20. To the seven churches. That this signifies to all those who are in truths from good, or in faith from charity, is evident from the signification of seven, as being all. For, seven in the Word, signifies a beginning and an end, thus an entire period and a full state, just as a week does (Arcana Coelestia 728, 6508, 9228). And because it signifies what is full, it also signifies all, because all make what is full; for fulness in respect to those who constitute any society, in this case the church, denotes all therefore, when magnitude is treated of in the Word, seven signifies what is full, and when multitude is treated of, seven signifies all. Three, also, in the Word signifies full and all (as may be seen, n. 2788, 4495, 7715); but where anything holy is treated of in the Word, seven is used, and in other cases three (n. 10127). Here, therefore, seven is used, because the subject treated of is truths from good, which are the holy things of the church. This also appears from the signification of churches, as denoting those who are in truths from good, or in faith from charity. The reason why such persons are meant by churches is, because those truths constitute the church with every one; for those who are not in truths from good, although born within the church, yet are not of the church, because no church exists in them. This is why the Lord's church consists of all those, wheresoever they are, who are the church, that is, who are in truths from good. (That the church, like heaven, is in man, and not outside of him, and hence that the man who is in truths from good is a church, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 3884; and in the work, Heaven and Hell 53, 54, 57.) It is also said, "who are in faith from charity," because this is the same thing; for truth belongs to faith, and good to charity; that is to say, everything that a man believes is called truth, and everything that he loves is called good. (That all truth is from good, and everything of faith is from charity, may be seen in the small work, The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine 84-107, 108-122, and The Last Judgment 33-39; as also in Heaven and Hell 364, 424, 482, 526.) He who knows nothing of the internal sense of the Word, believes nothing else, when he reads these things, than that by the seven churches are meant the seven churches afterwards named (verse 11); but churches are not meant, but all those who belong to the church; such being the spiritual sense of the Word.

8. And he signified [this], sending by his angel unto his servant John. That this signifies, which are revealed to those who are in the good of love, is evident from the signification of he signified, as denoting those things which, in the sense of the letter, contain, and thus signify, those which are in the internal sense. For it is said, "the revelation which God gave to show; and he signified [this]"; and by the things which He signified are meant those which are in the sense of the letter, because all these are significative; and the things which are signified are those that are contained in the internal sense. For all things in the Word are significative of spiritual things which are in the internal sense. The above is also evident from the signification of sending by his angel, as denoting things revealed from heaven; for to send, denotes to reveal, and by an angel, denotes from heaven. The reason why to send denotes to reveal, is, because everything sent from heaven is a revelation; for what exists there is revealed, this being something spiritual concerning the church and its state; but this with man is turned into natural ideas, such as are in the sense of the letter, in the Apocalypse and other parts of the Word. That which comes from heaven cannot be present with man in any other way; for the Spiritual falls into its corresponding Natural, when it descends from the spiritual world into the natural. This is the reason why the prophetic Word is such in the sense of the letter, and since it is such, that it is inwardly spiritual and Divine. By an angel means, from heaven, because that which an angel speaks is from heaven; for when an angel speaks with a man such things as relate to heaven and the church he does not speak as one man to another, who utters from memory the dictates of another, but that which an angel speaks enters into him continually by influx, and not into his memory, but directly into the understanding, and thence into words. This is the reason why every thing spoken by angels to the prophets was Divine, and nothing whatever from the angels. Whether it is said that such things are revealed from heaven, or from the Lord, it is the same; because the Divine of the Lord with the angels constitutes heaven, and nothing whatever from the proprium of the angels. (But this may be better understood from what is said and shown in the work,Heaven and Hell 2-12, and n. 254.)

It is remarked above, that predictions are revealed from heaven to those who are in the good of love, because it is said, "sending by his angel unto his servant John," and by John are represented and meant those who are in the good of love. For by the twelve apostles were represented and signified all those in the church who are in truths from good; consequently, all truths from good, from which the church is; and by each apostle in particular is represented and signified something specific. For example, by Peter is represented and signified faith; by James, charity; and by John, the good of charity, or the good of love. Because John represented this good, therefore the revelation was made to him; for revelation from heaven, such as is here described, can be made to none but those who are in the good of charity or of love. Others, indeed, may hear the things that are uttered from heaven, but they cannot perceive them. They alone have spiritual perception who are in the good of love; the reason is, that they receive those things, not only in the hearing, but also in the love; and to receive in the love is to receive fully, since the things so received are loved; and those who thus receive, see those things in their understanding, in which is the sensation of their internal sight. That this is the case has been made evident to me from much experience, and it might also be illustrated by much rational argument; but upon this subject it is not yet permissible to speak. Here it is only necessary to observe, that all the names mentioned in the Word, signify, not persons, but things; thus, John signifies those who are in the good of love, and therefore, in the abstract, the good of love itself. (That all names in the Word signify things, may be seen inArcana Coelestia 768, 1888, 4310, 4442, 10329. That the names of persons and places in the Word cannot enter heaven, but that they are changed into the things which they signify, n. 1876, 5225, 6516, 10216, 10282, 10432. How elegant the internal sense of the Word is, although mere names are mentioned, is illustrated by examples, n. 1224, 1264, 1888. That the twelve disciples of the Lord represented, and thence signified, all things of love and faith in the aggregate, in like manner as the twelve tribes of Israel, n. 2129, 3354, 3488, 3858, 6397. That Peter, James, and John represented, and hence signified, faith, charity, and the good of charity, in their order, see the Prefaces to Genesis 18 and 22, and n. 3934, 8581, 10087.)