66 signifies, and who make the doctrine of faith the sole doctrine of the church: "To teach and to seduce my servants to commit whoredom," signifies, from which it comes to pass that the truths of the Word are falsified: "And to eat things sacrificed unto idols,” signifies, the defilement of divine worship, and profanations: "And I gave her time to repent of her whoredom, and she repented not," signifies, that they who have confirmed themselves in that doctrine will not recede, although they see things contrary to it in the Word: "Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation,' signifies that therefore they will be left in their doctrine with falsifications, and that they will be grievously infested by falses: Except they repent of their deeds,” signifies, if they will not desist from separating faith from charity: "And I will kill her children with death," signifies, that all the truths of the Word will be turned into falses: "And all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts," signifies, that the church shall know that the Lord sees the quality of every one's truth, and the quality of his good: "And I will give unto every one of you according to your works," signifies, that he gives unto every one according to the charity and its faith which is in his works: "But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine," signifies, to those with whom the doctrine of faith is separated from charity, and to those with whom the doctrine of faith is joined with charity: "And who have not known the depths of satan as they speak," signifies, they who do not understand their interiors, which are mere falses: "I will put upon you none other burden," signifies, only that they should beware of them: "Nevertheless, that which ye have, hold fast till I come," signifies, that they should retain the few things which they know concerning charity, and thence concerning faith from the Word, and live according to them until the Lord's coming: "And he that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the end," signifies, those who are in charity and thence actually in faith, and remain in them to the end of their lives: "To him will I give power over the nations," signifies, that they shall overcome the evils in themselves which are from hell: "And he shall rule them with a rod of iron," signifies, by truths from the literal sense of the Word, and at the same time by rational principles derived from natural light: "As the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers," signifies, as of little or no account: "Even as I received of my Father," signifies, this from the Lord, who, when he was in the world, procured to himself all power over the hells, from the divine principle which was within him: "And I will give him the morning star," signifies, intelligence and wisdom: "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches,” signifies here, as before. THE EXPLANATION. 69. THIS and the following chapter treat of the seven churches, by which are described all those in the Christian church who have any religion, and out of whom the New Church, which is the New Jerusalem, can be formed; and this is formed by those who APPROACH THE LORD ONLY, AND AT THE SAME TIME PERFORM REPENTANCE FROM EVIL WORKS. The rest, who do not approach the Lord alone, from the confirmed negation of the divinity of his Humanity, and who do not perform repentance from evil works, are indeed in the church, but have nothing of the church in them. 70. Since the Lord alone is acknowledged as the God of heaven and earth, by those who are of his New Church in the heavens, and by those who will be of his New Church upon earth; therefore, in the first chapter of the Apocalypse the Lord alone is treated of; and in the two following chapters, it is he alone who speaks to the churches, and he alone who will give the felicities of eternal life. That it is he alone who speaks to the churches, is evident from these passages: "Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write, These things saith He that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks," ii. 1. "Unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write, These things saith the First and the Last,” ii. 8. "To the angel of the church in Pergamos write, These things saith He which hath the sharp sword with two edges," ii. 12. "Unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write, These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass," ii. 18. "Unto the angel of the church in Sardis write, These things saith He that hath the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars," iii. 1. the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, These things saith He that is holy, He that is true, He that hath the key of David," iii. 7. "And unto the angel "To of the church of the Laodiceans write, These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God," iii. 14. These expressions are taken from the first chapter, in which the Lord alone is treated of, and where he is described by all these attributes. 71. That the Lord alone will give the felicities of eternal life to those who are and will be of his church, is evident from these passages: The Lord said to the church of Ephesus, "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God," ii. 7. Unto the church in Smyrna, "I will give thee a crown of life. He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death," ii. 10, 11. Unto the church in Pergamos, "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it," ii. 17. Unto the church in Thyatira, " To him will I give power over the nations, and I will give him the morning star," ii. 26, 28. Unto the church in Philadelphia, "Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God; and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, and my new name," iii. 12. Unto the church in Laodicea, "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne," iii. 21. From these passages it is also evident, that the Lord alone is to be acknowledged in the New Church. Hence it is that this church is called The Lamb's wife, Apoc. xix. 7, 9, xxi. 9, 10. 72. That the New Church, which is the New Jerusalem, is to be formed of those who do repentance from evil works, is also manifest from the Lord's words to the churches: to that in Ephesus; "I know thy works; nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, that thou hast left thy first charity. Repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent," ii. 2, 4, 5. To the church in Pergamos; "I know thy works,-repent," ii. 13, 16. To the church in Thyatira; "I will deliver her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds, and I will give unto every one of you according to his works," ii. 19, 22, 23. To the church in Sardis; "I have not found thy works perfect before God;-repent," iii. 1, 2, 3. To the church in Laodicea; "I know thy works;-be zealous, therefore, and repent," iii. 15, 19. But to proceed to the explanation. 73. "Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write," signifies, to those and concerning those, who primarily respect truths of doctrine and not good of life. It was shown above, n. 66, that by the seven churches, are not meant seven churches, but the church in the aggregate, which in itself is one, but various according to reception; and that those varieties may be compared with the various members and organs in a perfect body, which yet make a one. They may also be compared with the various jewels in a king's crown; and hence it is that the universal New Church, with its various particulars, is described, in what now follows, by seven churches. That by the church of Ephesus, are understood those in the church who primarily respect truths of doctrine and not good of life, is clear from what is written to them, when understood in the spiritual sense. It is written to the angel of that church, because, by an angel is understood an angelic society which corresponds to a church consisting of such, as above n. 65. 74. "These things saith He that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand," signifies, the Lord, from whom, by the Word, proceed all truths. That He who holds the seven stars in his right hand, is the Lord, and that the seven stars in his right hand, are all the knowledges of good and truth in the Word, which are thence from the Lord, with the angels of heaven and men of the church, may be seen above, n. 51. The knowledges of good and truth from the Word are truths. 75. "Who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks," signifies, from whom all illumination is received by those who are of his church. That the seven candlesticks, in the midst of which was the Son of man, signify the church which is in illumination from the Lord, may be seen above, n. 43-66. He is here said to be walking, because to walk signifies to live, n. 167; and in the midst signifies in the inmost and thence in all, n. 44, 383. 76. "I know thy works," signifies, that he sees all the interiors and exteriors of man at once. Works are often mentioned in the Apocalypse, but few know what is meant by works. This, however, is well known, that ten men may do works which externally appear alike, and which yet differ with them all; and this because they proceed from different ends and different causes, the end and the cause rendering the works either good or bad; for every work is a work of the mind, therefore such as is the quality of the mind, such is that of the work: if the mind be charity, the work becomes charity; but if the mind be not charity, the work is not charity: still, however, they may both appear externally alike. Works appear to men in their external form, but to angels in their internal form; and to the Lord their quality is apparent from inmost to outmost. Works in their external form appear like the outside of fruits, but works in their internal form appear like the inside of fruits, where there are innumerable eatable parts, and in the midst seeds, in which there are also things innumerable, which are too minute for the keenest eye to discern, yea, which are above the intellectual sphere of man: such are all works, the internal quality of which the Lord alone sees, and which the angels also perceive from the Lord, when performed by man. But on this subject more may be seen in The Angelic Wisdom concerning the Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, n. 209-220, and n. 277-281; and also below, n. 141, 641, 868. From this it may appear, that by, "I know thy works," is signified, that the Lord sees all the interiors and exteriors of man at once. 77. "And thy labor and endurance;" that this signifies their study and patience, is evident without explanation. 78. "And how thou canst not bear them that are |