Apocalypse Revealed #585
585. And against His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. This symbolizes scandalous assertions against the Lord's celestial church and against heaven.
The Tabernacle has almost the same symbolic meaning as the Temple, namely, in the highest sense, the Lord's Divine humanity, and in a relative sense, heaven and the church (nos. 191, 529). But in the latter sense the Tabernacle symbolizes the celestial church, which is impelled by the goodness of love toward the Lord received from the Lord; and the Temple symbolizes the spiritual church, which is impelled by truths of wisdom received from the Lord. Those who dwell in heaven symbolize heaven.
The Tabernacle symbolizes the celestial church because the Most Ancient Church, being impelled by love toward the Lord, was a celestial church and held sacred worship in tents. And the Ancient Church was a spiritual church and held sacred worship in temples.
Tents used wood in their construction, while temples used stone, and wood symbolizes goodness, and stone truth.
[2] That the Tabernacle symbolizes the Lord's Divine humanity in respect to Divine love, and a heaven and a church that is impelled by love toward the Lord, can be seen from the following passages:
Jehovah, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy mountain? He who walks uprightly, and practices righteousness, and speaks the truth... (Psalms 15:1-2)
(Jehovah) shall hide me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall conceal me; He shall set me high... (Psalms 27:4-5)
I will abide in Your tabernacle forever. (Psalms 61:4)
Look upon Zion...; let your eyes behold Jerusalem, a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that will not be dispelled... (Isaiah 33:20)
(Jehovah) who... spreads (the heavens) out like a tent to dwell in. (Isaiah 40:22)
...you have made Jehovah..., the Most High, your dwelling place..., no plague shall come near your tent. (Psalms 91:9-10)
(Jehovah) set (His) tabernacle among (them).... (He) will walk among (them).... (Leviticus 26:11-12)
(Jehovah) forsook the tent of Shiloh, the tabernacle in which He dwelled among men. (Psalms 78:60)
I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them...." (Revelation 21:3)
...My tabernacle has been laid waste... (Jeremiah 4:20; 10:20)
He shall... pluck you out of your tent, and uproot you from the land of the living. (Psalms 52:5)
And so on elsewhere, as in Isaiah 16:5; 54:2, Jeremiah 30:18, Lamentations 2:4, Hosea 9:6; 12:9, Zechariah 12:7.
[3] Since the Most Ancient Church, which was a celestial church, being impelled by love toward the Lord and being thus in conjunction with Him, held sacred worship in tents, therefore by the Lord's command Moses erected a tent or tabernacle, in which everything relating to heaven and the church was represented. And it was so holy that no one was permitted to enter except Moses, Aaron, and Aaron's sons; and if any of the people were to do so, they would die (Numbers 17:12-13; 18:1, 22-23; 19:14-19).
Inmostly in that tabernacle, containing the two tables of the Decalogue, was the Ark, on which was the mercy seat and over it the cherubim. And outside the veil was the table holding the showbread, the altar of incense, and the lampstand having seven lamps. All of these things were representative objects relating to heaven and the church. The tabernacle itself is described in Exodus 26:7-16; 36:8-37.
We also read that the design of the Tabernacle was shown to Moses upon Mount Sinai (Exodus 25:9; 26:30); and whatever he was given to see from heaven is a representation relating to heaven and the church.
In memory of the most ancient people's sacred worship of the Lord in tents, and of their conjunction with Him through love, Israel was commanded to observe the Feast of Tabernacles, as recorded in Leviticus 23:39-44, Deuteronomy 16:13-14.
Apocalypse Revealed #656
656. REVELATION: CHAPTER 15
1. Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.
2. And I saw as though a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over its image and over its mark and over the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass, having harps of God.
3. They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying:
"Great and marvelous are Your works,
Lord God Almighty!
Just and true are Your ways,
O King of the saints!
4. Who does not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy.
Therefore all nations shall come and worship before You,
For Your judgments have been manifested."
5. After these things I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened.
6. And out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, clothed in clean bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden sashes.
7. Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever.
8. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were ended.
THE SPIRITUAL MEANING
The Contents of the Whole Chapter
A preparation to reveal the last state of the church and expose the evils and falsities in which those who belonged to that church were caught up (verses 1, 5-8). The separation from them of those who had confessed the Lord and lived in accordance with His commandments (verses 2-4).
The Contents of the Individual Verses:
| Verse Contents | Spiritual Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1. Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: | A revelation from the Lord regarding the state of the church on earth and its character with respect to love and faith. |
| seven angels having the seven last plagues, | The evils and falsities that exist in the church in its last state exposed in their entirety by the Lord. |
| for in them the wrath of God is complete. | The destruction of the church and its end then. |
| 2. And I saw as though a sea of glass mingled with fire, | The farthest boundary of the spiritual world, where those people were gathered who had religion and consequently worshiped, but lacked any goodness of life. |
| and those who have the victory over the beast, over its image and over its mark and over the number of its name, | People who rejected faith alone and its accompanying doctrine, and so did not acknowledge or become imbued with its falsities, and did not falsify the Word. |
| standing beside the sea of glass, having harps of God. | The Christian heaven at the boundaries [of the spiritual world], and the faith accompanying charity in the people there. |
| 3. They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, | A confession springing from charity, thus from a life in accordance with the precepts of the Law contained in the Ten Commandments, and from a faith in the Divinity of the Lord's humanity. |
| saying: "Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! | Everything in the world, in heaven and in the church was created and formed by the Lord out of Divine love by means of Divine wisdom. |
| For just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! | Everything that emanates from the Lord is just and true, because He is Divine goodness itself and Divine truth itself in heaven and in the church. |
| 4. Who does not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? | The Lord alone is to be loved and worshiped. |
| For You alone are holy. | He embodies the Word, truth, and enlightenment. |
| Therefore all nations shall come and worship before You, | People who possess the goodness of love and charity will acknowledge the Lord alone to be God. |
| For Your judgments have been manifested." | The truths in the Word openly attest to this. |
| 5. After these things I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. | The inmost of heaven appeared, where the Lord is present in His holiness in the Word and in the Law contained in the Ten Commandments. |
| 6. And out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, | A preparation by the Lord for influx from the inmost of heaven into the church, to expose its evils and falsities and so to separate evil people from the good, |
| clothed in clean bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden sashes. | this in accordance with the pure and genuine truths and goods in the Word. |
| 7. Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls | The truths and goods by which evils and falsities in the church are exposed, drawn from the literal sense of the Word. |
| full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever. | The evils and falsities that will be exposed to view by the pure and genuine truths and goods present in the Word. |
| 8. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, | The inmost of heaven filled with the Lord's spiritual and celestial Divine truth, |
| and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were ended. | to such a degree there that no higher truth could be endured, and this until that church was destroyed and its end became apparent. |
THE EXPOSITION
15:1 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous. This symbolizes a revelation from the Lord regarding the state of the church on earth and its character with respect to love and faith.
This is the subject of the present chapter and the next, and it is symbolically meant, therefore, by a sign in heaven, great and marvelous. That a sign in heaven symbolizes a revelation from the Lord regarding heaven and the church and their state, may be seen in nos. 532, 536 above. That it has to do with love and faith is because it is called great and marvelous, and greatness in the Word is predicated of things having to do with affection and love, while marvelousness is predicated of things having to do with thought and faith.
