understood, that except the church should come to an end before its time, it would totally perish; in that chapter the consummation of the age, and the Lord's coming are treated of; and by the consummation of the age is meant the last state of the old church, and by the Lord's coming, the first state of the new. It was observed, that in the divine idea there is no time, but a presence of all things past and future; wherefore it is said by David, "A thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday," Psalm xc. 4: and again: "I will declare the decree, Jehovah hath said unto me, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee," Psalm ii. 7: this day denotes the presence of the Lord's advent. Thence also it is, that an entire period is called day in the Word, and its first state the dawning and the morning, and its last evening and night.

5. "And he signified [it], sending by his angel to his servant John," signifies, the things which are revealed. from the Lord through heaven, to those who are in the good of life derived from charity and its faith. By signified [it], sending by his angel, in the spiritual sense, is meant things revealed from heaven, or through heaven from the Lord; for by angel in the Word is every where understood the angelic heaven, and in a supreme sense the Lord himself; the reason is, because no angel ever speaks with man in a state of separation from heaven; for there is such a conjunction of each individual with all in heaven, that every one speaks from the communion, although the angel is not conscious of it: for heaven in the sight of the Lord is as one man, whose soul is the Lord himself; wherefore the Lord speaks with man through heaven, as man does from his soul through his body with another; and this is done in conjunction with all and every thing of his mind, in the midst of which are the things which he speaks; but this arcanum cannot be unfolded in a few words; it is partly unfolded in The Angelic Wisdom concerning the Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom: hence it is evident, that by angel is signified heaven, and in a supreme sense the Lord. The reason why by angel the Lord is understood in a supreme sense, is, because heaven is not heaven from any thing

proper to the angels, but from the divine of the Lord,* from which is derived their love and wisdom, yea their life; hence it is that the Lord himself is called an angel in the Word. From these considerations it appears that the angel did not speak from himself with John; but the Lord out of the midst of heaven by him. By these words is meant, that this is revealed to those who are in the good of life derived from charity and its faith, because these are understood by John; for by the twelve disciples or apostles of the Lord, are understood all who are of the church in truths from good; and, in an abstract sense, all things of the church; and by Peter, all who are in faith; and, abstractedly, faith itself; by James, they who are in charity, and, abstractedly, charity itself; and by John, they who are in the good of life from charity and its faith, and, abstractedly, good of life itself derived from thence: that these things are meant by John, James, and Peter, in the Word of the evangelists, may be seen in a Treatise concerning the New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 122. Since good of life, grounded in charity and its faith, constitutes the church, therefore, by the apostle John were revealed the arcana concerning the state of "the church which are contained in his visions. That by all the names of persons and places in the Word are signified things of heaven and the church, is abundantly shown in the Arcana Cœlestia. From these considerations it may appear, that by signified [it,] sending by his angel to his servant John, is understood, in the spiritual sense, what is revealed by the Lord through heaven to those who are in the good of life derived from charity and its faith; for charity through faith operates good, and not charity by itself nor faith by itself.

6. Who bore witness of the Word of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ," signifies, who, from their heart, and so in the light, receive divine truth from the Word, and acknowledge the Lord's Humanity to be divine. It is said of John, that he bore witness of the Word of

* The words of our author, Divino Domini, may require the terms sphere or influence, or Holy Spirit, to give them their full meaning: which the intelligent reader can supply, or not, as he thinks best.

God; but as by John are meant all who are principled in good of life from charity and its faith, as was said above, n. 5, therefore in the spiritual sense all these are understood the angels who are in the spiritual sense of the Word, never know any name of a person mentioned in the Word, but only that which the person represents and thence signifies, which, instead of John, is good of life, or good in act; consequently all in the aggregate who are in that good these witness, that is, see, acknowledge, receive cordially in light, and confess the truths of the Word, especially that truth therein that the Lord's Humanity is divine; which may appear from the passages quoted from the Word in great abundance in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Lord. By Jesus Christ and by the Lamb, in the Apocalypse, is understood the Lord as to the Divine Humanity, and by God, from which are all things, the Lord as to his Divinity. With regard to the spiritual signification of witnessing or testifying, this is predicated of truth, because in the world the truth is to be testified or witnessed, and when it is testified, it is acknowledged; but in heaven truth testifies of itself, because it is itself the light of heaven; for when the angels hear the truth, they instantly know and acknowledge it; and because the Lord is truth itself, as he himself teaches in John, chap. xiv. 6, he is in heaven the testimony of himself; hence it may appear, what is meant by the testimony of Jesus Christ; wherefore the Lord saith, "Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth; but I receive not testimony from man," John v. 33 and in another place: "John came for a witness, to bare witness of the light; he was not that light; the Word which was with God, and was God, and was made flesh, was the true light, which lighteth every man," John i. 1, 2, 7, 8, 14, 34: and in another place: "Jesus said, though I bare record of myself, yet my record is true, for I know whence I came, and whither I go," John viii. 14. "When the Comforter is come, even the spirit of truth, he shall testify of me," John xv. 26; by the Comforter, the spirit of truth, is meant the truth itself proceeding from the Lord, wherefore it is said of him,

that he will not speak from himself, but from the Lord, John xvi. 13, 14, 15.

7. "Whatsoever things he saw," signifies, their illumination in all the things which are in this revelation. By whatsoever things he saw, in the spiritual sense, are not meant the things which John saw, for they were only visions, but the things which they see who are understood by John, who are such as are principled in good of life, grounded in charity and its faith, as was said above; these see in the visions of John, arcana concerning the state of the church, not so much when they read themselves, but when they see them revealed. To see signifies to understand; on this account in common discourse it is said, that any one sees a thing, and that he sees that it is a truth; for sight pertains as much to a man's spirit, as to his body; but man with his spirit sees spiritual things, because from the light of heaven, but with his body he sees natural things, because this sees from the light of the world; and spiritual things are real things, but natural things are their forms: it is the spiritual sight of man which is called the intellect. It is, therefore, evident what is meant, in the spiritual sense, by whatsoever things he saw; in like manner in what follows, where it is said that he saw them.

8. "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear, the words of the prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein," signifies the communion of those with the angels of heaven, who live according to the doctrines of the New Jerusalem. By blessed is here meant one who, as to his spirit, is in heaven; thus one who, while he lives in the world, is in communion with the angels of heaven; for such a one, as to his spirit, is in heaven; by the words of this prophecy nothing else is understood than the doctrine of the New Jerusalem, for by prophet, in an abstract sense, is signified the doctrine of the church derived from the Word, thus here the doctrine of the New Church, which is the New Jerusalem; the same is signified by prophecy. By reading, hearing, and keeping the things which are written therein, is signified to desire to know that doctrine; to attend to the things which are written in it, and to do them; in short, to live according

to it; that they are not blessed who only read, hear, and keep or retain in the memory the things which were seen by John, is clear, see below, n. 944. The reason why prophet signifies the doctrine of the church derived from the Word, and prophecy the same, is, because the Word was written by prophets, and in heaven a person is regarded according to that which belongs to his function and office; according to this, also, is every man, spirit, and angel, named in heaven; wherefore, when the word prophet is used, his function being to write and teach the Word, the Word is understood as to doctrine, or doctrine derived from the Word. Hence it is, that the Lord, being the Word itself, was called a prophet, Deut. xviii. 15-20, Matt. xiii. 57, chap. xxi. 1, Luke xiii. 33. To show, that by prophet is meant doctrine of the church derived from the Word, some passages shall be adduced, from which this may be collected. In Matthew: “In the consummation of the age many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many. There shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect," xxiv. 11, 24: the consummation of the age is the last time of the church, which is at hand, when there are not false prophets, but false principles of doctrine. In the same: "He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, shall receive a righteous man's reward," x. 41: to receive a prophet in the name of a prophet, is to receive the doctrine of truth because it is true; and to receive a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, is to receive good for the sake of good; and to receive a reward, is to be saved according to reception: it is evident that no one receives a reward, or is saved, because he receives a prophet and a righteous man in the name of such. Those words cannot be understood by any one, without knowing what a prophet and a righteous man signify; neither can the following: "That whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, shall in no wise lose his reward;" by disciple is understood charity, and at the same time faith