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.

2886. With regard to man's affections and to his thoughts, the position is that no one at all, whether man, spirit, or angel, is able to will or to think from himself, but does so from others. Nor are those others themselves the source of anything they will or think, but others again, and so on with these. Thus each individual wills and thinks from the First Source of life, who is the Lord. Anything that is not connected to a prior source cannot occur. Evils and falsities have a connection with the hells, and so the hells are the source of the thinking and willing of people immersed in evils and falsities, and also the source of their love, affection, and delight, and consequently of their freedom. But goods and truths have a connection with heaven, and so heaven is the source of the thinking and willing of people with whom goods and truths are present, and also the source of their love, affection, and delight, and consequently of their freedom. From this it becomes clear where the first type of freedom originates and where the second. The truth of this is very well known in the next life, but it is totally unknown at the present time in the world.