[This second section of threshold materials is a reconstruction of the lost text of Spiritual Experiences, paragraphs 1 to 148, 1:3, from the indexes and the "Bath Fragment."]
Revelation 11
1
And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2
But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
3
And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
4
These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
5
And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
6
These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
7
And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
8
And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
9
And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
10
And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
11
And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
12
And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
13
And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14
The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
15
And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
16
And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
17
Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
18
And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
19
And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
Apocalypse Explained #682
682. And there were great voices in the heavens, signifies enlightenment and joy in the higher heavens. This is evident from the signification of "great voices in the heavens," as being enlightenment, wisdom, and joy in the higher heavens; for "voices" have various significations in the Word, as Divine truth, revelation, the Word itself with us, also every precept and command of the Word; these are signified by "voices from heaven," but "voices in heaven" signify the enlightenment from which angels have wisdom and consequent joy; for when angels are in enlightenment they are also in wisdom, and they then have "great voices," by which they express the arcana of wisdom; and there is consequent joy, because the joy of angels is from wisdom; this, too, is why the voices are called "great," for "great" is predicated of the affection of good and truth, which is the source of joy in the heavens. The higher heavens are meant because through them and from them influxes descend into the lower parts, and by these the evil, who have been conjoined in externals to those in the lower heavens, are separated. So long as this conjunction continued there could be no enlightenment or joy, but so far as the separation was effected there was enlightenment and joy. Thence it is that the higher heavens are meant; since there is such a connection between higher things and lower things, in the spiritual world, that so far as lower things are in order, the higher are also. For lower things there are like the lower parts of a house and its foundations; so far, therefore, as these are unimpaired the higher parts are stable, secure, and complete, not swaying or tottering or gaping open. Or they are like the exterior things in man, as the organs of sight, taste, hearing, and touch, in that so far as these are unharmed their interiors see, taste, and hear clearly, and the touch is sensitive; for it is the interior things which sensate in the exterior, and the exterior sensate nothing of themselves. It is similar in the heavens; the higher heavens close into and rest upon the lower, and there is therefore between them an unbroken bond like that between things prior and posterior, or between causes and effects; if the effect does not altogether correspond to its cause, that is, if it does not have formed in itself everything that is in the effecting cause, which relates to the forces and the endeavor to act, the cause is weakened and acts imperfectly, for all things of the cause are inscribed on the effect, therefore it is the cause alone that acts, and no effect separate from a cause. It is similar with the heavens higher and lower; causes are in the higher heavens, and effects corresponding to the causes present themselves in the lower heavens. This has been said that it may be known why "great voices in heaven" signify enlightenment, which is the source of wisdom and joy in the higher heavens when the lower heavens are purified, that is, when the evil are separated from the good and removed.
