1. And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous; seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God has been consummated. 2. And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those having victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, standing beside the sea of glass, having harps of God. 3. And they were singing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are Thy works, O Lord God Almighty, just and true are Thy ways, O King of saints. 4. Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy Name? for Thou Only art Holy; therefore all the nations shall come and adore before Thee, for Thy judgments have been made manifest. 5. And after these things I saw, and behold the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. 6. And the seven angels having the seven plagues went out of the temple, clothed with clean and shining linen, and girded about the breasts with golden girdles. 7. And one of the four animals gave unto the seven angels seven golden phials fill of the wrath of the God living for ages of ages. 8. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His vigour (virlus), and no one was able to enter into the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were consummated.

THE SPIRITUAL SENSE

THE CONTENT OF THE WHOLE CHAPTER

The preparation for discovering the last state of the Church, and for laying bare the evils and untruths in which they are (vers. 1, 5-8); from which have been separated those who have confessed the Lord and lived in accordance with His precepts (vers. 2-4).

THE CONTENTS OF EACH OF THE VERSES

1. And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous signifies a revelation by the Lord concerning the state of the Church on earth, what it is like as to love and faith. Seven angels having the seven last plagues signifies the evils and untruths in the Church, such as they are in its last state, completely (universaliter) disclosed by the Lord. For in them the wrath of God has been consummated signifies the devastation of the Church and its end then. 2. And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire signifies the ultimate boundary of the spiritual world, where those had been gathered together who had religion and worship therefrom, and no good of life. And those having victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name signifies those who have rejected faith alone and its doctrine, and thus have neither acknowledged and absorbed its untruths, nor falsified the Word. Standing beside the sea of glass having harps of God signifies the Christian heaven at its boundaries, and the faith of charity with those who are there. 3. And they were singing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb signifies a confession out of charity, thus out of a life in accordance with the precepts of the Law which is the Decalogue, and out of faith concerning the Divinity of the Lord's Human. Saying, Great and marvellous are Thy works, O Lord God Almighty signifies that all the things of the world, of heaven, and of the Church have been created and done by the Lord out of Divine Love by means of Divine Wisdom. For just and true are Thy ways, O King of saints signifies that all the things that proceed from Him are just and true, because He is Divine Good Itself and Divine Truth in heaven and in the Church. 4. Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy Name? signifies that He Only is to be loved and worshipped. For Thou Only art Holy signifies that He is the Word, the Truth (veritas), and Enlightenment. Therefore all the nations shall come and adore before Thee signifies that all who are in the good of love and charity will acknowledge the Lord to be the Only God. For Thy judgments have been made manifest signifies that the truths of the Word openly testify this. 5. After these things I saw, and behold the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened signifies that the inmost of heaven was seen, where the Lord is in His holiness in the Word, and in the Law which is the Decalogue. 6. And the seven angels having the seven plagues went out of the temple signifies preparation by the Lord for an influx out of the inmost of heaven into the Church, so that its evils and untruths might be disclosed, and thus the evil be separated from the good. Clothed with clean and shining linen, and girded about the breasts with golden girdles signifies this out of the pure and genuine truths and goods of the Word. 7. And one of the four animals gave unto the seven angels seven golden phials signifies those truths and goods by means of which the evils and untruths of the Church are disclosed taken from the sense of the letter of the Word. Full of the wrath of the God living for ages of ages signifies the evils and untruths about to appear and be disclosed by means of the pure and genuine truths and goods of the Word. 8. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His vigour (virtus) signifies the inmost of heaven full of the Lord's spiritual and celestial Divine Truth. And no one was able to enter into the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were consummated signifies to this degree there that more could not be endured and this until after the devastation the end of that Church was seen.

THE EXPOSITION

[verse 1] 'And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous' signifies a revelation by the Lord concerning the state of the Church on earth, what it is like as to love and faith. These are the things of which it treats in this and the following chapter. Therefore these are signified by the 'sign in heaven, great and marvellous'. That by 'a sign in heaven' is signified a revelation by the Lord concerning heaven and the Church, and their state, may be seen above (n. 532, 536). It is [a revelation] concerning love and faith, because it is termed 'great and marvellous', and 'great' in the Word is said of such things as are of affection and love, and 'marvellous' of such as are of thought and faith.