from the Lord; all they do good from themselves who do not shun evils as sins, that is, who do not live according to the commandments of the decalogue; but they do good from the Lord, who shun the one, and live according to the other.

518. "The second woe is past; behold, the third woe cometh quickly," signifies, lamentation over the perverted state of the church, and then the ultimate lamentation, to be treated of presently. That woe signifies lamentation over the perverted state of the church, may be seen above, n. 416; by the third woe, is signified the ultimate. lamentation, when it is complete and there is an end; for three and a third have that signification, n. 505; to come quickly, signifies presently or hereafter, and hereafter means from chapter xii. to xvii., and, lastly, chapter xx., where the last judgment executed upon them is treated of.

519. "And the seventh angel sounded," signifies, the exploration and manifestation of the state of the church after the consummation, at the coming of the Lord and of his kingdom. By sounding with a trumpet, is signified to explore and lay open the state of the church after its consummation, at the coming of the Lord and of his kingdom. The reason is, because this is signified by the seventh angel sounding; for by the six angels and their trumpets sounding, were signified explorations and manifestations of the state of the consummated church, as appears from the foregoing chapter, where its consummation only is treated of; but that now its state after consummation, which is the coming of the Lord and of his kingdom, is treated of, appears from what follows in this verse, and afterwards: in this verse: "And the seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in heaven; saying, The kingdoms of the world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever," &c. The reason why this manifestation is effected by the sounding of the seventh angel, is, because seven siguifies the same as a week, and six days of the week are days of labor and of man's proprium or selfhood, and the seventh is holy and the Lord's. That by consummation is meant the devastation of the

church, when there is no longer any truth of doctrine and good of life therein, thus when its end is accomplished, may be seen, n. 658, 750; and because then is the coming of the Lord and of his kingdom, therefore both, or the consummation of the age and the coming of the Lord, are mentioned together in Matthew xxiv. 3, and they are both also foretold in that chapter.

520. "And there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of the world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever," signifies, celebrations by the angels, because heaven and the church are become the Lord's, as they were from the beginning, and because now they are in subjection also to his Divine Humanity, consequently that now, both as to his Humanity and his Divinity, the Lord will reign over heaven and the church to all eternity. There were great voices, signifies celebrations by the angels; saying, the kingdoms of the world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, signifies that heaven and the church are become the Lord's, as they were from the beginning, and that now they are subject also to his Divine Humanity; and he shall reign for ever and ever, signifies that the Lord, both as to his Humanity, and his Divinity, will reign over them. That great voices in heaven signify celebrations of the Lord, because he has now taken to him his great power, appears from verse 17, where those great voices are specified. By the Lord, is here meant the Lord from eternity, who is Jehovah; and by Christ, is meant his Divine Humanity, which is the Son of God, Luke i. 32, 35. That the Lord as to his Divine Humanity also will reign, manifestly appears from these words: "The Father hath given all things into the hand of the Son," John iii. 35. The Father hath given the Son power over all flesh," John xvii. 2. Father, "all mine are thine, and thine mine," John xvii. 10. "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth,” Matt. xxviii. 18. Of his Divine Humanity he also said: That the Father and he are one. And that he is in the Father and the Father in him, John x. 30, 38, xiv. 5—12. To this may be added, that unless the Lord's Humanity

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is acknowledged to be Divine the church must perish, for in that case the Lord cannot be in man and man in the Lord, as he himself teaches, John xiv. 20, xv. 4, 5, 6, xvii. 9; and this conjunction constitutes a man of the church, and thus the church. The reason why the Lord's Divine Humanity is meant by Christ, is, because Christ is the Messiah, and the Messiah is the Son of God, who was expected to come into the world. That Christ is the Messiah, appears from this: "We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ," John i. 41. The woman said, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ," John iv. 25; for Messiah, in the Hebrew language, signifies the anointed, as Christ does in the Greek language. That the Messiah is the Son of God, appears from the following passages: "The highpriest asked him, whether he was the Christ (Messiah) the Son of God," Matt. xxvi. 63, Mark xiv. 61, John xx. 31. "Thou art the Christ the Son of God, which should come into the world," John xi. 27. Peter said, "We believe and are sure, that thou art the Christ the Son of the living God," John vi. 69. That the Lord, as to his Divine Humanity, is the Son of God, appears from this passage: The angel said unto Mary, "Thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son: he shall be great and shall be called The Son of the Highest. The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee, therefore, also, that holy thing which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God," Luke i. 31, 35; and many others. From hence it is plain what is signified by their becoming the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ.

521. And the four-and-twenty elders, that sat before God on their thrones, fell upon their faces, and worshiped God," signifies, an acknowledgment by all the angels of heaven, that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, and supreme adoration. By the four-and-twenty elders sitting on thrones, are signified all in heaven, specifically in the spiritual heaven, n. 233, 251; and by falling upon their faces and worshiping God, is signified supreme adoration, and acknowledgment that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth,

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522. "Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, who art, and who wast, and who art to come,' signifies, a confession and glorification by the angels of heaven, that it is the Lord who is, who has life and power from himself, and who rules all things, because he alone is eternal and infinite. By giving thanks, is signified an acknowledgment and glorification of the Lord; that the Son of Man, who is the Lord, as to the Divine Humanity, is omnipotent, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last, also who is, who was, and who is to come, may be seen above in the Apocalypse, chap. i. 8, 11, 17, ii. 8, iv. 8; and that thereby is signified, that it is he who is, lives, and has power from himself, who rules all things, and is alone eternal and infinite, and God, may be seen above, n. 13, 29, 30, 31, 38, 57, 92.

523. "Because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast begun to reign," signifies, the new heaven and the new church, where they acknowledge him to be the only God as he is and was. Because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, signifies divine omnipotence, which is his, and was his from eternity; and hast begun to reign, signifies that heaven and the church are now his, as before; by his kingdom, is here meant the new heaven and new church, treated of in the Apocalypse, chap. xxi. xxii. The Apocalypse from beginning to end treats exclusively of the state of the former heaven and church, and of their abolition, and afterwards of the new heaven and new church, and of their establishment, in which one God will be acknowledged in whom there is a trinity, and that that God is the Lord. This the Apocalypse teaches from beginning to end; for it teaches that the Son of Man, who is the Lord as to the Divine Humanity, is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last, he that is, was, and is to come, and the Almighty, n. 522 ; and, lastly, that the New Church, which is the New Jerusalem, will be the church of the Lamb, that is, of his Divine Humanity, thus at the same time of the Divinity, from whence all things are, as is plain from the following

passages: "Let us be glad and rejoice, for the time of the Lamb's marriage is come, and his wife hath made herself ready," Apoc. xix. 7. "And there came one of

the seven angels, and said unto me, Come hither, I will show thee the bride the Lamb's wife; and he showed me that great city the Holy Jerusalem," Apoc. xxi. 9, 10. "I Jesus am the root and offspring of David, the bright and morning star; and the spirit and the bride say, Come, and let him that heareth say, Come," Apoc. xxii. 16, 17. There was given unto the Son of Man dominion, and glory, and a kingdom; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom shall not be destroyed, Dan.

vii. 14.

524. "And the nations were angry," signifies, those who are in faith alone, and thence in evils of life, that they were enraged, and infested those who are against their faith. By the nations, are meant they who are in evils of life, and, abstractedly, evils of life, n. 147, 483, but here, they who are in faith alone, because these are here treated of, and these are in evils of life, because their religion inculcates that the law does not condemn them, provided they believe that Christ took away its condemnation. Their being angry, signifies not only that they were enraged, but also that they infested those who are against that faith, as may appear from what follows concerning the dragon, chap. xii. 17, and afterwards.

525. "And thy wrath is come, and the time of judging the dead," signifies, their destruction, and the execution of the last judgment upon those who have not any spiritual life. By thy wrath, is signified the last judgment, n. 340, thus their destruction; the reason why this is signified by the Lord's wrath, is, because it seems to them as if the Lord cast them into hell from wrath, when nevertheless it is the wicked who cast themselves into hell; for it is like a malefactor's attributing his punishment to the law, or like a man's thrusting his hand into the fire, and ascribing to the fire the injury he receives; or like ascribing to the sword, held out merely in defence by another, its running him through the body, when he himself, in fact, runs against the point of it: thus it hap