113. These things saith the First and the Last, signifies the Lord, who governs all things from the Divine Human, from firsts by means of ultimates. This is evident from the signification of "the First and the Last," as being, in reference to the Lord, His ruling all things from firsts by means of ultimates (See above, n. 41). That it is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human who here and in what follows speaks to the angels of the churches, can be seen from the preceding chapter, where similar things are said of the Son of man; and the Son of man is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human (See above, n. 63). This is clearly shown by bringing the passages together; for example, the Son of man is described in the preceding chapter as seen:

In the midst of the golden lampstands, having in his right hand seven stars (Revelation 1:13, 16).

These same things introduce what is written to the angel of the Ephesian Church in these words, "These things saith He that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand, that walketh in the midst of the seven golden lampstands" (verse 1).

[2] In the preceding chapter the Son of man is described thus:

I am the First and the Last; and the Living One; and I became dead; and behold I am alive unto the ages of the ages (Revelation 1:17-18).

These things here introduce what is written to the angel of the church of the Smyrneans, in these words; "These things saith the First and the Last, who was dead and is alive" (verse 8). In the preceding chapter the Son of man is described, that there was seen:

Out of His mouth a sharp two-edged sword going forth (Revelation 1:16).

This introduces what is written to the angel of the church Pergamum, in these words:

These things saith He that hath the sharp two-edged sword (Revelation 2:12).

In the preceding chapter the Son of man is described, that He was seen to have:

Eyes as a flame of fire; and feet like unto burnished brass, as if glowing in a furnace (Revelation 1:14-15).

These things introduce what is written to the angel of the church in Thyatira, in these words:

These things saith the Son of God, that hath His eyes as a flame of fire, and His feet like unto burnished brass (Revelation 1:18).

[3] Similar things introduce what is written to the angels of the other three churches (of which in the following chapter). From this it can be seen that it is the Son of man who says the things that are written to the churches; and as by the "Son of man" the Lord in respect to the Divine Human is meant (as was shown above, n. 63, it follows that all that is written to the churches is from the Lord's Divine Human; and from this it also follows that the Divine Human is the All in all things of the church, as it is the All in all things of Heaven. So here by His being "the First and the Last" is signified that the Lord from His Divine Human governs all things from firsts by means of ultimates. (That the Lord in respect to the Divine Human is the All in all things of heaven, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell 7-12 n. 78-86, and the rest there. And as the Lord is the All in all things of heaven, He is also the All in all things of the church, for the church is the kingdom of the Lord on the earth.) This I can affirm, that no one who is within the church, and does not acknowledge the Divine of the Lord in His Human, can enter heaven. To acknowledge the Divine of the Lord in His Human is to think of His Divine when thinking of His Human. That it must be so thought of is because the whole heaven is from His Divine Human (as may be seen shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, from beginning to end; and above in the explanation of Revelation, n. 10, 49, 52, 82).