723. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy. This symbolizes the Roman Catholic religion resting on the Word that the people profaned.

The woman symbolizes the Roman Catholic or Babel-like religion, for we are told in a following verse that "on her forehead a name was written: Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of the Whoredoms and Abominations of the Earth." That a woman symbolizes the church by virtue of its affection for truth may be seen in no. 434; here it is the Roman Catholic religion, which is impelled by the opposite affection. The scarlet beast symbolizes the Word, as will be seen presently; and its being full of names of blasphemy symbolizes the Word's being utterly profaned. For blasphemy symbolizes a denial of the Lord's Divinity in His humanity, and an adulteration of the Word (nos. 571, 582, 692, 715), thus its profanation. For someone who fails to acknowledge the Lord's Divinity in His humanity and falsifies the Word, but not intentionally, does indeed commit profanation, but lightly. But people who claim for themselves all the power of the Lord's Divine humanity, and for that reason deny His Divinity, and who apply everything in the Word to acquiring dominion for themselves over the sanctities of the church and heaven, and for that reason adulterate the Word - those people commit serious profanation.

It can be seen from this that the woman John saw sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy symbolizes the aforesaid religion resting on the Word that it profaned. The color scarlet symbolize the Word's truth from a celestial origin.

[2] The idea that the scarlet beast symbolizes the Word as to celestial Divine truth appears at first as far-fetched and foreign, indeed as absurd, because it is called a beast. But that a beast in the spiritual sense symbolizes a natural affection, and that it is used to symbolize the Word, the church and mankind, may be seen in nos. 239, 405, 567 above; that the four living creatures, one of which was a lion, the second a calf, and the fourth an eagle, symbolize the Word, and in Ezekiel are also called beasts, nos. 239, 275, 286, 672; and that a horse, which is also a beast, symbolizes an understanding of the Word (no. 298).

People know that the Lamb symbolizes the Lord, that sheep symbolize the people in a church, and that a flock symbolizes the church itself.

We cite these points lest anyone be surprised that the scarlet beast symbolizes the Word.

Moreover, because the Roman Catholic religion founds its might and its grandeur on the Word, therefore John saw the woman sitting on the scarlet beast, as before she sat on many waters (verse 1), the waters symbolizing the Word's truths adulterated and profaned (no. 719 above).

That the beast here symbolizes the Word is clearly apparent from what is said about it in the verses of this chapter that follow. As in verse 8:

The beast that you saw was, and is not... And those who dwell on the earth will marvel..., when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

In verse 11:

The beast that was, and is not, is itself the eighth (king), and is of the seven, and is going to destruction.

In verses 12, 13:

The ten horns... are ten kings..., (who) will give their power and authority to the beast.

In verse 17:

...God has put it into their hearts to... give their kingdom to the beast....

Statements like these could be made only in reference to the Word.

669. 15:5 After these things I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. This symbolically means that the inmost of heaven appeared, where the Lord is present in His holiness in the Word and in the Law contained in the Ten Commandments.

In the highest sense, the temple symbolizes the Lord in respect to His Divine humanity, and consequently heaven and the church (nos. 191, 529), here the Christian heaven. The tabernacle of the testimony symbolizes the inmost of that heaven, where the Lord resides in His holiness in the Word and in the Law contained in the Ten Commandments, since the Tabernacle likewise symbolizes heaven (no. 585); and the inmost of the Tabernacle was where the Ark was placed, containing the two tablets on which were written by the finger of God the ten precepts that constitute the ten commandments of the Decalogue, which are meant by the testimony here and are also called the Testimony. And it is apparent from this that John's saying, "I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened," means symbolically that the inmost of heaven appeared, where the Lord is present in His holiness in the Law contained in the Ten Commandments.

The tabernacle of the testimony symbolizes also where the Word exists because the term "testimony" is used not only of the Law contained in the Ten Commandments, but of the whole Word as well, and of the Lord as the embodiment of the Word, because the Word testifies concerning Him (nos. 490, 555).

[2] That the Word exists in heaven, in a repository in the inmost of heaven called a sanctuary, and that the light there is blazing and brilliant, surpassing in intensity any light in heaven outside that sanctuary, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding the Sacred Scripture, nos. 70-75. And with respect to the sanctuary, no. 73 there.

Regarding the holiness of the Law contained in the Ten Commandments, see The Doctrine of Life for the New Jerusalem in Accordance With the Commandments of the Decalogue, nos. 53-61.

To be shown that the Ark containing the two tablets of the Decalogue constituted the sanctuary or inmost of the Temple in Jerusalem, and so the tabernacle there, see 1 Kings 6:19-28; 8:3-9.

That the Law contained in the Ten Commandments was called the Testimony is clear from the following passages:

Moses... went down..., and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand... The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. (Exodus 32:15-16)

...two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God. (Exodus 31:18)

(Jehovah said,) "You shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will give you." (Exodus 25:16, 21-22)

Then (Moses) took the Testimony and put it into the ark... (Exodus 40:20)

...that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the Testimony... (Leviticus 16:13)

(Jehovah said to Moses,) "You shall place (the rods)...before the Testimony... And... Aaron's rod before the Testimony...." (Numbers 17:4, 10)

And Moses left the rods before Jehovah... (Numbers 17:7)

The Ark is called the Ark of testimony in Exodus 31:7, and the Tabernacle is called the Tabernacle of the Testimony in Exodus 38:21.