103. And hast not failed, signifies so far as they could. This is evident from the signification of "not failing," in reference to those who are eager for the knowledges of truth and good, as being so far as they could; for in what now follows, a life according to these knowledges is treated of. Those who are in a life according to these go forward and do not fail; but those who are as yet in knowledges alone, go forward as far as they can, but do not yet have the light of life, from which is vigor.

149. Verses 18-29. And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These things saith the Son of God, that hath His eyes as a flame of fire, and His feet like burnished brass, I know thy works and charity, and ministry and faith, and thine endurance, and thy works, and the last to be more than the first. But I have against thee a few things, that thou sufferest the woman Jezebel, that calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit whoredom, and to eat idol-sacrifices. And I gave her time that she might repent of her whoredom, and she repented not. Behold, I cast her into a bed, and those that commit adultery with her into great affliction, except they repent of their works. And her sons I will kill with death; and all the churches shall know that I am He that searcheth the reins and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your works. But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say; I put upon you no other burden. Nevertheless, that which ye have hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh and keepeth My works unto the end, I will give him power over the nations. And he shall rule them with an iron rod; as earthen vessels shall they be shivered, as I also have received from My Father. And I will give him the morning star. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

18. "And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write," signifies those of the church with whom the internal and external, or the spiritual and natural man, make one n. 150; "These things saith the Son of man" ¹ signifies the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, from which is that essential of the church n. 151; "that hath His eyes as a flame of fire," signifies Divine Providence from His Divine love and Divine wisdom and intelligence communicated to those who are in love towards Him and from that in faith in Him n. 152; "and His feet like burnished brass," signifies the ultimate of Divine order, which is the natural, full of Divine love (n. 153).

19. "I know thy works and charity," signifies the internal of those who are of the church n. 154; "and ministry and faith," signifies good and truth therein n. 155; "and thine endurance," signifies conjunction with the external [and consequent combat] (n. 156); "and thy works, and the last to be more than the first," signifies the externals that are therefrom n. 157.

20. "But I have against thee a few things," signifies that heed should be taken (n. 158); "that thou sufferest the woman Jezebel," signifies the delight of the love of self and of the world (159); "that calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce My servants," signifies that the doctrine of all falsities is therefrom n. 160; "to commit whoredom and to eat idol-sacrifices," signifies the falsifications of truth and the adulterations of good (n. 161).

21. "And I gave her time that she might repent of her whoredom, and she repented not," signifies that those who are in falsities therefrom do not turn themselves to truths by means of truths n. 162.

22. "Behold, I cast her into a bed," signifies that they are left to their natural man, and to the doctrine of falsities therein n. 163; "and those that commit adultery with her into great affliction," signifies the grievous temptations of those who addict themselves to the falsities of such (n. 164); "except they repent of their works," signifies except they separate themselves from them (n. 165).

23. "And her sons I will kill with death," signifies that thus falsities are extinguished (n. 166); "and all the churches shall know that I am He that searcheth the reins and hearts," signifies the acknowledgment of all who are of the church that the Lord alone knows and explores the exteriors and interiors, and the things that are of faith and of love n. 167; "and I will give to each one of you according to your works" signifies eternal blessedness according to one's internal in the external (n. 168).

24. "But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira," signifies to all and each one with whom the internal is conjoined to the external (n. 169); "as many as have not this doctrine," signifies with whom external delight, which is the delight of the love of self and of the world, is not dominant (n. 170); "and who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say," signifies entanglement with these (n. 171); "I put upon you no other burden," signifies that this alone should be guarded against (n. 172).

25. "Nevertheless, that which ye have hold fast till I come," signifies steadfastness in a state of love and of faith, even until visitation (n. 173).

26. "And he that overcometh and keepeth My works unto the end," signifies perseverance in love and faith after combat against these loves, and their removal as far as possible (n. 174); "I will give him power over the nations," signifies over the evils within him, which will then be scattered by the Lord. n. 175).

27. "And he shall rule them with an iron rod," signifies that he is about to chastise evils by means of truths, that are in the natural man n. 176; "as earthen vessels shall they be shivered," signifies the total dispersion of falsities n. 177; "as I also have received from My Father," signifies comparatively as the Lord from His Divine, when He glorified His Human (n. 178).

28. "And I will give him the morning star," signifies intelligence and wisdom from the Lord's Divine Human (n. 179).

29. "He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches," signifies that he who understands should hearken to what Divine truth proceeding from the Lord teaches and says to those who are of His church (n. 180).

Notas a pie de página:

157. And thy works, and the last to be more than the first, signifies the externals that are therefrom. This is evident from the signification of "works," as being externals in which are internals; for "works" are ultimate effects, in which internals are presented together, and are in a series therein; there they form their ultimate and fullness. The things that are of the thought and the will, and spiritually speaking, those that are of love and of faith, are called internal; these are in works, consequently "works" are ultimates. (That the interior things, which are of the mind, successively flow into external things, even into the extreme or ultimate, and that they have existence and subsistence therein, see Arcana Coelestia 634, 6239, 6465, 9215-9216; that in the ultimate they also form what is simultaneous, in what series, see n. 5897, 6451, 8603, 10099; that the whole man is in his deeds or works, and that what is only willed and not done, when man is able to do, does not yet have existence, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 475-476.)

[2] To this I will add an arcanum not yet known. After death, man's spirit appears in a human form according to the life of his affection while in the world; in a beautiful form if he lived a life of heavenly love; in an unbeautiful form if he lived a life of worldly love. It is from this that angels are forms of love and charity; yet their form is not so beautiful from the affection of thought and will alone as from the affection of these expressed in deeds or works; for deeds or works from the affection of the will and thought, or of love and faith, are what constitute the outward aspect of the spirit, thus the beauty of his face, body, and speech. The reason for this is, that as the interiors terminate in deeds or works as into their extremes, so do they terminate in the outward form of the body. For it is well known that everything of man's will terminates in the extremes of his body. Any part of the body in which the will does not terminate is not a part of the body; as is evident from the actions of the body, even the least of them; for these all flow from the impulse of the will and are manifested in the extremes of the body (See in the work on Heaven and Hell 59, 60; and in the small work on The Last Judgment 30, 31).

[3] The same is manifest from this, that man's spirit is altogether as his will is; not as his will is that does not go forth into act when it can (that will is nothing but thought in which there is an appearance of willing), but as the actual will is, which has no other desire than to act; this will is the same with man's love; in accordance with this is the whole spirit and its human form. (That the will or love is the spirit itself, see above, n.105; and in the work on Heaven and Hell 479.) On this account it is so often said in the Word that man ought "to do the Lord's commandments," and that he will be recompensed according to his "doings," that is, according to the love in deeds, but not according to the love without deeds, when doing is possible.

[4] It is said, "I know thy works, and the last to be more than the first;" by "the last being more than the first" is meant that the works are more full of love after the conjunction of the internal man with the external; for the more the internal is conjoined with the external the more there is of the internal in externals; consequently in the deeds or works; for externals or works are nothing but effects of the interiors which are of the will and of the thought therefrom; and effects derive their all from the internals from which they exist, as motion does from its conatus. In man the conatus is the will, and the motion therefrom is action.

[5] From what has been explained in this verse it can be seen in what order the conjunction of the internal with the external in the man of the church is described, namely, the internal by "I know thy works and charity;" the good of the internal and its truth by "ministry and faith;" the conjunction of the internal with the external by "endurance;" and the externals therefrom by "I know thy works, and the last to be more than the first." That such things are involved in these words no one can see from the sense of the letter, but only from the spiritual sense which is within the literal sense.