258. CHAPTER 4.

1. AFTER this I saw, and, behold, a door opened in heaven; and the first voice which I heard, as it were of a trumpet, speaking with me, said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must come to pass hereafter.

2. And immediately I was in the spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and upon the throne one sitting.

3. And he that sat was in aspect like a jasper and a sardius and there was a rainbow round about the throne in aspect like unto an emerald.

4. And round about the throne were four-and-twenty thrones; and upon the thrones I saw four-and-twenty elders sitting, clothed in white garments; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

5. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices; and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

6. And before the throne there was a glassy sea like unto crystal; and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four animals full of eyes before and behind.

7. And the first animal was like a lion, and the second animal like a calf, and the third animal had a face like a man, and the fourth animal was like a flying eagle.

8. And the four animals had each by itself six wings round about; and they were full of eyes within; and they had no rest day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come.

9. And when the animals gave glory and honour and thanks to him that sitteth on the throne, who liveth unto the ages of the ages)

10. The four-and-twenty elders fell down before him that sitteth on the throne, and worshipped him that liveth unto the ages of the ages, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

11. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power; for thou hast created all things, and by thy will they are, and were created.

THE EXPLANATION.

IT was stated above (n. 5), that the subject treated of in this prophetical book is not the successive states of the Christian church from its beginning to its end, as has been hitherto believed, but the state of the church and of heaven in the last times, when there would be a new heaven and a new earth, that is, when there would be a new church formed in the heavens and on earth, thus when judgment takes place. It is said a new church in the heavens, because there is a church there just as on earth (as may be seen in the work, Heaven and Hell 221-227). Because these are the subjects treated of in this book, therefore the first chapter treats of the Lord, who is the Judge; and the second and third of those who belong to the church, and of those who do not belong to the church, thus it treats of those who are in the former heaven, which is to be abolished, and of those who are in the new heaven, which is to be formed. (That by the seven churches which are treated of in the second and third chapters, are meant all those who are in the church, and also everything pertaining to the church, may be seen above, n. 256, 257.) The subject now treated of in this fourth chapter is the arrangement of all things, especially in the heavens, before judgment; therefore a throne was now seen in heaven, and round about it twenty-four thrones, upon which were twenty-four elders; also, near the throne, four animals, which are cherubim. That by those things is described the arrangement of all things before the judgment, and for judgment, will be seen in the explanation of this chapter. It should be known that before any change takes place everything is pre-arranged and prepared for the future event; for all things are foreseen by the Lord, and according to this foresight are disposed and provided for. By the throne, therefore, in the midst of heaven is meant judgment, and by Him who sat upon it, the Lord; by the four-and-twenty thrones upon which were four-and-twenty elders, are meant all truths in their whole extent, from which and according to which judgment is. By the four animals, which are cherubim, is meant the Lord's Divine Providence, lest the former heavens should suffer harm by the remarkable change about to take place, and that afterwards everything might be done according to order; that is to say, that those who are interiorly evil might be separated from those who are interiorly good, and the latter be elevated into heaven, but the former cast down to hell.

546. But the men only that have not the seal of God on their foreheads, signifies but only to the understanding of truth and the perception of good in those who are not in truths from good from the Lord. This is evident from the signification of "man," as being the affection of truth, and intelligence and wisdom therefrom (See above, n. 280), here the understanding of truth and the perception of good (of which presently); also from the signification of "having the seal of God on their foreheads," as being to be in truths from good from the Lord (See above, n. 427).

[2] "Man" signifies the understanding of truth and the perception of good, because it is by virtue of these that man is man, therefore when "man" is mentioned in the Word it means in the spiritual sense that by virtue of which man is man, for this is his spiritual [part]. Man has two faculties of which his whole life is made up, namely, understanding and will; therefore such as is the quality of his understanding and will such is the man. If he has the understanding of truth and the will of good he is truly a man, for truth and good are from the Lord, and it is from the Lord alone that man is man (as can be seen from what has been shown in the work on Heaven and Hell 59-102). But if he has not the understanding of truth and the will of good, but falsity in the place of truth and evil in the place of good, he is still called a man, yet he is not a man except from this alone, that he has the faculty of understanding truth and perceiving good (of which in the following article). From this it can be seen that in the Word by "men" such things as constitute them men are meant, and here the understanding of truth and the perception of good.

[3] That the understanding of truth and the perception of good are here meant by "men" can be seen from its being said that the locusts might "hurt men," but not "the grass of the earth, nor the green thing, nor the trees;" and a "locust" signifies the ultimate of man's life which is called the sensual; and when this, while man is reading or listening to the Word, is in the persuasion of falsity, it still does not hurt or do harm to anything of the Word in the sense of its letter, for this sense is for the sensual-natural man; he believes it, although he applies it to confirm his falsities; but it does hurt and do harm to the understanding of truth and the perception of good; for the sensual man is unable to raise his thought above the sense of the letter of the Word, and if he tries to do so he either falls into falsity or his persuasive faith respecting the Word perishes. From this it can now be known what is meant by these words, that the locusts should "not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but those men only that have not the seal of God on their foreheads."