978. (Verse 7) And I heard another out of the altar saying. That this signifies the preaching of the Lord's justice from His celestial kingdom, is evident from the signification of the angel from the altar, as denoting the Lord's celestial kingdom; for by the altar is signified the Lord as to Divine Good, thus also the heaven which is in Divine Good; and this heaven, or those heavens, constitute the Lord's celestial kingdom. That the altar signifies the Lord as to Divine good may be seen (n. 391, 490, 915).

The reason why the angel speaking out of the altar signifies the Lord's celestial kingdom is, that by the angel of the waters speaking, treated of in the fifth verse, is meant the Lord's spiritual kingdom (concerning which see above, n. 971).

Because the Lord's justice is here preached from the heavens, and the heavens consist of two kingdoms - the spiritual and the celestial - therefore preaching is done from each kingdom; and one is meant by the angel of the waters, and the other by the angel of the altar.

Continuation concerning the Fifth Precept:-

[2] Take merchants also for example. Their works are all evil so long as they do not regard and thence do not shun unlawful gains and illicit usury, also fraud and cunning as sins; for such works cannot be done from the Lord, but from man himself. And their works are so much the worse as they are more interiorly skilled in knavery and cunning and in circumventing their companions. And their works are worse in the degree of their skill in effecting such things, under the pretence of sincerity, justice, and piety. The more pleasure a merchant finds in such things, the more do his works originate in hell. But if he acts sincerely and justly, in order to gain notoriety, and by this wealth, so as even to appear to act from the love of sincerity and justice, and does not act sincerely and justly from affection for or from obedience to the Divine law, he is nevertheless inwardly insincere and unjust, and his works are thefts. For, under the pretence of sincerity and justice, he desires to steal.

[3] That this is the case is clear after death, when a man acts from his interior will and love, and not from the exterior; for then he thinks and contrives nothing but cunning devices and robberies. And he withdraws himself from those who are sincere, and betakes himself either into forests or deserts, where he indulges in stratagems. In a word, all such become robbers.

It is different with those merchants who shun thefts of every kind as sins, especially the more interior and hidden kinds, which are carried out by acts of cunning and deceit. Their works are all good, because they are from the Lord; for the influx from heaven, that is, through heaven from the Lord, which affects these things, is not intercepted by the evils mentioned above.

To such, riches do no hurt, because they are to them means for uses. Uses are their tradings, by which they serve their country and their fellow-citizens. They are also enabled by riches to perform those uses to which the affection of good leads them.

915. (Verse 18) And another angel went out from the altar. That this signifies manifestation from the Lord concerning the devastation of the church as to the good of love and charity, is evident from the signification of an angel going out, as denoting manifestation from the Lord (see above, n. 914); and from the signification of an altar, as denoting, in the highest sense, the Divine good of the Divine love; and thence in a relative sense the good of love to the Lord, and the good of charity towards the neighbour (concerning which see above, n. 391, 490).

The reason of this signification of the altar shall also be here explained in a few words. In the church instituted among the sons of Israel, there were two chief things of worship - the tent of the assembly and the altar; and afterwards the temple and the altar. In the temple the Word was taught, and upon the altar the sacrifices were offered; these were the chief things of their worship. And because the church instituted among them was representative, therefore, those two represented all things of the church in summary; all of which have reference to the truth of doctrine from the Word, and to the good of love and charity; from these two, also, arises all worship in the church. And since all the representatives of the church looked to the Lord as the end and the cause - thus to whom and from whom all things are - therefore by the temple was represented the Lord as to Divine truth; and by the altar the Lord as to Divine good. Concerning this representation of the temple, see above (n. 220); and of the altar (n. 391, 490).

Now because all things of the church, and thence of worship, have reference to those two things, namely, to the truth of doctrine and to the good of love, and all things of heaven to the Divine truth and the Divine good - both from the Lord; and, since, when these are vastated, there is no longer any church, therefore two angels were seen by John, by whom the devastation of the church as to both was represented.