256. It was said above, that by the seven churches here written to, are not meant seven churches, but all those who belong to the church, and, in the abstract, all things of the church; that this is the case is evident from the consideration, that by seven are signified all, and all things, and that by the names are signified things. That all who belong to the church, or all things of the church, are meant by what is written to those seven churches is also evident from the explanation of those things. For all things of the church have reference to the following four general principles, doctrine, life according to it, faith according to life. These are treated of in what is written to six of the churches - doctrine, to the churches in Ephesus and Smyrna; life according to doctrine, to the churches in Thyatira and Sardis; and faith according to life, to the churches in Philadelphia and Laodicea. And because doctrine cannot be implanted in man's life and become a matter of faith unless he fights against the evils and falsities which he possesses from heredity, therefore that combat is also treated of in what is written to the church in Pergamos; for the subject there treated of is temptations; and temptations are combats against evils and falsities.

(That temptations are treated of in what is written to the church in Pergamos may be seen above, n. 130; that doctrine is the subject treated of in what is written to the churches in Ephesus and Smyrna may be seen above also, n. 93, 95, 112; that a life according to doctrine is treated of in what is written to the churches in Thyatira and Sardis, (n. 150, 182, and that faith according to life is treated of in what is written to the churches of Philadelphia and Laodicea, n. 203 and 227.) Because in what is written to this last church, namely, that in Laodicea, those who are in the doctrine of faith alone are treated of, and also, at the end, the nature of faith originating in charity, to what has already been said, it is here to be added, that love constitutes heaven; and because it does so, it also forms the church. For all the societies of heaven, which are innumerable, are arranged according to the affections of love, and also all within each society; so that it is affection, or love, according to which all things are arranged in the heavens, and not in any case faith alone. Spiritual affection, or love, is charity. It is therefore clear that no one can ever enter heaven unless he is in charity.

369. (Verse 5) And when he had opened the third seal. That this signifies prediction concerning a further succeeding state with those who belong to the church where the Word is, is manifest from what has been said above (n. 351, 352, 361); for the subject treated of in this and the following chapter is the state of the Christian Church, or the church where the Word is, from its beginning to its end, or from the time of the Lord's coming even to the Last Judgment. For the new church, which is called the Christian Church, [and which] was begun by the Lord when He was in the world, and afterwards extended, has decreased successively down to the present time, which is its last time, in which judgment takes place. The predictions concerning these successive states of the church are here manifested as from a book, by various representatives; but it is to be observed, that such predictions were not seen and read in a book, after its seals were opened, but were manifested through the heavens from the Lord, before the angels of the inmost heaven; and were represented in the ultimates of heaven by such things as are related in this chapter, namely, by horses of various colours, and afterwards by earthquakes, darkenings of the sun and moon, and the falling of the stars to the earth.

[2] These, however, were appearances before the angels of the ultimate heaven, signifying such things as were heard and perceived in the inmost heaven, where there were no such appearances; for whatever is heard, thought, and perceived in the inmost heaven from the Lord, when it descends through the middle heaven to the last, is turned into such appearances; thus are the mysteries of Divine Wisdom promulgated before the angels of the ultimate heaven. Those there, who are intelligent, perceive these mysteries from correspondences; but the lowest of them do not perceive, but only know, that mysteries are therein, nor do they inquire further; John was with the latter when in spirit or in vision. These things are mentioned that it may be known how the Word was written, namely, from such things as were seen and heard in the ultimates of heaven, thus from pure correspondences and representatives, in each of which lie concealed innumerable and ineffable mysteries of Divine Wisdom.