5. (v. 1) The revelation of Jesus Christ. That this signifies Predictions by the Lord concerning the last times of the church, is evident from the signification of revelation as denoting predictions; and because these are from the Lord alone, it is said, "the revelation of Jesus Christ." The reason why the revelation, or the predictions, are concerning the last times of the church, is because those times are especially treated of. It may be imagined that the successive states of the church from beginning to end are treated of in the Apocalypse; but those states are not there the subject, but only the state of heaven and the church about the time of its end, when the Last Judgment takes place; the last times are consequently treated of. The successive states of the church, however, were predicted by the Lord Himself in Matthew (chaps. xxiv. and xxv.), and also in Mark (chap xiii.); but the things contained in these chapters are written in the Divine prophetic style, which is by correspondences, and consequently they are such as can be revealed and laid open only by means of the internal or spiritual sense. (It has therefore been granted me by the Lord to explain those things in Arcana Coelestia, at the beginning of chapters xxiv. to xl. of Genesis; which explanations may be seen there in their order, in the following places: n. 3353-3356, 3486- 3489, 3650-3655, 3751-3757, 3897-3901, 4056-4060, 4229-4231, 4332-4335, 4422-4424, 4635-4638, 4661-4664, 4807-4810, 4954-4959, 5063-5071.)