fountains of waters," signifies that the Lord alone is to be worshipped, because he alone is the Creator, Saviour, and Redeemer, and from him alone the angelic heaven and the church, and all things relating to them, exist: v. 8, "And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon, that great city, is fallen, is fallen, signifies that now the Roman Catholic religion, as to its tenets and doctrinals, is dispersed: "Because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication," signifies because, by profanations of the Word, and adulterations of the good and truth of the church, she hath seduced all whom she could subject to her dominion: v. 9, "And a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice," signifies something further from the Lord concerning those who are principled in faith separated from charity: "If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark on his forehead or on his hand," signifies that he who acknowledges and receives the doctrine of justification and salvation by faith alone, confirms himself in it, and lives according to it: v. 10, "He shall even drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture in the cup of his indignation," signifies that they falsify the goods and truths of the Word, and tincture their lives with such falsifications: "And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone before the holy angels and before the Lamb: (v. 11,) and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever," signifies self-love and the love of the world, and their derivative lusts, and the pride of self-derived intelligence proceeding from these latter, and torment in hell from the former: "And they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name," signifies a perpetual state in things undelightful with those who acknowledge and receive that faith, confirm it, and live according to it: v. 12, "Here is the patience of the saints, here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus," signifies that the man of the Lord's church, by temptations arising from those who worship the beast, is searched and tried as to his quality in regard to a life according to the commandments of the Word and faith in the Lord: v. 13, " And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth," signifies a prediction from the Lord of their state after death, who will be of his New Church, that they will have eternal life and felicity: "Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours," signifies that the divine truth of the Word teaches that they who afflict their soul and crucify the flesh, on that account shall have peace in the Lord: "And their works do follow them," signifies according as they have loved and believed, and thence acted and spoken: v. 14, "And I saw, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of Man." signifies the Lord as the Word: "Having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle," signifies the divine wisdom from his divine love, and the divine truth of the Word: v. 15, "And another angel came out of the temple," signifies the angelic heaven: "Crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap, for the time is come for thee to reap: for the harvest of the earth is ripe," signifies the supplication of the angels of heaven to the Lord, that he would make an end, and execute judgment, because the church is now arrived at its last state: v. 16, " And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth: and the earth was reaped," signifies the end of the church, by reason that there was no longer any divine truth therein: v. 17, "And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle," signifies the heavens of the Lord's spiritual kingdom, and the divine truth of the Word with them: v. 18, " And another angel came out from the altar, having power over fire," signifies the heavens of the Lord's celestial kingdom, who are in the good of love from the Lord: “And he cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth," signifies the Lord's operation from the good of his love through the divine truth of his Word upon the works of charity and faith among the men of the Christian church: For her grapes are ripe," signifies because it is the last state of the Christian church: v. 19, "And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth," signifies the end of the present Christian church: "And cast it into the great wine-press of the wrath of God," signifies an exploration of the quality of their works, that they were evil: v. 20, " And the wine-press was trodden without the city," signifies that an exploration was made from the divine truths of the Word, into the quality of the works resulting from the doctrine of faith of the church: "And blood came out of the wine-press even unto the bridles of the horses," signifies violence done to the Word by direful falsifications of truth, and the understanding so closed thereby, that man is scarcely capable any longer of being taught, and thus led by divine truths from the Lord: "For a thousand six hundred furlongs," signifies mere falsities of evil. THE EXPLANATION. 612. And I saw, and lo, a lamb stood upon the mount Zion, and with him a hundred forty and four thousand, signifies the Lord now in the new heaven collected out of those in the Christian churches who have acknowledged the Lord alone to be the God of heaven and earth, and have been in truths of doctrine grounded in the good of love from him by the Word. By I saw, are signified the things which follow in this chapter; by a Lamb is meant the Lord as to his Divine Humanity, n. 269, 271; by Mount Zion is signified heaven, where they are who are principled in love to the Lord, as will be seen presently; by a hundred forty and four thousand are signified all who acknowledge the Lord alone to be the God of heaven and earth, and in truths of doctrine grounded in the good of love from him through the Word, n. 348, &c. These were treated of in chapter vii., but then in reference to their being sealed on their foreheads, and thus distinguished and separated from the rest: now, however, the subject refers to their being collected together into one, and to the formation of a heaven from them. The heaven here treated of, is the heaven collected from among Christians, from the time of the Lord's being in the world, and from such of them as approached the Lord alone, and lived according to his precepts in the Word, by shunning evils as sins against God. This heaven is the new heaven, from which the Holy Jerusalem, that is, the new church upon earth, will descend, Apoc. xxi. 1, 2; but the heavens which were formed before the Lord's coming are above this heaven, and are called the ancient heavens; all of which likewise acknowledge the Lord alone to be the God of heaven and earth: these heavens communicate with this new heaven by influx. It is well known, that by the land of Canaan is signified the church, because the Word was there, and by it the Lord was known; also because in the midst of it was the city Zion, and under it the city Jerusalem, both upon a mountain; hence by Zion and Jerusalem are signified the inmost things of the church; and as the church in the heavens makes one with the church upon earth, therefore by Zion and Jerusalem is signified the church everywhere, but by Zion the church as to love, and by Jerusalem the church as to doctrine derived from love. It is called Mount Zion, because by a mount is signified love, n. 336. That by Mount Zion is signified heaven and the church where the Lord alone is worshipped, may appear from the following passages: "I have set my king upon my holy hill of Zion; I will declare the decree, Jehovah hath said unto me, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thy inheritance. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way; blessed are all they that put their trust in him," Psalm ii. 6-8, 12. "O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain, say, Behold, the Lord Jehovah will come with a strong hand," Isaiah xl. 9, 10. (6 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, be hold thy King cometh unto thee; he is just, and having salvation," Zech. ix. 9; Matt. xxi. 2, 4, 5; John xii. 14, 15. "Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee," Isaiah xii. 6. "The ransomed of Jehovah shall return, and come to Zion with songs,' Isaiah xxxv. 10. "Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for, lo, I coine, and I will dwell in the midst of thee," Zech. ii. 10. "O that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion," Psalm xiv. 7; Psalm liii. 7. "Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I lay in Zion, for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, and your covenant with death shall be disannulled," Isaiah xxviii. 1618. “ "My salvation shall not tarry, I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory," Isaiah xlvi. 13. "And the Redeemer shall come to Zion," Isaiah lix. 20. "Jehovah of Hosts shall reign in mount Zion," Isaiah xxiv. 23. "Jehovah loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob; glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God, Jehovah shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there. All my springs are in thee," Psalm lxxxvii. 2, 3, 6, 7. "Jehovah hath chosen Zion, he hath desired it for his habitation, this is my rest for ever, here will I dwell; for I have desired it," Psalm cxxxii. 13, 14. "Let the children of Zion rejoice in their King," Psalm cxlix. 2, 3. "Thou shalt arise, O Jehovah, and have mercy upon Zion, for the time to favour her, yea, the set time is come, to declare the name of Jehovah in Zion, when the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve Jehovah," Psalm cii. 13-16, 21, 22. "Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. Our God shall come, he shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people. Gather my saints together unto me," Psalm 1. 1-5: besides other passages, as Isaiah i. 27; iv. 3, 5; xxxi. 4, 9; xxxiii. 5, 20; xxxvii. 22; lii. 1; lxiv. 10; Jerem. vi. 2; Lament. iv. 2; Amos i. 2; Micah iii. 10, 12; iv. 1-3, 7, 8; Zeph. iii. 14, 15; Joel iv. 16, 17, 21; Zech. viii. 3; Psalm xx. 2, 5; Psalm xlviii. 3, 11-14; Psalm lxxvi. 2; Psalm lxxviii. 68; Psalm cx. 1, 2; Psalm cxlix. 2, 4; Psalm cx. 2, 4; Psalm cxxvi. 1; Psalm cxxviii. 5, 6; Psalm cxxxiv. 3; Psalm cxxxv. 21; Psalm cxlvi. 10. The virgin and daughter of Zion is mentioned in many places; by whom is not meant any virgin or daughter there, but the church as to the affection of good and truth, the same as by the Lamb's bride, Apoc. xxi. 2, 9; xix. 7. The virgin and daughter of Zion signifies the Lord's church in these places: Isaiah i. 8; iii. 16-26; iv. 4; x. 32; xvi. 1; xxxvii. 22; lii. 2; lxii. 11; Jerem. iv. 31; vi. 2, 23; Lament. i. 6; ii. 1, 4, 8, 10, 13, 18; iv. 22; Micah i. 13; iv. 8, 10, 13; Zeph. iii. 14; Zech. ii. 10; ix. 9; Psalm ix. 14; and others. 613. Having his Father's name written on their foreheads, signifies their acknowledgment of the Lord's Divinity and Divine Humanity from love and faith in them. By the name of the Father is meant the Lord as to the all-begetting Divinity called the Father, and at the same time as to the Divine Humanity, which is called the Son, because they are a one and one person, united like soul and body; for which reason, in heaven, by God the Father no other is understood than the Lord, and the Lord is also called Father in the new heaven. The reason why it is here said, the name of his Father on their foreheads, is also because by Father is meant the divine good of the Lord's divine love, which in the Word of the Evangelists is everywhere meant by the Father, when named by the Lord, and the divine truth of his divine wisdom by the Son; which two were united as soul to body and body to soul, when the Lord glorified his Humanity, see n. 21, 170: and since they are one, it is therefore said in another place, The name of God and of the Lamb on their foreheads, chap. xxii. 4; concerning these, therefore, wno are here treated of, it is said, that they had the Father's naine written on their foreheads, because by the one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed out of the twelve tribes of Israel, are meant the angels of the superior heavens, who are all in the good of celestial love, and by the Father, as was observed, that good is understood. That the angels here treated of are angels of the superior heavens, may be seen in the explanation of chapter vii., particularly at n. 362. By written on their foreheads is signified an acknowledgment from love and faith in them; by written or inscribed is signified acknowledgment in them, and by the forehead is signified love and its consequent intelligence of faith, n. 347, 605. That the Divinity, which is called the Father, and the Divine Humanity, which is called the Son, are one, like soul and body, and consequently that the Lord is to be approached as to his Divine Humanity, and that thus and no otherwise the Divinity, which is called the Father, is approached, appears from so many passages in the Word, that they would fill many pages, if they were to be adduced; a large collection of them may be found in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Lord, n. 29-36, 38 -45, and following numbers; from which a few only shall here be quoted by way of confirmation. They are as follows: "And the angel said unto Mary, Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest : but Mary said, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? and the angel answered, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee, therefore that Holy Thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God," Luke i. 30-35. "The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost; and Joseph knew her not till she had brought forth her first-born son," Matt. i. 20, 25 "In the beginning was the |