that God, is denied; and yet there is not one God, in whom is a trinity at the same time, but the Lord: that the church exists from him, who is the Saviour and Redeemer, is not denied; but that he, as the Saviour and Redeemer, ought to be approached immediately, is denied. Hence it is evident, that the church would perish, did not a new one come into existence, which acknowledges the Lord alone to be the God of heaven and earth, and, for this reason, immediately approaches him, (see Matt. xxviii. 18); therefore these words, there shall be time no longer, that is, there shall be no church, relate to what follows in this chapter (verse 7); and this again, to what is written in chap. xi. (verse 15); where it is said that there will be a church which will originate from the Lord alone. By time, is signified state, because in the spiritual world time is not measured by days, weeks, months, and years, but by states, which are progressions of the life of those who are there, from which they remember things past; on which subject see the work on Heaven and Hell, n. 162 -169, where time in heaven is treated of. The reason why the state of the church is here meant by time, is, because day and night, morning and evening, summer and winter, constitute time in this world, and when understood in a spiritual sense, they constitute states of the church; therefore when these states no longer exist, there is no church; and there is then no church, when there is no longer any good and truth, thus when the light of truth is turned into thick darkness, and the heat of good into cold; this is what is meant by there not being time any longer. Similar is the signification of the following passages in the Word: The fourth beast will think to change the times, Dan. vii. 25. "But it shall be one day which is known to Jehovah, not day nor night," thus there would be no time, Zech. xiv. 7. "I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day," thus again there would be no time, Amos viii. 9. "Behold, one evil is come, an end is come, the end is come, the morning is come unto thee, O thou that dwellest in the land, the time is come," Ezek. vii. 5, 6, 7; the morning is the beginning of a new church, n. 151, therefore it is said, the time is come.

477. "But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound," signifies, the final exploration and manifestation of the state of the church, which must perish, unless a new one be established by the Lord. That by sounding a trumpet, is signified to explore and lay open the state of life of those who are of the church, consequently the state of the church, may be seen above, n. 397; and as seven angels sounded, by the voice of the seventh angel, is signified the final exploration and manifestation, by which it appears that the church must perish, unless a new one be established by the Lord; that it must perish, is meant by there being time no longer, n. 476; and that a new church is to be established by the Lord, is meant by what now follows.

478. "The mystery of God should be finished; as he hath declared to bis servants the prophets," signifies, that then it will appear that it is foretold in the Word of both Testaments, but has hitherto been concealed, that after the last judgment is executed upon those who have devastated the church, the Lord's kingdom will come. By being finished, is signified to be fulfilled, to come to an end, and then to appear again; by the mystery of God declared to the prophets, is signified, that which is foretold by the Lord in the Word, and hitherto concealed; by declaring, is signified to announce the Lord's advent, and also that of his kingdom, for the term here used, signifies to declare glad tidings (evangelium). That this will come to pass, after the last judgment is executed upon those who have devastated the church, is also foretold in the Word, therefore this also is signified; from which it may appear, that all this is understood by these words. It may be expedient here to premise something of what is foretold in the Word of both Testaments, concerning the coming of the Lord, and of his kingdom. In the Word of the Old Testament, which is called prophetic, in the spiritual sense, and also where this shines forth, in the natural sense, the Lord alone is treated of, that is to say, his advent in the fulness of time; which is, when there should no longer be any good of charity and truth of faith in the church, which state of the church is called the

consummation, devastation, desolation, and decision: it also treats of his combats with the hells and his victories over them, which likewise constitute the last judgment executed by him; and afterwards of the creation of a new heaven, and the establishment of a new church, or the Lord's kingdom that is to come; these things are also treated of in the Word of the New Testament, which is called apostolic, and particularly in the Apocalypse. That it is the Lord's kingdom, the glad tidings of which will be declared in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, appears plainly from this passage in the next or eleventh chapter: "And the seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever: And the four-and-twenty elders fell upon their faces, and worshiped God, saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come, because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast begun thy reign," verses 15, 16, 17. This mystery is described in Daniel almost in the same words as here in the Apocalypse: "And I heard the man clothed in linen, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and swear by him that liveth for ever, that it shall be for a time, times, and a half;" when all these things are to be finished he said, "Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end," Dan. xii. 7, 9; till the time of the end, means till this time. That then the Son of Man will receive the kingdom, he foretells in these words: "I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven; and there was given to him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed," Dan. vii. 13, 14. That to declare glad tidings, signifies the Lord's advent, and then his kingdom, is plain from these passages: "O Zion, that bringest glad tidings, get thee up into the high mountain: O Jerusalem, that bringest glad tidings, lift

up thy voice with strength; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold, your God, Behold, the Lord Jehovah will come with a strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him." Isaiah xl. 9, 10, 11. "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth glad tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth glad tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth," Isajah lii. 7, 8, Nahum i. 15. "Sing unto Jehovah, bless in his name, declare the glad tidings of his salvation from day to day, for Jehovah cometh," Psalm xcvi. 2, 13. The spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me, because Jehovah hath anointed me to preach glad tidings unto the meek-to proclaim liberty to the captives-to proclaim the acceptable year of Jehovah," Isaiah Ixi. 1, 2. The angel said unto Zacharias, Behold, thy wife shall bear a son, who shall go before the Lord God in the spirit and power of Elias, and to prepare a people for the Lord: "I am Gabriel, and am sent to show thee these glad tidings," Luke i. 13, 17, 19. The angel said unto the shepherds, "Fear not, behold, I bring you glad tidings of great joy, for unto you is born in the city of David this day a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord," Luke ii. 10, 11. The Lord preached the glad tidings of the kingdom of God, Matt. iv. 23, xi. 5, Mark i. 15, Luke vii. 22, viii. 1, ix. 1, 2; and John the Baptist, Luke iii. 18. Jesus also commanded his disciples, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature," Mark xvi. 15. This also is the everlasting Gospel, which the angel flying in the midst of heaven had to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, Apoc. xiv. 6. It is said that the mystery of God will be consummated, by which is meant, that now will be fulfilled that which before had not been fulfilled, that is, that the kingdom will be the Lord's; for it was not fulfilled by the Jews, because they did not acknowledge the Lord; nor by the Christians, for these have not acknowledged the Lord to be the God of heaven and earth, as to the Humanity, for they make his Humanity like that of another man, wherefore they do not immediately approach him, when yet he is Jehovah who came into the world.

479. "And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go, take the little book, which is in the hand of the angel who is standing upon the open sea and upon the earth," signifies, a command from heaven, that they should admit that doctrine concerning the Lord, but that it should be made manifest by John, how it would be received in the church, before they who are meant by the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, are removed. By the voice which he heard from heaven now again talking with him, is meant the voice which told him to seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and not to write them, verse 4, by which is signified, that the doctrine concerning the Lord would not be received till after they who are meant by the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, should be cast out of the spiritual world, because there would be danger were it to be received before, as may be seen above, n. 473; that this is the case, is now made manifest by John, by his eating up the little book, as presently follows. That by the little book is meant the doctrine concerning the Lord, may be seen, n. 469, 472; and that by the angel who stood upon the sea and upon the earth is understood the Lord, n. 465, 470.

480. "And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book," signifies, a motion or inclination of the mind, with many in the church, to receive the doctrine. This is signified, because by John is here manifested the way in which the doctrine concerning the Lord is received by many in the church, as just observed; a motion or inclination of the mind with these to receive this doctrine is meant, because an inclination was apparent in John, in that he went and asked for it. As these things involve such a meaning, therefore John was first told to take the little book; he then went and asked for it; then the angel said that he would give it him, but that it would make his belly bitter; and, lastly, it is said that it was given him, and that it so came to pass; all these circumstances being significative.

481. "And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy