930. Verses 2-4. And I saw as it were a glassy sea mingled with fire, and them that have victory over the beast and over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name standing by the glassy sea, having the harps of God. And they were singing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and wonderful are Thy works, O Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints. Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? for Thou only art holy: wherefore all the nations shall come and worship before Thee, for Thy judgments have been made manifest.

2. "And I saw as it were a glassy sea mingled with fire," signifies the generals of truth from the Word, transparent from spiritual truths, which are from the good of love n. 931; "and them that have victory over the beast," signifies that have lived a life of charity, and thus have not falsified the Word n. 932; "and over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name," signifies and that have not acknowledged the doctrine of faith separated from charity, or any quality of it n. 933; "standing by the glassy sea," signifies because they have been in truths from the Word n. 934; "having the harps of God," signifies glorification of the Lord from spiritual affection n. 935.

3. "And they were singing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb," signifies acknowledgment and confession of the commandments in the Word of both Testaments, also acknowledgment and confession of the Lord's Divine in His Human (n. 936, 937); "saying, Great and wonderful are Thy works," signifies that all the goods of heaven and the church are from Him n. 938; "O Lord God Almighty," signifies because He is the Divine good n. 939; "just and true are Thy ways," signifies that all the truths of heaven and the church are from Him n. 940; "Thou King of saints," signifies because He is the Divine truth n. 941.

4. "Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord," signifies worship of the Lord from the good of love n. 942; "and glorify Thy name," signifies worship of Him from truths from that good (n. 943); "for Thou only art Holy," signifies because He is good itself and truth itself, and consequently all good and all truth are from Him n. 944; "wherefore all the nations shall come and worship before Thee," signifies that all who are in the good of love and in truths therefrom will acknowledge His Divine (n. 945); "for Thy judgments have been made manifest," signifies that Divine truths have been revealed to them n. 946.

935. Having the harps of God, signifies the glorification of the Lord from spiritual affection. This is evident from the signification of "harps," as being confessions and glorifications (See above, n. 323, 856). Therefore "the harps of God" mean confessions and glorifications of the Lord from spiritual affection. This is the signification of "the harps of God," because spiritual affections, which are the affections of truth, were expressed by stringed instruments; while celestial affections, which are the affections of good, were expressed by wind instruments (See above, n. 323, 326).

[2] The previous article treated of the two things necessary that works may be good, namely, that the Divine of the Lord be acknowledged, and that the evils forbidden in the Decalogue be shunned as sins. The evils enumerated in the Decalogue include all the evils that can ever exist; therefore the Decalogue is called the ten commandments, because "ten" signifies all. The first commandment, "Thou shalt not worship other gods," includes not loving self and the world; for he that loves self and the world above all things worships other gods; for everyone's god is that which he loves above all things. The second commandment, "Thou shalt not profane the name of God," includes not to despise the Word and doctrine from the Word, and thus the church, and not to reject these from the heart, for these are God's "name." The fifth commandment, "Thou shalt not steal," includes the shunning of frauds and unlawful gains, for these also are thefts. The sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," includes having delight in adulteries and having no delight in marriages, and in particular cherishing filthy thoughts respecting such things as pertain to marriage, for these are adulteries. The seventh commandment, "Thou shalt not kill," includes not hating the neighbor nor loving revenge; for hatred and revenge breathe murder. The eighth commandment, "Thou shalt not bear false witness," includes not to lie and blaspheme; for lies and blasphemies are false testimonies. The ninth commandment, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house," includes not wishing to possess or to divert to oneself the goods of others against their will. The tenth commandment, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, his man-servants," and so on, includes not wishing to rule over others and to subject them to oneself, for the things here enumerated mean the things that are man's own. Anyone can see that these eight commandments contain the evils that must be shunned, and not the goods that must be done.