302. I have talked with angels about the conjunction of heaven with the human race, and I said that, while the man of the Church declares that all good is from God, and that angels are with man, yet few believe that angels are conjoined to man, still less that they are in his thought and affection. To this the angels replied that they know that there is such a belief and even such a mode of speaking in the world, and especially, to their surprise, within the Church, where yet there is the Word to teach men about heaven and its conjunction with man. Nevertheless, there is such a conjunction that man is unable to think the least thing apart from the spirits adjoined to him, and on this his spiritual life depends. They said that the cause of ignorance of this matter is man's belief that he lives from himself, without a connection with the First Being (Esse) of life; and that he does not know that this connection exists by means of the heavens; and yet if that connection were broken man would instantly fall down dead. If man believed, as is really true, that all good is from the Lord and all evil from hell, he would not make the good in him a matter of merit nor would evil be imputed to him; for he would then look to the Lord in all the good he thinks and does, and all the evil that inflows would be cast down to hell whence it comes. But because man does not believe that there is any influx into him either from heaven or from hell, and so supposes that all the things that he thinks and wills are in himself, and therefore from himself, he appropriates the evil to himself, and the inflowing good he defiles with merit.

92. APOCALYPSE. CHAPTER 2.

1. To the angel of the Ephesian Church write: These things saith He that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand; He that walketh in the midst of the seven golden lampstands;

2. I know thy works, and thy toil, and thy endurance, and that thou canst not bear the evil, and hast tried them that say that they are apostles, and they are not, and hast found them liars;

3. And hast borne and hast endurance, and for My name's sake hast toiled, and hast not failed.

4. But I have against thee, that thou hast left thy first charity.

5. Be mindful, therefore, of whence thou hast fallen, and repent, and do the first works; but if not, I will come unto thee quickly, and will move thy lampstand out of its place, except thou repent.

6. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

7. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

8. And to the angel of the church of the Smyrneans write: These things saith the First and the Last, who was dead and is alive:

9. I know thy works, and affliction, and poverty, but thou art rich; ¹ and the blasphemy of them who say that they are Jews, and they are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

10. Fear not the things which thou art to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have affliction ten days: be thou faithful even till death, and I will give thee the crown of life.

11. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. He that overcometh shall not be hurt by the second death.

12. And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These things saith He that hath the sharp two-edged sword,

13. I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, where Satan's throne is; and thou holdest My name, and didst not deny My faith, even in the days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

14. But I have against thee a few things: that thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the sons of Israel, to eat idol-sacrifices, and to commit whoredom.

15. So thou also hast then that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.

16. Repent; or else I will come to thee quickly, and will fight against thee with the sword or My mouth.

17. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh, to him will I give to eat of the hidden manna; and will give him a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, which no one knoweth except he that receiveth.

18. And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These things saith the Son of God, that hath His eyes as a flame of fire, and His feet like burnished brass.

19. I know thy works and charity, and ministry and faith, and thine endurance, and thy works, and the last to be more than the first.

20. But I have against thee a few things; that thou, sufferest the woman Jezebel, that calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce My servants to commit whoredom, and to eat idol-sacrifices.

21. And I gave her time that she might repent of her whoredom; and she repented not.

22. Behold, I cast her into a bed, and those that commit adultery with her into great affliction, except they repent of their works.

23. And her sons I will kill with death; and all the churches shall know that I am He that searcheth the reins and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your works.

24. But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say; I put upon you no other burden.

25. Nevertheless, that which ye have, hold fast till I come.

26. And he that overcometh and keepeth My works unto the end, I will give him power over the nations.

27. And he shall rule them with an iron rod; as earthen vessels shall they be shivered, as I also have received from My Father.

28. And I will give him the morning star.

29. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

In the preceding pages it has been told what is meant by the "seven churches" and by the "angels" thereof; namely, by the "seven churches" all who are in truths from good, and by the "seven angels" all in heaven that correspond to them (See n. 20, 90); and since heaven and the church make one by correspondence, it is said in what follows, "To the angel of the church, write," and not, Write to the church. It is so said for this reason also, that there must be correspondence in order that the church may be a church with man; if there were no correspondence, there would be no communication of heaven, thus no heaven, with man; and if heaven were not with him neither would the church be with him. (See The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 241-248. What the correspondence of the man of the church with heaven is, cannot be told in a few words, but whoever desires may be taught what it is in what is said and shown in the work on Heaven and Hell 87-115 291-310.) In a word, there is correspondence when man has become spiritual, and man becomes spiritual when he acknowledges the Divine and especially the Lord, and loves to live according to the precepts in the Word, for when he does this he is conjoined with heaven; and then the spiritual corresponds with the natural which is with him. I am aware that to many these things may seem to exceed their comprehension; but the reason is that it is not the delight of their love to know them; if it were the delight of their love, not only would they perceive them clearly, but they would also be eager to know much more of such things; for a man desires what he loves, and what he loves is his delight; moreover, whatever is loved enters both with joy and with light into the idea of the mind.

Footnotes:

299. A book written within and on the back, signifies the state of life of all in heaven and on the earth, in general and in particular. This is evident from the signification of "book," here the "book of life," as being what the Lord inscribes or implants in the spirit of man, that is, in the heart and soul, or what is the same, in his love and faith (of which see above, n. 199; therefore "the book" here signifies the states of life of all in heaven and on the earth, and "written" signifies what is implanted by the Lord (that to "write" signifies to implant, see also above, n. 222. Also from the signification of "within and on the back," as being what is in the heart and soul, or in the love and faith; for with man and spirit love is within, because it makes his life; but faith, unless it is in his love, is not within him, but behind or "at the back;" for faith that is faith makes altogether one with the love, since what a man loves is of his faith, but what he does not love is not of his faith. That which one thinks from memory and teaches from doctrine, appears, indeed, to be faith; but if this be loved only from a natural, not from a spiritual love, it is merely the sight of the thought of the external man, which sight counterfeits faith; but such faith, since it is destitute of life, until it is implanted in the internal man and its love, is not in man but behind him, or at his back. Faith implanted in the internal man and its love is believing and loving the truth because it is truth, and not loving it chiefly for the sake of a reputation for learning, and honor or gain therefrom. From this it can be seen what is signified by "written within and on the back."

[2] What is treated of in this chapter is, that the Lord only, and no one but the Lord, knows the states of life of all in general and of each one in particular. This is representatively depicted by "a book written which no one was able to open and read, neither to look thereon, except the Lamb," that is, the Lord. No one knows this but the Lord alone, because He is the only God, and because He formed the angelic heaven after His own image, and man after the image of heaven; for this reason He knows all things of heaven in general, and He who knows all things of heaven in general knows also every one in particular; for a man who is in truths from good, as well as an angel, is an image of heaven, since he is a form of heaven. From this it also follows that no one but he who knows the general state of all knows the state of anyone in particular, for the one is inseparably connected with the other. (But as these things cannot be described in a few words, see what is shown in the work on Heaven and Hell, where they are more distinctly and clearly described, in the following articles: The Divine of the Lord makes Heaven, n. 7-12; Every Angel is a Heaven in the Least Form, n. 51-58; The whole Heaven in the Complex has reference to one Man, n 59-67; likewise each Society there, n. 68-72; Every Angel, therefore, is in a perfect Human Form, n 73-77; From the Divine Human of the Lord it is that Heaven in the Whole and in Part has reference to Man, n 78-86; There is a Correspondence of all Things of Heaven with all Things of Man, n. 87-102; On the Conjunction of Heaven with Mankind, n. 291-302)

[3] It is to be observed that here and elsewhere in the Word a "book" is mentioned, meaning thereby a roll [volumen]; for in ancient times they wrote upon parchments, which were rolled up, and the parchment was called a "book" and the "roll of a book," as can also be seen in the Word; thus in Ezekiel:

I looked, when behold, a hand was put forth unto me; and lo, the roll of a book was therein, written in front and behind (Ezekiel 2:9-10).

And in David:

Then said I, Lo, I am come; in the roll of the book it is written of Me (Psalms 40:7).

For this reason it is said in Isaiah:

All the host of the heavens shall waste away, and the heavens shall be rolled up as a scroll (Isaiah 34:4).

Likewise in Revelation:

Heaven was removed, as a book that is rolled up (Revelation 6:14).

From this it can be known how the book that John saw was "written within and on the back."