944. 22:7 "Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book." This symbolically means that the Lord will surely come and give eternal life to people who keep and obey the doctrinal truths or precepts in this book, now laid open by the Lord.

"Behold, I am coming quickly!" means, symbolically, that the Lord will surely come. Quickly symbolically means surely (nos. 4, 943), and coming symbolically means that He will come - not in person, but in the Word, in which He will be visible to all those people who will be part of His New Church. This is the meaning of His coming in the clouds of heaven, as may be seen in nos. 24, 642, 820 above.

"Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book" means, symbolically, that the Lord will give eternal life to people who keep and obey the doctrinal truths or precepts in this book, now laid open by the Lord. One who is blessed symbolizes a person who receives eternal life (nos. 639, 852). To keep symbolically means to keep and obey truths or precepts. The words are truths and precepts. The prophecy of this book symbolizes the doctrine in this book now laid open by the Lord, prophecy being doctrine (nos. 8, 133, 943).

[2] Anyone who weighs the matter can see that to keep the words of the prophecy of this book does not mean to preserve them, but to maintain them, that is, to keep and obey the doctrinal truths or precepts in this book that are now explained and laid open. Indeed, if not explained, the book of Revelation contains few things that can be kept, as they are prophecies previously not understood. Take for example the following:

It is impossible to keep what is related in chapter 6 regarding the horses emerging from the book. In chapter 7 regarding the twelve tribes. In chapters 8, 9 regarding the seven angels sounding their trumpets. In chapter 10 regarding the little book that John ate. In chapter 11 regarding the two witnesses that were killed and lived again. In chapter 12 regarding the woman and the dragon. In chapters 13, 14 regarding the two beasts. In chapters 15, 16 regarding the seven angels having the seven plagues. In chapters 17, 18 regarding the woman sitting on a scarlet beast and regarding Babylon. In chapter 19 regarding the white horse and the great supper. In chapter 20 regarding the Last Judgment. And in chapter 21 regarding the New Jerusalem as a city.

It is apparent from this that the verse does not mean that those people are blessed who preserve the words of the prophecy, for the meanings of the words are hidden, but it means that those people are blessed who maintain them, that is, who keep and obey the doctrinal truths or precepts that are contained in those words and are now laid open. That the explanations originate from the Lord may be seen in the Preface.

943. And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. This symbolically means that the Lord who gave the Word contained in both Testaments has revealed through heaven to people who possess truths from Him what must surely come to pass.

The Lord God of the holy prophets symbolizes the Lord who gave the Word contained in both Testaments, for prophets symbolize people who teach truths from the Word, in an abstract sense the church's doctrinal truth (nos. 8, 173), and in a broad sense the Word itself. Moreover, because the holy prophets symbolize the Word, therefore they symbolize the Word contained in both Testaments.

The Lord God's sending an angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place means, symbolically, that the Lord has revealed to people who possess truths from Him what must surely come to pass. The angel here symbolizes heaven, as in nos. 5, 65, 644, 647, 648, 910 above. His servants symbolize people who possess truths from the Lord (nos. 3, 380, 937). And shortly symbolically means surely (no. 4). Thus the things which must shortly take place mean things which must surely come to pass.

[2] The angel here symbolizes heaven because the Lord spoke with John through heaven, and He spoke with the prophets also through heaven. He speaks through heaven with everyone with whom He speaks. That is because the angelic heaven in general is like a single individual, whose soul and life is the Lord. Consequently everything the Lord says is uttered by Him through heaven, as everything a person's soul and mind say is uttered through the body.

That the whole angelic heaven in its entirety resembles a single individual, and that this is owing to the Lord, may be seen in nos. 5 above, and in the book Heaven and Hell (London, 1758), nos. 59 - 86. See also Angelic Wisdom Regarding Divine Providence, nos. 64-69 , 162-164, 201-204, and Angelic Wisdom Regarding Divine Love and Wisdom, nos. 11 , 19, 133, 288.

[3] But I will explain this mystery. The Lord speaks through heaven, yet it is not the angels there who speak, who do not even know what the Lord is saying. Only some of them know - those who are with the person with whom the Lord is noticeably speaking from heaven, as He did with John and some of the prophets. For the influx of the Lord through heaven is like the influx of the soul through the body. It is the body, indeed, that speaks and acts, and that also senses something of the influx, yet the body does nothing of itself as though on its own, but is impelled to act. Such is the case with the Lord's speaking with a person, indeed with all of the Lord's influx through heaven. This I have been given to know from much empirical observation.

Angels in heaven, as well as spirits beneath the heavens, know nothing of a person, just as a person knows nothing of them, because the state of spirits and angels is a spiritual one, while that of people is a natural one. These two states are affiliated only through correspondences, and affiliation through correspondences causes them to be present together in affections, but not as regards thoughts. Consequently one knows nothing of the other. That is to say, a person knows nothing of the spirits with whom he is affiliated as to his affections, and the spirits know nothing of the person. For what is not present in a person's thought, but only in his affection, is unknown, because it is not apparent and not seen.

The Lord alone knows people's thoughts.