611. But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound.- That this signifies the last state of the church, and then revelation of Divine Truth, is evident from the signification of the days of the voice of the seventh angel, as denoting the last state of the church; for the progressive changes of the state of the church are described by the sounding of the seven angels, therefore the voice of the seventh angel signifies the last state; and from the signification of, when he is about to sound, as denoting revelation then of Divine Truth. That by sounding a trumpet or horn is signified the influx of Divine Truth, and its revelation, may be seen above (n. 502). That its revelation is here signified, is evident from the following part of this verse, where it is said, "And the mystery of God shall be consummated, as he hath declared in good tidings to his servants the prophets." This signifies that the prediction concerning the coming of the Lord shall then be fulfilled. With the coming of the Lord there is also revelation of Divine Truth.

Earth" is a general word that can be thought of as a container for other more specific words, as ground, field, or garden. Each of these means a person in an ascending series as that person learns truths from the Bible, thinks about them, and tries to apply them to life. The series represents the way of becoming good and wise. "Earth" and "ground" are terms that can go either way, as in the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:4-8) there was both good ground and bad ground, but "field" and "garden" mean minds that are regenerating towards good. "Earth" in the Bible can mean a person or a group of like-minded people as in a church. But it refers specifically to the external of the person's mind, or of the general thought of the group. If heaven and earth are mentioned together, then both the internals and externals of the mind are meant – something to note when reading the creation story.

In Revelation the word "earth" is used both as a ground level as we use it in its natural sense and also as the sense of a group. The action in this book takes place in the great middle zone of the spiritual world, where people first go and where they are sorted out. There are both evil people and good there, and sometimes at the end of a church the evil can have great influence before a great judgment comes. This level of the spiritual realm is called the "earth" to which the dragon was cast down (Revelation 12:9) and to which the stars fell (Revelation 12:4). The "earth" that swallowed the dragon’s flood means those still-sincere people within the church who discounted the flood of the dragon's falsities (Revelation 12:15).