1094. And the earth was lightened by his glory, signifies the church now in light from the influx and reception of Divine truth. This is evident from the signification of "the earth," as being the church (of which frequently); also from the signification of "to be lightened," as meaning to be in light; also from the signification of "glory," as being, in reference to the Lord who is here meant by the angel, the Divine truth (See n. 33, 288, 345, 874). That "glory" means the Divine truth, since that is the light of heaven and from it angels have all their wisdom and happiness, and also magnificence, may be seen n. 678. It is said of the angel coming down out of heaven, that he had "great authority," and that "the earth was lightened by his glory," because the Last Judgment was effected on those who are meant by "the harlot or Babylon," for this is the meaning of the words of the angel:

Fallen, fallen is Babylon, and is become a habitation of demons, and a hold of every unclean spirit, and a hold of every unclean and hateful bird (Revelation 18:2).

And when judgment had been effected upon these, the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord came into its power and into its light; for so long as the Babylonians were tolerated under heaven they were like the dense and dusky clouds between heaven and earth by which the rays of light from the sun are intercepted and the day is darkened; and this for the reason that the Divine truth, which is the Word, was not only falsified but also rejected; and moreover, by transferring the Lord's Divine authority to themselves they annihilated it. These and many other things, so long as they were permitted to make dwelling places for themselves under the heavens, were like dusky clouds between heaven and earth, through which the Divine truth could not pass to enlighten any man of the church. But as soon as they had been driven away and cast into hell, there was an accession of power and light to the Divine truth that proceeded from the Lord as a sun, to the extent that the Lord could lead more powerfully and enlighten more clearly not only the spirits who are under the heavens, but also the men in the church. This is why the spiritual sense of the Word was not revealed and the state of heaven and hell manifested until the Last Judgment had been accomplished, for if before there would have been no power and light in the Divine truth.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

[2] Since man when born is not in any society either heavenly or infernal, being without thought, and yet is born for eternal life, it follows that in the course of time he either opens heaven or opens hell to himself, and enters into societies, and becomes an inhabitant either of heaven or of hell even while he is in the world. Man becomes an inhabitant of the spiritual world, because that is his real dwelling place, and as it is called, his native land, for there he is to live to eternity after he has lived some years in the natural world. From this it may be concluded how necessary it is for a man to know what it is in him that opens heaven and leads him into its societies, and what it is that opens hell and leads him into its societies. This will be told in the appendices to the following articles. Here let it be said that a man lets himself more and more into the societies of heaven successively according to the increase of wisdom, and into more and more interior societies successively according to the increase of the love of good; also that so far as heaven is opened to him hell is closed. But it is man who opens hell to himself, while it is the Lord who opens heaven to man.

678. And gave glory to the God of heaven, signifies that they acknowledged and worshipped the Lord. This is evident from the signification of "giving glory" or of "glorifying," as being to acknowledge and worship (of which presently); also from the signification of "the God of heaven," as being the Lord. That the Lord is the God of heaven He Himself made clear when He was in the world and when He departed out of the world. When He was in the world He said in John:

The Father hath given all things into the hand of the Son (John 3:35).

The Father hath given to the Son power over all flesh (John 17:2).

And in Matthew:

All things have been delivered unto Me by the Father (Matthew 11:27).

And when He departed out of the world He said to the disciples:

All power hath been given unto Me in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18).

From this it is clear that the Lord is the God of heaven.

[2] "To give glory" means to acknowledge and worship the Lord, because "to give glory" signifies that to Him alone glory belongs because He is the God of heaven and earth, and at the same time to acknowledge that all things of the church are from Him, thus all salvation and eternal life. From this it follows that "to give glory" and "to glorify," in reference to God, mean to worship and to adore Him. In reference to the Lord, "glory" properly signifies in the Word the Divine truth proceeding from Him, for the reason that this Divine truth is the light of heaven, and from that light angels and men have not only all their intelligence and wisdom, but also all their happiness, and besides this, all magnificence in the heavens, which is ineffable; these, therefore, are what are properly signified by "the glory of God;" and because Divine truth is glory it follows that "the glory of the Lord" means to enlighten angels and men, and to bestow intelligence and wisdom, and to bless with felicities and delights, and also to make magnificent all things in the heavens, and that this glory is not from the love of glory, but from love towards the human race. This is why the Lord says in John:

Herein is My Father glorified that ye may bear much fruit, and may become My disciples (John 15:8);

again:

The words which Thou hast given Me I have given unto them, and I am glorified in them (John 17:8, 10).

[3] That this is the glory of the Lord can be seen from this, that the light of heaven, from which is all wisdom, beauty, and magnificence in the heavens, proceeds from the Lord as a sun, and it is the Lord's Divine love that appears to the angels as a sun. From this it is clear that the light of heaven, which in its essence is Divine truth and Divine wisdom, is the Divine love proceeding; and as love desires nothing else than to give that which is its own to another, thus to fill others with blessedness, what will not the Divine love do? Nevertheless, the Lord cannot give His glory to anyone and fill him with wisdom and blessedness unless he acknowledges and worships the Lord, for it is by this that man conjoins himself to the Lord by love and faith; for in order that acknowledgment and worship may be acknowledgment and worship, it must be from love and faith; and without conjunction by means of these no good can flow in from the Lord, because it is not received. All this makes clear that "to give glory to the God of heaven" means to acknowledge and worship the Lord.

[4] That "glory" signifies the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and that the Lord's glory with man is the reception of Divine truth, may be seen above (n. 33, 345). That the Lord's glorification is from the Lord Himself, and that with men and angels it is the reception and acknowledgment that every good and truth and everything of salvation and life is from the Lord, may also be seen above n. 288.

304.

601.