1. And I saw another sign in heaven great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is consummated the anger of God. 2. And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire, and them that had the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, standing by the sea of glass, having the 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 marvelous 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 alone art Holy: therefore all the nations shall come, and shall adore before Thee; because Thy judgments are 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 that had the seven plagues went out of the temple, clothed in linen clean and bright, and girded about the breasts with golden girdles. 7. And one of the four animals gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials, full of the anger of God who liveth for ages of ages. 8. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from His power: and no one could enter into the temple, until the seven plagues of the seven angels were consummated.

THE SPIRITUAL SENSE

The contents of the whole chapter

The preparation for disclosing the last state of the church, and for laying open the evils and falsities in which they are (verses 1, 5-8); from whom those are separated who have confessed the Lord, and have lived according to His precepts (verses 2-4).

The contents of each verse

Verse 1. "And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous," signifies revelation by the Lord concerning the state of the church on earth, what it is as to love and faith (n. 656). "Seven angels having the seven last plagues," signifies the evils and falsities in the church, such as they are in its last state, disclosed universally by the Lord (n. 657). "For in them is consummated the anger of God," signifies the devastation of the church, and then its end (n. 658). Verse 2. "And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire," signifies the farthest boundary of the spiritual world, where those were gathered together who had religion, and worship from it, but not the good of life (n. 659). "And them that had the 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 the doctrine of it, and so have not acknowledged and imbued its falsities, nor falsified the Word (n. 660). "Standing by the sea of glass, having the harps of God," signifies the Christian heaven in the boundaries, and the faith of charity with those who were there (n. 661). Verse 3. "And they were singing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb," signifies confession from charity, and thus from a life according to the precepts of the law, which is the Decalogue, and from faith in the Divinity of the Lord's Human (n. 662). "Saying, Great and marvelous are Thy works, O Lord God Almighty," signifies that all things of the world, of heaven, and of the church were created and made by the Lord from Divine love by Divine wisdom (n. 663). "For just and true are Thy ways, O King of saints," signifies that all things which proceed from Him are just and true, because He is Divine good itself and Divine truth itself in heaven and in the church (n. 664). Verse 4. "Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name," signifies that He alone is to be loved and worshiped (n. 665). "For Thou alone art Holy," signifies that He is the Word, the Truth, and Enlightenment (n. 666)." Wherefore all nations shall come and adore before Thee," signifies that all who are in the good of love and charity acknowledge the Lord alone as God (n. 667). "Because Thy judgments are made manifest," signifies that the truths of the Word openly testify this (n. 668). Verse 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 (n. 669). Verse 6. "And the seven angels that had the seven plagues went out of the temple," signifies preparation by the Lord for influx from the inmost of heaven into the church, that its evils and falsities might be disclosed, and thus the evil be separated from the good (n. 670). "Clothed in linen clean and bright, and girded about the breasts with golden girdles," signifies that this was from the pure and genuine truths and goods of the Word (n. 671). Verse 7. "And one of the four animals gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials," signifies those truths and goods, by which the evils and falsities of the church are disclosed, taken from the sense of the letter of the Word (n. 672). "Full of the anger of God that liveth for ages of ages," signifies the evils and falsities that would appear and would be exposed by the pure and genuine truths and goods of the Word (n. 673). Verse 8. "And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power," signifies the inmost of heaven full of the Lord's spiritual and celestial Divine Truth (n. 674a). "And no one could enter into the temple, until the seven plagues of the seven angels were consummated," signifies to such a degree there, that more could not be endured, and this until after devastation the end of that church was seen (n. 674b).

THE EXPLANATION

Verse 1. And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, signifies revelation from the Lord concerning the state of the church upon earth, what it is as to love and faith. These are what this chapter and the following treat of; therefore they are signified by "a sign in heaven, great and marvelous." That "a sign in heaven" signifies revelation from the Lord concerning heaven and the church and of their state, see above (n. 532, 536); it is concerning love and faith, because it is called "great and marvelous"; and "great," in the Word, is said of such things as are of affection and love, and "marvelous," of such things as are of thought and of faith.