856. 20:7 Then, when the thousand years have been completed, Satan will be released from his prison. This symbolically means that after the Lord raised into heaven those who previously had been hidden away and protected in the lower earth, and the New Christian Heaven was increased by their number, all those who had confirmed themselves in falsities of faith were let loose.

When the thousand years have been completed means, symbolically, after the Lord raised into heaven those who previously had been hidden away and protected in the lower earth. When the thousand years have been completed has this symbolic meaning because the sole subject in the preceding verses 4-6 is the salvation of people who worshiped the Lord and lived in accordance with His commandments, and this period of time is what is meant by the thousand years.

We are in fact not told that the people were raised from the lower earth, but it is nevertheless apparent from chapter 6, 6:9-11, where they were seen under the altar, and under the altar means in a lower earth. That is why they are also called here in verse 6 priests of God and of Christ (see no. 854 above).

That the New Christian Heaven was increased by their number is also something we are not told here, yet it is nevertheless apparent from chapter Revelation 14 where the subject is the New Christian Heaven, as may be seen from the explanations there, especially in nos. 612, 613, 626, 631, 647, 659, 661.

Satan's being set loose from his prison means, symbolically, that those people were let go who had confirmed themselves in faith alone as regards their doctrine, because the dragon here is called Satan, and not at the same time the Devil, as in verse 2 above; and as the Devil, the dragon means people who were caught up in evils in the way they lived, and as Satan, people caught up in falsities as regards their faith, as may be seen in no. 841 above. But the character of the one and the other will be seen in the following number. ¹

Bilješke:

631. 14:8 And another angel followed, saying, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city." This symbolically means that the Roman Catholic religion has now been dispelled with respect to its dogmas and doctrines.

Another angel symbolizes something new now from the Lord, as in no. 626 above. The great city Babylon symbolizes the Roman Catholic religion with respect to its dogmas and doctrines. To fall means, symbolically, to be dispersed, for falling is said of a city, but dispersed is said of a religion and its doctrine, which is what the city Babylon symbolizes. That a city symbolizes doctrine may be seen in no. 194 above.

This declaration is now made about Babylon because after the Lord formed the New Christian Heaven, He at the same time formed a new one with people who were of the Roman Catholic religion. The reason is that the Christian heaven composed of the Protestant Reformed forms the core, and Roman Catholics are situated round about it. Consequently, when the core is new, what is on the peripheries is at the same time new. For the Divine light, which is Divine truth, propagates itself from the middle as a center into the peripheries round about, and the things that are in them are also put in order. It is for this reason that this brief reference to Babylon is made now, even though it is the subject taken up specifically in chapters 17, 18.

That Protestant Christians constitute the core, and Roman Catholics form the great peripheral area surrounding it, and that spiritual light, which is the Divine truth emanating from the Lord, radiates from the center all around to the peripheral areas, even to the last of them, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding the Sacred Scripture, nos. 104-113 and in the small work, The Last Judgment48.

It may be seen from this that after dealing with the New Christian Heaven and preaching the gospel, the declaration regarding Babylon follows in the sequence. This, too, is the symbolic meaning of the word "followed."