915. Verse 18. And another angel went out from the altar, signifies manifestation by the Lord of the devastation of the church as to the good of love and charity. This is evident from the signification of "an angel going out," as being manifestation by the Lord (see above, n. 914); also from the signification of "altar," as being in the highest sense the Divine good of the Divine love; and in a relative sense the good of love to the Lord, and the good of charity towards the neighbor (see above, n. 391, 490). Why "the altar" has this signification shall be told in a few words. In the church instituted among the sons of Israel there were two things that were the chief things of worship, namely, the Tent of meeting and the altar, and afterwards the temple and the altar. In the temple the Word was taught, and upon the altar sacrifices were made, and these were the chief things of their worship; and as the church established among them was a representative church these two represented in brief all things of the church; and all things of the church in brief relate to the truth of doctrine from the Word and to the good of love and charity. Moreover, from these two all the worship of the church comes; and as all the representatives of the church looked to the Lord as the end and as the cause, thus as the one to whom all things relate and from whom they are, so the temple represented the Lord as to the Divine truth, and the altar the Lord as to the Divine good. (On this representation of the temple see above, n. 220; and of the altar, n. 391, 490.) Now as all things of the church, and thus of worship, relate to these two, namely, to the truth of doctrine and the good of love, and all things of heaven to the Divine truth and the Divine good, both from the Lord, and as there is no longer any church when these two are laid waste, so two angels appeared to John, and by these the devastation of the church in respect to both was represented.