AR 474, 475, 476 - The Angel Standing, A New Church Is Necessary

AR 474 [1, 2, 3]

Then the angel whom I saw standing
on the sea and on the land
lifted up his hand to heaven
and swore by Him who lives forever and ever.
(Revelation 10:6)

That Jehovah, which is to say, the Lord,
swore by Himself or on His own authority means,
symbolically, that Divine truth attests;
for the Lord is Divine truth itself,
and this attests of itself and on its own authority.

AR 475.

Who created heaven and the things that are in it,
the earth and the things that are in it,
and the sea and the things that are in it.
(Revelation 10:6)

. . . In the natural sense,
to create means to create,
but in the spiritual sense to create means,
symbolically, to reform and regenerate,
which is also to enliven.
Heaven means the heaven inhabited by angels.

AR 476

That there should be no more time.
(Revelation 10:6)

. . . it means there would be no church
unless people acknowledge one God,
and that the Lord is that God.
But what is the case today?
No one denies that there is one God,
but people do deny that the Lord is that God.
And yet there cannot be one God
in whom there is at the same time a Trinity
unless that God is the Lord.
No one denies that the church originates from Him
who is the Savior and Redeemer,
but people do deny that they should
turn to Him directly as their Savior and Redeemer.

It is apparent from this
that the church will die unless a new one arises,
one that acknowledges the Lord alone
as God of heaven and earth
and accordingly turns to Him directly.

. . . Time symbolizes state
because in the spiritual world
time is not measured by days, weeks,
months and years,
but instead by states which are progressions
of the inhabitants' lives,
by which they recall the past.

The state of the church is meant here by time
because although day and night,
morning and evening, summer and winter mark
periods of time in the world,
when interpreted in the spiritual sense
they mark states of the church.
Consequently, when these states come to an end,
there is no church;
and that is the case when
there is no longer any good and truth,
thus when the light of truth has become dark,
and the warmth of goodness cold.