 
 man ; " to pour them out upon the faces of the earth " signifies 
 upon men of the church, for the "earth" is the church, 
 [ft.] [II.] In David: 
 
 " By the word of Jehovah were the heavens made ; and all the host of 
 them by the breath of His mouth. He gathereth the waters of the 
 sea together as an heap ; He giveth the deeps for storehouses " 
 (Psalm xxxiii. 6, 7). 
 
 " The Word of Jehovah," by which the heavens were made, and " the 
 breath of His mouth," by which all the hosts of them were made, 
 signify E^vine truth going forth from the Lord ; " the hosts of the 
 heavens" meaning all things of love and faith ; "the waters of the 
 sea that He gathereth together as an heap " signify knowledges of 
 truth, and truths in general, which arc together in the natural man ; 
 "the deeps that He gives for storehouses" signify sense-know- 
 ledges [scientifica sensuaiia), w'hich are the most general and lowest 
 things of the natural man, and in which at the same time are more 
 interior or higher truths, therefore they are called "storehouses." 
 [12.] In the same, 
 
 " Jehovah hath founded the earth upon its foundations, that it be not re- 
 moved forever and forever. Thou hast covered it with the deep as 
 with a garment" {Psalm civ. 5, 6). 
 
 The " earth" signifies the church ; "the foundations on which Je- 
 hovah hath founded it for ever" are knowledges of truth and 
 good ; " the deep with which He hath covered it as with a gar- 
 ment" signifies sense-knowledge (scientijicum sensuaie) which is the 
 outmost of the natural man, and being the outmost, it is said that 
 "it covered as with a garment." [13.] In the same, 
 
 Jehovah, " Thy way is in the sea, and Thy path in many waters, yet 
 Thy footsteps have not been known" {Psalm Ixvvii. iq). 
 
444 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 In Isaiah : 
 
 " Thus saith Jehovah, I who have given a way in the sea, and a path in 
 the mighty waters" (xliii. i6). 
 
 That "sea" here does not mean the sea, nor "waters" the waters, 
 is clear, since it is said that therein "are the way and the path of 
 Jehovah;" therefore by "sea" and by "waters" are meant such 
 things as Jehovah or the Lord is in, which are knowledges of truth 
 in general from the Word, and truths therein ; "the sea" meaning 
 such knowledges, and "waters" truths. Knowledges and truths 
 differ in this, that knowledges are of the natural man, and truths 
 of the spiritual man. [14.] In yei'emiah : 
 
 " Behold, I will plead thy cause, and will revenge thy revenging ; that I 
 
 may dry up the sea " of Babylon, " and make dry her fountain 
 
 The sea shall come up upon Babylon, she shall be co.vered with 
 the multitude of its waves " (li. 36, 42). 
 
 By "Babylon" those who profane goods are meant; "the sea 
 of Babylon " means their traditions, which are adulterations of 
 good from the Word; "waves" are falsities from these; their 
 destrudion at the last judgment is here described. [15.] In the 
 same, 
 
 "A people coming from the north, and a great nation and many kings 
 
 shall be stirred up from the sides of the earth Their voice 
 
 maketh a tumult like the sea, and they ride upon horses" (1. 41, 
 42). 
 
 " A people coming from the north" are those who are in falsities 
 from evil; "great nation" means evils; and "many kings" fals- 
 ities ; " the sides of the earth " are the things outside of the church, 
 and those that are not of the church, for the "earth" means the 
 church ; "their voice maketh a tumult like the sea" means falsity 
 from the natural man exalting itself against the truth of the church ; 
 "the horses upon which they ride" are reasonings from the fal 
 lacies of the senses. [16.] In the same, 
 
 " Jehovah giveth the sun for light by day, the ordinances of the mcop 
 and stars for light by night, stirring up the sea so that the waves 
 thereof roar" (xxxi. 35). 
 
 " The sun from which is the light of day " signifies the gooJ ^i 
 celestial love, from which is perception of truth ; " the ordinances 
 of the moon and stars, from which is the light by night," signify 
 truths from spiritual good and from knowledges, by which there 
 is intelligence ; " the sea that is stirred up, and the waves that 
 roar," signify the generals of truth in the natural man, and dn"ngs 
 known {scientifica). [17.] In Isaiah : 
 
CHAP. IV., VERSE 6. — X. 2~^[/>'\. 445 
 
 "The wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest, but its wa- 
 ters cast up filth and mud " (Ivii. 20). 
 
 "TliL" troubled sea wliicli is like the wicked," sig^nifies reasonings 
 from falsities ; "the waters that cast up filth and mud" signify the 
 falsities themselves, from which come evils of life and falsities of 
 do(5lrine. [18.] In Ezekicl: 
 
 " I will stretch out Mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off 
 the Chorethites, and destroy the remnant of the sea coast" (xxv. 
 16). 
 
 "The Philistines" signify those who are in the do6lrine of faith 
 alone, and "the remnant of the sea coast" that shall be destroyed, 
 signifies all things of truth. [19.] In Hosea : 
 
 " I will not return to destroj' Ephraim They shall go after Jehovah ; 
 
 .... and sons from the sea shall draw near with honor, with honor 
 shall they come as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the 
 land of Assyria" (xi. 9-1 1). 
 
 "Ephraim" signifies the church in respe<5l to the understanding 
 of truth ; "sons from the sea," who shall draw near, signify truths 
 from a common fountain, which is the Word; "a bird out of 
 Egypt " signifies knowledge {scientificum) agreeing ; and " a dove out 
 of the land of Assyria" signifies the rational. [20.] In Zecha- 
 riah : 
 
 " In that day living waters shall go out from Jerusalem ; part of them 
 to the eastern sea, and part of them to the hinder sea " (xiv. 8). 
 
 "Living waters from Jerusalem" signify truths from a spiritual 
 origin in the church, which are the truths that are receiv^ed by man 
 when he is enlightened by the Lord while he is reading the Word. 
 "Jerusalem" is the church in respedl to do<5lrine, the "sea" sig- 
 nifies the natural man, into which those things that are in the spir- 
 itual man descend; the "eastern sea" signifies the natural man 
 in respeft to good ; and the "hinder sea " the natural man in re- 
 spect to truth ; and as the natural man is in generals of truth, 
 "sea" also signifies the generals of truth. [21."] He who knows 
 nothing about the spiritual man, and the truths and goods that are 
 therein, may suppose that the truths that are in the natural man, 
 called knowledges and things known {scientifica), are not merely 
 the generals of truth, but are all there is of truth with man. But 
 let him know that the truths in the spiritual man, from which 
 those are that are in the natural, are incomparably more numer- 
 ous ; but these truths in the spiritual man do not come to the per- 
 ception of the natural man until he enters the spiritual world, 
 
446 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 which is after death ; for then man puts off the natural aiui puts 
 on the spiritual. That this is so can be seen from this fa(5l alone, 
 that angels, although they are from the human race, are in intelli- 
 gence and wisdom ineffable as compared with man. (That angels are 
 
 from the human race, see the The Last yudgtnent, n. 14-22, and 23-27.) [22.] As 
 
 the "sea" signifies the generals of truth, the great vessel, which 
 was for general washing, was called "the brazen sea" (i KirigsVn. 
 23-26) ; for the " washings" represented purifications from falsities 
 and evils, and " waters " signify truths, by which purifications are 
 effedted ; and as all truths are from good, the containing vesse' .vas 
 made of brass, and was therefore called " the brazen sea," for brass 
 signifies good. Spiritual purification, which is purification fioin 
 falsities and evils, is there fully described by the measurements of 
 that vessel, and by the bases thereof, interpreted in a spiritual 
 sense. From what has been brought forward it can be seen that 
 "sea" signifies the generals of truth or knowledges of truth to- 
 gether and colle6lively. But what furthur is signified by "sea" 
 will be shown in the explanation of what follows, for " sea" is used 
 in various senses 
 
 (as in Apoc. v. 13 ; vii. 1-3 ; viii. 8, 9 ; x. 2, 8 ; xii. 12 ; xiii. i ; xiv. 7 ; xv. 
 2 ; xvi. 3 ; xviii. 17, 19, 21 ; xx. 13 ; xxi. i). 
 
 VERSES bihist part), 7, 8. 
 
 276. "Ana in the midst of the throne and around the throne were four animals, 
 full of eyes before and behind. And the first animal was lihe a lion, and the second ani- 
 mal like a calf, and the third animal had a face lihe a man, and the fourth animal was 
 like a flying eagle. And the f'.ur animals, each by itself, had six wings round about, and they 
 were full of eyes within, and they had no rest day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord 
 Qod Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come." 
 
 "And in the midsi of the throne and around the throne were four animals, 
 full of eyes before and behind" signifies the Lorif s guard and providence 
 that the interior heavens be not approached except by good of love and 
 charity, that lower things depending thereo7t may be in order [n. 277]. 
 
 7. "And the first animal was like a lion" signifies the appearance, in outmosts, 
 
 of Divine tricth going forth from the Lord in respedl to poiver and efp.- 
 ciency [n. 278] ; "and the second animal like a calf" signifies the appear- 
 ance, in outmosts, of Divine good in respec7 to protection [n. 279] ; "and 
 the third animal had a face like a man" signifies the appearance, in out- 
 mosts, of the Divine gicard and providence in respetfi to wisdom [n. 280] ; 
 "and the fourth animal was like a flying eagle" signifies //^^ appearance, 
 in outmosts, of the Divine guard and providence in respe/t to intelligence 
 and clear vision on every side [n. 2S1, 282]. 
 
 8. "And the four animals, each by itself, had six wings round about," signifies 
 
 appearance of ihi spiritual Divine on all sides about the celestial Divine 
 [11.283] ; "and they were full of eyes within" s^gmfxes Divine provid- 
 ence af id guard [n. 284] ; "and they had no rest day and night, saying, 
 
CHAP. IV., VERSE 6. — N. 2-;~[n']. 447 
 
 Ho/y, holy, holy," signifies f)i,tt :<••///(•/; is most holy goitt^ forth from the 
 Lord [n. 2S5] ; "Lord God Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is 
 to come," sijjiiities the infinite and eternal [n. 2S6]. 
 
 ^77[^1» "^f^d '^ '^s midsf of the throne and around the 
 throne were four animals, full of eyes before and behind," .sig- 
 nifies t/ic Lord's guard and providence that the interior heavens 
 be not approached except by good of love and charity, that lower 
 things depending thereon may be ifi order. — This is evident from 
 the signification of "from the midst of the throne," as meaning 
 from the Lord, for the "One sitting upon the throne" was the 
 Lord (see above, n. 26S) ; also from the signification of "around 
 the throne," as meaning the interior or higher heavens, for these 
 are most nearly around the Lord ; also from the signification ol 
 "four animals," which were cherubim, as meaning Divine guard 
 and providence that interior or higher heavens be not ap- 
 proached e.xcept by good of love and charity (of which in what 
 follows) ; also from the signification of "eyes," of which they were 
 full before and behind, as meaning the Lord's Divine providence ; 
 for "eyes," in reference to man, signify the understanding, which 
 is his internal sight ; but when "eyes" are attributed to God, they 
 signify Divine providence (see above, n. 68, 152). And since 
 "eyes" here signify the Lord's Divine providence that the higher 
 heavens be not approached except by good of love and of charity, 
 these cherubim were seen " full of eyes before and behind." On this 
 providence of the Lord, lower things, that is, the lower heavens 
 and also the church on earth, depend, that they may be in order, 
 because the influx of the Lord is both immediate from Himself, 
 and mediate through the higher heavens into the lower heavens 
 and into the church ; consequently unless the higher heavens were 
 in order the lower could not be in order. (On this influx see The 
 
 Doflrine of the New Jerusalem, n. 277, 278.) [2.] That by "the four 
 
 animals" cherubim are meant is evident in Ezekiel, by whom 
 like things were seen at the river Chebar, which are described by 
 him in chap. i. and in chap, x., and in the latter called "cherubim" 
 (i, 2, 4-9, 14, 16, 18, 19), and it is said of them, 
 
 "The cherubim mounted up ; these are the animals that I saw by the 
 
 river Chebar These are the animals that I saw under the 
 
 Goc* of Israel by the river Chebar ; and I knew that they were the 
 cherubim" (x. 15, 20). 
 
 These "four animals, that were cherubim," are thus described 
 by the same prophet : 
 
 Near the river Chebar " appeared the likeness of four animals. This 
 was their aspecl: they had the likeness of a man, and each 
 
448 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 one had four faces, and each one of them had four wings .... 
 This was the likeness of their faces : the four had the face of a 
 man and the face of a lion on the right side, and the four had the 
 face of an ox on the left side, the four also had the face of an 
 
 eagle Their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like 
 
 the appearance of lamps ; the same went up and down among 
 the animals, so that the fire was bright, and out of the fire went 
 forth lightning Over the heads of the animals was a firma- 
 ment, of the appearance of a wonderful crystal Above the 
 
 firmament which was over their head was the appearance of a 
 sapphire stone, the likeness of a throne ; and upon the likeness 
 of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man upon 
 
 it From the appearance of his loins and downwards I saw 
 
 as it were an appearance of fire, and it had brightness round 
 about, as the appearance of a bow that is in the cloud ; .... so 
 was the appearance of the brightness of Jehovah ; this appear- 
 ance was the likeness of the glory of Jehovah round about " (i, 
 5, 6, 10, 13, 22, 26-28). 
 
 By these representatives the Divine of the Lord in the higher heav- 
 ens, and His providence that they be not approached e.xcept by 
 good of love and charity, are described ; and in this description 
 are contained all the things that are mentioned in this chapter of 
 the Apocalypse respe6ling the arrangement of the heavens, and sig- 
 nified by "die throne on which was One sitting in aspe6l like a 
 jasper stone and a sardius ;" also by the "rainbow round about 
 the throne," by the "lamps of fire burning before the throne," and 
 other things which it is not necessary therefore to explain here in 
 detail. [3.] It shall now be shown merely that "cherubim" in 
 the Word signify the guard and providence of the Lord that the 
 higher heavens be not approached except by good of love and 
 charity, that lower things may be in order. This is plainly seen 
 by the cherubim placed before the garden of Eden, when man 
 was driven from it, which are thus described in Moses : 
 
 When Jehovah God "had driven out the man. He made to dwell on the 
 east of Eden the cherubim, and the flame of a sword turning 
 every way, to guard the way of the tree of life " {Gen. iii. 24). 
 
 What is meant by the " man " and " his wife " in these chapters may 
 be seen explained in the Arcana Caelestia, namely, that "man" 
 here means the most ancient church, which was a celestial church ; 
 and a celestial is distinguished from a spiritual church in this, that 
 a celestial church is in good of love to the Lord, a spiritual in 
 
 good of charity towards the neighbor (see Heaven and Hell, n. 20-28). 
 
 Of the men who constitute these two churches on the earth the 
 two higher heavens are formed. When, therefore, the celestial 
 church, which was the most ancient and first church on this 
 earth, declined and began to recede from the good of love, it is 
 said that "cherubim were made to dwell on the east of Eden, and 
 
CHAP. IV.. VEKS1-: 6. — N. 2-~[d'j. 449 
 
 the flame of a .sword turning every way, to guard the way of the 
 tree of life." The "ea.st of Eden" signifies where the good of 
 celestial love enters ; " the flame of a sword turning every way " 
 signifies truth from that good, protecS^ing ; and 'the tree of life" 
 signifies the Divine that is from the Lord in the higher heavens, 
 which is the good of love and charity and heavenly joy therefrom. 
 From this it is clear that "cherubim" signify guards that these 
 heavens be not approached except by good of love and charity ; 
 for this reason they are also said " to guard the way of the tree 
 
 of life." (That the "east" signifies good of love, see A.C., n. 1250, 3708; that 
 " Eden " signifies wisdom therefrom, n. 99, 100; that " sword " signifies truth com- 
 bating against falsity and dispersing it, thus truth protecfling, above, n. 73, I3I[a] ; 
 that "flame" signifies truth from celestial good, .4.C.. n. 3222, 6832, 9570; that 
 " the tree of life" signifies good of love from the Lord and the heavenly joy there 
 from, see above, n. IO9, 1 lO.) 
 
 [6.] [4.] Because of this signification of "cherubim," two 
 cherubim of solid gold were placed upon the mercy-seat over upon 
 the ark, thus described in Moses : 
 
 "Thou shalt make cherubim, of solid gold thou shalt make them, from 
 the two ends of the mercy-seat ; . . . . out of the mercy-seat thou 
 shalt make the cherubim. And the cherubim shall spread out their 
 wings upwards, covering the mercy-seat with their wings . . . . ; to- 
 wards the mercy-seat shall be the faces of the cherubim. And 
 
 thou shalt put the mercy-seat upon the ark And there I will 
 
 meet with thee, and I will commune with thee. ... between the 
 two cherubim " {Exod. xxv. 18-22 ; xxxvii. 7-9). 
 
 The "ark" and the "tabernacle" represented the higher heavens ; 
 the "ark," in which was the testimony or law, represented the 
 inmost or third heaven ; the "holy place," which was without the 
 vail, the middle or second heaven ; the "mercy-seat" hearing and 
 reception of all things of worship which are from good of love 
 and charity; the "cherubim" guards; and the "gold," of which 
 they were made, good of love. From this it is clear that the "two 
 cherubim" represented guards that the higher heavens be not 
 approached e.xcept by good of love and charity, (That the " taber- 
 nacle" in general represented heaven where the Lord is, see A.C., n. 9457, 9481, 
 10545 ; the " ark " the inmost or third heaven, n. 3478, 9485 ; the " testimony (or law) 
 in the ark." the Lord in respedl to the Word, n. 3382, 6752, 7463 ; the " holy place," 
 that was without the vail, the middle or second heaven, n. 3478, 9457. 948i. 94831 
 9594, 9596. 9632; the " mercy-seat," the hearing and reception of all things of wor- 
 ship that are from the good of love and charity from the Lord, n. 9506 ; and " gold " 
 
 good of love, n. 113, 1551, 1552, 565'", 6914, 6917, 9510, 9874, 9881.) [5.] Be- 
 cause " cherubim " signified those guards, 
 
 There were cherubim also upon the curtains of the holy place and upon 
 the vail {Exod. xxvi. i, 31). 
 
 And for the same reason Solomon made in the oracle of the temple cher- 
 ubim of olive wood, and set them in the midst of the inner house, 
 and overlaid them with gold, and also carved all the walls of the 
 
450 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 house round about with carved figures of cherubim, and also the 
 doors (i Kings vi. 23-29, 32-35). 
 
 The "temple" also signified heaven and the church, and its "ora- 
 cle" the inmost of heaven and the church. The "olive wood," of 
 which the cherubim were made, signifies good of love ; likewise 
 the " gold" with which they were overlaid. The " walls " on which 
 the cherubim were engraved, signify the outmosts of heaven and 
 of the church, and the "cherubim" thereon signify guards. The 
 "doors," on which also there were cherubim, signify entrance 
 into heaven and the church. From this it is clear that "cheru- 
 bim" signified guards that heaven be not approached except by 
 good of love and charity. And as "cherubim" signified such 
 guards they also signify the Lord's Divine providence, for these 
 guards are from the Lord, and are His Divine providence. (That 
 
 the " temple " and " house of God " signify heaven and the church, see above, n. 
 220 ; the "oracle" therefore signifies the inmost of these. That "olive wood" 
 signifies good of love, see^.C, n. 886, 3728,4582,9780,9954, 10261 ; likewise" gold," 
 see above, n. 242. That " doors " signify approach and admission, see also above, 
 
 n. 248.) [6.] The new temple is likewise described as ornamented 
 with cherubim, of which in Ezekiel: 
 
 "There were made cherubim and palm trees, so that a palm tree was be- 
 tween a cherub and a cherub :. . . .thus it was made through all the 
 house round about, from the ground unto above the door were 
 cherubim and palm trees made ; and the wall of the temple" (xli. 
 18-20). 
 
 "Palm tree" signifies spiritual good which is the good of charity 
 (see A.C., n. 8369). [7.] Since Divine truth from Divine good is what 
 proteds, the king of Tyre is called a " cherub ;" for " king " signi- 
 fies Divine truth, and " Tyre" knowledges ; therefore the "king of 
 Tyre" signifies intelligence, of whom it is thus written in Ezekiel: 
 
 Thou, King of Tyre, "hast been in Eden the garden of God ; every pre- 
 cious stone was thy covering Thou cherub, the spreading 
 
 out of one that protedls, I have set thee on God's mountain of 
 holiness ; thou hast walked in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou 
 wast perfecfl in thy ways in the day that thou wast created " (xxviii. 
 12-15). 
 
 (That "king" signifies Divine truth, see above, n. 2>'^\b]\ and "Tyre" know- 
 ledges, A.C., n. 1201. That "precious stones" signify trudis and goods of heaven 
 and the church, see n. 9863, 9865, 9868, 9873, 9905, which are called " stones of 
 fire " because " fire " signifies good of love, see n. 934, 4906, 6314, 5215, 6832.) 
 
 Because the "king of Tyre" signifies intelligence from Divine truth, 
 and this guards or proteds, the king of Tyre is called "a cherub, 
 the spreading out of one that proteds." [8.] Since the higher 
 heavens cannot be approached except by good of love and char- 
 ity, that is, cannot be approached by worship and by prayers, 
 except such as proceed from that good, therefore the Lord spoke 
 
CHAP. IV., VERSE 7. — N. 2-jS[a'\. 45I 
 
 with Moses and Aaron when they entered the holy place between 
 the two cherubim that were upon the ark {Exod. xxv. 22). This 
 also is made evident in Moses : 
 
 "When Moses went into the tent of meeting he heard the Voice 
 
 speaking unto him from above the mercy-seat that was upon the 
 ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim " {Xum. vii. 
 89). 
 
 Because it is the Divine going forth from the Lord that provides 
 and guards, it is said of the Lord that 
 
 "He sittelh upon the cherubim" (Isa. xxxvii. 16; Psalm xviii. g, 10; 
 Ixxx. I ; xcix. I ; i Sam. iv, 4 ; 2 Savi. vi. 2). 
 
 [9.] Since the arrangement of all things for judgment is treated 
 of in this chapter, die cherubim also are here treited of. that is, the 
 Lord's guard and providence that the higher heavens be not ap- 
 proached except by good of love and charity ; for unless this had 
 been done before the judgment, the veriest heavens, in which true 
 angels are, would have been endangered, because those heavens 
 that were about to perish (see Apoc. xxi. i) were not in good of 
 love and charity, but only in some truths. For there were there 
 from the Christian world those who were in the doctrine of faith 
 alone, which some had confirmed by a few passages from the Word, 
 and had thus obtained some conjunction with the lowest heaven ; 
 but this conjunction was broken when the heaven called the for- 
 mer heaven {Apoc. xxi. i) passed away. It was then ordered 
 by the Lord that hereafter no one shall be conjoined with the 
 heavens unless he be in good of love to the Lord and in charity 
 towards the neighbor. This is what is specifically meant by the 
 things that now follow in this chapter. Whoever, therefore, be- 
 lieves that the heavens can hereafter be approached by the wor- 
 ship and prayers of those who are in faith alone, and not also in 
 good of charity, is greatly mistaken. The worship of such is -no 
 longer received, nor are their prayers heard, but attention is di- 
 reded only to their life's love. Those, therefore, in whom love of 
 self and the world rules, no matter how much they may be in 
 external worship, are conjoined to the hells, and are taken there 
 after death, and not pre\iously to a hea\en that is to peri.'ih, as 
 was the case in times past. 
 
 278[fr]. [ Verse 7.] "And the first animal was lilce a lion " 
 signifies the appearance, in 02ilmosts, of Divine truth going 
 forth from the Lord in rcspeH. to poxver and efficiency. — This is 
 t;vident from the signification of "lion," as meaning Divine truth 
 going fci th fro.n the Lord in respefl to power and efficiency (of 
 
452 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 which in what follows). It means appearance in outmosts be- 
 cause the cherubim were seen as animals, and this first one like a 
 lion. It is said in outmosts, because that appearance was before 
 John when he was in the spirit, and he then saw all things in 
 outnjosts, in which Divine celestial and Divine spiritual things 
 are variously represented, now by gardens and paradises, now 
 by palaces and temples, now by rivers and waters, now by living 
 creatures of various kinds, such as lions, camels, horses, oxen, 
 bullocks, sheep, lambs, doves, eagles, and many others. Like 
 things were seen by those prophets through whom the Word was 
 written, in order that the Word in its outmosts^ which are the 
 things contained in the sense of the letter, might consist of such 
 things as exist in the world, which might be representations and 
 correspondences of celestial and spiritual things, and thus might 
 serve as a basis or foundation to the spiritual sense. For this 
 reason the cherubim (which signify the guard and providence of 
 the Lord that the higher heavens be not approached except by 
 good of love and charity) were seen by John and by Ezekiel, 
 in respeft to their faces, as animals. 
 
 [6.] Since it is the Lord who guards and provides, and this 
 by Divine truth and Divine good, thus by His Divine wisdom and 
 intelligence, four animals were seen, which were like a lion, a 
 calf, a man, and an eagle; for thus by "lion" Divine truth in 
 respedl to power was represented, by "calf" Divine good in re- 
 sped to protedion, by "man" Divine wisdom, and by "eagle'' 
 Divine intelligence ; which four things are included in the Lord's 
 Divine providence in its guarding the higher heavens, that they 
 be not approached except by good of love and charity. [2.] That 
 a "lion" signifies Divine truth going forth from the Lord in re- 
 sped to power is evident from passages in the Word in which 
 "lion" is mentioned; as for example, in Moses, 
 
 " Judah is a lion's whelp ; from the prey, my son, thou art gone up : he 
 couched, he lay down. . . .as an old lion ; who shall rouse him up?" 
 {fieti. xlix. 9.) 
 
 "Judah" here signifies the Lord's celestial kingdom, where all are 
 in power from the Lord through Divine truth ; this pow^r is meant 
 by a " hon's whelp," and by an " old lion :" "the prey from which 
 he goeth up" signifies the dispersion of falsities and evils; """w 
 couch " signifies to put oneself into power ; " lying down " signifies 
 to be in security from every falsity and evil ; therefoie it is said, 
 
 "Who shall rouse him up?" (That "Judah" in the Word signifies \tn 
 celestial kingdom of the Lord, see A.C., n. 3654, 3881, 5603, 5782,6363; \Xix\ 
 
CHAP. IV., vr.KSE 7.— N. :27'^[^]- 453 
 
 " prey," in reference to that kiiif^dom and to the Lord, signifies the dispersion of 
 falsities and evils, and rescue and deliverance from hell, n. 6368, 6442; that "couch' 
 ing," in refer-.-nce to a lion, signifies to put oneself into power, n. 6369 ; and that " ly- 
 ing down " signifies a state of security and tranquillity, n. 3696.) [3.] In the 
 
 same, 
 
 "At this time it shall be said to Jacob and to Israel, What hath God 
 wroupht? Hehold the people riseth up as an old lion, and as a 
 young lion doth he lift himself up; he shall not lie down until he 
 eat of the prey" [iVum. xxiii. 23, 24). 
 
 And in the same, 
 
 " He coucheth, he licth down. . . .asan old lion ; who shall rouse him up? 
 Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee " 
 {Xttm. x.Kiv. g). 
 
 This is said of "Jacob and Israel," who signify the Lord's spiritual 
 kingdom ; their power is described by an " old lion " and a " young 
 lion," rising, lifting himself up, and couching; dispersion of falsi- 
 ties and evils is signified by "eating of the prey," and a state of se- 
 curity and tranquillity by " he lieth down, who shall rouse him up ?" 
 
 (That "Jacob" and " Israel " in the Word signify the Lord's spiritual kingdom, see 
 A.C., n.4286, 4570, 5973, 6426, 8805, 9340 ; what the Lord's celestial kingdom is, and 
 what His spiritual kingdom is, see Heaven and Hell, n. 20-28.) That " tO COUch " 
 
 is to put oneself into power; that "prey" and "spoil" mean dis- 
 persion of falsities and evils; and that "lying down" means a 
 state of security and tranquillity, when these things are said of 
 a lion, see just above. [4.] In Nahuni : 
 
 " Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feeding place of the young 
 lions? where walked the lion, the old lion, the lion's whelp, and 
 none maketh them afraid?" (ii. ii.) 
 
 Here also "lions" signify those who are in power through Di\-ine 
 truth; their "dwelling" signifies where there are such in the 
 church; their "feeding place" signifies knowledges of truth and 
 good; their "walking and none making them afraid" signifies 
 their state of security from evils and falsities. [5.] In Micah : 
 
 "The remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples, as dew 
 
 from Jehovah, as the drops upon the grass As a lion among 
 
 the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, 
 who if he go through shall tread down and tear in pieces so that 
 none dclivereth, thine hand shall be lifted up above thine enemies, 
 and all thine adversaries shall be cut off" (v. 7-9). 
 
 The "remnant of Jacob" signifies the truths and goods of the 
 church; " dew from Jehovah" signifies spiritual truth; "drops 
 upon the grass" natural truth ; "a lion among the beasts of the 
 forest," and "a young lion among the flocks of sheep," and "tread- 
 ing down and tearing, and none delivering," signify power over 
 
454 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 evils and falsities; because of this signification it is said, "thine 
 hand shall be lifted up above thine enemies, and all thine adversa- 
 ries shall be cut off;" for " enemies " signify evils, and "adversaries" 
 falsities (see A.C., n. 2851, 8289, 9314, 10481). [6.] In Isaiah: 
 
 " The Lord said, Go set a watchman, who may look and announce. And 
 he saw a chariot, a pair of horsemen, an ass chariot, a camel char- 
 iot ; and he hearkened a hearkening ;... .as a lion upon a watch 
 tower he cried out, O lord, I stand continually in the daytime, 
 and I am set upon my guard whole nights :. . . .Babylon is fallen, is 
 fallen " (xxi. 6-g). 
 
 This treats of the coming of the Lord and a new church at that 
 time. "A lion upon the watch tower" signifies the Lord's guard 
 and providence ; therefore it is said, " I stand continually in the 
 daytime, and I am set upon my guard whole nights." A "char- 
 iot" and a "pair of horsemen" signify do6lrine of truth from the 
 Word; "hearkening a hearkening" signifies a life according to 
 
 that do6trine. (That "chariot" signifies dodlrine of truth, see A.C., n. 2761, 
 2762, 5321, 8029, 8215; that "horseman " signifies the Word in respecfl to under- 
 standing, see n. 2761, 6401, 6534, 7024, 8146, 8148.) [?'.] In the same, 
 
 " Like as a lion and a young lion roareth over his prey when a mul- 
 titude of shepherds goeth out against him, ....so shall Jehovah 
 come down to fight upon Mount Zion and upon the hill thereof" 
 (xxxi. 4). 
 
 Here Jehovah is compared to "a roaring lion," because a "lion" 
 signifies power to lead from hell, or from evils, and to "roar" sig- 
 nifies defence against evils and falsities; therefore it is said, "so 
 shall Jehovah come down to fight upon Mount Zion and upon the 
 hill thereof," "Mount Zion and the hill thereof" meaning the ce- 
 lestial church and the spiritual church ; and "the prey over which 
 the lion and the young lion roar" signifying deliverance from e\ils, 
 which are from hell. [8.] To "roar," when attributed to a lion, 
 has the same signification in Hosea : 
 
 "I will not return to destroy Ephraim They shall go after Jeho- 
 vah as a lion roareth " (xi. 9, 10). 
 
 In Amos : 
 
 " The lion hath roared, who can but fear? the Lord Jehovih hath spoken, 
 who can but prophesy?" (iii. 8.) 
 
 In the Apocalypse : 
 
 " The angel cried with a great voice, as a lion roareth " (x. 3). 
 
 In David : 
 
 " The lions roaring after their prey and seeking their food from God, 
 The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together and lie down in 
 their dwellings " {Psalm civ. 21, 22). 
 
CHAP. IV., VERSE 7. — N. 2-jS[c]. 455 
 
 These words in David describe the state of the angels of heaven 
 when they are not in a state of intense love and of wisdom there- 
 from, and when they return into that state ; the former state is 
 described bv "lions roaring after their prey, and seeking their 
 food from God ;" the latter state by " the sun ariseth, they gather 
 themselves together and lie down in their dwellings." By the 
 "lions" the angels of heaven are meant; their "roaring" means 
 desire; "prey" and " food" mean the good which is of love and 
 the truth which is of wisdom ; "the sun arising " means the Lord 
 in respe6l to love and wisdom therefrom ; " gathering themselves 
 together" means returning into a celestial state ; and "lying down 
 in their dwellings," a state of ti'anquillity and peace. (Of these two 
 
 states of the angels in heaven see Heaven and Hell, n. 154-161.) 
 
 [f .] [9.] Because Jehovah is compared to a lion from Divine 
 truth in respe6l to power, the Lord is called a " lion " in the Apoc- 
 alypse : 
 
 " Behold, the lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, hath 
 overcome " (v. 5). 
 
 And because all power is from the Lord through Divine truth, 
 this also is signified by "a lion ;" as in Moses : 
 
 " Of Gad he said, Blessed is he who hath given breadth to Gad ; as a 
 lion he dwelleth, he teareth the arm, yea, the crown of the head " 
 {Dc'ut. xxxiii. 20). 
 
 "Gad" in the highest sense signifies omnipotence, and therefore 
 in the representative sense the power that is of truth (see A.C., n. 
 3934.3935); therefore it is said, "Blessed is he who hath given 
 breadth to Gad," for " breadth " signifies truth {A.C., n. 1613, 3433, 3434, 
 
 4482, 9487, 10179; tliat all power is from Divine truth, see Heaven and Hell, in 
 the chapter on The Power of the Angels in Heaven, n. 228-233). [10.] Be- 
 cause a "lion" signifies power, in the lamentation of David over 
 Saul and Jonathan it is said, 
 
 "Saul and Jonathan were lovely.. . ., they were swifter than eagles, they 
 were stronger than lions" (2 Sam. i. 23). 
 
 " Sr'il" here as king, and "Jonathan" as the son of a king, mean 
 truth '>roi-?fling the church, since the do(5lrine of truth and good 
 is here treated of, for that lamentation was written " to teach 
 the sons of Judah the bow" (verse 18); and "bow" signifies 
 that do6lrine (see A.C, n. 2686, 2709, 6422). [II.] Because "the kings 
 of Judah and Israel" represented the Lord in respect to Divine 
 truth, and because a "throne" represented judgment, which is 
 effected according to Divine truth, and because "lions" repre- 
 sented power, guard, and protection against falsities and evils, 
 
456 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 near the two stays of tlie throne built by Solomon there were 
 two lions, and twelve lions on the six steps on the one side and 
 on the other side (i Kings x. iS-20). From all this it can be 
 seen what "lions" in the Word signify when the Lord, heaven, 
 and the church are treated of " Lions " in the Word signify also 
 the power of falsity from evil by which the church is destroyed 
 and devastated. As in yeremiah : 
 
 "The young lions roar against him, they utter their voice, they reduce 
 the land to wasteness" (ii. 15). 
 
 In Isaiah: 
 
 A nation " whose arrows are sharp, and all his bows bent, the hoofs of 
 his horses are accounted as rock, .... his roaring like that of a 
 lion, he roareth like a young lion, and he growleth and seizeth the 
 prey " (v. 28, 29). 
 
 Besides many other places 
 
 (as in ha. xi. 6 ; xxxv. 9 ; Jer. iv. 7; v. 6 ; xii. 8 ; 1. 17 ; li. 38 ; Ezek. 
 xix. 3, 5, 6 ; Hos. xiii. 7, 8 ; Joel i. 6, 7 ; Psalm xvii. 12 ; xxii. 13 ; 
 Ivii. 4 ; Iviii. 6 ; xci. 13). 
 
 279[rt]. "And the second animal like a calf" signifies 
 the appcarajice, in ontmosts, of Divine good in respect to pro- 
 ie^ion. — This is evident from the signification of a "calf," or 
 "bullock," as meaning the good of the natural man, and specifi- 
 cally his good of innocence and charity ; and because it means 
 the good of the natural man it also means the good of the low- 
 est heaven, for this heaven is spiritual natural (see Heaven and Hell, n. 
 29-31) ; and as this good is there, there is a guard or protection that 
 the higher heavens be not approached except by good of love 
 and charity ; this is why one cherub was like a calf That this 
 appearance was in outmosts, see just above (n. 278[rt]). A "calf" 
 or "bullock" signifies the good of the natural man, because ani- 
 mals from the herd signified affedlions for good and truth in the 
 external or natural man ; and those from the flock signified affec- 
 tions for good and truth in the internal or spiritual man. Those 
 from the flock were lambs, she-goats, sheep, rams, and he-goats ; 
 those from the herd were oxen, bullocks, and calves. [2.] That 
 " bullocks " and " calves " signify the good of the natural man is ev- 
 ident from passages of the Word where they are mentioned. Fu's 
 from the description of the feet of the cherubim in Ezekiel: 
 
 " Their foot was straight and the sole of their feet like the sole of a c. s 
 foot, and they sparkled like the appearance of burnished ^td^' " 
 (i. 7). 
 
 Their foot thus appeared "straight" because the cherubim repre- 
 
CHAT. IV., VERSE 7. — X. 2-ij[cj]. 457 
 
 sentcd the Divine j^iiard of the Lord, and the feet and soles of the 
 feet represented the same in outmosts, that is, in the spiritual natu- 
 ral heaven and the natural world ; for "feet" in general signify the 
 natural; a "straight foot" the natural in respecfl to good; "the 
 sole of the foot" the outmost of the natural; "burnished brass" 
 also signifies good in the natural. From this it is clear that good 
 in the natural is signified by a " calf," and that in this is the 
 outmost good that guards and prote6ls lest the heavens be ap- 
 proached except through good of love and charity. (That " feet " 
 
 signify the natural, see,-i.C, n. 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986,4280, 4938-4952, 5327, 5328; 
 that hat which is to the right signifies the good from which is truth, n. 9604, 9736, 
 10061 ; therefore a " straight foot " signifies the natural in respedl to good. That 
 " palms, ■ " soles," and " hoofs," signify outmosts in the natural, see n. 4938, 7729; 
 nd that "burnished brass" signifies natural good, see above, n. 70.) [3.] In 
 
 Hosea : 
 
 Return ye to Jehovah ; say unto Him, Take away all iniquity, and ac- 
 cept good, and we will pay back the bullocks of our lips " (xiv. 2). 
 
 ^Vhat it is to "pay back the bullocks of the lips" no one can 
 -vnow unless he knows what "bullocks" and what "lips" sig- 
 nify ; they mean evidently confession and thanksgi\-ing from a 
 good heart; but it is thus expressed because "bullocks" signify 
 external good, and "lips" do6lrine ; therefore "paying back the 
 bullocks of the lips " signifies to confess and give thanks from the 
 
 goods of doctrine. (That "lips " signify doarine, see A.C., n. 1286, 1288.) 
 [4.] In Amos: 
 
 " Ye draw the habitation of violence near ; they lie upon beds of ivory, . . 
 and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst 
 of the stall " (vi. 3, 4). 
 
 Here those who have an abundance of knowledges of good and 
 truth and yet lead an evil life are treated of; "to eat the lambs out 
 of the flock" signifies to imbibe knowledges of internal good 
 or of the spiritual man ; and "to eat the calves out of the midst 
 of the stall" signifies to imbibe knowledges of external good or 
 of the natural man ; and " to draw the habitation of violence near" 
 is to live a life contrary to charity. [5.] In Malachi: 
 
 " Unto you that fear My name shall the Sun of righteousness arise and 
 healing in His wings ; that ye may go forth, and grow up as fatted 
 calves " (iv. 2j. 
 
 The "Sun of righteousness that shall arise to them that fear the 
 name of Jehovah" signifies good of love; and "healing in His 
 wings" signifies truth of faith; therefore "to go forth, and grow 
 up as fatted calves," signifies increase of all good, "fatted" and 
 "fat" signifying good. [6.] \\\ Luke : 
 
458 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 The father said of the prodigal son who returned penitent in heart, 
 " Bring forth the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on 
 his hand, and shoes on his feet ; and bring hither the fatted calf 
 and kill it, that we may eat and be merry " (xv, 22, 23). 
 
 He who is acquainted only with the sense of the letter might 
 suppose that no deeper meaning- is contained in this than appears 
 in that sense, when yet every particular involves heavenly things ; 
 as that they should "put on him the best robe," that they should 
 "put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet," that they shoul'? 
 "bring forth the fatted calf, that they might eat and be merry." 
 By the "prodigal son " those who are prodigal of spiritual riches, 
 which are knowledges of truth and good, are meant ; his return- 
 ing to his father, and his confession that he was not worthy to bv, 
 called his son, signifies penitence of heart and humiliation ; the 
 "best robe" with which he was clothed, signifies general and prim- 
 ary truths ; the "ring" on the hand signifies the conjun6lion of 
 truth and good in the internal or spiritual man ; " the shoes on the 
 feet" signify the same in the external or natural man; and both 
 signify regeneration; the "fatted calf" signifies the good of love 
 and charity ; and "to eat and be merry" signifies consociation and 
 heavenly joy. [7.] In yercmiah : 
 
 " I will give the men that have transgressed My covenant, who have not 
 established the words of the covenant which they made before Me, 
 the covenant of the calf, which they cut in twain that they might 
 pass between the parts thereof, the princes of Judah, and the princes 
 of Jerusalem, the royal ministers and the priests, and all the people 
 of the land, which passed between the parts of the calf, I will even 
 give them into the hands of their enemies,. . . .that their carcase 
 may be for food to the bird of the heavens" (xxxiv. 18-20). 
 
 What is meant by "the covenant of the calf," and by "passing 
 between its parts," no one can know without knowing what a 
 "covenant" signifies, and a "calf," and its being "cut in twain;'' 
 what is meant by "the princes of Judah and of Jerusalem," by 
 the "royal ministers," the "priests," and the "people of the land." 
 Some heavenly arcanum is evidently meant ; and it can be under- 
 stood when it is known that a "covenant" means conjun6lion ; a 
 "calf" good, a "calf cut in twain" good proceding from the Lord 
 on the one hand, and good received by man on the other, which 
 is the source of conjundion ; and that "the princes of Judah and 
 of Jerusalem, the royal ministers, the priests, and the people of the 
 land," mean the goods and truths of the church ; and that " to pass 
 between the parts " means to conjom. When these things are 
 known, the internal sense of these words can be seen, namely, that 
 there was no conjun6lion by the goods and truths of the church 
 
CHAP. IV., VERSE 7. — N. 2'jg[d'\. 459 
 
 with that nation, but disjunclion. [8.] Like things are involved 
 in the "covenant of the calf" with Abrani, of which in Genesis: 
 
 Jehovah said to Abram, "Take to thee an heifer of three years old, and a 
 she-Roat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a 
 turtle dove, and a young pigeon. And he took him all these, and 
 divided them in the midst, and laid each part over against the other ; 
 but the birds divided he not. And the birds of prey came down 
 upon the carcases ; and Abram drove them away. And the sun 
 was at its going down, and a deep sleep fell upon Abram ; and lo, 
 
 a horror of great darkness fell upon him And in that day 
 
 Jehovah made a covenant with Abram " (xv. 9-12, 18). 
 
 The "horror of great darkness" that fell uj)on Abrani signified 
 the state of the Jewish nation, which was in the greatest darkness 
 in respe6l to the truths and goods of the church. This state of 
 that nation is what is prophetically described by "the covenant of 
 the calf, which they cut into two parts, between which they passed." 
 [ft.] Since a "calf" signifies the good of the natural man and 
 its truth, which is knowledge (sdentificum) ; and since the natural 
 man and its knowledge {scientificum) is signified by "Egypt," in the 
 Word Egypt is called a "she-calf," and a "he-calf;" moreover, 
 when they applied the knowledges {scientifica) of the church to 
 magical and idolatrous purposes they turned the calf into an idol ; 
 this was why the children of Israel made to themselves a calf in 
 the wilderness, and worshipped it, also why they had a calf in 
 Samaria. [9.] That Egypt was so called can be seen in yereyniah : 
 
 " A very fair she-calf is Egypt ; destrucflion cometh out of the north, and 
 her hirelings in the midst of her are like calves of the stall" (xlvi. 
 20, 21). 
 
 Kespe6ling the calf that the children of Israel made to themselves 
 :n the wilderness, see Exod. xxxii. ; and respe6ling the " calf of Sa- 
 maria " (i Kings xii. 25-32), about which is the following in Hosea : 
 
 ' They have made a king, but not by Me ; they have made princes, and 
 I knew it not; of their silver and their gold have they made them 
 idols, that they may be cut off. Thy calf, O Samaria, hath for- 
 saken thee For it was from Israel ; the workman made it, 
 
 and not God ; the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces" (viii. 
 4-6). 
 
 This treats of the corrupt explanation of the Word, when the sense 
 of its letter is turned to favor self-love, and the principles of re- 
 ligion derived therefrom. "They have made a king, but not by 
 Me, aid they have made princes, and I knew it not," signifies 
 io6lrines from self-intelligence, which in themselves are falsities, 
 bi ■ vhich they make to appear as truths; for "king" signifies 
 truth, and in a contrary sense falsity; "princes" signify primary 
 
460 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 truths, or falsities, which are called principles of relig-ion. " To 
 make idols of their silver and their gold" signifies to per- 
 vert the truths and goods of the church, and still to worship 
 them as holy, although as they are from self-intelligence they are 
 destitute of life; "silver" is the truth, and "gold" the good, which 
 are from the Lord ; "idols" signify worship from doctrine that" is 
 from self-intelligence; "the workman made it, and not God," sig- 
 nifies that it is from the selfhood (ex propria), and not from the 
 Divine ; " to be broken in pieces " signifies to be dispersed ; 
 which makes clear what is signified by the "calf of Samaria." 
 Because "calves" signified the good of the natural man, calves 
 were sacrificed 
 
 (see Exod. xxix. 11, 12 seq. ; Lev. iv. 3 seq., 13 seq. ; viii. 15 seq. ; ix. 2 ; 
 xvi. 3 ; xxiii. 18 ; N'lim, viii. 8 seq. ; xv. 24 ; xxviii. 19, 20 ; Judges 
 vi. 25-29 ; I Sam. i. 25 ; xvi. 2 ; i Kings xviii. 23-26, 33) : 
 
 for all the animals that were sacrificed signified the goods of the 
 church of various kinds. 
 
 28o[w]. "And ihe third animal had a face /ike a man " 
 signifies the appearance hi oidmosts of the Divine gtiard and 
 providence in respect to wisdom. — This is evident from the sig- 
 nification of " the face of a man," as meaning affeclion for truth, 
 "face" signifying affection, and "man" the recipient of Divine 
 truth; and because man's rational is from this, "man" signifies 
 wisdom ; for man was created that he might be rational and wise ; 
 by this he is distinguished from the brute animals ; for this reason 
 "man" in the Word signifies wisdom. "Man" signifies boti. 
 affection for truth and wisdom, because affection for truth and -at.S' 
 dom adl as one ; for he who is in a spiritual affe6lion for truth, tba, 
 is, who is afife6led by truth, or who lo\'es truth because it is truth 
 is conjoined to the Lord, since the Lord is in His own truths, anc 
 is His truth with man ; from this man has wisdom, and from \ki\. 
 it is that man is a man. Some suppose that man is a man by 
 reason of his face and body, and that by these he is distinguished 
 from beasts, but they are in an error ; man is a man by reason ci 
 his wisdom, consequently so far as any one is wise so far is he a 
 man. Those, therefore, who are wise, appear in heaven and In 
 the light of heaven as men, with a gracefulness and beauty accord ■ 
 ing to their wisdom ; while those who are not wise, — whi '^ is true 
 of those who are in no spiritual affection, but merely in natura' 
 affection, in which a man is when he loves truth not because it '.s 
 truth but because he can get by it glory, honor, and gain ■ -these 
 in the light of heaven appear not as men but as monster- m various 
 
 forms (see Heaven and Hell, n. 70, 72, 73-77, 80; and what wisdom is, and w at 
 non- wisdom, n. 346-356. 
 
CHAP. IV., VKKSE 7. — N. 28o[<5]. 461 
 
 [ft.] [2.] That " man " in the Word signifies afieclion for 
 truth and wisdom therefrom, is evident from the following pas- 
 sages. In Isaiah : 
 
 "Lord, how lonp? He said. Until cities be laid waste that they may be 
 without inhabitant, and the houses that there may be no man in 
 them, and the land be reduced to a wilderness. Jehovah shall 
 remove man, and deserts shall be multiplied in the midst of the 
 land " (vi. 11, 12). 
 
 These things were not said of the tie\Mstation of the earth, that 
 there should no longer be cities and houses therein, or that in 
 these there should be no inhabitant or man, but they were said of 
 the devastation of good and truth in the church ; "cities" signifv- 
 ing truths of do(?trine ; " inhabitant" good of do6lrine; "houses" 
 the interiors of man which are of his mind ; and " man " spiritual 
 affedlion for truth and wisdom therefrom. This is signified bv 
 " the houses shall be laid waste, that there may be no man in them." 
 The " land " that shall be reduced to a wilderness signifies the 
 church. From this it is clear what is signified by " removing 
 man," and by " multiplying deserts in the midst of the land ;" 
 "desert" signifying where there is no good because there is no 
 truth. [3.] In the same, 
 
 '' I will make a man {virum hotninem) more rare than pure gold ; even a 
 man than the gold of Ophir" (xiii. 12). 
 
 A " man (vimm hominem)'' signifies intelligence, and " man (hominem) " 
 wisdom, and that these were about to be at an end is signified by 
 their being " made rare." Intelligence is distinguished from wisdom 
 by this, that intelligence is understanding from truth such as the 
 spiritual man has, and wisdom is understanding from truth such as 
 the celestial man has, whose understanding is from a will grounded 
 in good. This makes clear what is here signified by "man {vinim 
 hominem)" and what by "man {hominem)." [4.] In the same, 
 
 " The inhabitants of the earth shall be burnt up, and few men shall be 
 left " (xxiv. 6). 
 
 The "inhabitants of the earth" signify the goods of the church, 
 and these are said " to be burnt up " when loves of self and of 
 the world begin to rule ; that spiritual aftetlion for truth and wis- 
 dom therefrom will then be at an end is signified by "few men 
 will be left." [5.] In the same, 
 
 "The paths have been laid waste ; he that passeth through the way hath 
 ceased : he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, 
 ht regardeth not man " (xxxiii. S). 
 
 lliis treats of the devastation of the church ; "the paths that are 
 
462 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 laid waste " and " he that passeth through the way who hath 
 ceased " signify that the goods and truths which lead to heaven 
 are no more ; "he hath broken the covenant" signifies no con- 
 junction there with the Lord; "he hath despised the cities" signi- 
 lies that they reje6l do6frine ; "he regardeth not man" signifies 
 that they make no account of wisdom. [6.] In yeremiah : 
 
 " I looked at the earth, when lo, it was waste and empty ; and towaras the 
 
 heavens, and their light was not I beheld, when lo there 
 
 was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled" (iv. 23, 25). 
 
 This evidently does not mean the earth, that it was waste and 
 empty, nor the heavens that their light was not, nor that there was 
 not a man on the earth, nor that all the birds of hea\en were fled ; 
 what is really meant can be seen only from the spiritual sense of 
 the Word. In that sense "earth" signifies the church; that it 
 was "waste and empty" signifies that there is no good and truth 
 in the church; the "heavens," where there is no light, signify the 
 interiors of man's mind which are receptacles of the light of 
 heaven; (the "light" that is not there is Divine truth and wis- 
 dom therefrom) ; therefore it is said, " I beheld, and lo there wa-s 
 no man:" the "birds of heaven" which were fled signify the ra- 
 tional and the intellectual. [7.] In the same, 
 
 "Behold the days come,. . .that I will sow the house of Israel and the 
 house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast " 
 (xxxi. 27). 
 
 "The house of Israel and the house of Judah" signify the church 
 in respe6l to truth and in respeCl to good ; "the seed of man and 
 the seed of beast" signify spiritual affeClion for truth and natural 
 afleClion for truth ; for where "man and beast" are mentioned in 
 the Word the spiritual and the natural, or the internal and the ex- 
 ternal, are signified (see A.C.. n. 7424, 7523, 7872). [8.] In Zephaniah : 
 
 "I will consume man and beast ; I will consume the bird of the hea/tns 
 and the fishes of the sea;. . . .1 will cut off man from the surfaces 
 of the earth " (i. 3). 
 
 " To consume man and beast" means to consume spiritual affection 
 for truth and natural affe6tion for truth ; " to consume the bl-d of 
 the heavens and the fishes of the sea" means to consume spintual 
 truths and natural truths ; and " to cut off man from the surfaces of 
 the earth " means to cut off" affection for truth and wisdom. [9.] In 
 Ezekicl : 
 
 "Ye My fiock, the flock of My pasture, ye are man ; I am your God" 
 (xxxiv. 31). 
 
 The "flock of the pasture" signifies spiritual good and truth ; che 
 
CHAP. IV., VKRSE 7. — N. 2So[/J]. 463 
 
 "pasture" is reception of the.se from the Lord ; it is therefore said, 
 "ye are man, I am your God," "man" standing for spiritual affec- 
 tion for trutli and wisdom, [lo.] In the same, 
 
 " Behold, I am with you, and I will look unto you, and ye shall be tilled 
 and sown ; then I will multiply man upon you, the whole hftuse 
 of Israel ; and the cities shall be inhabited, and the waste places 
 
 shall be builded I will cause man to walk upon you, My 
 
 people Israel Thus the Lord Jchovih hath said, Because ye 
 
 say. Thou hast been a dcvourer of man and a bereaver of thy peo- 
 ples, therefore thou shall devour man no more," and thy sword 
 
 shall not bereave any more : " the wasted cities shall be full of 
 
 the flock of man " (x.xxvi. 9-14, 3S). 
 
 The restoration of the church is here treated of; " Israel" signifies 
 the .spiritual church, or the church that is in spiritual good, which 
 is good of charity ; this church is here called " man " from the 
 spiritual afife6lion for truth that constitutes the church ; therefore it 
 is said, "I will multiply man upon you, the whole house of Israel, 
 and I will cause man to walk upon you. My people Israel." "The 
 flock of man," of which "the wasted cities shall be full," signifies 
 spiritual truths of which the dodlrines of the church shall be full ; 
 "the sword which shall not bereave any more" signifies that falsity 
 shalt no longer destroy truth. [II.] In the same, 
 
 " Thy mother is a lioness, she lay down among lions: .... one of her 
 whelps rose up,. . . .it learned to seize the prey, it devoured men" 
 (xix. 2, 3, 6). 
 
 " Mother" means the church, here the church perverted ; falsity of 
 evil destroying truth is signified by "a lioness lying down among 
 lions ;" " her whelp which learned to seize the prey and de- 
 voured men " signifies the primary falsity of their do6trine, w-hich 
 destroyed truths and consumed every affe6lion for them. These 
 things were said of the princes of Israel, by whom primary truths 
 are signified, but here, in a contrary sense, primary falsities. 
 [ 1 2.] In yeremiah : 
 
 "Hazor shall become a dwelling for dragons, a desolation even for ever ; 
 a man (vir) shall not dwell there, nor son of man {homiuis) abide 
 in her" (xlix. 33). 
 
 The church that is in falsities and in no truths is here treated of; 
 " Hazor" signifies knowledges of truth ; knowledges of falsitv are 
 signified by "a dwelling for dragons;" that there is there no 
 truth and no dodrine of truth is signified by "a man (vir) shall 
 not dwell there, nor son of man (/lominis) abide in her," " man " 
 meaning truth, and "son of man" dodrine of truth. [13.] In 
 the Apocalypse : 
 
464 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 " He measured the wall" of the h )Iy Jerusalem, "a-hundred-and-forty- 
 four cubits, the measure of a man, which is that of an angel" (xxi. 
 17). 
 
 What this signifies, that "the will of the holy Jerusalem was a 
 hundred-and-forty-four cubits, and that this was the measure of a 
 man, which is that of an angel," no one can understand unless he 
 knows what is signified by "the holy Jerusalem," by its "wall," 
 by the number "one-hundred-and-forty-four," likewise by "man," 
 and by "angel." "The holy Jerusalem " signifies the church in 
 respe6l to doctrine; "wall" signifies truth protecting; the num- 
 ber "one-hundred-and-forty-four" signifies all truths from good 
 in the complex ; " man " signifies reception of these from afifeClion, 
 and "angel" signifies the same; it is therefore said "the measure 
 of a man, which is that of an angel ;" "measure" signifying qual- 
 ity. From this it is clear how these words are to be spiritually un- 
 derstood. (These things may be seen more clearly explained in The Dodrine oj 
 the Neiu yerusalem, n. i.) 
 
 [c] [14.] Because " man " signifies Spiritual afife6lion for truth 
 and wisdom therefrom, "man" also signifies the church, because 
 the church with man is a church from spiritual affe6lion for truth 
 and wisdom therefrom. This makes clear what is meant by 
 " man" in the first chapter of Genesis^ namely, the church that was 
 first on this earth, the most ancient ; this is what is meant by 
 "Adam," that is, "Man." The establishment of this church is 
 described in the first chapter by the creation of heaven and earth ; 
 its intelligence and wisdom by paradise ; and its fall by the eat- 
 ing of the tree of knowledge. [15.] But in the highest sense, by 
 "man" is meant the Lord Himself, since from Him are heaven and 
 the church, and spiritual afife6lion for truth and wisdom with each 
 one of those who constitute heaven and the church ; therefore 
 in the highest sense the Lord alone is man ; and men in both 
 worlds, spiritual and natural, are men so far as they receive from 
 the Lord truth and good, thus so far as they love truth and live 
 according to it. And from this it is that the whole angelic heaven 
 appears as one man, also each society there ; moreover, that the 
 angels appear in a complete human form. (See further on this in 
 
 Heaven and Hell, n. 59-67, 68-72, 73-77, 87-102.) [16.] It waS On this 
 
 account that the four cherubim, which signify the guard and pro- 
 vidence of the Lord that the higher heavens be not approached 
 except through good of love, were seen as men, although they 
 each had four faces ; also that the Lord was seen above them as 
 a Man. That the four cheru'uim were seen as men is evident in 
 
CHAP. I.'., VERSE 7.— N. 2Sl[a], 465 
 
 Ezekiel . 
 
 "This was the appearai.cc of the four animals; they had the likeness 
 of a man, but each one had four faces" (i. 5, 6). 
 
 Likewise the two cherubim over the mercy-seat had faces like 
 men. That the Lord was seen above the four cherubim as a man 
 is also stated by the same prophet : 
 
 "Above the firmament which was over the heads of the cherubim was 
 the appearance of a sapphire stone, the likeness of a throne, and 
 upon the likeness of the throne a likeness as the appearance of a 
 man upon it above " (i. 26). 
 
 28l[^f]. "And the fourih animal was like a flying eagle " 
 signifies the appearance in oiitmosts of the Divine gttard and 
 providence i7i respect to intelligence and clear vision on every 
 side. — This is evident from the signification of "eagle," as meaning 
 intelligence ; here Divine intelligence which is that of the Lord's 
 guard and providence. "Eagle" means intelligence because intel- 
 ligence is to be in the light of heaven, and the eagle flies high that 
 he may be in the light and may look about on every side ; this is 
 why this face of the cherub appeared "like a flying eagle ;" for " to 
 fly " signifies presence and clear vision on every side, and in refer- 
 ence to the Divine it signifies omnipresence. "Eagle" signifies in- 
 telligence for this reason also, that the " birds of heaven " signify in 
 a good sense things intellectual and rational, and the eagle espe- 
 cially, because it not only flies high but has keen vision. (That 
 
 " birds of heaven " signify things intelledlual and rational, in both senses, see A.C., 
 
 n- 745. 71^. 866, 988, 991, 3219, 5149, 7441.) [2.] That "eagle " signifies 
 intelligence is evident from the following passages in the Word, 
 In Ezekiel : 
 
 "A great eagle, great in wings, long in pinions, full of feathers, which 
 had divers colors, came upon Lebanon, and took a twig of a cedar : 
 he plucked off the head of its shoots, and carried it into a land of 
 traffic ; and set it in a city of spice-dealers. He took of the seed 
 of the land, and placed it in a field of sowing ; he took it to great 
 waters, and placed it carefully ; and it sprouted and became a lux- 
 uriant vine of low stature, so that its branches looked to him, and 
 the roots thereof were under him : so it became a vine that pro- 
 duced shoots and sent out boughs. There was also another great 
 eagle, great in wings and full of feathers ; and behold, this vine did 
 bend its roots toward him, and shot forth its branches toward him, 
 to '^ater him from the beds of its plantation ; it was planted in a 
 good field near many waters, to form the bough and to bear fruit 
 that it might be a vine of magnificence" (xvii. 1-8). 
 
 The establishment of a spiritual church by the Lord is here treated 
 of, and in the internal sense the process of its establishment or ol 
 
466 APOCALYPSE EXPLAIXED. 
 
 the regeneration of the man of that church from beginning" to end 
 is described. By the first eagle the process of regeneration of the 
 natural or external man by means of things known {sdcntifica) and 
 knowledges from the Word is described ; and by the other eagle the 
 process of regeneration of the spiritual or internal man by means 
 of truths from good is described ; therefore the first eagle signifies 
 the intelligence of the natural man, and the second the intelligence 
 of the spiritual man. Let it be explained briefly what these par- 
 ticulars signify. The fii^st eagle is said to have been "great in 
 wings, long in pinions, full of feathers," and this signifies abund- 
 ance of knowledges (scientiaruvi et cognitionum) of truth and good, from 
 which comes the first intelligence, which is the intelligence of the 
 natural man ; it is therefore said that "it had divers colors," for by 
 "divers colors" is signified what relates to knowing (scientificum et 
 cognitivum) (see ^.C, n. 9688). "It came upon Lebanon, and took a 
 twig of cedar," signifies the reception of some knowledges of truth 
 from the doctrine of the church which is from the Word ; for 
 " Lebanon " signifies that doctrine, and " the twig of cedar " know- 
 ledges. " He plucked off the head of its shoots, and carried it into 
 a land of traffic," signifies primary knowledges from that doftrine 
 with which things known [scientiae) were conne6led ; " the head 
 of the shoots " signifying primary knowledges, and " the land 
 of traffic" the natural man, to which things known belong. 
 "He set it in a city of spice-dealers" signifies among truths 
 from good in the natural man; "spices" signifying truths which 
 are acceptable because from good (see A.C., n. 4748, 5621,9474, 9475, 
 10199, 10254). " He took of the seed of the land, and placed it in 
 the field of sowing ; he took it to great waters, and placed it care- 
 fully," signifies multiplication; "the seed of the land" meaning 
 the truth of the church ; "a field of sowing" the good from which 
 it grows; "great waters" knowledges of truth and good; "to 
 place carefully," separation from falsities. "And it sprouted and 
 became a luxuriant vine, ... so that its branches looked to him, 
 and the roots thereof were under him," signifies the church com- 
 ing to the birth from the arrangement of the knowledges of truth, 
 and their application to use. "So it became a vine that produced 
 shoots and sent out boughs " signifies the beginning of the spirit- 
 ual church, and the continual increase of truths. (That "vine" is the 
 spiritual church, see A.C., n. 1069, 6375, 9277.) Thus far the beginning 
 of the church with man, which takes place in the natural or exter- 
 nal man has been described : its establishment which takes place in 
 the spiritual or internal man is now described by the other eagle ; 
 because this signifies spiritual intelligence, it is said that "the vine 
 
CHAP. IV., VERSE 7. — N 28 I [^]. 467 
 
 did bend it.s roots toward him (that is, the eatjle) and shot forth 
 its branches toward him ;" for "roots" signify things known (scien- 
 ttae), ar.d "branches" knowledges of truth and good, which are all 
 conne<5ted with truths of the spiritual or internal man ; without spir- 
 ituil connection with these man does not l)ecome wise at all. The 
 •.nultiplicatit)n and fru6lification of truth from good, thus the in- 
 .rease of intelligence, is described by "the vine was planted in a 
 good field, near many waters, to form the bough and to bear fruit, 
 that it might be a vine of magnificence;" "a good field" is the 
 church in respe6l to good of charity ; "many waters" are know- 
 ledges of good and truth ; " to form the bough " is to multiply 
 truths; "to bear fruit " is to bring forth goods, which are uses; 
 "a vine of magnificence" is the spiritual church, both internal and 
 
 external. (But these things, since they are arcana of regeneration and of the 
 estaVjhshment of the church with man, can be better understood from what is brought 
 together in The Dodrine of the A'e^u yerusalem, from the Arcana Caelestia, On 
 Things Known {scientiis) and Knowledges, n. 51 ; and On Regeneration, n. 183.) 
 
 [6.] [3.] That "eagle" signifies intelligence can also be seen 
 in Isaia/i : 
 
 "They that wait upon Jehovah shall renew their strength; they shall 
 mount up with wings as eagles" (xl. 31). 
 
 "To mount up with wings as eagles "is ascent into the light of 
 heaven, thus into intelligence. [4.] In David : 
 
 ' Jehovah, who satisfieth thy mouth, so that thou shall be renewed like 
 an eagle " [Plaint ciii. 5). 
 
 "To be renewed Lke an eagle " is to be renewed in respect to in- 
 telligence. [5 ] In Moses : 
 
 •Ye have seen. . . .how I bare you as on eagles' wings, and brought you 
 jnto Myself " (Exod. xix. 4). 
 
 "To bear as on eagles' wings, and to bring," means into intelli- 
 gence, because into heaven and its light. [6.] In the same, 
 
 J'-hcvah " f ?cnd him in a desert land, .... He compassed him about : He 
 mstr- .ted him. He kept him as the pupil of His eye. As an eagle 
 stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad 
 her wings, takcth them, beareth them on her wings, so Jehovah 
 alone leadeth him' {Dent, xxxii. 10-12). 
 
 This treats of the establishment of the ancient church, and the first 
 reformation of those who were of that church ; their first state is 
 meant by "desert land in which Jehovah found them;" " des- 
 e.t lard" is where there is no good because there is no truth; 
 their instrudlion in truths, guarding them from falsities, and the 
 
468 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 opening of the interiors of their mind, that they may come iii^o 
 the Hoiit of heaven, and thus into an understanding of truth and 
 good, which is intelligence, is described by "the eagle stirreth up 
 her nest, fluttereth over her young, .... and beareth them on her 
 wings :" comparison is made with the eagle, because "eagle" sig- 
 nifies intelligence. [7.] In 2 Sarmiel : 
 
 "Saul and Jonathan. ...swifter than eagles, and stronger than lions" 
 (i. 23). 
 
 "Saul" as a king, and "Jonathan" as a king's son, signify the 
 truth of the church ; and because intelligence is from truth, and 
 also power, it is said that they were "swifter than eagles, and 
 stronger than lions;" "swiftness" in the Word, in reference to in- 
 telligence, signifying affeclion for truth. For David wrote his 
 lamentation over Saul and Jonathan "to teach the sons of Judah 
 the bow ;" and " the sons of Judah " signify the truths of the church, 
 and the "bow" means doctrine of truth combating against falsities. 
 [8.] In Job: 
 
 " By thy intelligence doth the hawk fly, and stretch her wings toward 
 the south? At thy command doth the eagle mount up and make 
 her nest on high? In the rock she dwelleth and lodgeth;.... 
 thence she searcheth her food ; her eyes behold afar off •. . .and 
 where the slain are there is she " (xxxix. 26-30). 
 
 Here intelligence is treated of, that no one can procure it from 
 himself or from what is his own {ex propria) ; therefore it is said, 
 " By thy intelligence doth the hawk fly, and stretch her wings 
 towards the south?" referring to man's lea ' ing himself into 
 the light of intelligence (signified by the "south"), and her^:, 
 that this is not possible. Intelligence itself, which is of the spir- 
 itual man, is described by " the eagle doth mount up, make 
 her nest on high, dwell and lodge in the rock, thence searching 
 her food, and her eyes behold afar off." That no one has such 
 intelligence from himself is signified by " Doth the eagle do this 
 at thy command?" And that nothing but falsities can come 
 from self-intelligence is signified by "where the slain are there 
 is she ;" "the slain" in the Word signify those with whom truths 
 have been extinguished by falsities (see ^.C, n. 4503). [9.] From 
 this it can be seen what is signified by the Lord's words when 
 the disciples asked Him where the last judgment would be, in 
 Luke : 
 
 The disciples said, " Where, Lord ? He said unto them, Where the b.->': , 
 is, there will the eagles be gathered together " (xvii. 37). 
 
CHAP. IV., VERSE 7. — N 2S2. 469 
 
 The "body" here niean.s the spiritual world, where all men are 
 together, both the evil and the good ; and "eagle.s" signify those 
 who are in truths, and also those who are in falsities, thus those 
 who are in true intelligence and those who are in false intelligence. 
 False intelligence is from what is man's own (ex propria), but true 
 intelligence is from the Lord through the Word. [lO.] The falsi- 
 ties that are from self- intelligence are also described by "eagles" 
 in the following passages in the Word. In ycremiah: 
 
 "Behold he ascendeth as a cloud, and his chariot as a whirlwind, his 
 horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us, for we are spoiled" 
 (iv. 13)- 
 
 This treats of the desolation of truth in the church, and the " cloud " 
 that ascends signifies falsities; "the chariot which is as a whirl- 
 wind" signifies docftrine of falsity; their avidity for reasoning 
 against truths and destro}'ing them, and pleasure in it, is signified 
 by "their horses are swifter than eagles," for "swiftness" and 
 "haste" in the Word signify being stirred by afire<5lion and passion 
 fsee A.C., n. 7695, 7866) ; and " horses " signify understanding of truth, 
 and in a contrary sense, understanding of falsity or reasoning from 
 falsities against truth {A.C., n. 2760-2762, 3217, 5321, 6125, 6400, 6534, 7024, 
 8146, 8148, 8381); and because "horses" signify this, and "eagles" 
 intelligence, here self-intelligence which is reasoning from falsities, 
 it is said. " their horses are swifter than eagles." [II.] In Lament- 
 atio7is : 
 
 " Our pur.=;uers were swifter than the eagles of the heavens" (iv. 19). 
 
 And in Habakkuk: 
 
 " His horses are nimbler than leopards, and are fiercer than the even- 
 ing wolves, that his horsemen may spread themselves ; whence his 
 horsemen come from far, they fly as an eagle that hasteth to eat. 
 He Cometh all for violence " (i. 8, 9) ; 
 
 here too, "eagle" stands for reasoning from falsities against truths, 
 which is from self-intelligence. 
 
 282. Inasmuch as this cherub was like an eagle, and the ea- 
 gle appeared as flying, it shall be told also what "flying" signifies 
 in the Word. "Flying" signifies oversight and presence, be- 
 cause a bird when it flies looks all about from on high, and thus 
 by its look is present everywhere about. But when "flying" in 
 the Word is attributed to Jehovah, it signifies omnipresence, be- 
 cause omnipresence is infinite oversight and infinite presence. 
 This is why this cherub appeared " like an eagle flying ;" for 
 
470 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 "cherubim" signify in general the Lord's providence that the 
 higher heavens be not approached except from good of love and 
 charity ; and this cherub signifies Divine intelligence (as was shown 
 just above). [2.] That "flying" in the Word, in reference to the 
 Lord signifies omnipresence, and in reference to men oversight 
 and presence, can be seen from the following passages. In David, 
 
 "God rode upon a cherub, He did fly, and was borne upon the winga 
 of the wind " {Psalm xviii. lo ; 2 Sam. xxii. ii). 
 
 "He rode upon a cherub" signifies the Divine providence, "and 
 did fly" signifies omnipresence in the spiritual world; "and was 
 borne upon the wings of the wind" signifies omnipresence in the 
 natural world. These words from David can be understood only 
 by the spiritual sense. [3.] In Isaiah : 
 
 "As birds flying, so will Jehovah of Hosts protecft Jerusalem" (xxxi. 5). 
 
 Jehovah is said "to prote6l Jerusalem as birds flying," for 
 "to prote6l" signifies Divine Providence in respecl to safe- 
 guard; "Jerusalem" signifies the church, and "birds flying," 
 with which comparison is made, signify ox'ersight and presence, 
 and here, as attributed to the Lord, omnipresence. [4.] In the 
 Apocalypse : 
 
 "I saw and I heard one angel flying in midheaven, saying with a gieat 
 voice, Woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth" (viii. 13). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel 10 
 proclaim unto the inhabitants of the earth " (xiv. 6). 
 
 The first of these angels signifies damnation of all who are in evils ; 
 the other angel signifies the salvation of all who are in good ; 
 "flying" signifies oversight on every side where they are. [5.] In 
 Isaiah : 
 
 "All the flocks of Arabia shall be gathered together unto fhee, the rams 
 
 of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee Who are nese hat fly 
 
 as a cloud, and as doves to the windows?" (Ix. 7, 8.) 
 
 This treats of the Lord's coming, and the enlightenment of the 
 nations at that time; and "the flocks of Arabia" that shall be 
 gathered together signify knowledges of truth and good; "the 
 rams of Nebaioth" that shall minister signify truths that guide 
 the life according to spiritual affection ; "to fly as a cloud and as 
 doves to the windows" signifies examination and scrutiny of trutb 
 
CHAP. IV., VERSE 7. — X. 2.S2. 471 
 
 trom the sense of the letter of the Woril ; therefore "to fly " sig- 
 nifies oversight; for "cloud" signifies the sense of the letter of the 
 Word, "doves " spiritual affedlion for truth, and "windows" truth 
 in light. That such is the meaning of these words can be seen 
 by the signification of "flocks of Arabia," "rams of Nebaioth," 
 'cloud," "doves," and "windows." [6.] In David: 
 
 " Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me Then I said. Who 
 
 will give me a wing like a dove's? I will fly away where I may 
 abide. Lo, I will wander far away ; I will lodge in the desert " 
 {Psalm Iv. 5-7). 
 
 This treats of temptation and of distress therewith ; " fearfulness 
 and trembling " signify such distress ; the inquiry into truth in 
 that state, and consideration whither to turn oneself, is signified by 
 "Who will give me a wing like a dove's? I will fly away where 
 I may abide." "Wing of a dove" means afTeclion for spiritual 
 truth ; "to fly away where I may abide" means by that aflfeclion 
 to rescue the life from damnation ; that as yet there is no hope 
 of deliverance is signified by " Lo, I will wander far away, and will 
 lodge in the desert." [7.] In Hosea: 
 
 " Ephraim, as a bird shall their glory fly away, .... yea, if they have 
 brought up sons, then I will make them bereaved of man"(ix. 11, 12). 
 
 "Ephraim" signifies the enlightened understanding of those who 
 are of the church ; "glor}'" signifies Divine truth ; "to fly away as 
 a bird" signifies absence of it (comparison is made with a bird, 
 because a "bird" signifies the rational and intellectual, as Ephra- 
 im does) ; " if they have brought up sons, then will I make them 
 bereaved of man," signifies that if they have brought forth truths, 
 still they are not at all made wise thereby ; for "sons" are truths, 
 and " to make them bereaved of man" is to deprive them of wis- 
 dom. [8.] In Moses : 
 
 " Ye shall not make to you. . . .the form of any animal upon the earth, 
 nor the form of any winged bird that flieth towards heaven" 
 {Deut. iv. 16, 17). 
 
 This signifies in the internal sense that man must not acquire 
 for himself wi.sdom and intelligence from self, or from what is 
 his own (ex propria), for "animals that walk upon the earth" sig- 
 nify affediions for good, from which is wisdom, and "birds" 
 signify affe(5lions for truth, from which is intelligence. That they 
 should not make to themselves the form of these signifies that 
 the things signified are not to be acquired from the man, that is, 
 from what is his own {ex propria). It is said, "the winged bird 
 
472 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 that flieth towards heaven," because "winged bird" signifies un- 
 derstanding of spiritual truth, and "to fly towards heaven" sig- 
 nifies the oversight that belongs to intelligence in things Divine. 
 [9.] From all this it can now be seen what is signified by this 
 cherub's appearing "like a flying eagle;" as also what is signified 
 in Isaiah by 
 
 The seraphim, each of which had six wings ; " with twain he covered hi? 
 face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fiy 
 (vi. 2) ; 
 
 namely, that the "wings with which he covered his face" signify 
 afle6tion for spiritual truth; the wings "with which he covered 
 his feet" affe6lion for natural truth therefrom; and the wings 
 " with which he did fly " oversight and presence, here omni- 
 presence, because " seraphim " have the same signification as 
 "cherubim," namely. Divine providence in respe(fi; to guarding. 
 [lO.] "To fly" in reference to man signifies oversight and also 
 presence, because sight is present with the obje6t that it sees : its 
 appearing far away or at a distance is because of the intermediate 
 obje6ls that appear at the same time, and can be measured in 
 respe<5l to .-■'uace. This can be fully corroborated by things fh.^<- 
 have exIsLt;nce in the spiritual world. In that world spaces tliem- 
 seh'es are appearances, arising from the diversity of affedlions 
 and of thought therefrom ; consequently, when any persons or 
 things appear far away, and an angel or spirit desires from intense 
 affection to be with such, or to examine the things that are at a 
 distance, he is at once present there. The same is true of thought, 
 which is man's internal or spiritual sight. Things previously seen 
 thought sees within itself irrespe<5live of space, thus altogether 
 as present. This is why "flying" is predicated of the under- 
 standing and of its intelligence, and vvhv it signifies oversight and 
 presence. 
 
 283[n]. [i^erses.] "And the four animals, eich by iUelf, 
 had six wings round about," signifies appearance of the spirit- 
 ual Divine on all sides about the celestial Divine. — This is evi- 
 dent from the signification of the four animals, which were the 
 cherubim, as meaning the Lord's Divine guard and providence 
 that the higher heavens be not approached except by good of love 
 and charity ; and as this is the significance of the four animals 
 as regards their bodies, they signify also the celestial Divine (of 
 which presently). It is evident also from the signification of "six 
 wings round about," as meaning the spiritual Divine round about 
 the celestial Divine (of which also presently). The "cherubim"' 
 
ClIAl'. IV., VKRSE S. — X. 2S3[(i]. 473 
 
 in respect to their bodies sitjnify the celestial Divine, and in 
 respe(5t to their wings the spiritual Divine ; because all things 
 that represent heavenly things signify in respe6l to their bodies 
 what is essential, and in respe(5l to what is about them what 
 is formal. So man in respecl; to his body signifies good in 
 essence, and in respect to the encompassing things good in 
 form. Celestial good is good in essence, and spiritual good is 
 good in form ; and this for the reason that the will, in which good 
 resides, is the man himself, or the man in essence ; while the 
 understanding in which is trutli, which is the form of good, is 
 the man derived, thus man in form ; this good is round about 
 the other. [2.] But let it be told first what the celestial Divine 
 is, and what the .spiritual Divine is. The heavens are divided 
 into two kingdoms, one of v/hich is called the celestial kingdom, 
 and the other the spiritual kingdom. They differ in this, that 
 those in the celestial kingdom are in good of love to the Lord, 
 and those in the spiritual kingdom are in good of charity 
 towards the neighbor. So the celestial Divine is the good of 
 love to the Lord, and the spiritual Divine is the good of charity 
 towards the neighbor. Moreover, according to these goods 
 the heavens are arranged ; the highest or third heaven consists 
 of those who are in celestial good, or in the good of love to 
 the Lord ; and the heaven that is under this, and is called the 
 middle or second heaven, consists of those who are in spiritual 
 good, or in the good of charity towards the neighbor ; and as 
 celestial good is good in the highest place, and spiritual good 
 is good in the second place, the latter is round about the former ; 
 for that which is above is also within, and that which is below 
 is also without, and what is without is round about. This is 
 why in the Word higher things, and things in the midst, signify 
 things interior ; and lower things, and things round about, signify 
 things exterior. Now as each good, the celestial and the spirit- 
 ual, guards, and as the "animals," that is, the cherubim, in 
 respe<5l to their bodies signify the celestial Divine, and in re- 
 spe6l to their wings the spiritual Divine, it is clear that by 
 "the four animals, each by itself, were seen to have six wings 
 round about," the appearance of the spiritual Divine on all 
 sides about the celestial Divine is signified. (But a fuller idea of 
 
 these things can be had from what is said and shown in Heaven and Hell ; first, 
 from the chapter where it is shown that The Divine of the Lord makes Heaven, 
 n 7-12; then from the chapter, The Divine of the Lord in Heaven is Love to 
 Him, and Charity towards the Neighbor, n. 13-19 ; and lastly, in the chapter, Heaven 
 is divided into two Kingdoms, a Celestial Kingdom and a Spiritual Kingdom, n. 
 20-28.) 
 
474 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 [&.] [3.] The cherubim were seen as animals because heav- 
 enly things are represented in outmosts in various ways, as can 
 be seen from many passages in the Word ; as, 
 
 That the Holy Spirit appeared as a dove over Jesus when He was bap- 
 tized {Matt. iii. i6, 17). 
 And that the Divine of the Lord appeared as a Iamb {Apoc. v. 6, 8, 
 
 13). 
 And from this the Lord was called a Lamb {Apoc. vi. i, 16; vii. 9, 10, 
 14, 17 ; xii. II ; xiii. 8 ; xiv. i, 4 ; xvii. 14 ; xix. 7, 9 ; xxi. 22, 23, 
 
 27). 
 
 There were " four cherubim," and "each had six wings," because 
 " four " signifies celestial good, and " six " spiritual good ; for " four " 
 signifies conjunction, and inmost conjun6lion with the Lord is 
 through love to Him; but "six" signifies participation, and par- 
 ticipation with the Lord is by means of charity towards the neigh- 
 bor. [4.] That "wings" signify the spiritual Divine, which in its 
 essence is truth from good, can be seen from the following pas- 
 sages. In David : 
 
 " If ye have lain among the courses, [ye shall have] the wings of a dove 
 covered with silver, and her pinions with the yellow of gold ; when 
 Thou, Almighty, dost spread out, kings shall be in it" {Psalm Ixviii. 
 13. 14)- 
 
 What it means that " those who lie among the courses shall have 
 the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her pinions with the 
 yellow of gold," and that "kings shall be in it when the Almighty 
 spreadeth out," can be understood only from the internal sense ; 
 in that sense " to lie among the courses" signifies to live according 
 to the statutes ; "the wings of a dove covered with silver" signify 
 spiritual truths; her "pinions with the yellow of gold" signify 
 spiritual good from which are those truths; "the Almighty" sig- 
 nifies a state of temptations ; "kings in it" signify truths in that 
 state and after it. "The wings of a dove covered with silver" 
 signify spiritual truths, because "wing" signifies the spiritual, 
 "dove" signifies truth from good, and "silver" the truth itself; 
 " pinions covered with the yellow of gold " signify spiritual good 
 from which are those truths, because "pinions" and "yellow of 
 gold" signify spiritual good from which are truths. "When the 
 Almighty spreadeth out" signifies a state of temptations because 
 "God Almighty" signifies temptations and consobtions aftei 
 them ; and as truths from good are implanted in man by tempta- 
 tions it is said, "kings shall be in it," for "kings" signify trut» r 
 fiom good (see above, n. 31). [5.] In the same, 
 
CHAP. IV., VERSE 8. — N. 2S3[(5]. 475 
 
 "God rode upon a cherub, He did fly, and was borne upon the wings of 
 the wind " {Psalm xviii. 10). 
 
 "God rocic upon a cherub" .sii^nihes the Lord's Divine ])rovid- 
 ence ; " He did Hy" signifies omnipresence in the spiritual world ; 
 '* He was borne ujjon the wings of the wind" signifies omnipres- 
 ence in the natural world ; " wings of the wind " are things spiritual, 
 from which are things natural. [6.] In the same, 
 
 Jehovah "covereth thee under His wing, and under the deep shait thou 
 trust ; truth is a shield and a buckler " {Psalm xci. 4). 
 
 "To cover under the wing" signifies to guard by Divine truth, 
 which is the spiritual Divine; and "to trust under the deep" sig- 
 nifies under truth known {verum sdentificum), which is the spiritual 
 natural Divine ; and as both signify truth, and " to cover " signifies 
 guarding by means of truth, it is said, "truth is a shield and a 
 buckler." This makes clear what is signified 
 
 By being hidden under God's wings (Psalm xvii. 8) ; 
 
 By putting trust under the shadow of His wings {Psalm xxxvi. 7 ; Ivii. i) ; 
 
 Also by singing under the shadow of His wings {Psalm Ixiii. 7). 
 
 [7.] That "wing" in reference to the Lord signifies the spirit- 
 ual Divine is further evident from the following passages. In 
 Ezekiel : 
 
 " When I passed by thee, and saw thee, that behold thy time was the 
 time of loves, I spread My wing over thee, and I covered thy na- 
 kedness" (xvi. 8). 
 
 Here Jerusalem is treated of, and by it the church is meant, 
 here its reformation ; "the time of loves" signifies the state when 
 it could be reformed ; "I spread My wing over thee" signifies 
 spiritual truth by which reformation is effeded ; " I covered thy 
 nakedness" signifies putting evil out of sight thereby; for the 
 evil that man has by heredity and afterwards from what is his 
 own {ex propria) IS put out of sight, that is, so removed as not to 
 appear, by spiritual truths, which are truths from good. [8.] In 
 David : 
 
 Jehovah "covereth himself with light as with agarment ; He stretcheth out 
 the heavens like a curtain ; He layeth the beams of His chambers 
 in the waters; He maketh the clouds His chariot; He walketh 
 upon the wings of the wind " {Psalm civ. 2,3). 
 
 Ine " light " with which Jehovah covereth Himself signifies Divine 
 truth in the heavens; it is called His "garment" because it 
 goes forth from Him as a sun, and is thus outside of and about 
 film. This has a like meaning with the " light " and " garments " 
 
476 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 of the Lord when He was transfigured {^Matthew xvii. 2 ; Mark 
 ix. 3 ; Licke ix. 28-37). " He stretcheth out the heavens like a 
 curtain" signifies filling heaven and them that dwell therein 
 with Divine truth, and thereby with intelligence ; " He layeth 
 the beams of His chambers in the waters" means to fill those who 
 are in the lowest heaven and in the church with knov\'ledges 
 of truth and good ; " He maketh the clouds His chariot " signifies 
 do6lrine of truth from the sense of the letter of the Word, " clouds " 
 mean that sense, and "chariot" do6lrine ; "He walketh upon 
 the wings of the wind " signifies the spiritual sense of the Word 
 contained in the literal sense. [9.] In MalacJii: 
 
 "Unto you that fear My name shall the Sun of righteousness arise, and 
 healing in His wings" (iv. 2). 
 
 " The Sun of righteousness " signifies good of love, which is the 
 celestial Divine; and the "wings" of Jehovah, in which there is 
 healing, signify truth from that good, which is the spiritual Divine ; 
 "healing" meaning reformation thereby, [lo.] In Moses: 
 
 "As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth 
 
 abroad her wings, beareth them on her wings, so Jehovah doth 
 
 lead him " {Deut. xxxii. 11, 12). 
 
 Here comparison is made with an "eagle," because "eagle" sig- 
 nifies intelligence, and " wing " the spiritual Divine, which is Divine 
 truth, from which is intelligence. [II.] In Isaiah: 
 
 "They that wait upon Jehovah renew their strength, they mount up with 
 a wing like eagles "(xl. 31). 
 
 " To mount up with a wing like eagles " is to ascend into the light 
 of heaven, which is Divine truth or the spiritual Divine from which 
 is intelligence. [12.] In Ezekiel : 
 
 " In the mountain of height. . . .will I plant it ; that it may lift up the 
 bough and bear fruit, and become a magnificent cedar ; that under 
 it may dwell all fowl of every wing" (xvii. 23). 
 
 "A magnificent cedar" signifies the spiritual church ; "all fowl of 
 every wing" signify things intelle61;ual which are from spiritual 
 truths. 
 
 [c] From all this it can be seen what "the wings of the cher- 
 ubim," both here and elsewhere in the Word, signify, namely, the 
 spiritual Divine, which is Divine truth instrudling, rege -jracine 
 and prote6ling. [I3.] As also in Ezekiel : 
 
 "Each cherub had four faces, and each had four wings, . . . .their w -igs 
 were erecfl one toward the other,. . . .each had two wings cov . ig 
 their bodies I heard the sound of the wings like the sound 
 
CHAP. IV., VERSE S. — N. 2X3[</]. 477 
 
 of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty ; when they went, the 
 voice of a tumult like the voice of camps ; when they stood they 
 
 let down their wings I heard the voice of their wings. . . . 
 
 kissing each the other, and the voice of wheels near them :. . . .the 
 voice of the wings of the cherubim was heard at the court without, 
 
 as the voice of God Almighty The likeness of hands was 
 
 under their wings" (i. 4,6, 23, 24; iii. 12, 13 ; x. 5, 21). 
 
 That " uinq^s" here signify the spiritual Divine, which is the Lord's 
 Divine truth in His celestial kint^dom, is evident from the partic- 
 ulars of this description: that there were "four wings" signifies 
 the spiritual Divine in that kingdom ; that " their wings were eredl 
 one toward the other," and "kissed each other," signifies conso- 
 ciation and conjunction from the Lord of all in that kingdom ; that 
 "the wings covered their bodies" signifies the spiritual Divine 
 there encompassing the celestial Divine ; that "the sound of their 
 wings was heard as the sound of great waters," and "as the voice 
 of wheels," and "as the voice of the Almighty," and that "the 
 voice of the wings was heard at the court without" signifies the 
 quality of the spiritual Divine, that is, of Divine truths in the low- 
 est heaven; for "voice" is predicated of truth ; "waters" signify 
 truths and perception of truths ; "wheels" truths of dodtrinals, 
 because a "chariot" signifies do6lrine ; and "God Almighty" 
 means truth rebuking in temptations, and afterwards consoling ; 
 the "court without" is the lowest heaven ; the "likeness of hands 
 under the wings" signifies the power of Divine truth. 
 
 [rl.] [14.] From this can be seen what the "wings" of the 
 cherubim, that were over the mercy-seat which was upon the ark, 
 signified, which are thus described in Moses : 
 
 "Make one cherub from the one end, and the other cherub from the 
 other end ; out of the mercy-seat shall ye make the cherubim on 
 the two ends thereof. And the cherubim shall spread out their 
 wings upwards, covering over the mercy-seat with their wings, and 
 their faces of a man to his brother ; towards the mercy-seat shaL 
 be the faces of the cherubim. And thou shalt put the mercy-seat 
 above upon the ark ; and to the ark thou shalt commit the testi- 
 mony that I shall give thee" {Exod. xxv. 18-21). 
 
 Here, too, "cherubim" signify the Lord's providence in resped^ 
 to guarding, that the highest heaven or celestial kingdom be not 
 approached except by good of love from the Lord and to the 
 Lord. The "testimony" or the "law," in the ark, signifies 
 the Lord himself; the "ark" the inmost or highest heaven; the 
 "mercy-seat" the hearing and reception of all things of worship 
 which are from good of love, and at the same time expiation ; 
 the "wings of the cherubim" signify the spiritual Divine in that 
 heaven or in that kingdom ; that "the wings were spread out up- 
 wards,' and that "they covered the mercy-seat," and that "theii 
 
478 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 faces were toward the mercy-seat" signify reception itself and hear- 
 ing. (But all this can be seen more fully explained in A.C., n. 9506-9546.) And 
 
 as the "wings of the cherubim " and their arrangements sip'nify Di- 
 vine truth heard and recei\'ed from the Lord, it follows i.\ Moses : 
 
 "And there I will meet with thee, and I will speak with thee from above 
 the mercy-seat, from between the two cherubim which aie upon the 
 ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in com- 
 mandment unto the sons of Israel " (verse 22 same chap. ; and 
 Num. vii. 89). 
 
 [c] [15.] As most expressions in the Word have a contrary 
 sense also, so do "wings," in which sense they signify falsities and 
 reasonings from them ; as in the Apocalypse : 
 
 " Out of the smoke [of the pit of the abyss] went forth locusts And 
 
 the voice of their wings was as the voice of charicts of many horses 
 running to war " (ix. 2, 3, 9). 
 
 "Locusts" signify falsities in outmosts, and "horses" rea.sonings 
 from them, and "war" signifies the combat of falsity against truth ; 
 it is therefore said, "the voice of the wings of the locusts was as the 
 voice of chariots of many horses running to war." [16.] In Hosea: 
 
 " Ephraim is joined to idols Their wine is gone ; in whoring they 
 
 have committed whoredom The wind hath bound her up in 
 
 its wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices " 
 (iv. 17-19). 
 
 "Ephraim" signifies the intelle6lual, such as it is with those with- 
 in the church who are enlightened when they read the Word ; 
 "idols" signify falsities of dodrine ; therefore "Ephraim joined 
 to idols" signifies a perverted intelle6lual seizmg upon falsities; 
 that "their wine was gone" signifies that the truth of the church 
 is gone, "wine" meaning that truth; "in whoring they ha-'e 
 committed whoredom" signifies that they falsified truths, "whore- 
 dom " meaning falsification of truth ; " the wind hath bound her 
 up in its wings" signifies reasonings from fallacies, from which are 
 
 falsities. (What fallacies in respedl to tilings spiritual are, see The Dodrine of 
 
 the New Jerusalem, n. 53.) "Wind in the wings " has the same signifi- 
 cation in Zechariah v. 9. 
 
 284. "And they were full of eyes within" signifies Divine 
 provideyice and guard. — This is evident from the signification of 
 " eyes," as meaning, in reference to the Lord, His Divine provi- 
 dence (see above, n. 68, 152). It signifies also guard, because 
 that is what is signified by " cherubim." 
 
 285. "And they had no rest day and night, saying, Holy, holy, 
 holy," signifies that which is most holy going forth from the Lord. 
 
CHAP. IV , VERSE S. — N. 2S6. 479 
 
 — This is evident from the signification of " had no rest day and 
 night ;" this, when it it said of the Lord's Divine providence 
 and guard, which is signified by "the four cherubim" that ap- 
 peared as four animals, means universally and perpetually, since the 
 Lord's Divine providence and guard rest not and cease not to 
 eternitv. This is evident also from the signification of " Holy, 
 noly, holy," as meaning that which is most holy going forth from 
 the Lord, for " holy " thrice named signifies most holy, for this 
 reason, that "three" in the Word signifies what is full, complete, 
 and unceasing (see .4.C., n. 2788,4495. 7715). [2.] The same is signi- 
 fied by this in Isaiah : 
 
 " I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His 
 skirts filled the temple. Above Him stood the seraphim: each 
 one had six wings ; with twain he covered his face, and with twain 
 he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried un- 
 to another, Holy, holy, holy, Jehovah of Hosts ; the fulness of the 
 whole earth is His glory " (vi. 1-3). 
 
 The "seraphim" here have a like signification with the "cheru- 
 bim ;" and "the throne high and lifted up" signifies the Divine 
 going forth, from which is heaven ; "the skirts that filled the tem- 
 ple" signify Divine truth going forth from the Lord in the out- 
 mosts of heaven and in the church ; " the wings with which the 
 seraphim covered their faces and their feet, and with which they 
 did fly," signify the spiritual Divine in firsts and in lasts and the 
 extension thereof on every side, thus omnipresence; "Holy, holv, 
 holy," signifies what is most holy ; that this is the Divine truth 
 that fills all things is signified by " the fulness of the whole earth is 
 
 His glory." (That " glory " is the Divine truth, see above, n. 33 ; and that the 
 Lord only is holy, and that " holy " is predicated of the Divine truth that goes 
 forth from Him, see above, n. 204.) 
 
 286. "Lord God Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is 
 
 to come," signifies ///6' infinite and eternal. — This is evident from 
 the signification of " Almighty," as meaning that He is the in- 
 finite (of which presently), and from the signification of " who 
 was, who is, and who is to come," as meaning that He is the eter- 
 nal (see above, n. 23). There are two things that can be predi- 
 cated only of Jehovah, that is, the Lord, namely, infinity and eter- 
 nily ; infinity of His esse, which is the Divine good of His Divine 
 love ; eternity of His existe?-e from that esse, which is the Di\'ine 
 truth of His Divine wisdom. These two are Divine in themselves, 
 and of out these the universe was created ; consequently all things 
 in the universe are referable to good and to truth, and good every- 
 where is the esse-oi a thing, and truth is the existere therefrom; 
 
480 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 but these t\\ :> in all things of the universe are finite. It is there- 
 fore here said "Lord God," for " Lord" signifies the Divine good 
 of the Divine love, and "God" the Divine truth of ths 'iJivine 
 
 wisdom. (That Jehovah in the Word is called " Lord" from Livine good, see 
 A.C., n. 4973, 9167, 9194; and that He is called " God " from Divine truth, n. 2586, 
 
 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921, 4287, 4402, 7010, 9167.) From this i*" is clear thai 
 "Almighty" signifies the infinite, and that "Who w ^ who is, and 
 who is to come," signifies the eternal. 
 
 VERSES 9-11. 
 
 ^aj» " And when the animals gave glory and honor and thanhsgiving to Him ti.at 
 sitteth on the throne, and liueth unto ages of ages, the four-and-twenty elders fell douo/i 
 before Him that sitteth on the throne, and worshipped Him that liveih unto ages of ages, 
 and cast off their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, Lord, to receive glory 
 and honor and power, for Thou hast created all things, and by Thy will they are, and they 
 were created." 
 
 9. "And when the animals gave glory and honor and thanksgiving" signifies 
 Divine truth and Divine good with glorification [n. 2S8] ; "to Him that 
 sitteth on the throne, and liveth unto ages of ages," signifies /row 7<'//o/« 
 a?-e all thiiigs of heaven and of the church and eternal life [n. 289]. 
 10, II. "The four-and-twenty elders fell down before Him that sitteth on the 
 throne " signifies humiliation, and at the sa/ne time an acknoivledgment 
 by those 7vho are in truth frofn good, that all things of heaven and the 
 church are from the Lord [n. 290] ; "and worshipped Him that liveth 
 unto ages of ages" signifies humiliation, and at the same time ac- 
 knowledgment that from the Lord is eternal life [n. 291]; "and cast 
 off their crowns before the throne" signifies humiliation, and at the 
 safne titne ackttOTuledgtnent in heart that there is nothing of good from 
 the?nselves but that everything is from the L.ord [n. 292] ; "saying, Thou 
 art worthy, Lord, to receive glory, and honor, and power," signifies 
 merit and righteousness belonging to the Lord's Divine Human, thai 
 from it is all Divine truth and Divine good and also salvation [n. 293] ; 
 "for thou hast created all things " signifies that from L/im are all ex- 
 istence and life, and heaven also for those who receive [n. 294] ; "and 
 by Thy will they are, and they were created," signifies that through 
 Di7'ine good they have being, and through Divine truth they have ex- 
 istence [n. 295]. 
 
 288[rt]. [i^erse g.] "And when the animals gave glory and 
 honor and thanksgiving" signifies Divine truth and Divine good 
 xvith glorification. — This is evident from the signification of "glory 
 and honor," as meaning, in reference to the Lord, Divine truth and 
 Divine good ; "glory" meaning Divine truth, and "honor" Divine 
 good (of which presently) ; and from the signification of " thanks- 
 giving," as meaning glorification. Let it first be told what is 
 here meant by glorification. Glorification, when it is from th«. 
 Lord, is an unceasing influx into angels and men of Divine good 
 united to Divine truth ; and glorification of the Lord among angels 
 and men is reception and acknowledgment in heart that all good 
 and all truth are from the Lord, and thus all intelligence, wisdom, 
 
CHAP. IV., VERSE 9. — N. 2SS[<^]. 481 
 
 and blessedness ; tnis in the spiritual sense is what "giving thanks" 
 signifies. Moreover, all glorification of the Lord by angels of 
 heaven and by men of the church is not from themselves, but flows 
 into them from the Lord. Glorification that is from men and not 
 from the Lord is not from the heart, but only from activity of the 
 memory, and thus from the mouth ; and what proceeds from the 
 memory and the mouth only, and not through them from the 
 heart, is not heard in heaven, thus is not received by the Lord, 
 but escapes into the world like any other high-sounding words. 
 This glorification is not an acknowledgment in heart that all good 
 and all truth are from the Lord. It is .said acknowledgment m 
 heart, which means from the life of the love; for "heart," in the 
 Word, signifies love, and love is a life according to the Lord's 
 precepts : when man is in this life, then there is glorification of 
 the Lord, which is acknowledgment in heart that all good and all 
 truth is from the Lord. This is meant also by "being glorified," 
 in yohn: 
 
 " If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will 
 and it shall be done unto you. Herein is My Father glorified, that 
 ye bear much fruit, and that ye be My disciples" (xv. 7, 8). 
 
 [ft.] [2.] "The four animals," which were cherubim, "gave 
 glory and honor and thank.sgiving," because Divine truth and 
 Divine good and glorification, which are signified by glory, honor, 
 and thanksgiving, go forth and flow in from the Lord ; for these 
 cherubim signify tfte Lord in respedl to providence and guard (see 
 above, n. 277) ; and they were "in the midst of the throne, and 
 around the throne" (see verse 6), and the Lord was "on the 
 throne" (verse 2) ; which makes clear that these things were from 
 the Lord ; but reception and acknowldgment in heart are meant 
 by the words of the verse following, where it is said, that when 
 these things had been heard, "the four-and-twenty elders fell 
 down before Him that sitteth on the throne, and worshipped Him 
 that liveth unto ages of ages, and cast their crowns before the 
 throne." [3.] In the Word, "glory and honor" is a common ex- 
 pression, and "glory" everywhere signifies truth, and "honor" 
 good. The two are mentioned together because in each particular 
 of the Word there is a heavenly marriage, which is the conjunc- 
 tion of truth and good. There is this marriage in each particular 
 of the Word, because the Divine that goes forth from the Lord is 
 Divine truth united to Divine good ; and because these together 
 make heaven and also make the church, this marriage is in every 
 particular of the Word ; so also in every particular of the WorJ 
 
48* APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 is the Divine from the Lord, and the Lord himself; this is why 
 
 the Word is most holy. (That there is such a marriage in the particulars 
 of the Word, see above, n. 238; and A.C., n. 2516, 2712, 3004, 3005, 3009, 4138, 
 
 S138, 5194, 5502, 6343, 7022, 7945, 8339, 9263, 9314.) [4.] That " glory " sig- 
 nifies Divine truth from the Lord, see above (n. 33) ; that " hon- 
 or" signifies Divine good follows from what has been said con- 
 cerning the heavenly marriage in every particular of the Word ; 
 as can be seen from the following passages. In David : 
 
 "Jehovah made the heavens ; glory and honor are before Him ; strength 
 and beauty are in His sanduary" {Psahn xcvi. 5, 6). 
 
 By "the heavens" the Divine that goes forth from the Lord is 
 meant, since the heavens are from His Divine ; and as the Divine 
 that goes forth and makes the heavens is Divine truth and Divine 
 good, it is said, "glory and honor are before Him :" "san6luary" 
 means the church; Divine good and Divine truth therein are meant 
 
 by "strength and beauty." (That the Divine of the Lord makes the heav^ 
 ens, see Heaven and Hell, n. 7-12 ; and that the Divine of the Lord in the heavens 
 is Divine truth and Divine good, n. 7, 13, 133, 137, 139, 140.) [5.] In the 
 
 same, 
 
 " O Jehovah God, Thou art very great ; Thou hast put on glory and 
 horor" {Psahn civ. i). 
 
 "To put on glory and honor" signifies, in reference to Jeho- 
 vah, His girding Himself with Divine truth and Divine good, 
 for these go forth from Him, and thus gird Him, and make the 
 heavens ; therefore in the Word they are called " His vesture" and 
 " His covering" (see above, n. 65, 271). [6.] In the same, 
 
 "The works of Jehovah are great Glory and honor are His work" 
 
 {Psalm cxi. 2, 3). 
 
 " The works of Jehovah" mean all things that go forth from and 
 are done by Him ; and as these are all referable to Divine truth 
 and Divine good, it is said, " His work is glory and honor." 
 [7.] In the same, 
 
 "Generation to generation shall praise Thy works, and shall declare 
 Thy mighty acfls. Upon the honor of the matrnificence of Thy 
 
 glory and the words of Thy wonders will I meditate And I 
 
 will make known to the sons of men His mighty a(5ls, and the 
 glory of the honor of His kingdom " {Psalm cxlv. 4, 5, 12). 
 
 'The honor of the magnificence of Thy glory" means Divine 
 good united to Divine truth ; and " the glory of the honor" means 
 Divine truth united to Divine good. This is so said because the 
 union is reciprocal; for Divine good goes forth from the Lord 
 
CHAP. IV.. VERSE 9. — N. 2SS[^]. 483 
 
 united to Di\ine truth ; but by angels in heaven and by men of 
 the church Divine truth is received and is united to Divine good ; 
 it is therefore said, " the glory of the honor of His kingdom," for 
 " His kingdom " means heaven and the church. [8.] In the same, 
 
 "Glory and honor wilt thou set upon Him ; for thou settest Him bless- 
 ings forever" {Psalm xxi. 5, 6). 
 
 These things were said of the Lord, and "glory and honor upon 
 Him " means all Divine truth and Divine good. [9.] In the 
 same, 
 
 "Gird Thy sword upon Thy thigh, O mighty in Thy glory and honor. 
 And in Thy honor mount, . . . yde on the word of truth " {Psalm 
 xlv. 3, 4). 
 
 This also is said of the Lord ; " to gird the sword upon the 
 thigh" sigiiifies Divine truth combating from Divine good (that 
 
 this is signified by "sword upon the thigh," see A.C.. n. 10488) ; and because 
 
 the Lord from Divine truth subjugated the hells, and brought 
 the heavens into order, He is said to be " mighty in glory and 
 honor," and "in honor to mount and ride upon the word of 
 truth ;" this signifies to a6l from Divine good through Divine 
 truth. [10.] In the same, 
 
 "Thou hast made Him to be a little less than the angels, but thou hast 
 crowned Him with glory and honor" {Psalm viii. 5). 
 
 This also is said of the Lord ; His state of humiliation is de- 
 scribed by " thou hast made Him to be a little less than the an- 
 gels," His state of glorification by "thou hast crowned Him with 
 glory and honor." "Glorifying" means uniting the essential 
 Divine to His Human, and also making His Human Divine. 
 [II.] In Isaiah : 
 
 " Be glad, ye desert and dry place, and let the plain of the desert rejoice 
 and blossom as a rose, in blossoming let it blossom and rejoice . . . ; 
 the glory of Lebanon has been given to it, the honor of Carmel 
 and Sharon : they shall see the glory of Jehovah, and the honor of 
 our God " (xxxv. i, 2). 
 
 This treats of the enlightenment of the nations; their ignorance 
 of truth and good is signified by " the desert and dry place ;" 
 their joy in consequence of instru6lion in truths and enlighten- 
 ment is signified by "being glad, rejoicing, and blossoming;" 
 "the glory of Lebanon given to them " signifies Divine truth ; and 
 "the honor of Carmel and Sharon " signifies Divine good which 
 they receive ; this is why it is said " they shall see the glory of 
 Jehovah, and the honor of our God." [12.] In the ylpoca/ypse : 
 
484 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 " The nations that have been saved shall walk by its light, and the 
 
 kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honor to it And 
 
 the glory and honor of the nations shall be brought into it " (xxi. 
 24, 26). 
 
 This is said of the New Jerusalem, by which a new church in 
 the heavens and on earth is signified ; "nations" signify all who 
 are in good : and the "kings of the earth" all who are in truths 
 from good : it is said of both that " they shall bring their honor 
 and glory into it," which means worship from good of love to 
 the Lord and from truths of faith which are from good of charity 
 towards the neighbor. 
 
 289. "To Him that sitte^h on the throne, and liveth unto 
 ages of ages," signifies /'r^7?z whom are all things of heaven and 
 of the church ayid eternal life. — This is evident from the signifi- 
 cation of " throne," as meaning, in reference to the Lord, in gen- 
 eral the whole heaven, in particular the spiritual heaven, and ab- 
 stractly Divine truth going forth ; and as through this the heav- 
 ens have existence, "throne" here signifies all things of heaven 
 and of the church (see above, n. 253M) ; that " He that sitteth on 
 the throne" is the Lord, see also above (n. 267, 268). This is also 
 evident from the signification of "living unto ages of ages," as 
 meaning that eternal life is from Him (see above, n. 84) ; for " He 
 that liveth " signifies that He alone is life, and therefore that every- 
 thing of life with angels and men is from Him ; and " unto ages 
 of ages " signifies eternity. " Unto ages of ages " signifies eternity 
 because in the world it signifies time throughout its whole extent ; 
 but in heaven where time like that in the world is rot found, it 
 signifies eternity ; for the sense of the letter of the Word is made 
 up of such things as are in the world, but its spiritual sense is 
 made up of such fhings as are in heaven ; and this i;i order that 
 the Divine may close into the natural things of the world as into 
 its outmosts, and may rest in them, and have permanent support 
 upon them; therefore it is said, "ages of ages," and not eter- 
 nity. 
 
 290. [ Verse ic] " The four-and -twenty elders fell down be- 
 fore Him that sitteth on the throne" signifies humiliation, ayid at 
 the sa7?ie time an ackyiowledgmcnt by those who are in trtdhfrom 
 good, that all things of heaven and the church are from the Lord. 
 —This is evident from the signification of "falling down," as mean- 
 ing humiliation, and at the same time acknowledgment in heart ; 
 also from the signification of " four-and-twenty elders " as mean- 
 ing those who are in truths from good (see above, n. 270) ; also 
 from the signification of" He that sat on the throne," as meaning 
 
CHAP. IV., VERSE lO. — X. 29I. 485 
 
 the Lord from whom are all things of heaven and of the church 
 (see above, n. 289). This and the following verse:5 of this chap- 
 ter treat of the reception of Divine truth and Divine good by 
 angels of heaven, and by men of the church ; while the verse im- 
 mediately preceding treats of the Lord, that from Him Divine 
 good and Divine truth go forth ; this is signified by " the ani- 
 mals gave glory and honor and thanksgiving to Him that sitteth 
 on the throne and liveth unto ages of ages " (see above, n. 288, 
 289) ; but " the elders fell down before Him that sitteth on the 
 throne, and worshipped Him that liveth unto iges of ages," sig- 
 nifies reception and acknowledgment ;" for " to fall clown " signi- 
 fies humiliation, reception, and acknowledgment, and " the four- 
 and-twenty elders " signify al] who are in truth from good, both 
 in the heavens and on earth. [2.] It is to be noted that re- 
 ception of Divine truth and Divine good, and acknowledgment 
 in heart that all things of heaven and the church and eternal life 
 are from the Lord, are possible only with those who are in truth 
 from good ; and for the reason that such only are in love and 
 faith ; and it is those who are in love and faith that are conjoined 
 to the Lord in soul and heart ; into the soul and heart the 
 Lord flows, and not into those things that are merely of memory 
 and of speech therefrom ; for memory is merely the entrance to 
 man, or like a court by which entrance is made ; it is like the 
 ruminating stomach of birds and beasts, and to that the mem- 
 ory with man corresponds. Those things are in the man that 
 are in his will and in his understanding therefrom, or what is the 
 same, that are in his love and in his faith therefrom. Whether 
 it is said that man is in good and truth, or that he is in love 
 and faith, it is the same, since all good is of love, and all truth is 
 of faith. 
 
 291. "And worshipped Him that liveth unto ages of ages" 
 signifies Juimiliation, and at the same time acknoxvlcdgment 
 that from the Lord is eternal life. — This is evident from the 
 signification of "falling down and worshipping," as meaning hu- 
 miliation and at the same time acknowledgment in heart ; also 
 from the signification of " Him that liveth unto ages of ages," as 
 meaning that from the Lord is eternal life (.see above, n. 289). It 
 is said humiliation, and at the same time acknowledgment in 
 heart, namely, that from the Lord are all truth and all good, and 
 all intelligence, wisdom, and blessedness therefrom, since this 
 acknowledgment is not possible with any one e.xcept in a state 
 of humiliation ; for when in humiliation he is removed from 
 what is his own {ex suo propria) ; and what is man's own { propHum) 
 
486 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 receives ana acknowledges nothing of good and truth from 
 the Lord, for what is man's own {froprium) is nothing but evil, and 
 evil reje6ls all good and all truth of heaven and the church. From 
 this it can be seen why there must be humiliation, and why " fall- 
 ing down and worshipping " signifies humiliation, and at the same 
 time acknowledgment in heart. 
 
 292. "And cast off their crowns before the throne" signi- 
 fies humiliatio7i, and at the same time acknowledgryient in heart 
 that there is nothing of good fro77i themselves, but that everything is 
 from the Lord. — This is evident from the signification of "crown," 
 as meaning good and wisdom therefrom (see above, n. 272) ; also 
 from the signification of "to cast off" before the throne," that is, to 
 lay down there, as meaning to acknowledge in humiliation that this 
 is not from self but from the Lord alone : for " to cast off" is to 
 renounce from self, and " to lay down before the throne " is to ac- 
 knowledge that it is from the Lord alone. The good here signified 
 by " crowns " is the good of love and charity ; this good flows in 
 from the Lord alone, and is received by angels of heaven and by 
 men of the church in the truths that are from the Word. Truths 
 from the Word with angels and men are in their memory ; from it 
 the Lord calls them out and conjoins them with good so far as 
 angel or man is in spiritual aflre6lion for truth, and this affedlion he 
 has when he lives according to truths from the Word. Conjunc- 
 tion is effe6led in the interior or spiritual man, and from that in the 
 exterior or natural man. This conjun6lion makes the church with 
 man while he lives on the earth, and afterwards makes heaven with 
 him ; from which it is clear that without such conjunction no one 
 can be saved ; also that no conjunction of good and truth is possi- 
 ble unless the man is living a life of love ; to live a life of love is 
 to do the Lord's commandments, for to love is to do, since what 
 a man loves that he wills and that he does, but what he does not 
 love that he does not will and therefore does not do. 
 
 293* iVerse 11.] "Saying, Thou art worthy, Lord, to receive 
 glory, and honor, and power," signifies merit and righteousness 
 belonging to the Lord's Divine Human, that from it is all Divine 
 truth a7id Divine good and also salvation. — This is evident from 
 the signification of " Thou art worthy, O Lord," as meaning merit 
 and righteousness belonging to the Lord's Divine Human (of which 
 presently) ; also from the signification of " glory and honor," as 
 meaning in reference to the Lord Divine truth and Divine good 
 which are from Him (see above, n. 288), also from the signification 
 of" power," as meaning salvation. " Power " here signifies salvation 
 because all Divine power looks to salvation as an end ; for by 
 
CHAP. IV., VERSE II.--N. 293. 487 
 
 Divine power rran is rcf(jrmcd, and afterwards introduced into 
 heaven, and there withheld from evil and falsity and held in good 
 and truth ; and this the Lord only can effecfl. Those who claim 
 for themselves the power to effe<5l this are wholly ignorant of what 
 salvation is, for they do not know what reformation is, nor what 
 heaven with man is. To claim to oneself the Lord's power is to 
 claim power over the Lord Himself, which power is called "the 
 power of darkness" i^Luke xxii. 53). [2.] That the power pre- 
 dicated of the Lord has regard chiefly to salvation is evident from 
 the following passages. In yohn: 
 
 Jesus said, " Father, .... Thou hast given [to the Son] power over all 
 flesh, that to all whom Thou hast given Him to them He should 
 give eternal life" (xvii. 2). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become sons of 
 God. even to them that believe in His name " (i. 12). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "I am the vine, ye are the branches ; he that abideth in Me, and I in 
 him, the same beareth much fruit ; for apart from Me ye cannot 
 do anything" (xv. 5). 
 
 In Mark: 
 
 "They were astonished at His docflrine ; for He was teaching them 
 as having authority " (i. 22). 
 
 In Luke : 
 
 " With strength and power He commands unclean spirits and they go 
 forth " (iv. 36) ; 
 
 besides other passages. Moreover, the Lord has power over all 
 things because He is God alone ; but the salvation of the human 
 race is the principal object of power, since for the sake of that 
 the heavens and the worlds were created ; and salvation is recep- 
 tion of the proceeding Divine. [3.] "Thou art worthy, O Lord," 
 signifies the merit and righteousness pertaining to the Lord's 
 Divine Human, because "Thou art worthy" signifies that He had 
 merit. The Lord's merit is that when He was in the world He 
 subjugated the hells, and brought into order all things in the 
 heavens, and glorified His Human, and this from His own 
 power. By this means He saved all of the human race who be- 
 lieve in Him, that is, who love to do His precepts {JoJm i. 12, 
 13). Moreover, this merit is called in the Word "righteousness," 
 and the Lord in respecfl to His Divine Human is called from 
 this, 
 
 "Jehovah our Righteousness" {Jer. xxiii. 5, 6 ; xxxiii. 15, t6). 
 
488 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 JOf this merit, or this righteousness of the Lord, see further, Dodrine of the Nev> 
 yerusalem, n. 293, 294 ; and in the quotations there from Arcana Caelestia, n 
 300-306.) 
 
 294[a!]. "For thou hasi created all things " signihes that 
 from Him are all existence a7id life, and heave?i also for those who 
 receive. — This is evident from the signification of "to create," as 
 meaning not only that all things came into existence from the 
 Lord, but also that all life is from Him ; and as the spiritual sense 
 of the Word treats only of heaven and the church, therefore "to 
 create" signifies primarily here to reform, thus to give heaven to 
 those who receive, for this is to reform. That the existence of all 
 things is from the Lord, see Heaven and Hell (n. 7-12, and n. 137) ; 
 
 and that all life is from the Lord (n. 9 ; and Dodrine of the New Jerusa- 
 lem, n. 278). But here "to create" does not signify natural existence 
 and life, but spiritual existence and life ; and this is what is every- 
 where signified in the Word by "creating;" and for the rea- 
 son that the existence of heaven and earth is not the end of 
 creation, but a means to the end ; the end of creation is that 
 the human race may exist so that from it there may be an an- 
 gelic heaven; and as this is the end, "to create" signifies to 
 reform, which is to give heaven to those who receive. In 
 the spiritual sense of the Word ends are meant, but in the 
 sense of the letter only the means that involve the ends are 
 spoken of; in this way the spiritual lies hid in the letter of the 
 Word. 
 
 [6.] [2.] That "to create" signifies to reform and regenerate 
 men, and thus establish the church, can be seen from passages in 
 the Word where this term occurs, as in the following. In Isaiah: 
 
 " I will plant in the desert the cedar of shittah, and the myrtle, and the 
 oil tree ;... .that they may see and know, and consider and un- 
 derstand together, that the hand of Jehovah hath done this, and the 
 Holy One of Israel hath created it" (xli. 19, 20). 
 
 This treats of the establishment of the church among the nations ; 
 "desert" signifies absence of good, because of ignorance of truth, 
 for every good into which man is reformed is given only through 
 truths. "The cedar of shittah" signifies genuine truth; "the 
 myrtle and the oil tree" signify spiritual good and celestial good ; 
 which makes clear what is signified by, "I will plant in the 
 desert the cedar of shittah, and the myrde, and the oil tree," when 
 the nations that are not in the good of heaven and of the church, 
 because in ignorance of truth, are treated of " That they may 
 see and know, and consider and understand together," signifies 
 the knowledges, understanding, perception, and affe61;ion, that 
 are of the love of good and truth : from this signification it i.s 
 
CHAP. IV., VERSE II. — N. 294[^]. 489 
 
 clear that "the Holy One of Israel hath created it" signifies 
 reformation, thus that "to create" is to reform. [3.J In the 
 same, 
 
 "Thus hath said Jehovah thy creator, O Jacob, and thy former, O Is- 
 rael for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name ; 
 
 thou art Mine Bring My sons from far, and My daughters 
 
 from the end of the earth, every one that is called by My name; 
 into My glory 1 have created, I have formed, and I have made 
 
 him I am Jehovah your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your 
 
 King" (xliii. i, 6, 7, 15). 
 
 This also treats of the establishment of a church among the na- 
 tions ; and with reference to their reformation Jehovah is called 
 "creator" and "former;" therefore it is said, "I have redeemed 
 thee, I have called thee by thy name, thou art Mine." " Bring 
 My sons from far, and My daughters from the end of the earth," 
 signifies the nations that are outside of the church, but that re- 
 ceive the truths and goods of the church from the Lord ; " from 
 far" and "from the end of the earth " signify those who are out- 
 side of the church, "earth" meaning the church, "sons" those 
 who receive truths, and "daughters" those who receive goods. 
 These are said to be "created, formed, and made into glory," 
 "glory" meaning the Divine truth that they receive. [4.] In 
 David : 
 
 "Create for me a clean heart, O God, and renew a firm spirit in the 
 midst of me " {Psalm li. 10). 
 
 " To create a clean heart " signifies to reform in respecSt to good 
 of love ; " to renew a firm spirit in the midst of me " signifies 
 to reform in respedl to the truth of faith ; for " heart " signifies 
 good of love, and "spirit" a life according to Divine truth, 
 which is the faith of truth. [5.] In the same, 
 
 "Wherefore hast Thou created in vain the sons of man? .... where are 
 Thy former mercies ?" {Psalm Ixxxix. 47, 49.) 
 
 " To create the sons of man " signifies to reform through Divine 
 truth; "sons of man " are those who are in Divine truths, thus, 
 abstradlly. Divine truths. [6.] In the same, 
 
 "The nations shall fear the name of Jehovah, and all the kings of the 
 
 earth Thy glory, because Jehovah hath built up Zion This 
 
 shall be written for the generation to come; and a people that 
 shall be created shall praise Jah " {Psalm cii. 15, 16, 18). 
 
 This treats of reformation ; " tne nations that shall fear the name 
 of Jehovah " mean those who are in good ; and "the kings of the 
 earth" those who are in truths from good ; "to build up Zion" 
 
490 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 signifies the establishment of the church, " Zion " meaning the 
 church; " the people that shall be created and shall praise Jah" 
 signifies all those who are reformed. [7.] In the same, 
 
 "Thou givest to them, they gather ; Thou openest Thine hand, they are 
 
 satisfied with good Thou sendest forth Thy spirit, they are 
 
 created ; and Thou renewest the faces of the earth " {Psalm civ. 28, 
 30). 
 
 It is plain here that "to create" means to reform ; for "Jehovah 
 giveth to them, they gather," signifies that they receive the truths 
 that are given by the Lord ; " Thou openest Thine hand, they are 
 filled with good," signifies that they receive the good that flows in 
 from the Lord ; "Thou sendest forth Thy spirit, they are created," 
 signifies that in respe6k to life they are reformed according to 
 Divine truth ; "and Thou renewest the faces of the earth" signi- 
 fies the establishment of the church. [8.] In Isaiah: 
 
 " Lift up your eyes on high, and see ; who hath created these ? He that 
 leadeth out their host in number, that calleth them all by name . 
 God is everlasting ; Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth 
 fainteth not" (xl. 26, 28). 
 
 This treats also of reformation, which is signified by "creating;" 
 "the host that Jehovah doth bring out" signifies all truths and 
 goods; "to call by name" signifies reception according to each 
 one's quality; "to create the ends of the earth" signifies to estab- 
 lish the church, thus to reform those who are therein. [9.] In 
 Ezekiel: 
 
 " Thou hast been in Eden, the garden of God ; every precious stone was 
 thy covering ; .... in the day that thou wast created they were pre- 
 pared Thou wast perfecfl in thy ways from the day that thou 
 
 wast created, until perversity was found in thee" (xxviii. 13, 15). 
 
 This is said of the king of Tyre, by whom those who are in truths 
 and through truths are in good are signified ; of such it is said 
 that they "have been in the garden of God, and that every pre- 
 cious stone is their covering;" "garden of God" signifies intelli- 
 gence, and the "precious stones" here named signify knowledges 
 of truth and good; these are called a "covering" because they 
 are in the natural man, and the natural man covers the spiritual : 
 these are said to have "been prepared in the day that they were 
 created," that is, in the day that they were reformed. This makes 
 clear what is signified by "thou wast perfe6l in thy ways from the 
 day that thou wast created." [lo.] In Isaiah: 
 
 "Jehovah will create over every dwelling of Mount Zion, and over he 
 assemblies, a cloud by day, .... and the shining of a flame of 6rf 
 by night ; for cer all the glory shall be a covering" (iv. 5). 
 
CHAP. IV., VERSE II. — N. 2g4[d']. 49I 
 
 "Zion" siuTiifies the church in respeifl to the Word ; the internal 
 or spiritual .sense of Uie Word in respect to good is meant by its 
 "dwelling ;" the external or literal sense in respect to truths is meant 
 oy "cloud by Jay," and in respecl to good by "the shining of a 
 flame of fire by night." Because this sense covers and hides the 
 spiritual sense it is called "a covering over all the glory," "glory" 
 meaning the spiritual sense ; these are said to be " created " because 
 they are truths of heaven and the church. [II.] In Ma/ac/ii: 
 
 " Hath not one God created us ? wherefore do we acl perfidiously ?" (ii. 10.) 
 
 Here "hath created us" signifies hath reformed that they might 
 be a church ; therefore it is said, " wherefore do we adt perfidi- 
 ously?" [12.] In haiah: 
 
 "Thus said God Jehovah, He that createth the heavens, and spreadeth 
 them out; He that stretcheth out the earth;.... He that giveth 
 breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk there- 
 in " (xlii. 5). 
 
 " Creating the heavens and spreading them out" and "stretching 
 out the earth" signifies to reform ; "the heavens" signify both 
 the heavens and the internals of the church ; the internals of the 
 church are the heavens with the men that are in them. " The 
 earth " signifies the externals of the church, which are said to be 
 "stretched out" and "spread out" when truths from good are 
 multiplied. It is plain that reformation by truths is signified, for 
 it is said, " He that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and 
 spirit to them that walk therein." [13.] In the same, 
 
 "Jehovah, creating the heavens, .... forming the earth and making it ; 
 .... He hath not created it an emptiness. He formed it to be in- 
 habited" (xlv. 12, 18). 
 
 "Heavens," "earth," and "to create" have the same signification 
 here as in the passage above ; " He hath not created it an empti- 
 ness" signifies that it is not without truth and good, in which those 
 are that have been reformed ; lack of these is emptiness. " He 
 hath formed it to be inhabited" signifies that they should live ac- 
 cording to good and truth and from them, for " to inhabit" signifies 
 to live. [14.] In the same, 
 
 " Behold, I create a new heaven and a new earth ; .... Be ye glad and 
 rejoice forever in that which I create ; behold, I will create Jeru- 
 salem a rejoicing, and her people a gladness " (Ixv. 17, 18). 
 
 "To create a new heaven and new earth" does not mean the 
 visible heaven and the habitable earth, but a new church, in- 
 ternal and external ; " heaven " meaning the internal of the 
 
492 APOCALYPSE EXPLAJNED. 
 
 church, and "earth" its external. (Wlat the internal of the church is, 
 and what the external, see Do£lrine of the New yerusale7n, n. 246.) It IS 
 
 therefore said, " Behold, I will create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and 
 her people a gladness;" "Jerusalem" is the church, "rejoic- 
 ing " its delight from good, and " gladness " its delight from 
 truth. 
 
 [c] [15.] "The new heavens and the new earth" in the 
 same prophet (Ixvi. 22), and in the Apocalypse (xxi. i) have a 
 like signification, also the following in the first chapter of Gene- 
 sis : 
 
 In the beginning Jehovah created heaven and earth. "And the earth 
 was waste and empty ; and darkness was upon the faces of the 
 deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the faces of the wa- 
 ters. And God said, Let there be light ; and there was light. 
 
 And God created man in His own image, in the image of 
 
 God created He him ; male and female created He them" (i. 1-3, 
 27). 
 
 This treats of the establishment of the first church on this earth ; 
 the reformation of the men of that church in respedl to their in- 
 ternal and their external is meant in this chapter by the creation 
 of the heaven and the earth. That previously there was no 
 church, because men were without good and truth, is signified by 
 " the earth was waste and empty :" and that they were previously 
 in dense ignorance and in falsities, is signified by " darkness was 
 upon the faces of the deep ;" their first enlightenment is sig- 
 nified by "the spirit of God moved upon the faces of the wa- 
 ters," and by "God said. Let there be light, and there was 
 light." "The spirit of God" signifies Divine truth going forth 
 from the Lord, and "to move upon the faces of the waters" 
 signifies enlightenment; the same is signified by "light;" "and 
 there was light" signifies reception of Divine truth. "God 
 created man into his own image" signifies so that man might 
 be in a love for good and truth, and might correspond to 
 heaven as a likeness of it, since a love for good and truth is 
 "an image of God;" therefore the angelic heaven also is "an 
 image of God ;" consequently the angelic heaven in the Lord's 
 
 sight is as one man (see Heaven and Hell, n. 59-67, 68-72, 73-77. 78-86, 
 
 87-102). "Male and female created He them" signifies that He 
 reformed them in resped to truth and good ; " male " means 
 truth, and " female " good. This makes clear that this and the 
 following chapter describe not the creation of heaven and earth, 
 but the new creation or reformation of the men of the first church, 
 
CHAP. IV., VERSE II. — N. 2g4[d]. 493 
 
 and that like things are meant by " the new heaven and new 
 earth" and their "creation" in the passages cited above. 
 
 [f/.] [16.] That "creation" in the Word signifies reformation 
 and the establislimcnt of the church, which is effefled by means of 
 the Divine truth that goes forth from the Lord, is plain from the fol- 
 lowing. In yo/in : 
 
 " In the bepinriing was the Word, and the Word was with God, and 
 
 the Word was God All things were made by Him, and 
 
 without Him was not anything made that hath been made. 
 In Him was life; and the light was the light of men. And 
 the light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness apprehended 
 it not. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man 
 
 coming into the world The world was made by Him, 
 
 and the world recognized Him not And the Word became 
 
 fiesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory" (i. 1-5, 9, 
 ID, 14). 
 
 "The Word" means here the Lord in respe<5l to Divine truth; 
 that all things were created by Divine truth is meant by "All things 
 were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made 
 that hath been made;" also by "the world was made by Him." 
 Since "the Word" means the Lord in respe(5l to Divine truth 
 it is said, " In Him was life, and the life was the light of men ; . . . . 
 that was the true light," "light" signifying Divine truth, and 
 "life" all intelligence and wisdom from Divine truth ; for this con- 
 stitutes man's very life, and eternal life is a life in accordance 
 therewith. The Lord's presence with every one with His Divine 
 truth, from which are life and light, is meant by "the light 
 
 shineth in the darkness and lighteth every man coming into 
 
 the world ;" but that those who are in falsities of evil do not 
 perceive it, thus do not receive it, is meant by " the darkness 
 apprehended it not," and by "the world recognized Him not;" 
 for "darkness" signifies falsities of evil. It is very plain that 
 it is the Lord in respe6l to the Divine Human that is here 
 meant by "the Word," for it is said, "And the Word became 
 flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory," "glory" 
 
 also signifying Divine truth. (That all things were created by Divine 
 truth going forth from the Lord, which is here meant by " the Word," see in 
 Heaven and Hell, n. 137, 139; and Dodrine of the New yerusalem, n. 263.) 
 
 This also makes clear that "to make" or "to create" here signi- 
 fies to make man new, that is, to reform him ; for here, as in 
 the book of Genesis, "light" is immediately mentioned, which 
 signifies Divine truth going forth, by which all are reformed (se« 
 
 Heaven and Hell, n, 126-140 ; and in Doilrine of the Nexv yerusalem. n. 49). 
 
494 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 295[/f], "And by Thy will they are, and they were created," 
 
 signifies thai through Divine good they have being, and thro7igh 
 Divine truth they have existence. — This is evident from the signi- 
 fication of "will," as meaning, in reference to the Lord, the Divine 
 love; also from the signification of "are {sunt)" or "being {esse)," 
 as meaning good of love, here the Divine good of the Divine 
 love received (of which presently) ; also from the signification 
 of "they were created," or "being created," as meaning Divine 
 truth also received, thus those reformed by it. "To be created" 
 signifies to have existence, because only those who have been 
 reformed can be said to have existence ; for in them is life, and 
 they have intelligence and wisdom ; while those who are not 
 reformed have no life in them, but spiritual death, neither have 
 they intelligence and wisdom, but insanity and folly, therefore 
 they cannot be said to have existence. Everything, indeed, 
 that appears to any of the senses is said to have existence, but 
 this cannot be said of man spiritually unless he is in good and 
 truth ; for man is created that he may be living, intelligent, and 
 wise ; consequently when he is dead, insane, and foolish, to that 
 extent he does not exist as a man. There are two things that 
 cause man to be a man, namely, good and truth, both from the 
 Lord ; good is the esse of his life, but truth is the existere of 
 life therefrom ; for all truth has existence from good, since it is 
 the form and therefore the quality of good ; and since good is 
 the esse of life, and truth is the existere of life therefrom, and "to 
 be created" signifies to have existence, it is said, "by Thy will 
 they are, and they were created." This, then, is the spiritual in 
 these words. 
 
 [&.] [2.] " Will" in reference to the Lord means Divine love ; 
 because the Divine itself, from which are all things, is the Divine 
 love. The Lord, therefore, appears before the angels as a sun, 
 fiery and flaming, and this for the reason that in the spiritual world 
 love appears as fire, consequently in reference to the Lord, heaven, 
 or the church, "fire" in the Word signifies love. From that 
 sun in the heavens heat and light go forth ; heat there is Divine 
 good going forth, and light is Divine truth going forth. (This 
 
 is more fully shown in Heaven and Hell, On the Sun of Heaven, n. 116-125; and 
 
 On Heat and Light in Heaven, n. 126-140.) And since the Divine itself 
 from which are all things is the Divine love, so "will" in reference 
 to the Lord is Divine love, for what love itself wills, that is the good 
 ol love ; the truth which is said to be of faith is merely a means that 
 good may have existence, and that truth may afterwards exist from 
 gfood. Will and understanding with man are from this origin, the 
 
CHAl'. IV., VERSE II. — N. 295[c]. 495 
 
 will is a receptacle of the good of love with man, and the under- 
 standing is a recej^tacle of the truth of faith with him. The un- 
 derstanding is the medium by which the will may be reformed, 
 and by which afterwards the will may appear in form, such as it is 
 by means of the understanding. From this it is clear that the 
 will is the esse of man's life, and the understanding is the existere 
 
 of life thereirom. (But this is .tIso more fully shown in The Dodrineo/ the New 
 Jerusalem, where the Will and Understanding are treated of, n. 28-35.) [3.] Be- 
 cause man's will is his love, and God's will is the Divine love, it 
 can be seen what is meant in the spiritual sense by " doing the will 
 of God" and "the will of the Father," namely, that it is to love 
 God above all things, and the neighbor as oneself. And as to 
 love is to will, so it is to do ; for what a man loves, that he wills, 
 and what he wills he also does. Therefore "doing the will of 
 God" or "of the Father" means doing His precepts, or living 
 according to them from the affedlion of love or charity. This is 
 what is meant by " the will of God " and " of the Father" in the 
 following passages. In John: 
 
 " God heareth not sinners ; but if any one worship God and do His will, 
 him He heareth " (ix. 31). 
 
 In Matthew (that the one who does the will of the Father who is 
 in the heavens shall enter into the kingdom of the heavens), 
 
 " Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the king> 
 dom of the heavens, but He that doeth the will of My Father which 
 is in the heavens" (vii. 21). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 "Thy kingdom come ; Thy will be done, as in heaven so upon the earth" 
 
 (vi. 10). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " It is not the will of the Father that one of these little ones should 
 
 perish" (xviii. 14). 
 
 "It is not His will that one of these little ones should perish" 
 means evidendy love. It is said " the will of the Father," because 
 "Father" means Divine good. In yohii: 
 
 " If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will, 
 and it shall be done unto you " (xv. 7). 
 
 Whatsover they will and ask shall be done for those who abide in 
 the Lord and in whom His words abide, because they then will 
 nothing except what the Lord gives them to will, and that is good, 
 and good is from Him. 
 
 [ۥ] [4.] The Lord's will in the Old Testament is called His 
 
496 APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED. 
 
 "good pleasure," and this likewise means the Divine love ; and to 
 do His good pleasure or His will signifies to love God and the 
 neighbor, thus to live according to the precepts of the Lord, 
 since this is to love God and the neighbor, and this comes down 
 from the Lord's love. No one, in fa6t, can love the Lord and 
 the neighbor except from the Lord ; for this is the veriest 
 good for man, and all good is from the Lord. That "good 
 pleasure" has this signification is clear from the following pas- 
 sages. In Isaiah: 
 
 " In My wrath I smote thee, but in My good pleasure have I had mercy on 
 thee"(lx. 10). 
 
 "To smite in anger" signifies temptation; "in good pleasure to 
 have mercy" signifies deliverance by love ; "to have mercy" is to 
 do good to the needy from love. [5.] In David : 
 
 " My prayer is unto thee, O Jehovah, in the time of good pleasure; OGod, 
 in the greatness of Thy mercy answer me, in the truth of Thy sal- 
 vation " {Psalm Ixix. 13). 
 
 "The time of Jehovah's good pleasure" signifies acceptance from 
 love; "time," in reference to men, signifies the existing state, but 
 in reference to Jehovah, existing without end, thus His love, be- 
 cause this is unending. Hearing and help from love through the 
 proceeding Divine which is Divine truth, is signified by " in the 
 greatness of Thy mercy answer me, in the truth of Thy salva- 
 tion." [6.] In Isaiah : 
 
 "Jehovah said, In the time of My good pleasure have I answered thee, 
 and in a day of salvation have I helped thee" (xlix. 8). 
 
 Here also " time of My good pleasure," that is, of will, signifies the 
 Divine love ; and " to answer " signifies to bring aid, and to bene- 
 fit. [7.] In the same, 
 
 " To proclaim the year of Jehovah's good pleasure, .... to comfort all 
 that mourn " (Ixi. 2). 
 
 This is said of the coming of the Lord ; and " year of Jehovah's 
 good pleasure " signifies the time and states of men of the church, 
 when from love they can be succored, therefore it is said, " to 
 comfort all that mourn." [8.] In David : 
 
 "Thou dost bless the righteous ; Thou wilt compass him with Thy good 
 pleasure as with a shield " {Psalm v. 12). 
 
 Here " good pleasure " plainly means the Divine love, from which is 
 the Lord's protection of every one ; prote<5lion by the Lord from 
 love is signified by "Thou wilt compass him as with a shield." 
 
CUAI' IV.. viiKSK II. — N. 295[r]. 497 
 
 (9.] Ill the same, 
 
 Jehovah " opencth Iho hand and satisficsl every living thing wiih Hi' 
 good pleasure " {Psalm cxlv. 16) ; 
 
 "to oiKii the hand" signifies to gift with good ; and "to sat- 
 isfy every Hving thing with His good pleasure" signifies from 
 love to enrich with Divine truth all who receive life from Him. 
 [lO.l In Moses, 
 
 "Of the precious things of the earth and the fulness thereof and the good 
 pleasure of Him that dwelleth in the bush, let them come upon the 
 head of Joseph, and upon the crown of the head of a Nazarite of 
 
 his brethren O Naphtali, satisfied with the good pleasure and 
 
 the blessing of Jehovah" {Deut. xxxiii. 16, 23). 
 
 "Joseph" in the highest sense signifies the Lord in resped 
 to the spiritual Divine ; in the internal sense the spiritual king- 
 dom ; and in the external, salvation, fru6lification of good, and 
 multiplication of truth (see A.C., n. 3969, 3971, 4669, 6417). This makes 
 clear what is signified by Joseph's having "of the precious things 
 of the earth and the fulness thereof, and the good pleasure of Him 
 that dwelleth in the bush." " The precious things of the earth " are 
 spiritual goods and truths tlierefrom belonging to the church ; tlie 
 "earth" is the church ; the "good pleasure of Him that dwelleth 
 in the bush" is the Lord's Divine love of truth; the "bush" in 
 which the Lord appeared to Moses signifies that Divine love. 
 "The head of Joseph " signifies the wisdom of the intern;il man ; 
 and "the crown of the head of the Nazarite of his brethren" sig- 
 nifies the intelligence and knowledge {sdentia) of the e.xternal man. 
 " Naphtali " (which means strtigglings) signifies temptations and 
 after them consolation and blessing from Divine love, which is 
 meant by "satisfied with the good pleasure and the blessing of 
 Jehovah." [II.] In Isaiah : 
 
 "Wilt thou call this a fast, and the day of Jehovans good pleasure?. . . . 
 Is it not to break thy bread to the hungry ; and .... when thou stest 
 the naked that thou cover him ?" (Iviii. 5, 7.) 
 
 That "Jehovah's good pleasure," in reference to men, signifies to 
 live according to His precepts, which is to love God and the neigh- 
 bor (as was said above) is evident ; for it is here said that " His 
 good pleasure is, to break their bread to the hungry, and to cover 
 the naked ;" " to break bread to the hungry " signifies from love to 
 do good to the neighbor who desires good; and "to cover the 
 naked" signifies to instru6l in truths him who desires to be in- 
 struiflcd. [12.] In David: 
 
4q8 apocalypse explained 
 
 " ( have desired to do Thy good pleasure " (that is, Thy will), "O my God i 
 and Thy law is in my bowels " {Psalm k1. 8). 
 
 In the same, 
 
 " Teach me to do Thy good pleasure ; Thy good spirit shall lead me 
 
 into the land of uprightness " {Psalm cxliii. lo). 
 
 In ine same, 
 
 " Bless ye Jehovah, all His hosts ; ye ministers of His that do His gooc' 
 pleasure" {Psalm ciii. 21). 
 
 To "do the good pleasure " of Jehovah God signifies to live accord- 
 ing to His precepts ; this is His good pleasure, that is, His will, be- 
 cause from Divine love He wills that all should be saved, and by it 
 they are saved. Moreover, in the Hebrew the expression "good 
 pleasure" means will; for whatever is done according to the will 
 is well pleasing, and the Divine love wills nothing else thian that 
 'ove from itself may be with angels and men, and His love is with 
 them when they love to live according to His precepts. That this 
 is to love the Lord He teaches in yo/m 
 
 (xiv. 15, 21, 23, 24; XV, 10, 14; xxi. 15-17). 
 
 [^#.] [13.] That " will " signifies love in a contrary sense, 
 namely, love of evil and love of falsity, is evident in yohn: 
 
 As many as received Jesus, " to them gave He the power to become the 
 sons of God, even to them that believe in His name; who were 
 born, not of bloods nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of 
 
 • man, but of God" (i. 12, 13). 
 
 •'To believe in the Lord's name" signifies to live according to 
 the precepts of His teaching. That "the Lord's name" signi- 
 fies all things by which He is worshipped, consequently all things 
 of love and faith, see above (n. I02[a], 135). "Not of bloods" 
 signifies not in a life contrary to good and truth ; " not of the 
 will ol the flesh" signifies not in a love of evil ; "not of the will 
 of man [vir)'' signifies not in a love of falsity. (That "flesh," in 
 
 reference to man, means the voluntary that is man's own {prcfo-iutK voluniarium), 
 thus evil, see A.C., n. 148, 149, 780, 999, 3813, 8409, 10:^83; ana that man (vir) 
 means tlie intelledlua' that is man'r own [propritim intellefluale), which is falsity 
 see n. 4823). 
 
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