657. 'Seven angels having the seven last plagues' signifies the evils and untruths in the Church, such as they are in its last state, completely disclosed by the Lord. By 'seven angels' is signified the entire heaven; but because heaven is not heaven out of the angels' propria, but out of the Lord, therefore by 'seven angels' the Lord is signified. Nor can any other discover the evils and untruths that are in the Church. That by 'angels' is signified heaven, and in the highest sense the Lord, may be seen above (n. 5, 258, 344, 465, 644, 647, 648). By 'plagues' are signified evils and untruths, evils of love and untruths of faith; for they are those that are described in the following chapter and are signified by the 'evil and noxious sore', by the 'blood, as it were of one dead, whereby every living soul died', and by the 'blood into which the waters of the rivers and fountains were turned', by the 'scorching of fire which afflicted men', by the 'unclean spirits like frogs, which were demons', also by the 'great hail'. The evils and untruths that are signified by all those things are here 'plagues'. By 'the last plagues' are signified those in the last state of the Church. By 'seven' are signified all (n. 10, 390); but because the evils that are signified by the plagues in the following chapter are not all specified (in specie), but are all in general, by 'the seven' here are signified all completely (universaliter), for what is universal embraces all things specifically (universale enim complectitur omnia in specie). It is plain from these considerations that by 'I saw seven angels having the seven last plagues' is signified that the evils and untruths in the Church, such as they are in its last state, have been completely disclosed by the Lord. [2] That 'plagues' signify the spiritual plagues that affect men as to their souls, and destroy these, and which are evils and untruths, can be established from the following passages:-
From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness, a recent plague not pressed out, not bound up, not mollified Isa. i 6.
Jehovah smites the peoples in wrath with an incurable plague Isa. xiv 6.
O Jehovah, remove Thy plague from upon me, by the blow of Thy hand am I consumed Ps. xxxix 10 [H.B. 11].
Thy fracture is hopeless, with the plague of an enemy have I smitten thee for the multitude of thine iniquity, thy sins have become very many: but I will heal thee from thy plagues Jer. xxx 12, 14, 17.
If thou art not taking care to do all the words of the law, Jehovah will render thy plagues marvellous, plagues great and lasting, and every plague that is not written in the book of this law, even until thou art destroyed Deut. xxviii 58, 59, 61.
There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague draw near to thy tent Ps. xci 10.
Edom shall become a desolation, everyone passing by shall hiss at all the plagues thereof Jer. xlix 17.
It shall be a devastation, everyone passing by beyond Babel shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof Jer. 1 13.
In one day shall come the plagues of Babylon Rev. xviii 8.
The two witnesses shall smite the land with every plague Rev. xi 6.
By the plagues of Egypt, which were in part similar to the plagues described in the following chapter, nothing else but evils and untruths are signified; which plagues you may see enumerated above (n. 503). They are indeed called 'plagues' (Exod. ix 14; xii). From these considerations it is plain that by 'plagues' nothing else is signified but the spiritual plagues that affect men as to their souls and destroy them, as also Isa. xxx 26; Zech. xiv 12, 15; Ps. xxxviii 5, 11 [H.B. 6, 12]; Rev. ix 20; xvi 21; Exod. xii 13; xxx 12; Num. xi 33; Luke vii 21; and elsewhere.
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