The Bible

 

Revelation 21

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1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.

10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;

12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.

14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.

16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.

17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.

18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.

19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;

20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.

21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.

25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.

26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.

27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #1044

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1044. And pearls. That this signifies the appearance in externals as if they were in the knowledges of good and truth, although, in internals, they are in the knowledge of evil and falsity, is evident from the signification of pearls, as denoting the knowledges of good and truth, of which we shall speak presently. Hence, in the opposite sense, by pearls is signified the knowledge of evil and falsity, whence came their craftiness and malice.

That the Babylonian nation is such, namely, that they are desirous to appear holy, and thence to possess all good and truth, and the knowledges thereof, consequently, to be intelligent above all others in the world, although they have neither the good nor the truth, nor the knowledges thereof, and thence have no intelligence and wisdom in spiritual things. That they have not these, indeed, that they are insane as to these things, is plainly seen in the spiritual world, where the interiors of every man are opened and thence made manifest. These in the case of the monks, and even the Jesuits, who were reputed to be more intelligent than others, appeared so empty and void, that they did not know even a single truth that leads to heaven. They have been examined, and were found to be such.

[2] The reason why they appear in externals to be in goods, in true knowledges, intelligence and wisdom is, that they have subjected to their dominion all the holy things of the Word, of the church, and of worship; and because they consequently speak from authority with the common people, persuading them that the mysteries of heaven are in their hands, and that their Pope utters his edicts from inspiration just as the Prophets and Apostles did. And this, also, they can declare in a haughty manner, because they speak from the authority of dominion over souls, and over heaven and hell. And this also is believed by the common people from a belief in the sanctity of their instructors, without repugnance of heart, since they are kept, for that end, in gross darkness about spiritual things; in this darkness they impart to them spurious goods, and unmeaning truths, which they call Divine and heavenly. Indeed, so great is the darkness in which the common people are kept, that they are able to breathe into them diabolical and infernal evils and falsities, and cause such to believe them to be celestial and spiritual goods and truths. For in this and no other way could they be worshipped as deities, and subject the earth and the possessions thereof to their rule and disposal. Such are the things that lie concealed inwardly in them, while outwardly they appear to be clothed in crimson and scarlet, and decked with gold, precious stone, and pearls.

[3] That pearls signify the knowledges of good and truth, is evident from the following passages. In Matthew:

"The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a merchantman seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one precious pearl, went and sold all that he had, and bought it" (13:45, 46).

By the kingdom of the heavens is meant both heaven and the church. By the merchant-man are meant those who procure to themselves the goods and truths, by which heaven and the church [may be attained]. By pearls are signified the knowledges of good and truth; for these are the truths of the natural man. By one precious pearl is meant knowledge concerning the Lord and concerning His Divine. And by his going and selling all that he had, and buying it, is signified that he put away the proprium in order to receive life from the Lord.

[4] In the same:

"Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample on them with their feet, and turn again and rend you" (7:6).

By dogs are signified lusts and appetites. By swine are signified filthy loves, such as are those in the hells of adulterers. These being in the infernal marriage, which is that of falsity and evil, altogether reject goods and truths, and the knowledges thereof, and, moreover, treat them with ignominy and contempt. Therefore it is said, "Cast not your pearls before swine, lest they trample on them with their feet, and turn and rend you." To trample with the feet, denotes to reject altogether as dirt; and to turn and rend, denotes to treat with ignominy and contempt.

[5] By pearls are signified the knowledges of good and truth also in the following passages in the Apocalypse:

"The merchants of the earth shall weep and wail over Babylon, that no one buyeth their merchandise any more; merchandise of gold and silver, and of precious stones and pearls" (18:11, 12).

Also:

"The twelve gates" of the wall of the New Jerusalem were "twelve pearls; each gate was one pearl" (21:21).

Because by the gates for the New Jerusalem are signified those things pertaining to doctrine from the Word that introduce a man into the church, and these are the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, therefore the gates were seen to be of pearls.

  
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Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.