104. By Means of the Word, There Is Light Even for People Who Are outside the Church and Do Not Have the Word

THERE can be no union with heaven unless somewhere on our planet there is a church where the Word is present and the Lord is known by means of it. This is because the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, and there is no salvation apart from the Lord.

It is adequate if there is simply a church where the Word is present even though that church may consist of relatively few people. Even so, by means of it the Lord is present everywhere in the whole world, because by means of it heaven is united with the human race. As for the union being by means of the Word, see §§62-69 above.

690. 16:8 Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl onto the sun. This symbolizes influx into the people's love.

To pour out the bowl symbolizes here, as before, an influx springing from goods and truths, here an influx into the people's love; for the sun symbolizes the Lord's Divine love, and in an opposite sense a love of self (nos. 53, 383, 414). Here it is a love of self, because we are told next that people were scorched with fire, and scorched with great heat, which symbolizes the lusts of that love.