[2] But this mystery must be further explained. The Divine truths that lie interiorly stored up in the Word could not be made known until after the Last Judgment was accomplished. The reason is, that the hells prevailed previous to this; since then the heavens prevail. And a man is in the midst between the hells and the heavens. Therefore when the hells prevail, then the truth of the Word is either perverted, despised, or rejected; but the contrary is the case when the heavens prevail. From these things it is evident why Divine truths are now first discovered, and the spiritual sense of the Word revealed. This, then, is what is meant by the Word being in obscurity, as to the understanding thereof, before those who are in evils and in falsities are cast into hell.

Continuation concerning the First Precept:-

[3] The idea of God is the chief of all ideas. For a man's communication with heaven and conjunction with the Lord are qualified by this idea. And hence such are his enlightenment, affection for truth and good, perception, intelligence, and wisdom; for these things are not from man, but from the Lord, according to conjunction with Him.

The idea of God is the idea concerning the Lord and His Divine. For no other is God of heaven and earth, as He Himself teaches in Matthew:

"All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (xxviii. 18).

But the idea concerning the Lord is more or less full, and more or less clear. It is full in the inmost heaven, less full in the middle, and still less full in the ultimate. Therefore those who are in the inmost heaven are in wisdom; those who are in the middle, in intelligence; and those who are in the ultimate, in knowledge. The idea is clear with the angels who are in the centre of the societies of heaven, and less clear with those who are round about, according to the degrees of distance from the centre. All in the heavens have places allotted them according to the fulness and clearness of their idea concerning the Lord; they are also in correspondent wisdom, and in, correspondent happiness.

All those who have not an idea of the Divine concerning the Lord, as, for example, the Socinians and Arians, are under the heavens, and devoid of happiness.

Those who have a twofold idea, namely, of an invisible God and of a visible God under the human form, also dwell under the heavens. Nor are they received before they acknowledge one God, and Him as visible. Some in the place of a visible God see, as it were, something aerial, and this from the idea of God's being called a spirit. If this idea with them is not changed into the idea of a man, thus of the Lord, neither are they accepted.

But those who have an idea of God, as of the inmost of nature, are rejected, because they are bound to have the idea of nature as God.

All nations that have believed in one God, and have had an idea concerning Him as a man, are received by the Lord.

From these considerations it is evident who they are that worship God Himself, and who they are that worship other gods; thus, those who live according to the first precept of the Decalogue, and those who do not.

THE APOCALYPSE.

CHAPTER XVI.

1. AND I heard a great voice out of the temple saying unto the seven angels, Go, and pour out the vials of the anger of God into the earth.

2. And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth and there came a great and noxious sore on the men who had the mark of the beast, and worshipped his image.

3. And the second angel poured out his vial into the sea and it became blood as of one dead; and every living soul in the sea died.

4. And the third angel poured out his vial into the rivers and the fountains of waters; and they became blood.

5. And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art just, O Lord, who is, and who was, and art holy, because thou hast judged these things.

6. Because they have shed the blood of saints and of prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.

7. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and just are thy judgments.

8. And the fourth angel poured out his vial into the sun and it was given unto him to scorch men with fire.

9. And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who hath power over these plagues, and they repented not to give him glory.

10. And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the throne of the beast; and his kingdom became dark; and they gnawed their tongues for anguish.

11. And they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their anguish and their sores, and repented not of their works.

12. And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings from the rising of the sun might be prepared.

13. And I saw out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet three unclean spirits like frogs.

14. For they are spirits of demons, working signs to go forth to the kings of the earth, and of the whole world, to gather them together to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

15. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

16. And he gathered them together into a place, called in the Hebrew, Armageddon.

17. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.

18. And there were voices, and lightnings, and thunders and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since there were men on the earth, so great an earthquake.

19. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell; and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his anger.

20. And every island fled, and the mountains were not found.

21. And great hail, as it were of the weight of a talent, came down from heaven upon men: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.