the things that are therein,” signifies, who vivifies all that are in heaven and that are in the church, and every thing in general and in particular with them: "That there should be time no longer," signifies, that there cannot be any state of the church, or any church, except one God be acknowledged, and that the Lord is that God: "But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound," signifies, the final exploration and manifestation of the state of the church which must perish, unless a new one be established by the Lord: "The mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets," signifies, that then it will appear, that it is foretold in the Word of both Testaments, but has hitherto been concealed, that after the last judgment is executed upon those who have devastated the church, the Lord's kingdom will come: "And the voice which I heard from heaven, spake unto me again, and said, Go, take the little book, which is open in the hand of the angel who is standing upon the sea and upon the earth," signifies, a command from heaven, that they should admit that doctrine, but that it should be made manifest by John how it would be received in the church, before they who are meant by the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, are removed: "And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book," signifies, a motion, or inclination of the mind with many, to receive the doctrine: "And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up, and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey," signifies, that reception from the acknowledgment that the Lord is the Saviour and Redeemer, is grateful and pleasing, but that the acknowledgment that he alone is the God of heaven and earth, and that his Humanity is divine, is unpleasing and difficult to receive, by reason of falsifications: "And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it my belly was bitter," signifies, that so it came to pass, and was thus manifested: "And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings," signifies, that because it is so, the quality of those who are in faith alone must be further shown.

THE EXPLANATION.

464. In this and the following chapter the Lord is treated of as being the God of heaven and earth, and that as to his Humanity also he is God; consequently that he is Jehovah himself. That this is the subject treated of in these two chapters, may be seen from their contents, as understood in a spiritual sense, and from their conclusion, chap. xi. 15, 16, 17.

465. "And I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven," signifies, the Lord in divine majesty and power. That this angel is the Lord, is evident from the description of him, as being encompassed with a cloud, a rainbow over his head, his face as the sun, his feet like columns of fire, and that he set his feet. upon the sea, and upon the earth; as also that he cried with a loud voice as when a lion roareth, and spake as thunder. He was seen as an angel, because he appears in the heavens and below the heavens, when he manifests himself, as an angel; for he fills some angel with his Divinity in accommodation to the reception of those to whom he gives to see him. His presence itself, such as he is in himself or in his own essence, cannot be supported by any angel, much less by any man; wherefore he appears above the heavens as a sun, at a distance from the angels, as the sun of this world is from men; there he dwells in his Divinity from eternity, and at the same time in his Divine Humanity, which are a one like soul and body. He is here called a mighty angel from his divine power: and it is said, another angel, by reason of another divine attribute of his, different from the former, being here described.

466. "Clothed with a cloud; and a rainbow was over his head," signifies, his divine natural and divine spiritual principles. By the cloud with which he was clothed, is signified the divine natural principle; wherefore the Word in its natural sense, which also is from him, thus is his, and himself, is signified by cloud, n. 24; by a rainbow, is signified the divine spiritual principle, and as this is above the natural, therefore the rainbow appeared over his head. It must be observed, that the Lord is present with men in his divine natural principle, but, with the angels of his spiritual kingdom, in his divine spiritual principle, and with the angels of his celestial kingdom, in his divine celestial principle; still he is not divided, but appears to every one according to his quality. The Lord's divine spiritual principle, is also signified by the rainbow in Ezekiel: "And above the firmament (of the cherubs) was the likeness of a throne," and upon it the appearance of a man; and from the fire of his loins there was as it

were the appearance of the bow which is in the cloud in the day of rain, "this was the appearance of the glory of Jehovah," i. 26, 28, 29. By a throne, is signified heaven; by the man upon it, the Lord; by the fire of his loins, celestial love; and by the rainbow, divine truth spiritual, which also is of his divine wisdom. By the rainbow, of which it is written in Moses: "I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth," and when it shall be seen in the cloud, "I will remember my covenant," Gen. ix. 12—17; nothing else is meant but divine truth spiritual in the natural degree, with the man who is regenerated; for man, when he is regenerated, from natural becomes spiritual; and inasmuch as there is then a conjunction of the Lord with him, therefore it is said, that the bow in the cloud should be for a sign of a covenant; covenant signifying conjunction. That there is no conjunction of the Lord with man by rainbows, in the world, is evident.

467. "And his face was as it were the sun," signifies, divine love, and at the same time divine wisdom, as is evident from the explanation above, n. 53; where the same is said of the Son of Man.

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468. "And his feet as pillars of fire," signifies, the Lord's divine natural principle as to divine love, which sustains all things. This also appears from the explanation above, at n. 49, where it is said of the Son of Man, that his feet were like fine brass, as though they burned in a furnace." The reason why his feet seemed like pillars of fire, is, because the Lord's divine natural principle, which in itself is the Divine Humanity which he took upon him in the world, sustains his Eternal Divinity, as the body does the soul, and as the natural sense of the Word sustains its spiritual and celestial sense; on which subject see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Sacred Scripture, n. 27-49. That the feet sig

nify what is natural, may be seen, n. 49; and that a pillar signifies support, n. 191. Fire signifies love, because spiritual fire is nothing else; therefore it is usual to pray, that heavenly fire may be kindled in the heart; that is, celestial love. That there is a correspondence between

And

fire and love, may be known from this circumstance, that man grows warm from love, and grows cold from the privation thereof, there being nothing else that constitutes vital heat, but love in both senses; the origin of correspondences is from two suns, one in the heavens which is pure love, and the other in the world which is pure fire e; hence, also, is derived the correspondence between all spiritual and natural things. Since fire signifies divine love, therefore Jehovah was seen by Moses on Mount Horeb in the bush on fire, Exod. iii. 1, 2, 3. And descended upon Mount Sinai in fire, Deut. iv. 36. therefore the seven lamps of the candlestick in the tabernacle were lighted up every evening, that they might burn before Jehovah, Levit. xxiv. 2, 3, 4. And for the same reason, the fire burned continually upon the altar, and was never put out, Levit. vi. 9. And they took fire from the altar to put into their censers when incense was offered, Levit. xvi. 12, 13, Numb. xvi. 6, 12. Hence it was that Jehovah went before the children of Israel by night in a pillar of fire, Exod. xiii. 21, 22. That there was a fire by night over the tabernacle, Exod. xl. 38, Psalm cv. 37, 39, Isaiah iv. 5, 6. That fire from heaven consumed the burnt-offering upon the altar, as a sign of the Lord's being well pleased, Levit. ix. 24, 1 Kings xviii. 38. That the burnt-offering was called an offering made by fire to Jehovah, and an offering by fire of an odor of rest to Jehovah, Exod. xxix. 18, Levit. i. 9, 13, 17, ii. 2, 9, 10, 12, iii. 5, 16, iv. 31, v. 12, vi. 30, xxi. 6, Numb. xxxviii. 2, Deut. xviii. 1. That the eyes of the Lord seemed as a flame of fire, Apoc i. 14, ii. 18, xix. 12, Dan. x. 5, 6. That seven lamps of fire burned before the throne, Apoc. iv. 5. Hence it is evident, what is signified by lamps with oil and without oil, Matt. xxv. 1-11. By oil is understood fire, and thus love; as also in many other passages. That fire, in an opposite sense, signifies infernal love, is evident from so many passages in the Word, that it is needless to adduce them by reason of their abundance: something may be seen on this subject in the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 566-575.

469. "And he had in his hand a little book open," sig

nifies, the Word as to this doctrinal point therein, that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, and that his Humanity is Divine. That by the Book, which the Lamb took from Him that sat on the throne, and the seven seals of which he loosed, Apoc. v. 1, 7, vi. 1, is meant the Word, may be seen above, n. 256, 259, 295, and following; therefore by the little book in the hand of the angel, who also is the Lord, n. 465, nothing else is here meant but the Word as to some essential therein. That this is the doctrinal point in the Word, which teaches that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, and that his Humanity is Divine, is evident from the spiritual sense of all the particulars in this and the following chapter, and also from the natural sense of the next or 11th chapter, verses 15, 16, 17. The little book is said to be open, because that doctrine appears manifestly in the Word, and is evident to every one who reads it with attention. This is the subject now treated of, because it is the very essential of the New Church; the reason is, because on the knowledge and acknowledgment of God, depends the salvation of every one; for, as was observed in the preface, "The universal heaven, and the universal church on earth, and, in general, all religion, has its foundation in a just idea of God; because hereby there is conjunction, and by conjunction, light, wisdom, and eternal happiness." Since the Lord is the very God of heaven and earth, therefore no one, who does not acknowledge him, is admitted into heaven, for heaven is his body; but he stands without, and is bit by serpents, that is, by infernal spirits, for whose bite there is no cure but that which the sons of Israel experienced, by looking up to the brazen serpent, Numb. xxi. 1—10; by which is meant the Lord as to his Divine Humanity, as is plain from this passage in John: "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have eternal life,” John iii. 14, 15.

470. "And he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left upon the earth," signifies, that the Lord has the universal church, as well those therein who are in its exter