. Verse 2. And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire, signifies the ultimate boundary of the spiritual world, where are collected those who had religion and thence worship, but not the good of life. By "a sea of glass" (Apoc. 4:6), is signified the New Heaven from Christians, who were in general truths from the sense of the letter of the Word (n. 238). They who are in general truths, are also in the borders of heaven, therefore, at a distance, they appear to be in the sea (n. 398, 403, 405). But here by "the sea of glass" is signified the ultimate boundary of the spiritual world, where those were collected who have religion and thence worship, but not the good of life. Because a collection of these is signified, therefore it is said, "as it were a sea of glass," and further, it appeared "mingled with fire," and by "fire" there is signified the love of evil, and thence the evil of life (n. 452, 468, 494, 766, 767, 787); thus not the good of life, for where good is not, there evil is. That a collection of these is here meant by "as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire," appears also from what next follows, as that "they who had gotten the victory over the beast and over his image stood beside this sea," by whom are signified those who, in consequence of the rejection of faith separated from charity, were in the good of life and thence in heaven (n. 660). This sea is also meant, in (Apoc. 21:1), by "the sea which was no more" (n. 878). What the nature and quality of this sea is and of those who were in it, has also been granted me to see. They were those who had religion, frequented churches, listened to preachings, received the Holy Supper, but never thought any further about God, salvation, and eternal life, not knowing what sin is. Therefore they were men as to the face; and many of them as to civil and moral life, but not at all as to spiritual life, by virtue of which nevertheless man is man.
. And them that had the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, signifies those who have rejected faith alone and its doctrine, and thus have not acknowledged and imbued its falsities, nor falsified the Word. By "the beast" is signified the faith of the dragon with the laity, treated of in (Apoc. 13:1-10). Because its image was made (Apoc. 13:14); by "its image" is signified doctrine (n. 602, 634, 637). By "mark" is signified the acknowledgment of that faith (n. 605, 606, 634, 637, 679). By " the number of his name" is signified the falsification of the Word (n. 610). Hence it appears, that by these words they are signified who have rejected faith alone and its doctrine, and thus have not acknowledged and imbued its falsities, nor falsified the Word.
. Standing by the sea of glass, having the harps of God, signifies the Christian heaven in its boundaries, and the faith of charity with those who are there. Since "by the sea of glass" is signified a collection of those who have indeed some religion and worship, but not the good of life (n. 659). Therefore, by those who were seen" standing by that sea," is signified the Christian heaven in its boundaries, with whom there were religion, worship, and the good of life, because "they had the victory over the beast and over his image." The higher Christian heaven is treated of in the foregoing chapter; they who composed that heaven are meant by "the hundred forty-four thousand," who were seen standing with the Lamb on mount Zion (n. 612-625). By "harps" is signified the confession of the Lord from spiritual truths (n. 276, 616). Spiritual truths are of faith from charity. Their being seen to have harps, and heard to sing the song afterwards mentioned, was a representative of confession springing from the faith of charity. The affections of the thoughts and thence the sound of the discourse of the angels of heaven, are variously heard below in the spiritual world, either as the sound of waters, or of thunder, as above, (Apoc. 14:2), or as the sound of trumpets, as above, (Apoc. 4:1), or, as here, like the sound of harps, as also above, (Apoc. 5:8; 14:2): but yet they are not waters which make the sound, nor thunders which thunder, nor trumpets and harps which sound, nor, indeed, are they songs; but the discourses of the angels and their confessions according to their affections and thence their thoughts, are thus heard below, from which the quality of their love and wisdom is perceived. That such things are heard is from the correspondence of affection with sound, and of thought with speech.
REVELATION 15:2previous
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