341. Verse 13. And every created thing that is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and those that are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Unto Him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb, be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the might unto the ages of the ages.

13. "And every created thing that is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and those that are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying" signifies the acknowledgment and consequent glorification of the Lord by the angels that are in the lowest parts of heaven n. 342; "Unto Him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb" signifies the Lord in respect to Divine good and Divine truth n. 343; "blessing" signifies acknowledgment, glorification, and thanksgiving that all good and truth, and thence heaven and eternal happiness, are for those who receive (n. 344); "and the honor and the glory," signifies that to Him alone belongs every Divine good and Divine truth, and therefore, every good of love and truth of faith, from which is all the wisdom and intelligence that angels and men have (n. 345); "and the might unto the ages of the ages," signifies that to Him belongs omnipotence to eternity (n. 346).

335. Verse 11. And I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the animals, and the elders, signifies the acknowledgment and consequent glorification of the Lord by the angels of the lower heavens. This is evident from what has been said above (n. 322), namely, that they acknowledged and glorified the Lord in this order; first the angels of the higher heavens, then the angels of the lower heavens, and lastly those who are below the heavens; for "the four animals" and "the four and twenty elders" who first glorified signify the angels of the higher heavens (See above, n. 322), but these now mentioned, who were "round about the throne" and "round about the animals and the elders," mean the angels of the lower heavens; and by "every creature that is in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth and in the sea" (of which see just below, verse 13) those who are below the heavens are meant. That the angels of the lower heavens are here meant is clear also from this, that they are said to be "round about the throne, the animals, and the elders," and "round about" means in the Word what is in the remote borders, thus what is distant; but where heaven is treated of, it means what is distant in degree of intelligence and wisdom, thus what is below. For the heavens are higher and lower, differing from each other according to the reception of Divine truth and good, thus according to degrees of intelligence and wisdom. (But respecting the degrees according to which the heavens, and consequently the angels who are in them, are distant from each other, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 33, 34, 38, 39, 208, 209, 211, 425.) What is below in accordance with these degrees is what is signified by "round about;" in like manner also, elsewhere in the Word, "round about," "circuit," "afar," "distant," "uttermost parts," and the like, have a like signification.