Apocalypse Explained #416
416. Verse 1. And after these things I saw, signifies a new perception as to the state of heaven before the Last Judgment. This is evident from what follows in this chapter, which treats of the separation of the good from the evil; for before the Last Judgment occurs the good are separated from the evil by the Lord, and are led away; and because this is involved in the things that were seen, so all this is here signified by "after these things I saw."
Isaiah 28:16
16
Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh, "Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation. He who believes shall not act hastily.