affections of truth, and the chaste wife, the conjunction of good and truth. The children signified the innocence of wisdom in the Word; they were angels from the third heaven, who all appear like little children. The barlot with the dead horse, signified the falsification of the Word by many at this day, by which all the understanding of truth perishes; a harlot signifies falsification, and a dead horse no understanding of truth. It has been permitted me to converse with many after death, who thought they should shine like stars in heaven, because, as they said, they had held the Word as sacred, had read it frequently, and collected many things from it; by which they had confirmed the tenets of their faith, and were therefore celebrated as men of learning in the world, for which reason they thought they should be Michaels or Raphaels: but many of them were explored, in order to ascertain from what love they had studied the Word, and it was found, that some had studied it from self-love, that they might appear great in the world, and be reverenced as heads of the church; but others from the love of the world, that they might acquire riches. When they were examined as to what they knew of the Word, it was found, that they knew nothing of genuine truth therefrom, but only such as is called truth falsified, which in itself is false, and this, in the spiritual world, is perceived as a stench by the angels; and it was told them that this befel them from their loving themselves and the world as ends, and not the Lord and heaven; and when self-love and the world are ends, then, when they read the Word, their mind dwells upon self and the world, and therefore they think constantly from their own selfhood, which is in darkness as to all things of heaven'; in which state man cannot be abstracted from his own light, and so elevated into the light of heaven, nor thence receive any influx from the Lord through heaven. I also saw them admitted into heaven, and when they were found to be without truths, they were stripped of their garments and appeared in their nakedness; and they who had falsified truths, were, by reason of their offensive smell, expelled, but still their pride remained with them, and a belief in their own merit. It was different with those who had studied the Word from the affection of knowing truth because it is truth, and is subservient to the uses of spiritual life, not only to a man's self, but also to his neighbor; these I saw taken up into heaven, and thus into the light in which the divine truth is, and at the same time exalted to angelic wisdom and its felicity, which is life eternal. CHAPTER V. 1. AND I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne, a book written within and on the back side, sealed with seven seals. 2. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the Book, and to loose the seals thereof? 3. And no one in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the Book, neither to look thereon. 4. And I wept much because no one was found worthy to open and to read the Book, neither to look thereon. 5. And one of the elders saith unto ine, Weep not: Behold, the Lion which is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the Book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. 6. And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four animals, and in the midst of the elders, stood a LAMB, as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. 7. And he came and took the Book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne. 8. And when he had taken the Book, the four animals, and the four-and-twenty elders, fell down before the LAMB, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the Book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10. And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. 11. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the animals, and the elders: and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands; 12. Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the LAMB that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and honor, and glory, and blessing. 13. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever. 14. And the four animals said, Amen. And the four-andtwenty elders fell down, and worshiped Him that liveth for ever and ever. THE SPIRITUAL SENSE. THE CONTENTS OF THE WHOLE CHAPTER. That the Lord in his Divine Humanity will execute judgment out of the Word and according to it, because he is himself the Word; and that this is acknowledged by all in the three heavens. THE CONTENTS OF EACH VERSE. "And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne, a Book written within and on the back side," signifies, the Lord as to his divinity from eternity, who is omnipotent and omniscient, and who is the Word: "Sealed with seven seals,” signifies, that it is entirely hid from angels and men: "And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice," signifies, divine truth from the Lord most interiorly influencing both angels and men: "Who is worthy to open the Book, and to loose the seals thereof?" signifies, who has power to know the states of life of all in the heavens and on the earths, and to judge every one according thereto: "And no one in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able," signifies, that no one in the superior heavens or inferior heavens was able: "To open the Book," signifies, to know the states of the life of all, and to judge every one according thereto: "Neither to look thereon," siguifies, not in the least: "And I wept much because no one was found worthy to open and read the Book, neither to look thereon,” signifies, grief of heart, because if no one could do it, all must perish: "And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not," signifies, consolation: "Behold, the lion which is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed," signifies, the Lord, who by his own power subdued the hells and reduced all things to order when he was in the world, by the divine good united to the divine truth in his Humanity: "To open the Book and to loose the seven seals thereof," signifies here as before: "And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne, and of the four animals, and in the midst of the elders,” signifies, from the inmost and thence in all things of heaven, the Word, and the church: "Stood a LAMB, as it had been slain," signifies the Lord as to his Humanity, not acknowledged in the church to be divine: "Having seven horns," signifies, his omnipotence: "And seven eyes," signifies, bis omniscience and divine wisdom: "Which are the seven spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth," signifies, that from divine wis dom is derived divine truth throughout the whole world, wheresoever there is any religion: "And he came and took the Book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne," signifies, that the Lord as to his Divine Humanity is the Word, and this by virtue of the divinity within him, and that therefore he will execute judgment from his Divine Humanity: "And when he had taken the Book," signifies, when the Lord appointed to execute the judgment, and thereby to reduce all things in the heavens and upon the earths to order: "The four animals and the fourand-twenty elders fell down before the LAMB," signifies, humiliation and adoration of the Lord from the superior heavens: "Having every one of them harps," signifies, a confession of the Lord's Divine Humanity from spiritual truths: "And golden vials full of incense," signifies, confession of the Lord's Divine Humanity from spiritual good: "Which are the prayers of saints," signifies, thoughts which are of faith grounded in affections which are of charity with those who worship the Lord from spiritual good and truth: “And they sung a new song," signifies, an acknowledgment and glorification of the Lord, that he alone is the Judge, Redeemer, and Saviour, thus the God of heaven and earth: "Saying, thou art worthy to take the Book, and to open the seals thereof," signifies here as before: "For thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood," signifies, deliverance from hell and salvation by conjunction with him: "Out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation," signifies, that they in the church, or in any religion, who are in truths as to doctrine, and in good as to life, are redeemed by the Lord: “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests," signifies, that from the Lord they are in wisdom from divine truths and in love from divine good: "And we shall reign on the earth," signifies, and will be in his kingdom, he in them and they in him: "And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the animals, and the elders," signifies, a confession and glorification of the Lord by the angels of the inferior heavens: "And the number of them was myriads of myriads,” signifies, all in truths and good: "Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the LAMB that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and honor, and glory," signifies, confession from the heart, that to the Lord as to his Divine Humanity belong omnipotence, omniscience, divine good, and divine truth: "And blessing," signifies, all these in him, and from him in them: "And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying," signifies, confession and glorification of the Lord by the angels of the lowest heaven: "Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever," signifies, that in the Lord from eternity and thence in his Divine Humanity, is the All of heaven and the church, divine good and divine truth, and divine power, and from him in them: "And the four animals said, Amen,” signifies, divine confirmation from the Word: "And the four-and-twenty elders fell down and worshiped Him that liveth for ever and ever," signifies, humiliation before the Lord, and, from humiliation, adoration of him, by all in the heavens, from whom and in whom is everlasting life. THE EXPLANATION. 256. "AND I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a Book, written within and on the back side," signifies, the Lord as to his divinity from eternity, who is omnipotent and omniscient, and who is the Word; who also knows from himself the state of the life of all in the heavens and on the earths, as well in general as in every particular. By Him that sat on the throne, is meant the Lord as to his divinity, from which his Humanity was derived, for it follows that the Lamb took the Book out of the right hand of Him that sat on the throne, verse 7, and by the Lamb is meant the Lord as to the Divine Humanity; by the Book written within and on the back side, is meant the Word in every particular and in every general respect; by within, in every particular respect, and by on the back side, in every general respect; by within and on the back side is also meant the interior sense of the Word, which is its spiritual sense, and its exterior sense, which is its natural sense; by right hand is meant himself as to bis omnipotence and omniscience, because the exploration of all in the heavens and on the earths, upon whom judgment is to be executed, and their separation, is treated of. The Lord, as the Word, knows the states of life of all in the heavens and on the earths from himself, because he is divine truth itself, and divine truth itself knows all things from itself; but this is an arcanum, which is revealed in The Angelic Wisdom concerning the Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom. That the Lord as to his divinity from eternity was the Word, that is, divine truth, is evident from these words in John: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word," i. 1; and that the Lord as to his Humanity also was made the Word, in the same |