[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.
Arcana Coelestia #10123
10123. 'And you shall cleanse from sin on the altar' means purification from evils in heaven and in the Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'cleansing' as purifying; from the meaning of 'sin' as evil, for all evil that a person is guilty of is called sin; and from the meaning of 'the altar' as that which is representative of the Lord in regard to Divine Good and of the worship of Him, dealt with in 9714, 9964, at this point in respect of Divine Good in heaven and in the Church. The subject is still the Lord's influx, presence, and reception there, and for this reason 'the altar' also means heaven and the Church in respect of reception of Divine Good from the Lord there. For that which is Divine and the Lord's is what makes heaven and the Church; this is so because the Lord dwells there in what is His and not in what is a person's own. This too explains why 'the altar' also means the actual person in whom heaven is present or in whom the Church is present, and so in whom the Lord is present; and in the abstract sense, in which no actual person is envisaged, 'the altar' means the Good itself which comes from the Lord and is present with the angels of heaven and with members of the Church.
[2] The word 'altar' is used with these meanings in John,
I was given a reed like a rod, and the angel stood and said to me, Measure the temple of God, and the altar, and those who worship in it. Revelation 11:1.
Here 'the temple of God, and the altar' are heaven and the Church, 'the temple' being the spiritual Church and 'the altar' the celestial Church. 'Measuring' means recognizing the amount and the essential nature of truth and good; and this is why it says not only 'Measure the temple, and the altar' but also 'those who worship in it'. For the meaning of 'the temple' as the spiritual Church, see 3720; and for that of 'measuring' as recognizing the state of affairs as regards truth and good, 9603. In the same book,
I heard another angel from the altar saying, O Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgements. Revelation 16:7.
'From the altar' means from the inmost heaven, where celestial good reigns, celestial good being the good of love to the Lord. In Jeremiah,
The Lord has abandoned His altar, He has abominated His sanctuary. Lamentations 2:7.
'Abandoning the altar and the sanctuary' refers to everything of the Church, 'the altar' being everything of the Church as regards good, and 'the sanctuary' everything of the Church as regards truth.
