14. And from the seven spirits who are before His throne. This symbolically means, from the whole of heaven, where the Lord is in His Divine truth, and where His Divine truth is received.

The seven spirits mean all who are governed by Divine truth, and in an abstract sense, Divine truth itself. The number seven in the Word means all things or all people, as may be seen in no. 10 above, and the throne means the whole of heaven, as will be seen shortly. Therefore "before His throne" means where His Divine truth is; for heaven is not heaven in consequence of the angels' own qualities, but owing to the Lord's Divinity, as we have shown many times in Angelic Wisdom Regarding Divine Providence and Divine Love and Wisdom.

That the Lord's throne symbolizes heaven is apparent from the following passages:

Thus said Jehovah: "The heavens are My throne...." (Isaiah 66:1)

Jehovah has established His throne in the heavens... (Psalms 103:19)

He who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God... (Matthew 23:22)

Above the firmament that was over the head (of the cherubim), in appearance like a sapphire stone, was the likeness of a throne, and on (it)...the appearance of a man... (Ezekiel 1:26, cf. 10:1)

The expanse over the head of the cherubim means heaven. Further, in the book of Revelation:

To him who overcomes I will grant to sit... on My throne... (Revelation 3:21)

To be on His throne means to be in heaven. Specifically it means to be where His Divine truth reigns. Consequently, where judgment is the subject, it is also said that the Lord will sit upon His throne, for judgment is effected by means of truths.

9. For the time is near. This symbolically means, the state of the church being such that it can no longer continue to maintain its conjunction with the Lord.

There are two essential elements which make possible a conjunction with the Lord and so salvation: an acknowledgment of one God, and repentance of life. But at the present day instead of an acknowledgment of one God we have an acknowledgment of three, and instead of repentance of life, a repentance solely of the lips that one is a sinner; and these two do not lead to any conjunction. Consequently, unless a new church arises which acknowledges the two essential elements and lives them, no one can be saved. Because of this danger, the Lord has shortened the time, in accordance with His words in Matthew:

...then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until now, nor shall be. Indeed, unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved. (Matthew 24:21-22)

This does not mean near at hand or a nearness in time, as may be seen in no. 947 below.