953. Verses 7, 8. And one of the four animals gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the anger of God, who liveth unto ages of ages. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power; and none could enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were consummated.

"And one of the four animals gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the anger of God, who liveth unto ages of ages," signifies, manifestation from the Lord by Divine truth, or the Word, of all the falsities of evil that have destroyed the spiritual life of the men of the church.

"And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power," signifies, Divine truth, or the Word in the natural sense in light and power from the Divine truth in the spiritual sense: "and none could enter into the temple," signifies, its being in obscurity before the understanding: "till the seven plagues of the seven angels were consummated," signifies, before evils and falsities are rejected, and those who are in them cast into hell.

9837. 'And the girdle of his ephod, which is on it' means the outward bond that gathers things together. This is clear from the meaning of 'the girdle' as a common bond by which everything within is held in connection, dealt with above in 9828, thus a bond that gathers things together. The reason why an outward bond is meant is that 'the ephod' means the outermost part of the spiritual kingdom, 9824.