686. Verses 16, 17. And the twenty-four elders who sit before God upon their thrones fell upon their faces and worshipped God, saying, We give Thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, who is, who was, and who is to come, because Thou hast taken Thy great power and entered upon the kingdom.

16. "And the twenty-four elders who sit before God upon their thrones," signifies the higher heavens in light and power from the Lord to separate the evil from the good before the day of the Last Judgment which is to come shortly n. 687; "fell upon their faces and worshipped God," signifies the adoration of the Lord with them from a most humble heart n. 688.

7. "Saying, We give Thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty," signifies the acknowledgment that all being, living, and ability are from the Lord. n. 689); "who is, and who was, and who is to come," signifies from Him who is the all in all things of heaven and the church from eternity to eternity (n. 690); "because Thou hast taken Thy great power and entered upon the kingdom," signifies the establishment of the new heaven and the New Church, when the former heaven and church are destroyed n. 691.

322. The four animals and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, signifies the acknowledgment and consequent glorification of the Lord by the angels of the higher heavens. This is evident from the signification of "the four animals and the four and twenty elders," as being, in general, the whole heaven, but especially the inmost heaven, consequently the angels of the higher heavens (of which see above, n. 313; here especially the angels of those heavens, because in what follows there is glorification by the angels of the lower heavens. Also from the signification of "fell down before the Lamb," as being acknowledgment from a humble heart. That "to fall down" signifies humiliation, and in that state acknowledgment of heart, see above n. 290. Acknowledgment of the Lord's Divine Human is clearly meant, for that is signified by "the Lamb" (See above, n. 314). What the higher heavens are, and what the lower heavens are, shall be told in a few words. There are three heavens: the third or inmost heaven is where the angels are who are in celestial love; the second or middle heaven is where the angels are who are in spiritual love; the first or ultimate heaven is where the angels are who are in spiritual-natural love. The third or inmost heaven is conjoined with the second or middle by intermediate angels, who are called celestial-spiritual and spiritual-celestial angels; these intermediate angels, together with the angels of the third or inmost heaven, constitute the higher heavens; while the remainder of those in the second or middle heaven, together with those who are in the first or outmost heaven, constitute the lower heavens. The "four animals" signify specifically the third or inmost heaven, and the "four and twenty elders" the second or middle heaven that is in conjunction with the third or inmost; thus together they signify the higher heavens. Respecting the intermediate angels, called celestial-spiritual and spiritual-celestial, and the conjunction of the third heaven with the second by these, see Arcana Coelestia 1577, 1824, 2184, 4047, 4286, 4585, 4592, 4594, 6435, 6526, 8787, 8802, 9671).