389. Verses 9-11. And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a great voice, saying, How long, O Lord, who art holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet a little time until both their fellow-servants and their brethren, that should be killed, as they were, should be fulfilled.

"And when he had opened the fifth seal," signifies prediction still further; "I saw under the altar," signifies those who were reserved under heaven; "the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held," signifies those who were rejected and concealed on account of the Divine truth and confession of the Lord.

"And they cried with a great voice," signifies the grief of their minds saying, How long, O Lord, who art holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth," signifies sighings to the Lord, who is justice, concerning the judgment and removal of those who persecute and infest them who acknowledge the Lord, and are in the life of charity.

"And white robes were given unto every one," signifies Divine truth from the Lord with them, and protection. "And it was said unto them that they should rest yet a little time," signifies some further duration in that state; "until both their fellow-servants and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled," signifies, until all things were consummated.

258. Written Materials in Heaven

Since angels do have language and their language is one of words, they also have written materials; and through those written materials just as through their conversation, they express what their minds are sensing. I have sometimes been sent pages covered with writing, just like pages handwritten or printed and published in our world. I could even read them in much the same way, but I was not allowed to get more out of them than a bit of meaning here and there. This was because it is not in keeping with the divine design to be taught by written materials from heaven, but [only] by the Word, since this is the sole means of communication and union between heaven and earth, and therefore between the Lord and humanity.

We gather from Ezekiel that pages written in heaven appeared to the prophets as well:

When I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me by the spirit, and in it the scroll of a book that he unrolled in my sight. It was written on the front and on the back. (Ezekiel 2:9-10)

And in John,

I saw in the right hand of the one who was sitting on the throne a book written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. (Revelation 5:1)