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.

916. Having power over fire. That this signifies, thus as to celestial and spiritual love, is evident from the signification of fire, as denoting love in both senses - love to the Lord, which exists with those in heaven who are called celestial angels, and love towards the neighbour, which exists with those in heaven who are called spiritual angels; and, in the opposite sense, the love of self, which exists with those in hell who are called devils; and the love of the world, which exists with those in hell who are called satans. That these loves are signified by fire in the Word may be seen above (n. 68, 496, 504, 539).

The reason why it is said concerning this angel, that he had power over fire is, that the subject treated of is the devastation of the church as to the good of love; and devastation as to that is ascribed to this angel; as the devastation as to truth of doctrine is ascribed to the former angel, who, therefore, had a sharp sickle in his hand. It is evident, therefore, what is meant by its being said, that this angel had power over fire, namely, that he lays waste celestial and spiritual love, and all things thereof in the church.

[2] The devastation of the church is ascribed to the angel, as elsewhere in the Word it is ascribed to the Lord. But this is only said of Him in the sense of the letter; but it is not so understood in the spiritual sense. For truth, in the sense of the letter, is like a face seen through a veil; but truth in the spiritual sense is like that face uncovered. Or, truth, in the sense of the letter, is like a cloud; but truth, in the spiritual sense, is like light and its splendour. Or, truth, in the sense of the letter, is what appears as truth before the sensual man; but truth, in the spiritual sense, is truth before the spiritual-rational man. As, for example, in the Word, it is said of the sun, that it rises, progresses, sets, and causes days and years, that is entirely according to the appearance before the sensual man. But the rational man thinks of the sun as immovable, and of the earth as progressing. It is therefore evident that the understanding thinks inversely of those things that appear before the senses, in order that it may place them before us in the light of truth.

The case is similar with the things here said in the Apocalypse concerning him who sat on the white cloud, and concerning the angels; that is, that they thrust in the sickle into the harvest, and reap it, and that they gather the clusters of the grapes from the vineyard of the earth, and cast them into the winepress of the wrath of God. These things are said, in like manner, according to appearances before the sensual man; yet they are to be inverted and understood according to their spiritual sense.

[3] From these things it is also evident that the sensual man - such as man is in the periods of infancy and childhood - as also the simple-minded, may think of and believe these and other similar things according to the sense of the letter; as that God takes away good and truth from men on account of their wickedness. But an adult man, who desires to be wise, will not explain such things so as to make God the doer of them. As, for example, that He takes away from man all good and truth, and infuses in their place evil and falsity, or that He devastates the church; neither indeed that He is angry and wrathful. For if a wise adult should explain such things according to the sense of the letter, and confirm them by reasonings, then he would, by such means, destroy the genuine truth itself, such as it is in heaven, and consequently close heaven to himself. For who can enter heaven with the belief that God is angry, revengeful, that He punishes, and similar things; when the angels of heaven are in the perception that God is never angry, never revenges, or punishes any one? Would they not turn away from him, and bid him depart, and immediately close the door after him? Thus, also, heaven is closed to those who, while they live in the world, explain the sense of the letter of the Word, even to the destruction of the Divine truth in the heavens; this truth being the same as the truth of the spiritual sense, which is contained in the particular truths of the natural sense that constitute the sense of the letter of the Word.