AR 882 - the tabernacle of God; AR 884 - tears; AR 889 - the water of life

AR 882

And I heard a great voice from heaven saying,

"Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men."(Revelation 21:3)

This symbolizes the Lord

speaking out of love and proclaiming

that He will now be present with people

in His Divine Humanity.

This is the celestial meaning of these worlds.

Celestial angels, or angels of the third heaven,

interpret them in just this way,

for to hear a great voice from heaven speaking

means to them the Lord

speaking and proclaiming something out of love,

for it is only the Lord

who speaks out of heaven.

That is because heaven is not heaven

owing to the angels' own qualities,

but to the Lord's Divinity,

of which they are recipients.

A great voice means speech springing from love,

for greatness is predicated of love.

"Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men"

means that now the Lord will be present

in His Divine Humanity.

The tabernacle of God means the celestial church,

in a universal sense

the Lord's celestial kingdom,

and in the highest sense

the Lord's Divine humanity . . ..

. . . the Temple means the Lord's Divine humanity

in respect to Divine truth or Divine wisdom,

while a tabernacle means the Lord's Divine humanity

in respect to Divine Goodness or Divine love.

AR 884

"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes . . ."
(Revelation 21:4)

. . . means that the Lord will take away from them

all grief of mind,

for shedding tears is caused by grief of mind.

. . . Crying symbolizes a fear of falsities from hell . . ..

AR 889

"To him who thirsts

I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely.

(Revelation 21:6)

This symbolically means that

to those who desire truths for some useful purpose,

the Lord will give of Himself through the Word

everything conducive to that useful purpose.

Thirsting symbolizes a desire for something

for some useful spiritual purpose

because one may thirst for or desire

concepts of truth from the Word

for some natural purpose

and also for some spiritual purpose.

People who do so for some natural purpose

have a reputation for learning as their goal,

and in consequence of their learning

prestige, honor and material gain.

Thus they have themselves and the world in view.

But people who do so for some spiritual purpose

have serving the neighbor as their goal,

out of a love for the neighbor,

and they consider the welfare of his soul,

as well as their own.

Thus they have the Lord, the neighbor,

and salvation in view.

Such people are given truth

from the fountain of the water of life,

that is, from the Lord through the Word,

to the extent that is is conducive to that purpose.

No others are given any truth from that source.

They read the Word,

and either they do not see any doctrinal truth in it,

or if they do,

they turn it into falsity -

no so much in speech when reading aloud from the Word,

but in the idea of their thought concerning it.

. . . to hunger symbolically means to desire good,

and to thirst to desire truth . . ..

Revelation 14: The First of Three Angels

Then I saw another angel flying in midair,

and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim

to those who live on the earth -

to every nation, tribe, language and people.

He said in a loud voice,

"Fear God and give Him glory,

because the hour of His judgment has come.

Worship Him who made the heavens,

the earth, the sea and the springs of water."

(Revelation 14:6-7)

A Crippled Woman Healed on the Sabbath

On a Sabbath

Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues,

and a woman was there

who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years.

She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.

When Jesus saw her,

He called her forward and said to her,

"Woman, you are set free from your infirmity."

Then He put His hands on her,

and immediately she straightened up

and praised God.

(Luke 13:10-13)

AR 884 - the Lord protected

AR 884 [3]

Many people who were inwardly good

were protected by the Lord

to keep them from being tormented

by the dragon and its beasts.

Revelation 13: Two Beasts

And I saw a beast coming out of the sea.

He had ten horns and seven heads,

with ten crowns on his horns,

and on each head a blasphemous name.

The beast I saw resembled a leopard,

but had feet like those of a bear

and a mouth like that of a lion.

The dragon gave the beast his power

and his throne and great authority.

One of the heads of the beast

seemed to have had a fatal wound,

but the fatal wound had been healed.

. . . Then I saw another beast,

coming out of the earth.

He had two horns like a lamb,

but he spoke like a dragon.

He exercised all the authority

of the first beast on his behalf,

and made the earth and its inhabitants

worship the first beast,

whose fatal wound had been healed.

(Revelation 13:1-3,11-12)

Woe to you Pharisees, and Experts in the Law

"Woe to you Pharisees,

because you give God

a tenth of your mint, rue

and all other kinds of garden herbs,

but you neglect justice

and the love of God.

You should've practiced the later

without leaving the former undone.

. . . "And you experts in the law,

woe to you,

because you load people down

with burdens they can hardly carry,

and you yourselves

will not lift on finger to help them."

(Luke 11:42,46)

AR 876 - a new heaven and a new earth; AR 879-880 - the New Jerusalem

AR 876

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth.

(Revelation 21:1)

This symbolically means that the Lord

formed a new heaven out of Christians,

which today is called the Christian heaven

and is inhabited by people

who worshiped the Lord

and lived in accordance

with His commandments in the Word,

who consequently possess charity and faith.

Found in that heaven also

are all the little children of Christians.

. . . because they (children) are brought up by angels

in the two essential elements of the church,

namely an acknowledgment of the Lord

as God of heaven and earth,

and living in accordance

with the Ten Commandments.

AR 879-880

​Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem,

coming down from God out of heaven.​

(Revelation 21:2)

. . . Jerusalem symbolizes the church . . ..

It is called a city

and described as a city

because of its doctrine

and its life in accordance with that doctrine.

For a city in the spiritual sense symbolizes doctrine.

It is called a holy city

owing to the presence of the Lord,

who alone is holy,

and owing to the Divine truths from the Word

that it has in it from the Lord,

which are called holy.

And it is called new,

because He who sat on the throne said,

"Behold, I am making all things new"

(Revelation 21:5).

It is also said to be

coming down from God out of heaven

because it descends from the Lord

through the New Christian Heaven . . ..

For the church on earth

is formed by the Lord through heaven,

in order that heaven and the church

may be in harmony and affiliated.

Jerusalem in the Word

means the church

because the Temple and altar

were there in the land of Canaan

and nowhere else,

and sacrifices were made there.

Thus it was the focus of Divine worship.

The three annual feasts

were accordingly also celebrated there,

and every male throughout the land

was commanded to attend them.

For that reason

Jerusalem symbolizes the church

with respect to worship,

and so also the church with respect to doctrine,

inasmuch as worship is prescribed by doctrine

and is conducted in accordance with it.

Jerusalem means the church, too,

because the Lord was there

and taught in its temple,

and later glorified His humanity there.

Revelation 12: A Time, Times and Half a Time

When the dragon saw

that he had been hurled to the earth,

he pursued the woman

who had given birth to the male child.

The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle,

so that she might fly

to the place prepared for her in the desert,

where she would be taken care of

for a time, times and half a time,

out of the serpents reach.

Then from his mouth

the serpent spewed water like a river,

to overtake the woman

and sweep her away with the torrent.

But the earth helped the woman

by opening its mouth

and swallowing the river

that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.

Then the dragon was enraged at the woman

and went off to make war

against the rest of her offspring -

those who obey God's commandments

and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.

(Revelation 12:13 - 13:1)

Jesus Raises a Widow's Son

Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain,

and His disciples and a large crowd

went along with Him.

As He approached the town gate,

a dead person was being carried out -

the only son of his mother,

and she was a widow.

And a large crowd from the town was with her.

When the Lord saw her,

His heart went out to her and He said,

"Don't cry."

Then He went up and touched the coffin,

and those carrying it stood still.

He said,

"Young man, I say to you, get up!"

The dead man sat up and began to talk,

and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

They were all filled with awe and praised God.

"A great prophet has appeared among us,"

they said.

"God has come to help His people."

This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea

and the surrounding country.

(Luke 7:11-17)

The Trine: Charity, Faith, Works

AR 875 [7]

"Charity without faith is not real,

nor is faith without charity real,

and neither charity nor faith is real without works.

But in works they become real,

and a reality 

such as the usefulness of the works.

. . . "That nothing exists

that is complete and perfect without a trine

is something that we learn also from geometry.

For a line has no real existence

unless it defines an area,

nor does an area have any real existence

unless it defines a volume.

Thus for them to exist,

one element must extend to another,

and they exist together in the third."

Revelation 11: The Seventh Angel

The seventh angel sounded his trumpet,

and there were loud voices in heaven,

which said:

"The kingdom of the world

has become the kingdom of our Lord

and of His Christ,

and He will reign for ever and ever."

And the twenty-four elders,

who were seated on their thrones before God,

fell on their faces and worshiped God,

saying:

"We give thanks to You, Lord God Almighty,

the One who is and who was,

because You have taken Your great power

and have begun to reign.

The nations were angry;

and Your wrath has come.

The time has come 

for judging the dead,

and for the rewarding

Your servants the prophets

and Your saints

and those who reverence Your name,

both small and great -

and for destroying those who destroy the earth."

Then God's temple in heaven was opened,

and within His temple was seen

the ark of His covenant.

And there came flashes of lightning,

rumblings, peals of thunder,

an earthquake and a great hailstorm.

(Revelation 11:15-19)

From the Scroll of Isaiah

Jesus returned to Galilee

in the power of the Spirit,

and news about Him

spread through the whole countryside.

He taught in their synagogues,

and everyone praised Him.

He went to Nazareth,

where he had been brought up,

and on the Sabbath day

He went into the synagogue,

as was His custom.

And He stood up to read.

The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him.

Unrolling it, He found the place where it is written:

"The Spirit of the Lord is on Me,

because He has anointed Me

to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent Me

to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to release the oppressed,

to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Then He rolled up the scroll,

gave it back to the attendant

and sat down.

The eyes of everyone in the synagogue

were fastened on Him,

and He began by saying to them,

"Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

(Luke 4:14-21)

AR 867 - the Book of Life was opened

AR 867

And their books were opened.

And another book was opened,

which is the Book of Life.

(Revelation 20:12)

The books do not mean books,

but the interiors of the minds of those being judged.

. . . The interiors are called books

because the interiors of everyone's mind

have inscribed on them

everything the person has thought, intended,

said and did in the world

that proceeded from His will or love

and so from his intellect or faith.

All of this is inscribed on everyone's life so precisely

that nothing at all is lost.

The character of these interiors

is clearly apparent when spiritual light,

which is wisdom from the Lord,

and spiritual warmth,

which is love from the Lord,

flow in through heaven.

Spiritual light reveals the thoughts

that are matters of the intellect and faith;

spiritual warmth reveals the affections 
that are matters of the will and love;

and spiritual light and warmth together

reveal the intentions and endeavors.

I do not say that a rational person

can see the reality of this

by the light of his own intellect,

but he can see it if he wishes to,

provided he is willing to understand

that there exists a spiritual light

that enlightens the intellect,

and a spiritual warmth

that kindles the will.

Revelation 10: The Angel on the Sea and on the Land

Then the angel I had seen

standing on the sea and on the land

raised his right hand to heaven.

And he swore by Him who lives for ever and ever,

who created the heavens and all that is in them,

the earth and all that is in it,

and the sea and all that is in it,

and said,

"There will be no more delay!

But in the days when the seventh angel

is about to sound his trumpet,

the mystery of God will be accomplished,

just as he announced to His servants the prophets."

(Revelation10:5-7)

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him,

''You brood of vipers!

Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.

And do not begin to say to yourself,

'We have Abraham as our father.'

For I tell you that out of these stones

God can raise up children for Abraham.

The ax is already at the root of the trees,

and every tree that does not produce good fruit

will be cut down and thrown into the fire."

"What should we do then?" the crowd asked.

John answered,

"The man with two tunics

should share with him who has none,

and the one who has food

should do the same."

Tax collectors also came to be baptized.

"Teacher," the asked, "what should we do?"

"Don't collect any more than you are required to,"

he told them.

Then some soldiers asked him,

"And what should we do?"

He replied,

"Don't extort money

and don't accuse people falsely -

be content with your pay."

(Luke 3:7-14)

AR 859 - Gog and Magog

AR 859

. . . Gog and Magog symbolize people

who engage in external worship

without any internal worship . . ..

[3]  . . . They are the kind of people

who often go to church on the sabbath and on holy days,

who sing hymns then and pray,

who listen to sermons

and attend then to the preacher's eloquence,

but pay little or not attention to the substance,

and who are moved somewhat

by prayers uttered with feeling,

such as that they are sinners,

without reflecting on themselves or on their life;

who also partake annually

of the sacrament of the Holy Supper;

who pour out prayers morning and evening,

and pray also before midday and evening meals;

and who also converse at times about God,

heaven and eternal life,

and know how to cite as well then

some passages from the Word

and to pretend to be Christians,

even though they are not.

For after they have done all these things,

they think nothing of adulterous affairs

and obscenities,

of vengeance and hatred,

of covert theft and robbery,

of lying and blasphemy,

and of lusting for and intending evils of every kind.

People of this character do not believe in any God,

still less in the Lord.

Revelation 9: The Rest of Mankind

The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues

still did not repent of the work of their hands;

they did not stop worshiping demons,

and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood -

idols that cannot see or hear or walk.

Nor did they repent of their murders,

their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.

(Revelation 9:20-21)

The Third Hour

It was the third hour when they crucified Him.

The written note of the charge against Him read:

THE KING OF THE JEWS.

(Mark 15:25-26)

AR 849 - angels; AR 851 - resurrection

AR 849

Angels act, indeed, as though of themselves,

but because they regard primarily

the useful services they perform,

they act from the Lord,

from whom originates every useful endeavor.

AR 851

Resurrection symbolizes salvation and eternal life . . ..

For there is but one resurrection to life.

There is no second one.

. . . For once conjoined with the Lord,

people remain conjoined with Him to eternity,

and this in heaven. 

As the Lord says:

I am the resurrection and the life.

Whoever believes in Me,

though he die, shall live.

Everyone who lives

and believes in Me

shall not die to eternity.

(John 11:25,26)

Revelation 8: The Seventh Seal

When He opened the seventh seal,

there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

And I saw the seven angels

who stand before God,

and to them were given seven trumpets.

Another angel,

who had a golden censer,

came and stood at the altar.

He was given much incense to offer,

with the prayers of all the saints,

on the golden altar before the throne.

The smoke of the incense,

together with the prayers of the saints,

went up before God from the angel's hand.

Then the angel took the censer,

filled it with fire from the altar,

and hurled it on the earth;

and there came peals of thunder,

rumblings,

flashes of lightning

and an earthquake.

(Revelation 8:1-5)

The Two Great Commandments

One of the teachers of the law came

and heard them debating.

Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer,

he asked Him,

"Of all the commandments,

which is the most important?"

"The most important one," Jesus answered,

"is this:

'Hear, O Israel,

the Lord our God is one Lord.

Love the Lord your God

with all your heart

and with all your soul

and with all your mind

and with all your strength.'

The second is this:

'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

There is no commandment greater than these."

(Mark 12:28-31)

AR 841 - not turning to the Lord directly

AR 841

He laid hold of the dragon,

that serpent of old,

which is the Devil and Satan.

(Revelation 20:2)

All people, indeed, who do not turn directly to the Lord

think sensually about matters having to do with the church,

and cannot think spiritually,

for the Lord is the true light.

Consequently people who do not turn to the Lord directly

cannot think in the light of spiritual light,

which is the light of heaven,

but do so in the light of the natural light

divorced from spiritual light,

which is to think sensually.

They are for that reason called that serpent of old.

People who do not turn to the Lord directly

and refrain from evils as being sins,

remain in their sins,

which is why the dragon is called the Devil.

And because the same people

are caught up in falsities are regards their doctrine,

the dragon is therefore called Satan.

Revelation 7: They Serve Him Day and Night

. . . "they are before the throne of God

and serve Him day and night in His temple;

and He who sits on the throne

will spread His tent over them.

Never again will they hunger;

never again will they thirst.

The sun will not beat upon them,

nor any scorching heat.

For the Lamb at the center of the throne

will be their Shepherd;

He will lead them to springs of living water.

And God will wipe away

every tear from their eyes.

(Revelation 7:15-17)

To Serve

. . . whoever wants to be first

must be slave of all.

For even the Son of Man

did not come to be served,

but to serve,

and to give His life

as the ransom for many."

(Mark 10:44-45)

AR 836 - swords!

AR 836

And the rest were slain with the sword

of Him who sat on the horse,

which went out from His mouth.

(Revelation 19:21)

To be slain means symbolically . . . to be slain spiritually,

which is to perish in respect to one's soul.

The sword of Him who sat on the horse,

which went forth from His mouth,

symbolizes the Word's truths

combating the falsities accompanying evil.

For various kinds of swords

symbolize truth fighting against falsity,

and falsity fighting against truth.

However, a sword on the thigh

means a combat from love;

a sword in the hand, or dagger,

means a combat with power;

and a sword from the mouth

means a combat from doctrine.

Consequently the sword that went forth

from the mouth of the Lord

means a combat from the Word against falsities,

as it is the Word that goes forth

from the mouth of the Lord.

Revelation 6: The Seals

I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals.

Then I heard one of the four living creatures say

in a voice like thunder, "Come!"

I looked, and there before me was a white horse!

Its rider held a bow,

and he was given a crown,

and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

When the Lamb opened the second seal,

I heard the second living creature say, "Come!"

Then another horse came out, a fiery red one.

Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth

and to make men slay each other.

To him was given a large sword.

When the Lamb opened the third seal,

I heard the third living creature say, "Come!"

I looked, and there before me was a black horse!

Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand.

When the Lamb opened the fourth seal,

I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say,

"Come!"  I looked,

and there before me was a pale horse!

Its rider was named Death,

and Hades was following close behind him.

When He opened the fifth seal,

I saw under the altar the souls of those
who had been slain

because of the word of God

and the testimony they had maintained.

I watched as he opened the sixth seal.

There was a great earthquake.

The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair,

the whole moon turned blood red,

and the stars in the sky fell to the earth . . ..

(Revelation 6:1-5,7-8,9,12-14)

A Prophet Without Honor

Jesus left there and went to His hometown,

accompanied by His disciples.

When the Sabbath came,

He began to teach in the synagogue,

and many who heard Him were amazed.

"Where did the Man get these things?" they asked.

"What's this wisdom that has been given Him,

that He even does miracles!

Isn't this the carpenter?

Isn't this Mary's son

and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon?

Aren't His sisters here with us?"

And they took offense at Him.

Jesus said to them,

"Only in his hometown,

among his relatives and in his own house

is a prophet without honor."

He could not do any miracles there,

except lay His hands on a few sick people

and heal them.

And He was amazed at their lack of faith.

(Matthew 6:1-6)

AR 830 - the Lord is God of the universe; AR 834 - false prophets

AR 830

And He has on His garment

and on His thigh

a name written:

"King of kings and Lord of lords."

(Revelation 19:16)

This symbolically means

that the Lord teaches in the Word who He is,

that He is the Divine truth of Divine wisdom

and the Divine goodness of Divine love,

thus that He is the God of the universe.


AR 834

. . . a false prophet symbolizes

people who teach and preach falsities

by twisting the Word's truths.

Revelation 5: The Scroll and the Lamb

Then I saw in the right hand of Him

who sat on the throne

a scroll with writing on both sides

and sealed with seven seals.

. . . Then I saw a Lamb,

looking as if it had been slain,

standing in the center of throne,

encircled by the four living creatures and the elders.

He had seven horns and seven eyes,

which are the seven spirits of God

and sent out into all the earth.
He came and took the scroll

from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.

. . . Then I heard every creature in heaven

and on earth and under the earth and on the sea

and all that is in them, singing:

"To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be praise and honor and glory and power

for ever and ever!"

(Revelation 5:1,6-7,13)

His Purpose

After John was put in prison,

Jesus went into Galilee,

proclaiming the good news of God.

"The time has come," He said.

"The kingdom of God is near.

Repent and believe the good news!"

As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee,

He saw Simon and his brother Andrew

casting a net into the lake,

for they were fishermen.

"Come, follow Me," Jesus said,

"and I will make you fishers of men."

At once they left their nets and followed Him.

When He had gone a little farther,

He saw James son of Zebedee

and his brother John in a boat,

preparing their nets.

Without delay He called them,

and they left their father Zebedee

in the boat with the hired men

and followed Him.

They went to Capernaum,

and when the Sabbath came,

Jesus went into the synagogue

and began to teach . . .

as one who had authority,

not as the teachers of the law.

. . . As soon as they left the synagogue,

they went with James and John

to the home of Simon and Andrew.

Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever,

and they told Jesus about her.

So He went to her,

took her hand and helped her up.
The fever left her

and she began to wait on them.

. . . Very early in the morning,

while it was still dark,

Jesus got up, left the house

and went off to a solitary place,

where He prayed.

Simon and his companions went to look for Him,

and when they found Him, they exclaimed:

"Everyone is looking for You!"

Jesus replied,

"Let us go somewhere else -

to the nearby villages -

so I can preach there also.

That is why I have come."

(Mark 1:14-21,22,29-31,35-38)

AR 815 - fine linen & righteous acts; AR 823 - jewels & truths

AR 815

. . . fine linen symbolizes genuine truths,

which are truths gained through the Word

from the Lord.

Righteous acts symbolize good lives

in the case of people governed by truths.

Saints symbolize people

who are of the Lord's church.

. . . in the natural sense

a righteous person is

everyone who lives rightly

in accordance with civil and moral laws.

But in the spiritual sense

that person is called righteous

who lives rightly

in accordance with Divine laws,

and Divine laws are truths from the Word.

Someone who believes that he is righteous

and so living a good life

without living in accordance with truth

is much deceived.

For a person cannot be reformed and regenerated

and so become good,

except by means of truths

and by a life in accordance with those truths.

. . . This is clearly apparent

in the case of angels in heaven.

The more they are governed by truths

and live in accordance with them,

the brighter white the garments

in which they appear clothed.

That is because they enjoy a brighter light.

AR 823

On the head means, symbolically, from the Lord,

for the head symbolizes wisdom springing from love,

and a person is governed from the head

by  wisdom springing from love.

. . . The Word's Divine truths

correspond in the spiritual world to jewels,

and owing to the correspondence,

so appear there,

and are seen in heaven on the heads of people

who regard the Word as holy.

Jewels accordingly symbolize

the Word's Divine truths in its literal sense.

That is because the literal sense

is made translucent

by its spiritual and celestial senses,

as jewels are by light.

Revelation 4: A Throne in Heaven

At once I was in the Spirit,

and there before me was a throne in heaven

with Someone sitting on it.

And the One who sat there

had the appearance of jasper and carnelian.

A rainbow, resembling an emerald,

encircled the throne.

Surrounding the throne

were twenty-four other thrones,

and seated on them were twenty-four elders.

There were dressed in white

and had crowns of gold on their heads.

From the throne came flashes of lightning,

rumblings and peals of thunder.

Before the throne,

seven lamps were blazing.

These are the seven spirits of God.

Also before the throne

there was what looked like

a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

(Revelation 4:2-6)

After the Sabbath

There was a violent earthquake,

for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven,

and going to the tomb,

rolled back the stone and sat on it.

His appearance was like lightning,

and his clothes were white as snow.

(Matthew 28:2-3)