757. II. GEGENWÄRTIG HERRSCHT DIE LETZTE ZEIT DER CHRISTLICHEN KIRCHE, DIE VOM HERRN BEI DEN EVANGELISTEN UND IN DER OFFENBARUNG VORAUSGESAGT UND BESCHRIEBEN WURDE

Im vorhergehenden Abschnitt wurde dargelegt, dass die Vollendung des Zeitlaufs die letzte Zeit der Kirche bedeutet. Daraus geht hervor, was unter der Vollendung des Zeitlaufs zu verstehen ist, von der der Herr in den Evangelien – Matthaeus 24; Markus 13 ; Lukas 21 – gesprochen hat. Dort liest man: „Als Jesus sich auf dem Ölberg niedergesetzt hatte, kamen die Jünger zu ihm besonders und sprachen: Sage uns, … welches das Zeichen Deiner Ankunft und der Vollendung des Zeitlaufs sein wird.“ (Matthaeus 24:3) Daraufh in weissagte der Herr und beschrieb die Vollendung in ihrem stufenweisen Verlauf bis zu seiner Wiederkunft, wo er dann in den Wolken des Himmels mit Kraft und Herrlichkeit kommen und seine Auserwählten versammeln werde usw., Vers Matthaeus 30-31. Dies alles traf jedoch durchaus nicht bei der Zerstörung Jerusalems ein. Der Herr beschrieb diese Dinge in prophetischer Rede, in der jedes einzelne Wort sein besonderes Gewicht hat. Was jedes einzelne in sich schließt, wurde in dem Werk «Himmlische Geheimnisse im Wort Gottes» ausgelegt, und zwar Nr. Himmlische Geheimnisse 3353-3356, 3486-3489, 3650-3655, 3751-3757, 3897-3901, 4056-4060, 4229-4231, 4332-4335, 4422-4424.

744. Verse 10. And I heard a great voice in heaven saying, signifies the joy of the angels of heaven because of the light and wisdom then with them. This is evident from the signification of "a great voice saying," as being the attestation of joy from the heart (of which presently); also from the signification of "in heaven," as being with the angels of heaven. That this is because of the light and wisdom then with them, follows for the reason that when the "dragons" (by whom are meant those who have some knowledge [scientia] of the cognitions of truth and good from the Word, and yet are not in truths and goods because they are not in a life from truths and goods) had been cast out, and thus were no longer in conjunction with heaven, then the angels came into light and wisdom, and from this was their joy. The angels then came into light and wisdom because there is a connection of all in the heavens, from the first there to the last, that is, from those who are in the inmost or third heaven, who are first, to those who are in the lowest or first heaven, who are last; for the Lord flows in through the third heaven into the lowest, and by influx conjoins the heavens. Because of this the whole heaven is in the sight of the Lord as one Man. When, therefore, the ultimates of the heavens have connection with those who are conjoined to hell, thus with those who are signified by "the dragon and his angels," then in the degree in which the lowest heaven is conjoined with such, the light and intelligence of the angels of heaven are lessened.

[2] It is similar as with the ultimates in man, which are the outermost skins that invest the body in general and in particular, and the muscles within those skins, as also the nerves in their ultimates, from which bands and membranes are spread over the interiors; if these most external parts are injured, or in any way infected, or if they become tendinous, then in the same degree the life of acting and feeling of the interiors that are invested and enclosed by these most external parts perishes. This shows that the health of the body depends upon the condition of the extreme parts as a house does upon its foundation. This comparison especially applies to men worn out with age, whose extreme parts first become hardened, and thus they lose the faculty to act and feel, and by degrees this extends to the interiors, which causes death. The same reasoning applies to the heavens, which are as one Man in the sight of the Lord, when the outermost parts become callous as it were, which takes place when those parts have conjunction with the hells. Thus it was with the heavens so long as "the dragons" were seen there, for "the dragons," as has been said, had conjunction with the ultimates of heaven as to externals, but with the hells as to their internals. This is why it was said that "the dragon was seen in heaven," and that there was a combat between him and Michael in heaven, and finally that "he was cast out of heaven," which signifies that he was separated. From this it is that "the great voice heard in heaven" signifies the attestation of joy from the heart with the angels of heaven. That they had this joy because of the light and wisdom they then had follows from what has been said before, namely, that as a man is in his active and sensitive life from the interiors when his extreme parts are in their integrity, so too are the lower and the higher heavens in their intelligence and wisdom, and in the consequent joy of their heart; therefore the same words mean that the angels had joy from the light and wisdom they then had.