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 #265

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265. Verses Revelation 4:2-6. And immediately I was in the spirit; and behold, a throne was set in heaven, and upon the throne One sitting. And He that sat was in aspect like to a jasper stone and a sardius; and a rainbow was round about the throne in aspect like an emerald. And around the throne were four and twenty thrones, and upon the thrones I saw four and twenty elders sitting, arrayed in white garments, and they had on their heads golden crowns. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunders and voices; and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God; and in sight of the throne a glassy sea like crystal.

2. "And immediately I was in the spirit," signifies a spiritual state when there is revelation (n. 266); "and behold, a throne was set in heaven, and upon the throne One sitting," signifies the Lord in respect to the Last Judgment (n.267).

3. "And He that sat was in aspect like to a jasper stone and a sardius" signifies the Lord's appearance in respect to Divine truth pellucid by virtue of the Divine good of the Divine love n. 268; "and a rainbow was round about the throne in aspect like an emerald," signifies the appearance of Divine truth in the heavens about the Lord. n. 269).

4. "And around the throne were four and twenty thrones, and upon the thrones four and twenty elders sitting," signifies all truths from good in the higher heavens, arranged by the Lord before judgment n. 270; "arrayed in white garments," signifies all truths from good in the lower heavens (n. 271); "and they had on their heads golden crowns," signifies all truths arranged into order by Divine good, thus also all the former heavens n. 272.

5. "And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunders and voices," signifies illustration, understanding, and perception of Divine truth in the heavens n. 273; "and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God," signifies Divine truth itself united to Divine good, proceeding from the Lord's Divine love n. 274.

6. "And in sight of the throne a glassy sea like crystal," signifies the appearance of Divine truth in ultimates where its generals are, pellucid by virtue of the influx of Divine truth united to Divine good in firsts n. 275.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.

The Bible

 

Revelation 4:1

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1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.