Number 67

67. The faith of the new heaven and of the new church in a universal concept, is this:

 

The Lord from eternity, who is Jehovah, came into the world so that He could subjugate the hells, and glorify His Human; and without this, no mortal would have been able to be saved; and they who believe in Him are saved.

 

This is said to be in a universal concept because this a universal of faith, and a universal of faith is something that will be in all things and in the individual things.

 

It is a universal of faith that God is one in person and in essence, in whom is the Trinity, and that the Lord is this God.

 

It is a universal of faith that no mortal would have been able to be saved unless the Lord came into the world.

 

It is a universal of faith that He came into the world so that He could move hell away from people, and He moved it away through battles against it, and through victories over it. So He subjugated it, and drove it back into order and under obedience to Him.

It is also a universal of faith that He came into the world so that He could glorify His Human (which He took on in the world), that is, unite it with the Divine from which it came. Thus He keeps hell, having been subjugated by Him, in order and under obedience to Him to eternity. Since neither of these could have happened other than through temptations, even to the last of them, and the last of them was the passion of the cross, He underwent this.

These are the universals of faith about the Lord.

 

It is a universal of the Christian faith on the part of a person that he should believe in the Lord. For believing in the Lord causes conjunction with Him, through which salvation occurs. To believe in Him is to have trust that He saves. And because someone cannot have this trust unless he lives well, this is also what believing in Him means.

 

These two universals of the Christian faith have been specifically dealt with. The first, which looks to the Lord, in The Doctrine of the Lord, and the other, which looks to a person, in The Doctrine of Charity, and The Doctrine of Faith, and The Doctrine of Life for the New Jerusalem. And both are being dealt with now in the explanations of Revelation.

Number 66

66. “And the seven lamp stands which you saw are the seven churches,” signifies the new church on earth, which is the New Jerusalem coming down from the Lord out of the new heaven.

 

It was shown above, in n. 43, that “the lamp stands” are the church. And because “seven” signifies all (n. 10), “seven lamp stands” do not mean seven churches, but the church as a complete whole, which is one in itself, but varied according to its reception. These variations can be compared to the various diadems in a king’s crown. They can also be compared to the various limbs and organs in a complete body, which still make a unit. The completeness of every form from various one comes from them being placed appropriately in their order. It is from this that the entire new church with its varieties will now be described in the following, through the seven churches.

Number 65

65. “The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches,” signifies the new church in the heavens, which is the new heaven.

 

The church is just as much in the heavens as it is on earth, for the Word is just as much in the heavens as it is on earth, and there are doctrines from it, and there are sermons from it.[1] This church is the new heaven, about which something was said in the preface. The reason “the seven stars” mean the church in the heavens, or the new church, is that

Number 64

64. (Verse 20) “The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lamp stands,” signifies the secrets in the visions about the new heaven and the new church.

 

It will be seen in what comes next that “the seven stars” signify the church in the heavens, and “the seven lamp stands” the church on earth.

Number 63

63. (Verse 19) “Write the things you have seen, and which are to be afterwards.” It is clear without explanation that this signifies so that all the things which are now being revealed may exist for a future generation.

Number 62

62. “And I have the keys of hell and death,” signifies that only He can save.

 

“Keys” signify the power to open and close, and here, the power to open hell, so that a person can be lead out, and the power to close, so that when he has been lead out, he does not go back in. For a person is born into evils of every kind, and so in hell,

Number 61

61. “Amen,” signifies a Divine confirmation that this is the truth.

 

It was shown earlier, in n. 23, that “amen” is the truth, which is the Lord.

Number 60

60. “And behold I am the one who lives into ages of ages,” signifies that He is eternal life.

 

Since “I am He who lives” signifies that He alone is life, and from Him alone life comes[1], it follows that “behold, I am the one who lives into ages of ages” signifies that He alone is life to eternity, and so eternal life is from only Him. For eternal life is in Him, and so from Him. “Ages of Ages” signifies eternity. The following places make it clear that eternal life is from the Lord alone:

Number 59

59. “And was made dead,” signifies that He has been disregarded, and His Divine Human has not been acknowledged.

 

That He “was made dead” does not mean that He was crucified, and thus dead, but that he was disregarded in the church, and His Divine Human was not acknowledged, for in this way He was dead to people. Indeed, His Divine from eternity is acknowledged, but this is Jehovah Himself. However, His Human is not acknowledged to be Divine,

Number 58

58. (Verse 18) “And I am the one who lives,” signifies He who alone is life, and from whom alone life comes.

 

In the Word of the Old Testament, Jehovah calls himself alive and living, because only He lives. For He is love itself and wisdom itself, and these are life. It was shown many times in Divine Love and Wisdom that He is the only life, which is God, and that angels and people are recipients of life from Him. Jehovah calls Himself alive and living in:

Number 57

57. “I am the first and the last.” That this signifies that He alone is infinite and eternal, thus the only God, can be established from those places where it was explained earlier (nos. 12, 29, and 38).

Number 56

56. “Saying to me, ‘Do not be afraid,’” signifies reawakening, and then, from the utmost humility, worship.

 

It follows from the things just before (n. 55) that this is reawakening into life. And that it is worship from the utmost humility is clear, for he fell at the Lord’s feet. And because a holy fear seized him when he was reawakened, the Lord said, “Do not be afraid.” Holy fear, which is sometimes connected with sacred trembling of the inner parts of the mind, and with hairs standing on end, comes about when

Number 55

55. “And He placed His right hand upon me,” signifies the life from Him that is then enkindled.

 

The reason the Lord “placed His right hand” upon him, is that communication happens through the touch of the hands. This is because the life of the mind, and from this the life of the body, brings itself into the limbs, and through these, into the hands. This is why the Lord touched with His hand those whom He reawakened into life and healed [1], and likewise the disciples, after they saw Jesus transfigured, and fell upon their face [2]. The ultimate source of this is because the Lord’s presence with a person is an addition, so a connection through being together, and this togetherness becomes closer and fuller as a person loves the Lord, that is, as he does His commandments. It can be established from these few points that “to place His right hand” upon him signifies to enkindle His life in him.

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[1] Mark 1:31, 41; 7:32, 33; 8:22-26; 10:13, 16;

Luke 5:12, 13; 7:14; 18:15; 22:51

 

[2] Matthew 17:6, 7

Number 54

54. (Verse 17) “And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as if dead,” signifies John’s own life failing due to this kind of presence of the Lord.

 

A person’s own life cannot put up with the presence of the Lord, given what the Lord is like in and of Himself, indeed, given what He is like in the innermost parts of the Word. This is because His Divine Love is just like the sun, which, given what it is like in and of itself, no one can put up with, as it would burn them up. This is what, “No one is able to see God and live” (Exodus 33:20; Judges 13:22) means. Because this is so,

Number 53

53. “And His face like the sun shining in its power,” signifies Divine Love and Divine Wisdom, which are Him, and go out from Him.

 

It will be shown in later explanations (where “the face of God” is mentioned) that “the face” of Jehovah, or of the Lord, means the Divine itself in its essence, which is Divine Love and Divine Wisdom, thus He Himself. “The sun shining in its power” signifies something similar. It was shown in the book Heaven and Hell[1], nos. 116-125, and in Divine Love and Wisdom, nos. 83-172, that the Lord is seen as the sun to the angels in heaven, and so His Divine Love appears as one with

Number 52

52. “And a sharp double-edged sword coming out of His mouth,” signifies the scattering of falsities by the Lord through the Word and through doctrine from it.

 

“Sword,” “short sword,” and “large sword” are often mentioned in the Word, and they do not signify anything other than truth fighting against falsities and destroying them, and also, in the opposite meaning, falsity fighting against truths. For “wars” in the Word signify spiritual wars, which are of truth against falsity, or falsity against truth. This is why weapons of war signify

Number 51

51. (Verse 16) “And He has seven stars in His right hand,” signifies all thoughts of the good and truth in the Word, which good and truth, as a result of this, are with the angels of heaven and with the people of the church.

 

Something like a great number of little stars appears around angels when they are below the heavens. Something similar appears around spirits who have acquired for themselves thoughts of good and truth, or the truths of life and of doctrine, from the Word while in the world. However, the little stars appear unmoving

Number 50

50. “And His voice was like the voice of many waters,” signifies natural Divine Truth.

 

It was shown earlier, in n. 37, that a “voice” signifies Divine Truth when it is from the Lord. It is well established that “waters” signify truths, and specifically natural truths (which are thoughts from the Word), from many places in the Word, of which only the following will be brought up:

 

“The earth is full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9).

Number 49

49. (Verse 15) “And His feet were like brass, as if fired in a furnace,” signifies Natural Divine Good.

 

The Lord’s “feet” signify His Divine Natural. “Fire” or “fired” signify good. And “brass” signifies the natural good of truth. This is why “the feet of the Son of Mankind were like brass, as if fired in a furnace” signifies natural Divine Good. His “feet” signify this from their correspondence.

 

In the Lord, and so from the Lord, there is the Divine Heavenly, the Divine Spiritual, and the Divine Natural. The “head” of the Son of Mankind means the Divine Heavenly, His “eyes” and “chest” which was girded with a golden belt mean the Divine Spiritual, and His “feet” mean the Divine Natural. Because these three are in the Lord,

Number 48

48. “And His eyes were like a flame of fire,” signifies Divine Wisdom of Divine Love.

 

In the Word, “eyes” mean the understanding, and so what eyes look like means intelligence. This is why it means Divine Wisdom when it is about the Lord. On the other hand, “a flame of fire” signifies spiritual love, which is charity, which is why it means Divine Love when it is about the Lord. Now from all this, “His eyes were like a flame of fire,” signifies Divine Wisdom of Divine Love. The reason “eye” signifies the understanding is that they correspond, for as the eye sees from natural light, the understanding sees from spiritual light. This is why it is said of both that

Number 47

47. (Verse 14) “And His head and hair were bright, like wool, like snow,” means Divine Love of Divine Wisdom in firsts and in lasts.

 

A persons head signifies every part of his life, and every part of a person’s life has to do with love and wisdom. This is why “head” signifies wisdom, and at the same time, love. However, since love does not occur without its wisdom, nor wisdom without its love, it is the love of wisdom that “head” means. When it is about the Lord, it is the Divine Love of Divine Wisdom. [1] Therefore, when head means love, and at the same time wisdom in their innermost forms, it follows that “hair” means love and wisdom in their outermost forms. And because here “hair” is said of the Son of Mankind, who is the Lord in relation to the Word, His “hair” signifies Divine Good that is of love, and Divine Truth that is of wisdom, in the outermost forms of the Word.

Number 46

46. “And girded around the breasts with a golden belt,” means what is Divine going forth and at the same time making a connection, which is divine good.

 

The reason a “golden belt” signifies this, is that the Lord’s chest, and here specifically “breasts,” signifies His Divine Love. As a result, the “golden belt,” which encircled the Lord, signifies what is Divine going forth and at the same time making a connection, which is the Divine Good of Divine Love. “Golden” also signifies good, as shown later, n. 913. In addition, “belt” or “sash” in the Word signify a general bond, which contains all things in order and as a whole,

Number 45

45. “Dressed in an ankle-length robe,” signifies what is Divine going forth, which is Divine Truth.

 

The reason “an ankle-length robe” signifies the Divine going forth, which is Divine Truth, is that garments in the Word signify truths. This is why “an ankle-length robe,” which is a common garment, signifies Divine Truth going forth, when it is of the Lord. The reason garments in the Word signify truths is that the people in heaven are clothed based on the truths that go forth from their good, which was shown in the work Heaven and Hell, [1] nos. 177-182. It will be shown in the following that in its the spiritual meaning, garments in the Word do not mean anything else. So nothing else was meant by the Lord’s garments

Number 44

44. (Verse 13) . “And in the middle of the seven lamp stands was someone like the Son of Mankind,” signifies the Lord in relation to the Word, from whom that new church comes.

 

People know from the Word that the Lord called Himself “the Son of God,” and also “the Son of Mankind.” The Doctrine of the Lord, nos. 19-28, fully demonstrated that by “Son of God” the Lord meant Himself in relation to the Divine Human, and by “Son of Mankind” He meant Himself in relation to the Word. And since it was fully confirmed there from the Word, I will refrain from confirming it any further here. Now because the Lord represented Himself to John as the Word, when

Number 43

43. “And having turned I saw seven golden lamp stands,” signifies the new church, which will be enlightened by the Lord through the Word.

 

The last verse of this chapter says that the seven lamp stands are the seven churches. It was shown earlier, in n. 10, that the seven churches mean everyone who is in the Christian world, and who take part in the church, and specifically, in n. 41, according to how each of them receive. The reason “seven lamp stands” means a new church, is because the Lord is in them and in the middle of them, since it is said that John saw one like the Son of Mankind in the middle of seven lamp stands, and “the Son of Mankind” means the Lord in relation to the Word. The lamp stands seemed to be golden because

Number 42

42. (Verse 12) “And I turned around to see the voice which was speaking with me,” signifies the reversal of the state related to perception of truth in the Word. This happens to people who are in the good of life when they turn themselves toward the Lord.

 

John says that he heard a voice behind him (verse 10). And now he says that he turned to see the voice. And again, that having turned, he saw seven lamp stands. It is clear from these that he heard the voice from behind my back, and that he turned himself so that he could see where it was coming from. It is clear that there is a secret in this. The secret is

Number 41

41. “Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea,” signifies specifically according to the condition of each one’s reception.

 

It will be shown later that in the spiritual meaning, these seven names signify all conditions of receiving the Lord and His church. This is because John was in a spiritual condition when this task was entrusted to him, and in a spiritual condition, nothing is called by name that does not signify a property or condition. This is why the things that John wrote were not sent to any church in those locations, but they were spoken to their angels, which means those who accept. It was shown

Number 40

40. “And send it to the churches which are in Asia,” signifies for those in the Christian world who are in the light of truth drawn from the Word.

 

It was shown earlier, in nos. 10 and 11, what “the churches in Asia” mean.

Number 39

39. “Write what you see in a book.” It is clear without explanation that this signifies so that they can be revealed to a future generation.

Number 38

38. (Verse 11) . “Saying, ‘I am the alpha and the omega, the first and the last,’” signifies He who is the only one who is the span from firsts to lasts itself, from whom all things come; thus the only one who is love itself, the only one who is wisdom itself, and the only who is life itself in Himself, and thus the only one who is Himself creator, savior and enlightener from Himself, and thus is everything in all things of heaven and the church, and He who alone is infinite and eternal and Jehovah, and that this is the Lord.

 

It was shown in nos. 13 and 29 that these words contain

Number 37

37. “And I heard a great voice behind me, as if of a trumpet,” means a clear perception of revealed divine truth from heaven.

 

A “great voice” signifies Divine Truth when it is heard from heaven (more about this later). The reason it was heard “as if of a trumpet,” is because when Divine Truth flows down from heaven, it is then heard in such a way by the angels of the outermost heaven, and then it is perceived clearly. As a result of this, a “voice as if of a trumpet” signifies clear perception. (In addition, more will be shown about the significance of “a trumpet” later, in nos. 397 and 519). It is clear that a “great voice” signifies

Number 36

36. (Verse 10) “I was in the spirit on the Lord’s day,” signifies the spiritual condition at that time as a result of Divine influx.

 

“I was in the spirit” signifies the spiritual condition that John was in while in the visions. Something about this condition is said later. “On the Lord’s day” signifies an influx from the Lord at that time, since the presence of the Lord is on that day, as it is a holy day. It is clear from these things that “I was in the spirit on the Lord’s day” signifies the spiritual condition at that time as a result of Divine influx.

 

We read of the prophets that they were “in the spirit,” or “in a vision,” and also that the Word came to them from Jehovah. When they were in the spirit or in a vision,

Number 35

35. “Because of the Word of God and because of the witness of Jesus Christ,” signifies so that Divine Truth drawn from the Word may be accepted from the heart and so in light, and so that the Lord’s Human may be acknowledged to be Divine.

 

This was explained earlier in n. 6.

Number 34

34. “I was on the on the island called Patmos,” signifies the condition and place in which he could be enlightened.

 

The reason Revelation came to John on Patmos, was because it was an island in Greece, not far from the land of Canaan, and between Asia and Europe. “Island” signifies peoples that are far removed from the worship of God, but who still enter into that worship, because they can be enlightened. Likewise “Greece.” On the other hand, “the land of Canaan” signifies the church itself. “Asia” signifies those who are in the church who are in the light of truth because of the Word. “Europe” signifies

Number 33

33. “In affliction and in the kingdom and in patient awaiting of Jesus Christ,” signifies the things in the church that are infested with evils and falsities, but which the Lord will remove when He comes.

 

“Affliction” means the condition of the church when there are no longer any goods of charity or truths of faith, but there are evils and falsities in their place. “Kingdom” means the church, and “patient awaiting of Jesus Christ” means the arrival of the Lord. This is why these words, “in affliction and in the kingdom and in patient awaiting of Jesus Christ,” brought together into one meaning, signify when the goods and truths of the church are infested

Number 32

32. (Verse 9.) “I, John, who is your brother and companion,” signifies those who are in the good of charity and because of this are in the truths of faith.

 

It was said before, in n. 5, that the Apostle John represented those who are in the good of charity. And those who are in the good of charity are in the truths of faith, since charity is the soul and the life of faith. It is because of this that John calls himself a brother and companion to those who are in the churches that he will write to, for he wrote to seven churches. In the spiritual meaning of the Word, “brother” means someone who is in the good of charity, and “companion” means

Number 31

31. “And who is omnipotent,” signifies who is, lives, and has power from Himself, and who rules all things from the things that are first by means of the things that are outermost.

 

Since everything is from the Lord (created from the first things that are from Him) and since nothing happens that does not come into being from this, [1] it follows that He is omnipotent. If you take one from whom all things are, are not all things of that one, from which they hang in order, like links in a chain from a column, or like the blood vessels of the whole body from the heart, or like each and every thing in the universe from the sun? Thus from the Lord, who is the sun of the spiritual world, from whom is every necessity, life, and power that is with those who are under that sun. In short, “We are, live, and move from Him” (Acts of the Apostles 17:28). This is Divine Omnipotence. That the Lord rules all things from the things that are first by means of those that are outermost, is a secret that has not been revealed until now, although it was explained many times in The Doctrine of the Lord and in The Doctrine of the Sacred Scripture. It was also explained in Divine Providence, n. 124, and in Divine Love and Wisdom, n. 221. It is known that because the Divine is infinite, it cannot be conceptualized in the thoughts of any person or angel, since they are finite, and a finite being does not have the capacity to perceive the infinite. However, it has pleased the Lord to describe His infinity with these words, so that it can be perceived in some way: “I am the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end, who is and who was and who is to come, and who is omnipotent.” This is why these words encompass all things which an angel or person can think spiritually and naturally about the Divine at any time. In general, these things are the things that were brought up collectively earlier.

1. As was shown many times in Divine Love and Wisdom

Number 30

30. “Says the Lord, who is and who was and who is to come.”

 

That this signifies He who is eternal and infinite and Jehovah can be seen earlier, in n. 13, where this was explained.

Number 29

29. (Verse 8) “I am the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end,” signifies He who is the only one who is the span from firsts to lasts itself, from whom all things come; thus the only one who is love itself, the only one who is wisdom itself, and the only who is life itself in Himself, and thus the only one who is Himself creator, savior and enlightener from Himself, and thus is everything in all things of heaven and the church.

 

These things and more beside are the things contained in those words that describe the Lord. It is strikingly clear that they were said of the Lord, and indeed, about His Human, since after this it says that he heard a voice saying, “I am the alpha and the omega, the first and the last,” and that he turned around to see the voice that was speaking with him, and that he saw the Son of Mankind in the middle of seven golden lamp stands (Chapter 1:10-13). He immediately also says,

Number 28

28. “Even so amen,” signifies a Divine Confirmation that it will be so, which is clear from the explanations earlier, in n. 23.

Number 27

27. “And all the tribes of the earth will mourn,” signifies that this will be when there are no goods or truths in the church any more.

 

That the “tribes of the earth” signify goods and truths of the church will be shown in the explanation of chapter 7, where the twelve tribes of Israel are dealt with. “To mourn” signifies sorrow that the goods and truths are dead. What these mean is similar to what the Lord’s words in Matthew mean:

A Message From Me (Joel)

Hello everyone!

Thanks for visiting and reading my blog, and especially to those who have left helpful or insightful comments. I appreciate it.

I would like to mention that I need to clarify something: when I first started this project, I had thought that I would just start at the beginning and go until I stopped, probably well after Chapter 1. I may still do this. However, I am only certain about getting through Chapter 1. After that, I am not sure what will happen. I hope to be able to continue updating it regularly. In any case, I will not be able to translate as quickly as I have been this past term, due to time constraints.

Thanks again,

Joel

Number 26

26. “And they who pierced Him,” signifies that those in the church who are in falsities will see Him.

 

To “pierce” Jesus Christ means nothing other than to destroy His Divine Truth in the Word. This is also what it means when it says that,

 

a soldier pierced His side, and that blood and water flowed out (John 19:34).

 

“Blood and water” are spiritual and natural Divine Truth, and thus the Word in the spiritual and natural meanings;

 

“To pierce the side” of the Lord is to destroy both of these with falsities, as was also done by the Jews. This is because every part of the Lord’s Passion represented the condition of the Jewish church in relation to the Word; [1]

 

“To pierce” Him signifies to destroy the Word with falsities, because it is said about Jesus Christ, who is soon afterwards called “the Son of Mankind”;

 

“The Son of Mankind” means the Lord in relation to the Word, which is why “to pierce the Son of Mankind” is referring to the Word.

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1. see The Doctrine of the Lord, nos. 15-17

Number 25

25. “And every eye will see Him,” signifies that everyone who has an understanding of Divine Truth from affection will acknowledge Him.

 

In the spiritual meaning, “eye” does not mean an eye, but an understanding. This is why “every eye will see” signifies that everyone who has an understanding of Divine Truth from affection will acknowledge Him, since these are the only ones who understand and acknowledge. Certainly, the rest see and also understand, but they do not acknowledge. These people are signified, because after this it says that “they who pierced Him” will also see. These mean people who are in falsities. It will be shown later, in n. 48, that “eye” signifies understanding.

Number 24

24. (Verse 7) “And He comes with clouds (of heaven),” means that the Lord will reveal Himself in the meaning of the letter of the Word and will open up its spiritual meaning at the end of the church.

 

Anyone who does not know anything about the internal or spiritual meaning of the Word is unable to know what the Lord meant when He said that He “will come in the clouds of heaven.” For He said to the high priest who was urging Him to say whether He was Christ, the Son of God,

 

“You have said I am. And you will see the Son of Mankind sitting to the right of power, and coming with the clouds of heaven” (Matthew 26:63, 64; Mark 14:61, 62),

 

And when the Lord spoke to the disciples

Number 23

23. “Amen” signifies a Divine Confirmation from truth, so from He Himself.

 

“Amen” signifies truth. And because the Lord was truth itself, He said many times, “Amen I say to you” (as in Matthew 5:18, 26; 6:16; 10:23, 42; 17:20; 18:13, 18; 25:12; 28:20; John 3:11; 5:19, 24, 25; 6:26, 32, 47, 53; 8:34, 51, 58; 10:7; 12:24; 18:16, 20, 21; 21:18, 25). And in the following places in Revelation:

 

“The Amen, the faithful and true witness, says these things” (3:14).

 

This is the Lord. The Lord teaches that He is truth itself (John 14:6; 17:19).

Number 22

22. “To Him be glory and strength for ages of ages,” signifies who alone has Divine Majesty and Divine Omnipotence to eternity.

 

In the Word “glory,” when it is about the Lord, means Divine Majesty, and describes His Divine Wisdom. And “strength” means Divine Omnipotence, and describes His Divine Love. And “ages of ages” means eternity. Many places in the Word can confirm that “glory,” “strength,” and “ages of ages” mean these things when they are describing Jehovah or the Lord.

Number 21

21. “To God and to His Father,” signifies they are thus images of His Divine Wisdom and His Divine Love.

 

In the spiritual meaning, “God” and “Father” do not mean two people, but “God” means the Divine in relation to wisdom and “Father” means the Divine in relation to love. This is because there are two things in the Lord, Divine Wisdom and Divine Love, or Divine Truth and Divine Good. In the Old Testament, “God” and “Jehovah” mean these two things, and here they are meant by “God” and “Father.” Now because the Lord teaches that He and the Father are one, and that He is in the Father, and the Father is in Him (John 10:30; 14:10, 11), “God” and “Father” do not mean two people, but one Lord. The Divine is also one and indivisible. This is why Jesus Christ making us kings and priests to God and to His Father signifies that they might appear before Him as images of His Divine Wisdom and His Divine Love. An image of God is formed from those two in people and angels. It was shown in The Doctrine of the Lord that the Divine, which in itself is one, is identified by various names in the Word. The following places establish that the Lord Himself is

Number 20

20. (Verse 6) “And He makes you kings and priests,” signifies He who makes sure that those born from Him (or in other words, who are regenerated) are within wisdom from Divine Truths, and within love from Divine Goods.

 

People know that the Lord is called a king in the Word, and also a priest. He is called a king because of Divine Wisdom, and a priest because of Divine Love. This is why people who are within wisdom from the Lord are called “sons of the king,” and even “kings,” and those who are within love from Him are called “ministers” and “priests.” This is because wisdom and love are with them, not from them, so it is not theirs, but the Lord’s. It is from this that “kings” and “priests” mean those people in the Word. It is not that those people are kings and priests, but that the Lord is in them, and makes it so that they are given such names. They are also called

Number 19

19. “Who loves you and washes you from your sins in His blood,” signifies He who from love and compassion reforms and regenerates people with His divine truths drawn from the Word.

 

It is clear that “to wash you from sins” is to cleanse from evils, so to reform and regenerate. This is because regeneration is spiritual washing. However, it can be established from many places in the Word (which would be too lengthy to bring up here) that “His blood” does not mean the passion on the cross, as many people believe, but Divine Truth coming from Him. These places are brought up later, in nos. 379 and 684. For the time being, what was written and demonstrated about the significance of the blood and flesh of Christ in the Holy Supper can be seen in nos. 210-222 of The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine (published in London in 1758), and about spiritual washing, which is regeneration, in nos. 202-209 in the same book.

Number 18

18. “And He who is the ruler of the kings of the earth,” signifies from whom comes every truth arising from good in the Church.

 

This follows from what was said earlier, because the “faithful witness” signifies the Lord in relation to Divine Truth and the “first born” the Lord in relation to Divine Good. Thus “the ruler of the kings of the earth” signifies that every truth in the church arising from good is from Him. The reason “the ruler of the kings of the earth” signifies this is because kings, in the spiritual meaning of the Word, mean those who are in truths arising from good, and abstractly, truths arising from good. “The earth” means the church. That “kings” and “the earth” signify those truths and the church, can be seen later in nos. 20 and 285.

Number 17

17. “He who is the first-born from the dead,” signifies that He is also Divine Good itself.

 

No one has ever known what “the first-born from the dead” is. What it signifies was also disputed in ancient times. They knew that “first-born” signifies the first and most important thing, from which comes everything of the church. Many also believed that the first-born was the truth in doctrine and in faith, but a few believed that it was the truth in action and in deed, which is the good of life. It will be seen that this is the first and most important thing of the church, and so, in a particular meaning, “first-born” means truth in action and in deed.

 

But first, something may be said about the opinion of those

Number 16

16. “He who is the faithful witness,” signifies that He is Divine Truth itself.

 

Earlier, n. 6 showed that “witness” is said of truth, and that truth bears witness to itself, and thus is the Lord, who is Divine Truth itself and the Word.

Number 15

15. (Verse 5) “From Jesus Christ,” signifies the Divine Human.

 

That in the Word “Jesus Christ” and “the Lamb” mean the Lord in relation to the Divine Human, see earlier in n. 6.

Number 14

14. “And from the seven spirits, who are in the presence of His throne,” signifies from all of heaven, where the Lord is present in His Divine Truth and His Divine Truth is accepted.

 

“Seven spirits” mean everyone who is in Divine Truth, and in an abstract meaning, what is Divinely True itself or Divine Truth itself. It was shown earlier, in n. 10, that “seven” in the Word means everyone and everything. That “throne” means the all of heaven, will be seen shortly. From this, “in the presence of the throne” means where His Divine Truth is. For heaven is not heaven from the propriums of the angels, but from the Divine of the Lord, as was shown many times in Divine Providence, and Divine Love. It is clear from the following places that “the throne of the Lord” signifies heaven:

 

“Jehovah said, ‘the heavens are My throne’” (Isaiah 66:1).

 

“Jehovah has made His throne firm in the heavens” (Psalm 103:19).

 

“He who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by Him who sits upon it” (Matthew 23:22).

Number 13

13. “From Him who is and who was and who is to come,” signifies from the Lord who is eternal and infinite and Jehovah.

 

It is strikingly clear from the following parts of the chapter that it is the Lord, when it says that John heard a voice from the Son of Mankind saying,

 

“I am the alpha and the omega, the first and the last” (verse 11, 13),

 

and then,

 

“I am the first and the last” (verse 17).

 

And in the next chapter, verse 8, and afterwards 21:6; 22:12, 13; and in Isaiah:

Number 12

12. “Grace to you and peace,” signifies a Divine greeting.

 

What “grace” and “peace” specifically mean will be said in what follows. That “peace to you” was the Lord’s greeting to the disciples, thus a Divine greeting, see Luke 24:36, 37; John 20:19-21. And from the Lord’s command it was the disciples’ greeting to everyone to whom they came (Matthew 10:11-15).

Number 11

11. “Which are in Asia,” signifies to those who are in the light of truth from the Word.

 

Since names and places in the Word mean things of heaven and of the church (as was stated previously), “Asia” also means these, and likewise the names of the seven churches which are there. This will be shown in the following. The reason “Asia” means people who are in the light of truth from the Word is because the most ancient church, and after it the ancient church, and after that the Israelitish church, were in Asia. Moreover, the ancient Word, and afterwards the Israelitish Word, was among them, and all the light of truth is from the Word. (That there were ancient churches in the Asian world, and that they had the Word which was later lost, and finally the Word today, see The Doctrine of the Sacred Scripture nos. 101-103). Now as a result of this, “Asia” here signifies everyone who from the Word is in the light of truth.

 

          This news deserves to be made known about the ancient Word, which had been in Asia before the Israelitish Word: it still has been held on to by the peoples who live in

Number 10

10. (verse 4) “John, to the seven churches,” signifies to everyone in the Christian World, where the Word, and through it, the Lord, is known, and who take part in the church.

 

“Seven churches” do not mean seven churches, but everyone in the Christian world who is part of the church, for numbers signify properties in the Word: “seven” signifies everything and everyone (and so also fullness and completeness), and it is used in the Word when something holy is being dealt with, and in the opposite meaning,

Number 9

This passage states that acknowledgment of one God and actual repentance are necessary things. They have been replaced with belief in three gods and merely spoken repentance.

 

9. “Because the time is near,” signifies that the condition of the Church is such that it can no longer carry on so that it has a connection with the Lord.

 

There are two essential things that make a connection with the Lord, and therefore salvation: Acknowledgment of one God, and repentance in life. But today there is acknowledgment of three gods instead of one, and repentance of the mouth that one is a sinner instead of repentance in life.

Number 8

 

This passage states that the spirits of people who live by the doctrine of the New Church are in heaven with the angels. It explains why prophecy and prophet mean doctrine and teaching.

 

 

8. (Verse 3) “Blessed is he who reads, and they who hear the words of the prophecy and practice the things which are written in it,” signifies the communion with the angels of heaven had by those who are living by the teaching of the New Jerusalem.

 

Here “blessed” means someone who is in heaven as to their spirit. Therefore he is in communion with the angels of heaven while he lives in the world,

Number 7

This passage is about how the people who do good see or understand the secrets that John is describing. Seeing means understanding, and this is even how seeing is used colloquially. This has to do with seeing spiritual things.

 

7. “Everything that he saw,” means their enlightenment in all the things which are in this revelation.

 

“Everything that he saw” in the spiritual meaning does not mean the things that John saw, as those were only visions, but the things that the people who are meant by “John” see. These are the people who are in the good of life as a result of charity and its faith, as was said earlier. They see in John’s visions

Number 6

This passage talks about how the people who do good in their life (John) see truth and accept it, especially the truth that the Lord’s Human is Divine.

 

6. (Verse 2) “Who bore witness to the Word of God and to the witness of Jesus Christ,” means those who accept, from the heart and thus in light, Divine truth from the Word, and who acknowledge that the Lord’s Human is divine

 

It is said of John that he “bore witness to the Word of God.” But because “John” means all who are in the good of life as a result of charity and its faith (as was just said in n. 5), all these are meant in the spiritual meaning. Angels, who have the spiritual meaning of the Word,

Number 5

This passage is about people who do good because of charity and its faith (John), and how the Lord works through the angels of heaven.

 

5. “And He made it known, sending it through His Angel to His servant John,” means those things which are revealed by the Lord through heaven to those who are in the good of life from charity and its faith

 

In the spiritual meaning, “He made it known, sending it through His Angel” means things that are revealed from heaven, or by the Lord through heaven. For in many places in the Word, “angel” means the angelic heaven, and in the highest meaning, the Lord Himself.

Number 4

This passage is about the certainty of those predictions. It also talks about how if the church were not ended and restarted, it would pass away completely on its own.

 

4. “Which must happen soon,” means that they will certainly happen, so that the church may not pass away.

 

“It must happen soon” does not mean that the things predicted in Revelation will happen immediately or soon, but that they will definitely happen, and unless they do, the church will pass away. In a Divine concept, and therefore in the spiritual meaning, there is no time,

Number 3

This passage explains that those declarations from the previous number are intended for people who have faith from charity. It talks about why “servant” signifies truth or faith.

 

3. “Which God gave to Him to show to His servants,” signifies for those who are in faith as a result of charity, or in the truths of wisdom as a result of the good of love.

 

“To show” means to make known, and here “servants” mean people in faith as a result of charity. These things are made known to these people because they understand and accept them. In the spiritual meaning, “servants” mean those who are in truths. Also, because truths are from good, “servants” mean those who are in truths from good, so also those who are in wisdom from love (because wisdom is of truth and love is of good) and those who are in faith as result of charity (since faith is also of truth, and charity of good). Because the genuine spiritual meaning is detached from people,

Number 2

This passage sets up the rest of the book as being about the end of the old church and start of a new one.

 

2. (Verse 1) “The revelation of Jesus Christ,” signifies declarations from the Lord about Himself and His church, and what it will be like at its end and what it will be like afterwards, both in the heavens and on earth.

 

“The revelation of Jesus Christ” signifies all declarations, which are called the revelation of Jesus Christ because they are from the Lord. It will be clear from explanations that they are about the Lord and His church. Revelation does not deal with the consecutive states of the church, and even less so with the consecutive states of kingdoms,

Explanation(n. 1)

This passage begins the explanation of the spiritual meaning. It says that the spiritual meaning is within the natural meaning in such a way that it can’t be easily seen. This is why the Book of Revelation needs to be explained in detail and with truth from the Lord.

 

1. Until now it has been unknown what the spiritual meaning is. It was shown in The Doctrine of the Sacred Scriptures (nos. 5-26) that the Spiritual Meaning is in the individual parts of the Word, and that in many place the Word cannot be understood without it. This Meaning does not appear in the literal meaning, because it is in the literal meaning in the same way the soul is in the body. People know that there is the spiritual and the natural, and that the spiritual flows into the natural, and presents itself to be seen and felt in forms which fall into sight and touch. Furthermore, they know that apart from those forms, the spiritual is not perceived except as affection and thought, or as love and wisdom, which are of the mind. People acknowledge that affection and thought, or love (which being affected is from), and wisdom (which thinking is from) are spiritual things. People know that those two abilities of the soul present themselves in forms in the body which are called sensory and motor organs. So also they know that they act as

The Spiritual Meaning

This section states the spiritual meaning of Revelation, Chapter 1, first in brief and then phrase-by-phrase.

 

The Spiritual Meaning

 

Contents of the Whole Chapter

This revelation is from the Lord alone, and it is accepted by those who will be in His New Church, which is the New Jerusalem, and who acknowledge the Lord as the God of Heaven and Earth. The Lord is also described in relation to the Word.

 

Contents of Individual Verses

          1. “The revelation of Jesus Christ,” signifies predictions from the Lord about Himself and His church, and what it will be like at its end and what it will be like afterwards (n. 2); “which God gave to Him to show to His servants,” signifies for those who are in faith from charity (n. 3); “which must happen soon,” signifies that they will certainly happen, so that the church may not pass away (n. 4); “and He made it known, sending it through His Angel to His servant John,” signifies those things which are revealed by the Lord through heaven to those who are in the good of life from charity and its faith (n. 5).

 

          2. “Who bore witness to the Word of God and to the witness of Jesus Christ,” signifies those who accept, from the heart and thus in light, Divine truth from the Word, and who acknowledge that the Lord’s Human is divine (n. 6); “everything that he saw,” signifies their enlightenment in all the things which are in this revelation (n. 7).

         

          3. “Blessed is he who reads, and they who hear the words of the prophecy and practice the things which are written in it,” signifies the communion with the angels of heaven had by those who are living by the teaching of the New Jerusalem (n. 8); “because the time is near,” signifies the condition of the Church is such that it can no longer carry on so that its connection is with the Lord (n. 9).

 

Revelation 1

Every chapter in Apocalypse Revealed starts with a chapter from the Book of Revelation, a brief summary of what the spiritual meaning of the chapter is, a detailed summary of what every verse means, and then explanation of why the individual verses mean the things that they do mean. 

 

Revelation Chapter 1

 

          1. The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to Him to show to His servants, which must happen soon, and He made it known, sending it through His Angel to His servant John.

          2. Who bore witness to the Word of God and to the witness of Jesus Christ, everything that he saw.

          3. Blessed is he who reads, and they who hear the words of the prophecy and practice the things which are written in it, because the time is near.