Apocalypse Revealed #2

2. The Revelation of Jesus Christ. (1:1) This symbolizes predictions from the Lord regarding Himself and His church, what the church will be like at its end, and what it will be like thereafter, both in heaven and on the earth.

"The Revelation of Jesus Christ" symbolizes all predictions, which, being from the Lord, are called "the Revelation of Jesus Christ." Their being about the Lord and His church will be apparent from the exposition.

The book of Revelation does not have as its subject the successive states of the church, still less the successive states of kingdoms, as some people have previously believed. Rather, from beginning to end it has as its subject the last state of the church in heaven and on earth, and the Last Judgment, and after that the New Church, which is the New Jerusalem.

It is apparent that this New Church is the final object of this work. Consequently the things that precede have to do with what the state of the church will be immediately before it. But the order in which these are described may be seen from the contents of the individual chapters, and more clearly from the exposition of each verse.

2. (Vers. 1.) "Revelatio Jesu Christi," significat praedictiones a Domino de Ipso deque Ipsius Ecclesia, qualis haec erit in fine suo, et qualis postea futura est, tam in Caelis quam in Terris. - Per "Revelationem Jesu Christi," significantur omnes praedictiones, quae quia sunt a Domino, dicitur Revelatio Jesu Christi; quod sint de Domino deque Ipsius Ecclesia, ab Explicationibus patebit. In Apocalypsi non agitur de successivis statibus Ecclesiae, minus de successivis statibus Regnorum, ut quidam hactenus crediderunt, sed ibi a principio ad finem agitur de ultimo statu Ecclesiae in Caelis et in Terris, et tunc de ultimo Judicio, et post hoc de Nova Ecclesia, quae est Nova Hierosolyma: quod Nova haec Ecclesia sit finis hujus operis, patet; quare illa quae praecedunt, agunt de Ecclesiae statu, qualis est proxime ante illam; sed in quanam serie de illis agitur, videri potest a Contentis singulorum Capitum, et distinctius ab Explicatione singulorum Versuum.