853. Verses 2, 3. And I heard a voice from heaven as the voice of many waters and as the voice of a great thunder. And I heard a voice of harpers harping on their harps; and they were singing as it were a new song before the throne and before the four animals and the elders; and no one was able to learn the song save the hundred forty-four thousand, those bought from the earth.

2. "And I heard a voice from heaven as the voice of many waters," signifies the glorification of the Lord from the Divine truths that are from Him (n. 854); "and as the voice of a great thunder," signifies glorification of the Lord from His celestial kingdom (n. 855); "and I heard a voice of harpers harping on their harps," signifies glorification of the Lord from His spiritual kingdom (n. 856); 3. "And they were singing as it were a new song," signifies respecting acknowledgment and confession of the Lord. n. 857); "before the throne and before the four animals and the elders," signifies with all in the entire heaven (n. 858); "and no one was able to learn the song save the hundred forty-four thousand," signifies that acknowledgment and confession of the Lord was possible only with those who are in faith from charity, or in truths from good n. 859; "those bought from the earth," signifies those who having been instructed, have received that acknowledgment in the world n. 860.

855. And as the voice of a great thunder, signifies glorification of the Lord from His celestial kingdom. This is evident from the signification of "voice," as being glorification of the Lord, as above; also from the signification of "a great thunder," as being glorification of the Lord from His celestial kingdom. "Thunder" signifies glorification from the celestial kingdom, because from it only sounds, and not expressions of speech, are heard; and for the reason that all who are in that kingdom speak from love, that is, from affection, which is of the heart; and when such speech flows down from that heaven toward the regions below it is heard as thunder. For all affections in the spiritual world are heard as sounds with their variations, but the thoughts therefrom become manifested by the articulations of sound which are called words. (On this see above, n. 323, 393; and in the work on Heaven and Hell 234-245.) But all who are in the spiritual kingdom speak from thought, which belongs to the understanding or soul; and when such speech flows down out of heaven towards the regions below it is heard either as a voice or as harmonious music, or is seen before the eyes like the brightness of a cloud or like the flash of lightning before thunder. This is why "lightnings, thunders, and voices," signify in the Word enlightenment, understanding, and perception (See above, n. 273, 702, 704; and why voices let down from the celestial kingdom are heard as thunders (n. 353, 393, 821).