813. 'And His wife has made herself ready' signifies that those who will belong to this Church, which is the New Jerusalem, are being assembled, inaugurated and instructed. By the 'wife' is signified the Lord's New Church, which is the New Jerusalem. This is plainly evident from a subsequent chapter (xxi) where are these words:-
I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven prepared as a bride adorned for her Husband (verse 2);
and in the same chapter:-
An angel came unto me saying, Come, I will show thee the Bride the Lamb's wife, and he showed me the great city the holy Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God (vers. 9, 10).
By the wife's having made herself ready is signified that those who will be of that New Church of the Lord are being assembled, inaugurated and instructed. And because these things are signified by 'she has made herself ready' it therefore follows that the wife 'was arrayed with fine linen clean and bright', by which is signified inauguration by means of instruction; and therefore also [something] follows concerning 'a white horse', by which is signified the understanding of the Word by the Lord for them.
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