saw
The symbolic meaning of "seeing" is "understanding," which is obvious enough that it has become part of common language (think about it; you might see...
heaven
"Air" in the Bible represents thought, but in a very general way – more like our capacity to perceive ideas and the way we tend...
the first
'Resurrection' signifies salvation and eternal life. 'The first,' mentioned in Revelation 20:5, 6, does not mean a first resurrection, but the essence and primary part...
sea
'The sea and the waves roaring' means heresy and controversies in the church and individual.
john
'John the apostle' signifies those who are in the good of life from charity and its faith. 'John,' as in Revelation 1:4, signifies the Lord...
city
Cities of the mountain and cities of the plain (Jeremiah 33:13) signify doctrines of charity and faith.
prepared
In general, when something is "prepared" in the Bible it means that it is in the proper spiritual order, which happens when our hearts and...
bride
It is because of a celestial and angelic proprium, or selfhood, that the church is called 'a woman,' 'a wife,' 'a bride,' 'a virgin,' and...
heard
Thanks to modern science, we now understand that hearing actually happens in the brain, not the ears. The ears collect vibrations in the air and...
great voice
In Revelation 5:2, 'a loud' or 'great voice' signifies divine truth from the Lord, in its power or virtue.
voice
'Voice' signifies what is announced from the Word. 'Voice' often refers and is applied to things that cannot have a voice, as in Exodus 4,...
Tabernacle of god
'The Tabernacle of God,' as in Revelation 21:3, signifies the celestial church. In a universal sense, it signifies the celestial kingdom of the Lord, and...
wipe away all tears from their eyes
'To wipe away all tears from their eyes,' as in Revelation 7:17, signifies that the people shall no longer be in combats against their evils...
tears
'A tear' signifies grief because of a lack of understanding of truth.
sorrow
Grief is anxiety of heart or will.
Pain
'Pain' signifies repugnant things arising from interior falsities, because what is repugnant is painful.
sat
If you think about sitting, it seems fair to say that where you're sitting is more important than that you're sitting. Sitting in a movie...
upon
'Over' or 'upon' in the Word, signifies being within, because the highest part in successive order becomes inmost in simultaneous order. This is why the...
said
As with many common verbs, the meaning of “to say” in the Bible is highly dependent on context. Who is speaking? Who is hearing? What...
make
'Make mention' denotes communication.
all things
The Lord is life itself, is the Creator of the universe, and is the source of life on an ongoing basis. So in a literal...
write
If knowing what’s right were the same as doing what’s right, we would all be thin, healthy, hard-working, law-abiding, faithful to our spouses and free...
True and faithful
In Revelation 21:5, 'these words are true and faithful' signifies that they may know this for certain, because the Lord Himself testified and said it.
fountain
The Word is sometimes called 'a well,' and sometimes 'a fountain.' It is called 'a well' regarding the literal sense, and 'a fountain' regarding the...
Water of life
'Water of life' signifies divine truths from the Lord through the Word.
life
In John 14:6, 'the way is doctrine,' 'the truth' is every thing pertaining to doctrine, and 'the life' is the essential good which is the...
overcometh
'To overcome' signifies receiving in heart. 'To overcome' signifies conquering temptations, and remaining in a state of faith derived from charity.
unbelieving
'Unfaithful,' as in Revelation 21:8, signifies people not in charity towards their neighbor. These people are insincere and fraudulent, so unfaithful.
idolaters
'Idolaters' signify those who establish worship or are in worship not from the Word, and consequently not from the Lord, but from self-derived intelligence. This...
lake
A lake' signifies where there is truth in abundance, and also where false ideas abound. A lake of waters' signifies knowledges of truth.
brimstone
Brimstone (Isa. 34:9, etc.) signifies filthy lusts.
Seven angels
'The seven angels,' as in Revelation 15:1 and 16:1, signify heaven, and in the highest sense, the Lord.
angels
"Angels" in the Bible represent qualities of the Lord himself, or a variety of things that come directly from the Lord. On a lower level...
vials
In Revelation 14, 'the seven vials' have the same significance as the seven plagues, because they are containing vessels. Anything containing something, in the Word,...
Full
'To satiate' relates to the extent of a person's will, for good or evil.
plagues
'Plagues' signify evils of love, and falsities of faith. 'The plagues of Egypt' signify the falsities and lust which cause the church to perish. In...
talked
Like "say," the word "speak" refers to thoughts and feelings moving from our more internal spiritual levels to our more external ones – and ultimately...
come
Coming (Gen. 41:14) denotes communication by influx.
shew
'Shew' signifies instruction to the life.
wife
It is because of a celestial and angelic proprium, or selfhood, that the church is called 'a woman,' 'a wife,' 'a bride,' 'a virgin,' and...
spirit
'The seven spirits' in Matthew 12:45 signify all falsities of evil, and as a result, a total extinction of goodness and truth. 'The seven spirits'...
high
'Height' signifies what is inward, and also heaven.
glory
We tend to speak somewhat casually of "truth from the Lord," but in actual fact the Writings tell us that in its true form the...
wall
'A wall' signifies truth in outer extremes. 'A wall,' as in Revelation 21, signifies the divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and so, the truth...
twelve
'Twelve' and 'twenty-four' signify "all" or "everything", and refer to truths.
twelve gates
The twelve gates of the new Jerusalem signify the primary knowledges of truth and good which introduce a person into the church. The gates are...
written
If knowing what’s right were the same as doing what’s right, we would all be thin, healthy, hard-working, law-abiding, faithful to our spouses and free...
twelve tribes
'The twelve tribes of Israel' signify all the goods and truths of the church in their order. 'The twelve angels' in Revelation 21:12 signify the...
three
The Writings talk about many aspects of life using the philosophical terms "end," "cause" and "effect." The "end" is someone’s goal or purpose, the ultimate...
west
'The west' signifies people in obscured good, and in an opposite sense, people in evil. 'The west' signifies the affection of truth.
foundations
A foundation signifies truth on which heaven and the church, and its doctrines are founded.
golden
A golden reed,' as in Revelation 21:15, symbolizes a power or ability springing from the goodness of love
Reed
A golden reed,' as in Revelation 21:15, symbolizes a power or ability springing from the goodness of love
measure
'To measure' signifies knowing and exploring the quality of something.
measured
'To measure' signifies knowing and exploring the quality of something.
furlongs
Furlongs signify progressions in a series according to thoughts proceeding from affection. Furlongs, being measured ways, signify leading truths.
angel
"Angels" in the Bible represent qualities of the Lord himself, or a variety of things that come directly from the Lord. On a lower level...
foundation
The twelve precious stones in the foundation of the New Jerusalem signify every aspect of the doctrines of the New Jerusalem, in their order, from...
foundations of the wall of the city
The twelve precious stones in the foundation of the New Jerusalem signify every aspect of the doctrines of the New Jerusalem, in their order, from...
garnished with all manner of precious stones
The twelve precious stones in the foundation of the New Jerusalem signify every aspect of the doctrines of the New Jerusalem, in their order, from...
precious stones
The twelve precious stones in the foundation of the New Jerusalem signify every aspect of the doctrines of the New Jerusalem, in their order, from...
third
The Writings talk about many aspects of life using the philosophical terms "end," "cause" and "effect." The "end" is someone’s goal or purpose, the ultimate...
Sardonyx
'Sardonyx' is one of a series of stones in the foundation of the New Jerusalem that symbolize all the doctrines of the New Jerusalem from...
sixth
Like most numbers in the Bible, "six" can have various meanings depending on context, but has a couple that are primary. When used in relation...
sardius
'Pyropus' or 'sardine stone' signifies good.
Beryl
'Beryl,' as in Daniel 10:6, signifies the good of charity and faith. Beryl is a sparkling precious stone.
Chrysoprasus
Chrysoprasus (Exod. 28:18) signifies the celestial love of truth.
jacinth
Hyacinthine or color of jacinth signifies the intelligence that is derived from spiritual love, because that color partakes of the redness of fire, and the...
pearls
'Pearls' signify knowledges of truth, and truths themselves, and 'the one pearl of great price,' in Matthew 13:45, 46, signifies the knowledge and acknowledgment of...
pearl
'Pearls' signify knowledges of truth, and truths themselves, and 'the one pearl of great price,' in Matthew 13:45, 46, signifies the knowledge and acknowledgment of...
several gate
The twelve gates of the new Jerusalem signify the primary knowledges of truth and good which introduce a person into the church. The gates are...
street of the city
The 'streets of the New Jerusalem,' as in Revelation 21, signify every aspect of truth which leads to good, or all aspects of faith which...
temple
'A temple' represents heaven and the church. The sacred place where the ark was, represents the inmost, or third heaven, and the church among people...
almighty
The Lord is called 'omnipotent,' as in Revelation 19, from His power of separating the good from the evil by means of the last judgment,...
shine
'To shine' or 'shining' signifies being exempt from falsity, or pure by reason of truth.
light
(Luke 15:8.) By the woman lighting a candle to find the piece of silver she had lost, is signified inquisition in herself from affection.
walk
To walk in the Bible represents living, and usually means living according to the true things taught to us by the Lord -- to "walk...
enter
All changes of place in the Bible represent changes in spiritual state. “Entering” – usually used as entering someone’s house or “going in unto” someone...