849. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. This symbolically means, who possessed a conjunction with the Lord already and had been in His kingdom for some time.

Those who lived with Christ symbolize people who possessed a conjunction with the Lord, because these have life. Those who reigned with Christ symbolize people who were in His kingdom, as explained below. That a thousand years symbolizes for some time may be seen in no. 842 above.

This declaration is said of people who in their life in the world worshiped the Lord and lived in accordance with His commandments in the Word. After death they were protected to keep dragon-spirits from leading them astray. Thus they were people who for some time had possessed a conjunction with the Lord already and were, in respect to their interiors, affiliated with angels in heaven.

That to reign with Christ does not mean to reign with Him, but to be in His kingdom by conjunction with Him, may be seen in no. 284 above. For the Lord alone reigns, and everyone in heaven engaged in some occupation performs some service in his society, as in the world. But he does so under the Lord's direction. Angels act, indeed, as though of themselves, but because they regard primarily the useful services they perform, they act from the Lord, from whom originates every useful endeavor.