631. Verse 8. And another angel followed, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, signifies that now the Roman Catholic religion as to its dogmas and doctrinals is dispersed. By "another angel" is signified now a new thing from the Lord, as above (n. 626). By "Babylon the great city," is signified the Roman Catholic religion as to its dogmas and doctrinals. By "falling" is signified to be dispersed, for "to fall" is said of a city, but "to be dispersed" of a religion and its doctrine, as signified by "the city Babylon." That "a city" signifies doctrine, see above (n. 194). The reason why this is now said of "Babylon," is, because after the New Christian Heaven was made by the Lord, a new one was made at the same time of those who were of the Roman Catholic religion.
The reason is, because the Christian heaven collected out of the Reformed, constitutes the center, and the Papists are round about it; therefore, when the center is made new, something new is at the same time produced in the circumference. For the Divine light, which is the Divine truth, diffuses itself around, from the middle as from a center, to the circumference, and reduces the things which are there also to order. On this account some mention is here made of Babylon, but it is treated of more particularly in chapters 17, 18. That the Reformed Christians constitute the center, and that the Papists form a large circumference around it, and that spiritual light, which is the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, diffuses itself as from its center to all the circumferences even to the last; may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Sacred Scripture (n. 104-113), and in the small work on the Last Judgment (n. 48). From these things it may be seen, that this mention of Babylon follows in order, after treating of the New Christian Heaven and of evangelization; this is also what is signified by the expression, "followed."
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