659. [verse 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. By the 'sea of glass' (chap. iv 6) was signified the New Heaven [formed] out of Christians who were in general truths out of the sense of the letter of the Word (n. 238). Those who are in general truths are also in the boundaries of heaven, and therefore from afar off they appear as if in the sea (n. 398, 403, 404, 470). Here, however, by 'a sea of glass' is signified the ultimate boundary of the spiritual world, where those had been gathered together who had religion and worship therefrom, but no good of life. Because a gathering of these is signified, therefore it is said 'as it were a sea of glass', and also it was seen 'mingled with fire', and there by 'fire' is signified the love of evil, and the resulting evil of life (n. 452, 468, 494, 766, 767, 787); thus no good of life, for where there is no good there is evil. That a gathering of these is understood here by 'as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire' is plain also from the things now following, as that:-
Beside the sea stood those who had victory over the beast and over his image,
by whom are signified those who as a result of the rejection of faith separated from charity were in the good of life, and consequently in heaven (n. 660). This 'sea' is also the one that is understood in chap. xxi 1 by 'the sea' that 'was no more' (n. 878). What this sea was like, and what those who were there were like, it was given [me] to see. They were those who had had religion, had frequented churches, had heard sermons, had gone to the Holy Supper, and thereafter had not thought anything about God, salvation, and eternal life, not knowing what sin is. Therefore as to the face they were men, and many of them also as to civil and moral life, but not at all as to spiritual life, by virtue of which nevertheless a man is a man.
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