1196. Verse 1. After these things I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude in heaven signifies the joy and gladness of the angels of the higher heavens because of the condemnation and casting out of those signified by "Babylon" and by "the beasts of the dragon," and because of the light of Divine truth that will consequently arise for the sake of the New Church that is to be established by the Lord. This is evidently the signification of "the voice of a great multitude in heaven," for these are the subjects treated of in this and the following chapters; the condemnation and casting out of those meant by "Babylon" are treated of in verses 2-3; the condemnation and casting out of "the beasts of the dragon" in verses 19-21; joy because of the New Church to be established by the Lord in verses 7-9, 17-18; and the light springing therefrom in verses 11-16.

(Continuation)

[2] Something shall now be said about the life of animals, and afterwards about the soul of vegetables. The whole world, with each and every thing in it, came into existence and continues to exist from the Lord the Creator of the universe. There are two suns, the sun of the spiritual world and the sun of the natural world. The sun of the spiritual world is the Lord's Divine love, the sun of the natural world is pure fire. From the sun that is the Divine love every work of creation has begun, and by means of the sun that is fire it has been carried to completion.

[3] Everything that proceeds from the sun that is the Divine love is called spiritual, and everything that proceeds from the sun that is fire is called natural. The spiritual from its origin has life in itself, but the natural from its origin has nothing of life in itself. And because from these two fountains of the universe all things that are in both worlds have come into existence and continue to exist, it follows that there is in every created thing in this world a spiritual and a natural, a spiritual as its soul and a natural as its body, or a spiritual as its internal and a natural as its external; or a spiritual as the cause and a natural as the effect. That these two in any particular thing cannot be separated every wise person knows, for if you separate cause from effect or the internal from the external, the effect or the external goes to pieces, as when the soul is separated from the body.

[4] That there is such a conjunction in the particular and even in the most particular things of nature has not yet been known. It has not been known because of the existing ignorance respecting the spiritual world, the sun there, and heat and light there, and because of the insanity of sensual men in ascribing all things to nature, and rarely anything to God except creation in general; and yet not the least thing is possible or can be possible in nature in which there is not a spiritual. That this spiritual is in each and every thing of the three kingdoms of nature, and how it is therein, will be explained in what follows.

1195. APOCALYPSE. CHAPTER 19.

After these things I heard as it were a voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, Alleluia, salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God;

2. For true and just are His judgments; for He hath judged the great harlot that corrupted the earth with her whoredom, and He hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand.

3. And a second time they said, Alleluia; and her smoke shall go up unto the ages of the ages.

4. And the twenty-four elders and the four animals fell down and adored God who sitteth on the throne, saying, Amen, Alleluia.

5. And a voice came forth from the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye His servants, and ye that fear Him, both the small and the great.

6. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as it were the voice of many waters, and as it were the voice of mighty thunders, saying, Alleluia, for the Lord God, the Almighty, reigneth.

7. Let us rejoice and exult, and let us give the glory unto Him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready.

8. And it hath been given to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the just deeds of the saints.

9. And he said unto me, Write, Blessed are they that have been called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said unto me, These are the true words of God.

10. And I fell down before his feet to adore him; and he said unto me, See thou do it not; I am thy fellow servant and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus; adore God, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

11. And I saw the heaven opened, and behold a white horse, and He that sat upon him is called faithful and true, and in justice He doth judge and make war.

12. And His eyes are like a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems, having a name written that no one knoweth except Himself.

13. And He was clothed in a garment dyed with blood; and His name is called the Word of God.

14. And the armies that are in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen white and clean.

15. And out of His mouth went forth a sharp sword, that with it He may smite the nations; and he shall tend them with a rod of iron; and He treadeth the wine-press of the wine of the fury and anger of God Almighty.

16. And He hath on His garment and on His thigh a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

17. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a great voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and be gathered together unto the supper of the great God.

18. That ye may, eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders of thousands, and the flesh of the mighty, and the flesh of horses and of those that sit on them, and the flesh of all, free and bond, and small and great.

19. And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war with Him that sat upon the horse and with His army.

20. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that did signs before him, with which he seduced those that had received the mark of the beast and that adored his image; these two were cast alive into the lake of fire that burneth with brimstone.

21. And the rest were slain by the sword that proceeded out of the mouth of Him that sat upon the horse; and all the birds were filled with their flesh.

EXPLANATION

CONTENTS OF THE SEVERAL VERSES.

GLORIFICATION OF THE LORD BY THOSE WHO ARE IN THE LOWER HEAVENS BECAUSE OF THEIR DELIVERANCE FROM BABYLON (verses Revelation 19:1, 2):

THAT THEY MAY BE FOREVER DELIVERED FROM HER (verse Revelation 19:13).

GLORIFICATION OF THE LORD BY THE HIGHER HEAVENS FOR THE SAME REASON (verse Revelation 19:14).

ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE LORD OUT OF HEAVEN THAT THEY WORSHIP HIM (verse Revelation 19:15);

AND SHOULD REJOICE THAT THE NEW CHURCH IS APPEARING (verses Revelation 19:16, 7).

WHAT THAT CHURCH IS (verse Revelation 19:18).

ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE ANGELS TO THOSE WHO ARE ON THE EARTH RESPECTING THE NEW CHURCH (verses Revelation 19:19, 10).

THE COMING OF THE LORD IN THE WORD, AND THE OPENING OF THE WORD (verses Revelation 19:111-16).

THE CALLING OF ALL TO THAT CHURCH (verses Revelation 19:117, 18).

RESISTANCE BY THOSE WHO ARE IN FAITH SEPARATE, AND THE REMOVAL AND CONDEMNATION OF SUCH (verses Revelation 19:119-21).

After these things I heard as it were a voice of a great multitude in heaven saying, Alleluia, salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God. For true and just are His judgments, for He hath judged the great harlot that corrupted the earth with her whoredom, and He hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand. And a second time they said, Alleluia, and her smoke shall go up unto the ages of the ages.

1. "After these things I heard as it were a voice of a great multitude in heaven" signifies the joy and gladness of the angels of the higher heavens because of the condemnation and casting out of those signified by "Babylon" and by "the beasts of the dragon," and because of the light of Divine truth that will consequently arise for the sake of the New Church that is to be established by the Lord. n. 1196); "Saying, Alleluia," signifies glorification of the Lord. n. 1197); "salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God" signifies because eternal life is from the Lord through the Divine truth and the Divine good from His Divine omnipotence (n. 1198).

2. "For true and just are His judgments" signifies that the laws of the Divine providence and the works of the Lord are of the Divine wisdom and the Divine love (n. 1199); "for He hath judged the great harlot" signifies judgment upon those who have transferred to themselves dominion over the church and over heaven (n. 1200); "that corrupted the earth with her whoredom" signifies by whom all the truths of the church have been falsified, and all its goods adulterated (n. 1201); "and He hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand" signifies the deliverance of those that are in Divine truths from the Lord by the casting out of the Babylonians (n. 1202).

3. "And a second time they said, Alleluia," signifies the joy and gladness of the angels of the lower heavens (n. 1203); "and her smoke shall go up unto the ages of the ages" signifies that the falsity of evil that pertains to such is forever condemned to hell (n. 1204).