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Apocalypse Revealed #387

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387. CHAPTER 8

1. When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

2. And I saw the seven angels who stood before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.

3. Then another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer, and he was given much incense, that he should offer it for the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

4. And the smoke of the incense for the prayers of the saints ascended before God from the angel's hand.

5. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were voices, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.

6. And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

7. The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were cast down to the earth, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.

8. Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood.

9. And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

10. Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.

11. The name of the star is Wormwood, and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it was made bitter.

12. Then the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, and a third of them was darkened, so that a third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night.

13. And I looked, and I heard an angel flying in the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, "Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!"

THE SPIRITUAL MEANING

The Contents of the Whole Chapter

This chapter has as its subject the church of the Protestant Reformed and what the people are like in it who are caught up in faith alone. It describes the preparation of the spiritual heaven for communication with them (verses 1-6); the examination and disclosure of those there who are immersed in the interior elements of that faith (verse 7), and of those who are immersed in its exterior elements (verses 8, 9); and what they are like as regards their understanding of the Word (verses 10, 11), showing that they are caught up in falsities and their accompanying evils (verses 12, 13).

The Contents of the Individual Verses:

Verse ContentsSpiritual Meaning
1. When He opened the seventh seal,An examination by the Lord of the state of the church and consequent life of people who are in His spiritual kingdom - people who are governed by charity and its accompanying faith - here people caught up in faith alone.
there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.Angels from the Lord's spiritual kingdom were quite dumbfounded when they saw people who claimed to have faith to be in the state they were.
2. And I saw the seven angels who stood before God,The entire spiritual heaven in the Lord's presence, hearing and doing whatever He commanded.
and to them were given seven trumpets.An examination and exposure of the state of the church and consequent life of people caught up in faith alone.
3. Then another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer,Spiritual worship, which originates from the goodness of charity expressed through truths of faith.
and he was given much incense, that he should offer it for the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.A propitiation, lest angels of the Lord's spiritual kingdom be harmed by the spirits of the satanic kingdom situated below.
4. And the smoke of the incense for the prayers of the saints ascended before God from the angel's hand.Their protection by the Lord.
5. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth.Spiritual love, containing celestial love, and its influx into the lower regions where those people were who were caught up in a faith divorced from charity.
And there were voices, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.After a communication with them was opened, the angels heard reasonings about faith alone and arguments in support of it.
6. And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.Their being prepared and ready to examine the state of the church and consequent life in people for whom religion is faith alone.
7. The first angel sounded:An examination and disclosure of the state of life and its character in people caught up interiorly in that faith.
And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood,Falsity springing from a hellish love, destroying goodness and truth and falsifying the Word.
and they were cast down to the earth, and a third of the trees were burned up,In such people all affection for truth and perception of truth, which make a person a person of the church, had perished,
and all green grass was burned up.and thus every constituent of faith having life.
8. Then the second angel sounded:An examination and disclosure of the state of the church and its character in people caught up externally in that faith.
And something like a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea,The appearance of a hellish love in them.
and a third of the sea became blood.General truths had all been falsified in them.
9. And a third of the living creatures in the sea died,Those who had lived that faith and continued to live it could not be reformed and receive life.
and a third of the ships were destroyed.Concepts of goodness and truth from the Word that are serviceable for application to life, in them had all been destroyed.
10. Then the third angel sounded:An examination and disclosure of the state of the church in people for whom religion is faith alone as regards their affection for truths from the Word and reception of them.
And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch,The appearance of their personal intelligence owing to a conceit arising from a hellish love.
and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.Consequently all the Word's truths had been completely falsified.
11. The name of the star is Wormwood, and a third of the waters became wormwood,Hellish falsity, the origin of their personal intelligence, by which they had falsified all the Word's truths.
and many people died from the water, because it was made bitter.The extinction of spiritual life because of the falsification of the Word's truths.
12. Then the fourth angel sounded:An examination and disclosure of the state of the church in people for whom religion is faith alone, that they are caught up in the evils accompanying falsity and in the falsities accompanying evil.
And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, and a third of them was darkened,Because of their evils springing from falsities and their falsities springing from evils, they did not know what love is, or what faith is, or any truth.
so that a third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night.They no longer have in them any spiritual truth or natural truth from the Word serviceable for doctrine and life.
13. And I looked, and I heard an angel flying in the midst of heaven,Instruction and prediction from the Lord.
saying with a loud voice, "Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!"The utmost lamentation over the state of damnation of people in the church who in doctrine and life have confirmed themselves in a faith divorced from charity.

THE EXPOSITION

The whole of heaven has been divided into two kingdoms - the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom. The celestial kingdom consists of people who are governed by love toward the Lord and its accompanying wisdom; and the spiritual kingdom consists of people who are governed by love for the neighbor and its accompanying intelligence. But because love for the neighbor is today called charity, and intelligence faith, this latter kingdom consists of people who are governed by charity and its accompanying faith.

Now because heaven has been divided into two kingdoms, hell also has been divided into two kingdoms opposite to these - the diabolical kingdom and the satanic kingdom. The diabolical kingdom consists of people who are governed by a love of ruling stemming from a love of self and by its accompanying foolishness, for that love is the opposite of celestial love, and its foolishness is the opposite of celestial wisdom. The satanic kingdom, on the other hand, consists of people who are governed by a love of ruling from a conceit in their own intelligence and by its accompanying irrationality, for that love is the opposite of spiritual love, and its irrationality is the opposite of spiritual intelligence.

By foolishness and irrationality we mean foolishness and irrationality in celestial and spiritual matters.

What we have said about heaven is to be understood to apply likewise to the church on earth, for the two are inseparable.

Regarding these two kingdoms, see the book, Heaven and Hell, published in London, nos. 20-28 and many other numbers elsewhere.

[2] Now because the book of Revelation has as its sole subject the state of the church at its end, as we said in the Preface and in no. 2, therefore from this point on it deals with the inhabitants of the two kingdoms of heaven and the inhabitants of the two kingdoms of hell, and their character: with the inhabitants of the spiritual kingdom and of the satanic kingdom opposite to that kingdom, from chapter eight here to chapter sixteen, and with the inhabitants of the celestial kingdom and of the diabolical kingdom opposite to it in chapters seventeen and eighteen. After that it describes the Last Judgment, and finally the New Church, which is the New Jerusalem. This concludes everything that precedes, because it is to this end that they looked.

Here and there in the Word we find mention of the devil and Satan, and both mean hell. Each is mentioned because all the inhabitants in one hell are called devils, and all in the other hell, satanic spirits.

  
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Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #803

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803. REVELATION: CHAPTER 19

1. After these things I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power to the Lord our God!

2. For true and just are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her licentiousness, and He has avenged the blood of His servants shed by her hand."

3. And a second time they said, "Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!"

4. And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, "Amen! Alleluia!"

5. Then a voice came from the throne, saying, "Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!"

6. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as it were the sound of many waters and as it were the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!

7. Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready."

8. And it was granted her to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

9. Then he said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!' " And he said, "These are the true sayings of God."

10. And I fell at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "See that you do not do this! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

11. Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and does combat.

12. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many jewels. 1 He had a name written that no one knew but Himself.

13. He was clothed with a garment stained with blood, and His name is called "The Word of God."

14. And the hosts in heaven followed Him on white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

15. Out of His mouth went forth a sharp sword, that with it He might strike the nations, and He will shepherd them with a rod of iron. He treads the winepress of the fury and wrath of Almighty God.

16. And He has on His garment and on His thigh a name written: "King of kings and Lord of lords."

17. Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, "Come and gather together for the supper of the great God,

18. that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of commanders, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great."

19. And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.

20. Then the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who worked signs in its presence, by which he led astray those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.

21. And the rest were slain with the sword of Him who sat on the horse, which went forth from His mouth. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.

THE SPIRITUAL MEANING

The Contents of the Whole Chapter

A glorification of the Lord by angels in heaven, because the Roman Catholic religion in the spiritual world has been removed, in consequence of which the angels have come into a state of light and into their bliss (verses 1-5). An annunciation of the Lord's advent and of a new church from Him (verses 6-10). The opening of the Word in its spiritual sense for that church (verses 11-16). An invitation of all people to it (verses 17, 18). The resistance of those caught up in a faith divorced from charity (verse 19). Their removal and damnation (verses 20, 21).

The Contents of the Individual Verses:

Verse ContentsSpiritual Meaning
1. After these things I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Alleluia!A thanksgiving, confession, and celebration of the Lord by angels of the lower heavens because of the Roman Catholics' removal.
Salvation and glory and honor and power to the Lord our God!Salvation by the Lord now possible because a reception of Divine truth and goodness now possible in consequence of His Divine power,
2. For true and just are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her licentiousness,because in accordance with justice the profane Roman Catholic religion has been condemned, which by its foul adulterations of the Word destroyed the Lord's church,
and He has avenged the blood of His servants shed by her hand."a retribution for the injuries and violence done to the souls of worshipers of the Lord.
3. And a second time they said, "Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!"A thanksgiving and celebration of the Lord with joy, that that profane religion has been damned to eternity.
4. And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, "Amen! Alleluia!"An adoration of the Lord as God of heaven and earth and judge of the universe by angels of the higher heavens, and an affirmation by them of the thanksgiving, confession and celebration of the Lord made by angels of the lower heavens.
5. Then a voice came from the throne, saying, "Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him,An influx from the Lord into heaven and a consequent accord on the part of angels that all those prompted by truths of faith and goods of love worship the Lord as the only God of heaven,
both small and great!"who to a lesser or greater degree are moved by truths of faith or goods of love to worship the Lord.
6. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as it were the sound of many waters and as it were the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!The joy of angels of the lowest, intermediate and highest heavens that the Lord alone will reign in the church that is now to come.
7. Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come,Their joy of soul and heart and consequent glorification of the Lord, that from now on a full marriage of the Lord with the church is possible.
and His wife has made herself ready."Those who will belong to this church, namely, the New Jerusalem, are being gathered together, introduced to it, and instructed.
8. And it was granted her to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright,They are being instructed through the Word by the Lord in truths that are genuine and pure.
for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.Through truths from the Word those who are of the Lord's church live good lives.
9. Then he said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!'"A single angel sent from heaven to John and speaking with him about the Lord's New Church, saying that it was granted people on earth to know that those have eternal life who accept the teachings that are the teachings of that church.
And he said, "These are the true sayings of God."This should be believed because it comes from the Lord.
10. And I fell at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "See that you do not do this! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!Angels in heaven are not to be worshiped or invoked, because they have nothing Divine in them, but are associated, as brethren with brethren, with those people who worship the Lord, and therefore the Lord alone is to be worshiped in association with them.
For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."An acknowledgment that the Lord is God of heaven and earth, and at the same time a life in accordance with His commandments, is in a universal sense the whole of the Word and of doctrine drawn from it.
11. Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse,The spiritual sense of the Word revealed by the Lord and the deeper meaning of the Word thereby disclosed, which is the coming of the Lord.
and He who sat on it was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and does combat.The Lord in relation to the Word, as being Divine good itself and Divine truth itself, who exercises judgment in accordance with both.
12. His eyes were like a flame of fire,The Divine wisdom of the Lord's Divine love.
and on His head were many jewels. 1 The Divine truths in the Word from Him.
He had a name written that no one knew but Himself.What the Word is like in its spiritual and celestial senses, no one sees but the Lord, and the person to whom He reveals it.
13. He was clothed with a garment stained with blood, and His name is called "The Word of God."Divine truth in its outmost sense, or the Word in its letter, to which violence has been done.
14. And the hosts in heaven followed Him on white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.Angels in the New Christian Heaven, who, being conjoined with the Lord, have a deeper understanding of the Word and so possess truths that are pure and genuine.
15. Out of His mouth went forth a sharp sword,The dispersion of falsities by the Lord by means of doctrine from the Word.
that with it He might strike the nations, and He will shepherd them with a rod of iron.He will convince all who are caught up in a dead faith by means of truths in the literal sense of the Word and by rational considerations.
He treads the winepress of the fury and wrath of Almighty God.The Lord alone has endured all the church's evils and all the violence done to the Word, thus to Him.
16. And He has on His garment and on His thigh a name written: "King of kings and Lord of lords."The Lord teaches in the Word who He is, that He is the Divine truth of Divine wisdom and the Divine goodness of Divine love, thus that He is God of the universe.
17. Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, "Come and gather together for the supper of the great God,The Lord, out of Divine love and so out of Divine zeal, calling all people who have a spiritual affection for truth and think about heaven, and summoning them to the New Church and to conjunction with Himself, thus to eternal life.
18. that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of commanders, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great."An assimilation of goods from the Lord through the truths in the Word and in doctrine drawn from it, of every level of meaning, degree or kind.
19. And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.All inwardly evil people who professed faith alone will, together with their leaders and followers, attack the Lord's Divine truths in His Word and assail those who will belong to the Lord's New Church.
20. Then the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who worked signs in its presence, by which he led astray those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image.All those who professed faith alone and were inwardly evil, both the laity and common people and the clergy and the learned, who by arguments and assertions that faith alone is the only means of salvation, had brought others to accept that faith and to live in accordance with it,
These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.were all of them cast as they were into the hell where their loves of falsity and accompanying lusts for evil are found.
21. And the rest were slain with the sword of Him who sat on the horse, which went forth from His mouth.All those of various heretical sects among the Protestant Reformed who had not lived according to the Lord's commandments in the Word that they knew, having been judged in accordance with the Word, perished.
And all the birds were filled with their flesh.By their lusts for evil, which they had made their own, they fed, as it were, the demons of hell.

THE EXPOSITION

19:1 After these things I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Alleluia!" This symbolizes a thanksgiving, confession, and celebration of the Lord by angels of the lower heavens because of the Roman Catholics' removal.

A great multitude in heaven symbolizes angels of the lower heavens. The voice of the multitude saying, "Alleluia!" symbolizes a thanksgiving, confession and celebration of the Lord by them. "Alleluia" in Hebrew means "Praise God."

Thus the voice was the voice of a thanksgiving, confession and celebration of the Lord out of a heartfelt joy, as is apparent from the following passages:

Bless Jehovah, O my soul! Alleluia! (Psalms 104:35)

Blessed be Jehovah, God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, "Amen! Alleluia!" (Psalms 106:48)

We will bless Jah from this time forth and forevermore. Alleluia! (Psalms 115:18)

Let every soul praise Jah! Alleluia! (Psalms 150:6)

And so on elsewhere, as in Psalms 105:45; 106:1; 111:1; 112:1; 113:1, 9; 116:19; 117:2; 135:3; 148:1, 14; 149:1, 9; 150:1.

That this occurred because of the Roman Catholics' removal is apparent from the preceding chapter, in which Roman Catholics were the subject. That is why this chapter begins, "After these things." It is apparent also from what follows in verses 2 and 3 of this chapter.

That the angels meant by the great multitude in heaven are angels of the lower heavens follows from verse 4 in this chapter, where we are told that the twenty-four elders and four living creatures worshiped Him who sat on the throne, saying, "Amen! Alleluia!" The twenty-four elders and four living creatures mean angels of the higher heavens.

Footnotes:

1. The word translated as "jewels" here means diadems or crowns in the original Greek and Latin, but the writer's definitions of the term elsewhere make plain that he regularly and consistently interpreted it to mean jewels or gems.

  
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Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.

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