609. Who created heaven, and the things that are therein, and the earth, and the things that are therein, and the sea, and the things that are therein.- That this signifies the Lord as to all things, interior and exterior, of heaven and the church, is evident from the signification of creating, as denoting not only to cause a thing to be, but also to give it perpetual existence, by holding it together and sustaining it by the proceeding Divine; for the heavens have existed, and do perpetually exist, that is subsist, by the Divine of the Lord, which is called the Divine Truth united to Divine Good, and this received by the angels makes heaven; for this reason when heaven is mentioned, the Lord is meant, because heaven, where the angels are, is heaven from the Lord, that is from the Divine which goes forth from Himself; this, then, is the signification here, of creating; that to create, when spoken of the church, and the men of the church, means to create anew, that is, to regenerate, may be seen above (n. 294); and from the signification of heaven, the earth, and the sea, and the things which are in them, as denoting all things, interior and exterior, of heaven and the church. Heaven, the earth, and the sea, here signify specifically, the higher and lower heavens. Since in the spiritual world the appearance of things is similar to what it is in the natural world, consequently, there are mountains, lands, and seas, and the mountains there are the higher heavens, because the angels of those heavens dwell upon mountains, and the land and sea there are the lower heavens, for the angels of these heavens dwell below the mountains upon the lands, and as it were in seas (see above, n.594:18). For this reason the angel who said these things, was seen to stand upon the earth and the sea. The reason why the earth, and the sea, and the things which are in them, also signify all things of the church, both interior and exterior, is, that in the church there are things interior and exterior, just as in the heavens there are things higher and lower, and the former correspond to the latter. That the sea and the earth signify the church as to its exteriors and interiors, may be seen above (600).

According to the sense of the letter, heaven, the earth, and the sea, mean the visible heaven, the habitable earth, and the navigable sea, and the things therein mean the birds, beasts, and fishes. But that these things are not meant by those words, is evident from this fact, that the angel was seen by John, when in the spirit, standing upon the sea and upon the earth. And what is seen in the spirit, is not seen in the natural world, but in the spiritual world, where also, as said above, there are lands and seas, and also angels and spirits therein. Concerning the appearance of seas in that world, and concerning those therein, see above (n. 342).

875. For the hour of his judgment is come. That this signifies the separation of those who live according to Divine truths, from those who do not live according to them, is evident from the signification of hour, as denoting state, in this case the last state of the church, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of judgment, as denoting the separation of the good from the evil; consequently, of those who live according to the Lord's Divine truths from those who do not. For the latter are evil, but the former are good. That the separation of these is signified by the Last Judgment, is evident from the things set forth in the small work concerning The Last Judgment. That it is the separation of those who live according to Divine truths, from those who do not live according to them, is evident from the passages in the Word where the Last Judgment is treated of, as in Matthew 25, where the separation of the sheep from the goats is described. The sheep are those who have done good, and the goats those who have not done good. Also from the passages in the Word where it is said that every one shall be judged according to his works, that is, according to his life:

As in Matthew 16:27; John 5:29; Apoc. 14:13; 20:12, 13; 22:12; and elsewhere. See also above (n. 785).

The reason why it is called the hour of judgment is, that hour signifies not only time but also state, like day, week, month, year, and time in general; as may be seen above (n. 571, 610, 664, 673, 747, 761). And concerning the signification of hour in particular, see above (n. 194, 488, 673).

Hour and day are so often mentioned in the Word because of the spiritual sense which is in every part of it. For while man thinks of hour and day, and thence of time, the angels, who are in the spiritual sense of the Word, think of state. The reason is, that angels have no idea of time, because they have no days, weeks, months, and years, such as are in the world; but they have changes of state, by which they measure things successive; concerning which see the work on Heaven and Hell 162-169), where time in heaven is treated of.