The Bible

Revelation 22

King James Version

¹ And he shewed me a pure river of water of liferiver of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

² In the midst of the street of it, and on either sideside of the river, was there the tree of lifetree of life, which bare twelvetwelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leavesleaves of the tree were for the healinghealing of the nations.

³ And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serveserve him:

⁴ And they shall seesee his face; and his name shall be in their foreheadsforeheads.

⁵ And there shall be no night there; and they need no candlecandle, neither lightlight of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them lightlight: and they shall reign for everever and everever.

⁶ And he saidsaid unto me, These sayingssayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angelangel to shewshew unto his servants the things which must shortlyshortly be done.

⁷ Behold, I comecome quicklyquickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayingssayings of the prophecy of this book.

⁸ And I JohnJohn sawsaw these things, and heardheard them. And when I had heardheard and seenseen, I fell down to worshipworship before the feet of the angelfeet of the angel which shewed me these things.

⁹ Then saithsaith he unto me, SeeSee thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayingssayings of this book: worshipworship God.

¹⁰ And he saithsaith unto me, Seal not the sayingssayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

¹¹ He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteousrighteous, let him be righteousrighteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

¹² And, behold, I comecome quicklyquickly; and my rewardreward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

¹³ I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the firstthe first and the last.

¹⁴ Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right toto the tree of lifetree of life, and may enterenter in through the gates into the citycity.

¹⁵ For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolatersidolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

¹⁶ I Jesus have sent mine angelangel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning starstar.

¹⁷ And the SpiritSpirit and the bridebride saysay, ComeCome. And let him that heareth saysay, ComeCome. And let him that is athirst ComeCome. And whosoever will, let him take the water of lifewater of life freely.

¹⁸ For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plaguesplagues that are writtenwritten in this book:

¹⁹ And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of lifelife, and out of the holy citycity, and from the things which are writtenwritten in this book.

²⁰ He which testifieth these things saithsaith, Surely I comecome quicklyquickly. AmenAmen. Even so, comecome, Lord Jesus.

²¹ The gracegrace of our Lord Jesus ChristJesus Christ be with you all. AmenAmen.

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Study the Inner Meaning

From Swedenborg's Works

Main explanations:

Arcana Coelestia 9481

Apocalypse Revealed 36, 348, 473, 626, 932, 933, 934, ...

A Brief Exposition of New Church Doctrine 71

Divine Providence 263

Doctrine of the Lord 61

Other references to this chapter:

Arcana Coelestia 109, 411, 885, 1530, 2336, 2702, 2851, ...

Apocalypse Revealed 0, 1, 13, 43, 50, 151, 173, ...

A Brief Exposition of New Church Doctrine 98, 101

Conjugial Love 81, 135

Divine Providence 128, 134, 264

Doctrine of the Lord 36, 51

The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding the Sacred Scripture 2, 13, 87, 98

Doctrine of Life 2, 105

Heaven and Hell 471

The Last Judgement 41

True Christian Religion 19, 48, 59, 102, 190, 252, 261, ...

References from Swedenborg's drafts, indexes & diaries:

Apocalypse Explained 62, 71, 72, 98, 109, 110, 148, ...

On the Athanasian Creed 112

Canons of the New Church 5

Coronis (An Appendix to True Christian Religion) 5, 7

Divine Wisdom 8

An Invitation to the New Church 1

Marriage 19, 48, 59, 102

Scriptural Confirmations 2, 4, 5, 11, 32

The Difference Between Grace and Mercy

Grace and mercy are mentioned a lot in the Bible and both come from God, but what's the difference? We dig into the spiritual difference between these two divine auras and how we can open ourselves up to them.

Resources for parents and teachers

The items listed here are provided courtesy of our friends at the General Church of the New Jerusalem. You can search/browse their whole library at the New Church Vineyard website.

Alpha and Omega Design
Coloring Page | Ages 7 - 14

Alpha and Omega, First and Last
Coloring Page | Ages 7 - 14

Enter Through the Gates
Those who do the Lord's commandments may enter the gates of the Holy City and see the Tree of Life. Draw a picture of the Tree of Life and lay open gates on top of it.
Project | Ages 7 - 14

His Name on Our Foreheads
Worship Talk | Ages over 18

I Am Thy Fellow Servant
Worship Talk | Ages 7 - 14

John's Vision of the Tree of Life: Felt Board
Provides a pattern for cutting the Tree of Life and fruit for this felt board activity.
Project | Ages up to 6

Leaves for Healing of the Nations
Activity | Ages over 15

Memory Verse: Blessings from the Lord
Activity | Ages 4 - 14

Memory Verse: The Tree of Life and the Crystal River
Activity | Ages 4 - 14

Names of the Lord
Sunday School Lesson | Ages 9 - 12

New Church Day: The 19th of June
A New Church Bible story explanation for teaching Sunday school. Includes lesson materials for Primary (3-8 years), Junior (9-11 years), Intermediate (12-14 years), Senior (15-17 years) and Adults.
Teaching Support | Ages over 3

New Church Day: The Second Coming
A New Church Bible story explanation for teaching Sunday school. Includes lesson materials for Primary (3-8 years), Junior (9-11 years), Intermediate (12-14 years), Senior (15-17 years) and Adults.
Teaching Support | Ages over 3

New Church Day: The Teachings of the New Church
A New Church Bible story explanation for teaching Sunday school. Includes lesson materials for Primary (3-8 years), Junior (9-11 years), Intermediate (12-14 years), Senior (15-17 years) and Adults.
Teaching Support | Ages over 3

Painting the River of Life
Use felt tip pens to draw the river of life, then go over it with a wet paint brush.
Project | Ages 4 - 10

Picture the Tree of Life with Play Dough
Use play dough or another modeling compound to make a picture of the Tree of Life on a piece of cover stock paper or other stiff paper. Then add colored beads for the twelve different kinds of fruit.
Project | Ages 4 - 10

Prayers for Adults: Prophecies of the Advent
Activity | Ages over 18

Prayers for Teens: Prophecies of the Advent
Activity | Ages 15 - 17

Prayers for Teens: Water and Baptism
Activity | Ages 15 - 17

Quotes: The Tree of Life and the Crystal River
Teaching Support | Ages over 15

Reading Chart: The Tree of Life
Color a leaf on this beautiful tree of life reading chart each time you read a chapter or two of the Lord's Word.
Activity | Ages 7 - 14

River of Life, Tree of Life
Lesson outline provides teaching ideas with questions for discussion, projects, and activities.
Sunday School Lesson | Ages 7 - 10

Sending Out the Twelve Disciples
Coloring Page | Ages 7 - 14

Sending Out the Twelve Disciples
Lesson outline provides teaching ideas with questions for discussion, projects, and activities.
Sunday School Lesson | Ages 7 - 10

Stars
Sunday School Lesson | Ages 9 - 12

The Angel
Coloring Page | Ages 7 - 14

The Clear River and the Fruitful Tree
Article | Ages 15 - 17

The End of John's Vision
A New Church Bible story explanation for teaching Sunday school. Includes lesson materials for Primary (3-8 years), Junior (9-11 years), Intermediate (12-14 years), Senior (15-17 years) and Adults.
Teaching Support | Ages over 3

The End of John’s Vision (3-5 years)
Project | Ages 4 - 6

The End of John’s Vision (6-8 years)
Project | Ages 7 - 10

The End of John’s Vision (9-11 years)
Project | Ages 11 - 14

The Holy City 2
A New Church Bible story explanation for teaching Sunday school. Includes lesson materials for Primary (3-8 years), Junior (9-11 years), Intermediate (12-14 years), Senior (15-17 years) and Adults.
Teaching Support | Ages over 3

The Meaning of the Tree of Life
Worship Talk | Ages over 18

The Number Twelve in the Word Crossword Puzzle
Discover times when the number twelve appears throughout the Word.
Activity | Ages 9 - 13

The Pure River and the Tree of Life
Color picture of the river of pure water coming from the throne of God with the tree of life on either side bearing twelve fruit. The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
Picture | Ages up to 14

The River of Water of Life
Worship Talk | Ages 7 - 14

The Second Coming
While many anticipate the return of Jesus Christ to earth, the New Church teaches the Lord has already made His second coming in the teachings for the New Church.
Sunday School Lesson | Ages 11 - 17

The Tree of Life
Worship Talk | Ages 7 - 14

The Tree of Life
Sunday School Lesson | Ages 9 - 12

The Tree of Life (3-5 years)
Project | Ages 4 - 6

The Tree of Life (6-8 years)
Project | Ages 7 - 10

The Tree of Life (9-11 years)
Project | Ages 11 - 14

The Tree of Life with Twelve Kinds of Fruit
Coloring Page | Ages 7 - 14

The True Water of Life
Worship Talk | Ages over 18

The Water of Life
Coloring Page | Ages 7 - 14

The Water of Life from the Throne of God
Coloring Page | Ages 7 - 14

Tree of Life Banner
Use various colors of felt to make this banner. Note that the illustration shows one Tree of Life spanning the river of the water so that it is one tree on both sides of the river.
Project | Ages 7 - 14

From Swedenborg's Works

Arcana Coelestia #9481

Arcana Coelestia (Elliott translation)

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9481. 'In accordance with all that I show you, the pattern of the dwelling-place' means a representative of heaven where the Lord is. This is clear from the meaning of 'the pattern of the dwelling-place' as a representative of heaven; for 'the pattern' means a representative, and 'the dwelling-place' means heaven. The reason why 'the pattern' means a representative is that Divine realities in heaven are also manifested in visible shapes, which are representatives. For the meaning of 'the dwelling-place' as heaven where the Lord is, see 8269, 8309. What the representatives that appear in heaven are like is clear in the prophets, for example in John's Book of Revelation, in which he describes lampstands, Chapter 1:12ff; a throne with twenty-four thrones around it, and four living creatures before the throne, Chapter 4:2ff; a book sealed with seven seals, Chapter 5; horses going out when the seals were opened, Chapter 6; angels who are clothed in various ways and have bowls, Chapters 9, 10, 15, 16; a white horse, Chapter 19; and at length a new Jerusalem, its walls, gates, foundations, height, breadth, and length, Chapters 21, 22. Similar sights are also described by other prophets.

[2] All those sights are representatives such as appear unceasingly in heaven before angels' eyes, manifesting in visible shapes the Divine celestial realities that belong to the good of love and the Divine spiritual realities that belong to the good of faith. Such realities taken all together were represented by the tabernacle and its contents, that is, the ark itself, the table on which loaves were laid, the altar of incense, the lampstand, and everything else. Therefore when these objects, being outward forms of Divine celestial and spiritual realities, were beheld by the people while they were engaged in holy acts of worship, such realities as were represented by those objects were brought to notice in heaven. These, as stated above, were the Divine celestial realities that belong to the good of love to the Lord and the Divine spiritual realities that belong to the good of faith in the Lord. All the representatives of that Church had that kind of effect in heaven. It should be realized that a person always has spirits and angels present with him and that a person cannot live without them. It should likewise be realized that through them the person is linked to the Lord, and that in this way the human race, and heaven too, is kept in being. From this one can see what purpose was served by the representatives and also the ritual observances of the Church established among the Israelite nation. One can also see what purpose is served by the Word, in which all things mentioned in the sense of the letter correspond to Divine realities that exist in heaven, thus in which all the objects mentioned are representative and all the words used carry a spiritual meaning. This is what brings about the linking of a person to heaven, and through heaven to the Lord. Without that link the person would have no life whatever, for without being linked to the actual Essential Being (Esse) of life, from which the Coming-into-Being (Existere) of life emanates, no one has life.

[3] But these considerations are unintelligible to those who think that life exists essentially in a person himself and that a person lives without spirits or angels, thus without influx from the Divine by way of heaven. But in actual fact anything that is not linked to the Divine perishes and ceases to exist. Indeed nothing can ever come into being without that which is prior to itself, thus without the Divine, who is the First and is self-existent Being (Esse) or Jehovah; nor consequently can it remain in being, for remaining in being is constant coming-into-being. Because 'the dwelling-place' means heaven where the Lord is, it also means the good of love and faith, since these compose heaven; and because all good comes from the Lord, and heaven is called heaven by virtue of its love to and faith in the Lord, 'the dwelling-place' also means in the highest sense the Lord, as is evident in Isaiah 63:15; Jeremiah 25:30; Ezekiel 37:26-27; Psalms 26:8; 43:3; 90:1; 91:9; Exodus 15:13; Deuteronomy 12:5, 11; and other places. From this it is clear that the tabernacle was called Jehovah's sanctuary and dwelling-place for the reason that it represented the realities mentioned above.

(References: Exodus 25:9)

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Study this Passage

From Swedenborg's Works

Inbound References:

Arcana Coelestia 9482, 9576, 9670, 9739, 9854, 9873, 9928, 9954, 9963, 10001, 10022, 10103, 10108, 10129, 10150, 10177, 10195, 10230, 10268, 10270, 10304, 10337, 10338

Divine Love and Wisdom 377

The White Horse 12

The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine 261

References from Swedenborg's drafts, indexes & diaries:

Apocalypse Explained 62, 133, 277, 324, 375, 392, 630, 700

Swedenborg Research Tools

The Bible

Revelation 9

King James Version

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¹ And the fifth angelangel sounded, and I sawsaw a starstar fall from heavenheaven unto the earth: and to him was given the keykey of the bottomless pit.

² And he openedopened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the airthe sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.

³ And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given powerpower, as the scorpionsscorpions of the earth have powerpower.

⁴ And it was commanded them that they should not hurthurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheadsforeheads.

⁵ And to them it was given that they should not killkill them, but that they should be tormentedtormented five months: and their tormenttorment was as the tormenttorment of a scorpionscorpion, when he striketh a man.

⁶ And in those days shall men seekseek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to diedie, and death shall flee from them.

⁷ And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses preparedprepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.

⁸ And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.

⁹ And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of ironiron; and the sound of their wingssound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.

¹⁰ And they had tails like unto scorpionsscorpions, and there were stingsstings in their tails: and their powerpower was to hurthurt men five months.

¹¹ And they had a king overover them, which is the angelangel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is AbaddonAbaddon, but in the GreekGreek tongue hath his name ApollyonApollyon.

¹² One woewoe is past; and, behold, there comecome two woes more hereafter.

¹³ And the sixthsixth angelangel sounded, and I heardheard a voicevoice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,

¹⁴ Saying to the sixthsixth angelangel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angelsangels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

¹⁵ And the four angelsangels were loosed, which were preparedprepared for an hourhour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the thirdthird part of men.

¹⁶ And the number of the army of the horsemenhorsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heardheard the number of them.

¹⁷ And thus I sawsaw the horses in the vision, and them that satsat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstonebrimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstonebrimstone.

¹⁸ By these threethree was the thirdthird part of men killedkilled, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstonebrimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

¹⁹ For their powerpower is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurthurt.

²⁰ And the rest of the men which were not killedkilled by these plaguesplagues yet repented not of the works of their handshands, that they should not worshipworship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can seesee, nor hearhear, nor walkwalk:

²¹ Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornicationfornication, nor of their thefts.

← Previous Next →

Study the Inner Meaning

From Swedenborg's Works

Main explanations:

Arcana Coelestia 9481

Apocalypse Revealed 36, 419, 422, 423, 424, 425, 426, ...

A Brief Exposition of New Church Doctrine 88

Other references to this chapter:

Arcana Coelestia 396, 454, 455, 756, 1082, 1861, 2446, ...

Apocalypse Revealed 51, 53, 62, 322, 420, 421, 444, ...500, 657, 773, 935, 945

A Brief Exposition of New Church Doctrine 93

Divine Providence 134

Doctrine of the Lord 52

The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding the Sacred Scripture 13

Heaven and Hell 570

True Christian Religion 110, 113, 157, 162, 182, 310, 462, ...628, 634, 635

References from Swedenborg's drafts, indexes & diaries:

Apocalypse Explained 55, 72, 130, 194, 262, 283, 316, ...

An Invitation to the New Church 22

Marriage 110, 113

Scriptural Confirmations 4, 32