1 things, and that there is already an end of them in the spiritual world, has been said and shown before. It is described in Isaiah: "Stand now with thy enchantments (O Babylon) and in the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast labored from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail. Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the star-gazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up and save thee. Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them, they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame; even thy merchants from thy youth, they shall wander every one to his quarter; none shall save thee," xlvii. 12, 15. 801. "And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth,” signifies, that from the religion which is meant by the city of Babylon, there is an adulteration and profanation of every truth of the Word, and consequently of the church, and that falsity has emanated thence throughout the whole christian world. By blood is signified the falsification, adulteration, and profanation of the Word, n. 327, 379, 684. By prophets are signified all who are in divine truths from the Word, and abstractedly the truths of doctrine from the Word, n. 8, 133. By saints are signified they who are of the Lord's church, and abstractedly the holy truths of the church, n. 173, 586, 666; that by the slain are signified they who are spiritually slain, and that they are said to be spiritually slain who perish. by falses, may be seen, n. 225, and in many other places; and since by the earth is signified the church, by all that were slain upon the earth, are meant all in the christian church who have perished by falses, seeing that falsity sprung up among them from that religion. Of Babylon it is also said in Jeremiah, That in "Babylon shall fall the slain of all the earth," li. 49, 52; and in Isaiah, That Lucifer, which is Babylon, had "destroyed thy land, and slain thy people," xiv. 20. That from the Babylonish religion many falses have flowed into the churches of the Reformed, may be seen above, n. 751, where this passage is explained: "And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth," Apoc. xvii. 18. 802. "It has been observed that from the religion which is meant by the city of Babylon, proceeds the adulteration and profanation of every truth of the Word, and thence of every thing holy in the church; and it has been remarked several times already, that that religion not only adulterated the goods and truths of the Word, but likewise profaned them, and that for that reason Babel (or Babylon) in the Word signifies the profanation of what is holy. It shall now be shown, how that profanation was and is occasioned. It has been observed above, that the love of dominion, grounded in self-love, over the holy things of the church and over heaven, consequently over all the divine things of the Lord, is the devil; now inasmuch as they who established that religion, had such a dominion in view, they could not do otherwise than profane the holy things of the Word and of the church. Suppose this love, which is the devil, were to take possession of any one's mind interiorly, as every ruling love does, and that any divine truth were placed exteriorly before his eyes, would it not tear it to pieces, cast it to the ground, and trample upon it, and call in some falsity accordant with itself in its stead? The love of possessing all things in the world is satan, and the devil and satan, as being confederates, act as one with those, who from being principled in one love, are principled also in the other. Hence a conclusion may be formed, why Babylon in the Word signifies profanation. For example: place before that love, which is the devil, this divine truth, that God alone is to be worshiped and adored, and not any man, and thus that the pope's vicarship is an invention and fiction which ought to be rejected. In like manner this truth, that to invoke dead men, and fall down before their images, and kiss them and their bones, is a mere filthy idolatry, which ought also to be rejected. Would not that love, which is the devil, in the vehemence of its anger, reject these two truths, fulminate against them, and tear them in pieces? But should any one say to that love, which is the devil, that to open and shut heaven, or to loose and to bind, consequently to remit sins, which is the same thing as to reform and regenerate, and so to redeem and save man, is a work purely divine; and that man without profanation cannot claim to himself any thing divine, and that neither did Peter claim the like to himself, for which reason he never exercised it; moreover that the succession is an invention proceeding from that love; as also the transferring of the Holy Spirit from one man to another. On hearing these things, would not that love, which is the devil, thunder out its anathemas upon him who uttered them; and in the fire of his fury command him to be delivered to the inquisitor, and cast into a dungeon? If any one should say further, How can the Lord's divine power be transferred to you? How can the Lord's divinity be separated from his soul and body? Does not your faith reply that it cannot? How can God the Father convey his divine power into the Son, except into his divinity, which is the receptacle ? How can this be transferred to a man so as to become his own? Not to mention other considerations of a like nature. On hearing these things, would not that love, which is the devil, have nothing to say; would he not burn with rage, gnash with his teeth, and exclaim, "Away with him, crucify him, crucify him, get you gone, every one of you, see this grand heretic, and delight yourselves in his punishment? CHAPTER XIX. 1. AND after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia! Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God: 2. For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great harlot, who corrupted the earth with her whoredom, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. 3. And again they said, Alleluia! And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. 4. And the four-and-twenty elders, and the four animals, fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, Amen ; Alleluia! 5. And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. 6. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunders, saying, Alleluia! for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. 7. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8. And to her it was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen clean and shining, for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. 9. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they that are called unto the marriage-supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true words of God. 10. And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not. I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren who have the testimony of Jesus; worship God; for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. 11. And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse; and he that sat upon him is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12. And his eyes were as a flame of fire: and on his head were many diadems; and he had a name written, that no one knew but he himself. 13. And he was clothed with a vesture ́stained with blood: and his name is called the Word of God. 14. And the armies in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, and he treadeth the wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords. 17. And I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried with a great voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come, and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 18. That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men both free and bond, both small and great. 19. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth and their armies, gathered together to make war with him that sat on the horse, and with his army. 20. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet, that wrought signs before him, with which he deceived them that bad received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. VOL. III. 21. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which proceedeth out of his mouth, and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. THE SPIRITUAL SENSE. THE CONTENTS OF THE WHOLE CHAPTER. A glorification of the Lord by the angels of heaven, on account of the removal of the Roman Catholic religion in the spiritual world, whereby they were restored to their light and beatitude, verses 1-5. Annunciation of the Lord's advent, and of a New Church from him, verses 6-10. The opening of the Word as to its spiritual sense for the use of that church, verses 11-16. The calling of all men unto it, verses 17, 18. The resistance of those who are principled in faith separated from charity, verse 19. Their removal and damnation, verses 20, 21. THE CONTENTS OF EACH VERSE. "And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia," signifies, thanksgiving, confession, and celebration of the Lord by the angels of the lower heavens, on account of the removal of the Babylonians: "Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power unto the Lord our God," signifies, that now there is salvation from the Lord, because now there is a reception of divine truth and divine good by virtue of his divine power: "For true and righteous are his judgments, for he hath judged the great harlot, who corrupted the earth with her whoredom," signifies, because in justice the profane Babylonian religion is condemned for destroying the Lord's church by foul adulterations of the Word: "And hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand," signifies, retribution for the mischief and violence offered to the souls of them who worship the Lord: “And again they said, Alleluia! And her smoke rose up for ever and ever," signifies, thanksgiving and celebration of the Lord, for joy that that profane religion is condemned to eternity; "And the four-and-twenty elders, and the four animals, fell down and worshiped God, who sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia," signifies, adoration of the Lord as the God of heaven and earth, and judge of the universe, by the angels of the higher heavens, and confirmation of the thanksgiving, confession, and celebration of the Lord by the angels of the lower heavens: "And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God all ye his servants, and ye that fear him," signifies, influx from the Lord into heaven, and consequent unanimity of the angels, that all who are in the truths of faith and in the goods of love, should worship the Lord as the only God of heaven: "Both sniall and great," signifies, those who in a lesser and greater degree worship the Lord from the truths of faith and the goods of love: "And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice |