472. 'And when he cried, the seven thunders uttered their voices' signifies that the Lord has disclosed throughout the entire heaven what is in the little book. This is signified because it follows on that he wanted to write the things that the seven thunders had spoken, but that it was said to him out of heaven that he should seal them up and not write. And [it continues] afterwards that he ate the little book up, and that in his mouth it was sweet as honey, but that it resulted in his belly's being made bitter, by which is signified that such things were in it as would not be received till now. The reason may be seen in the following paragraph. But I will open what was in the little book. In the little book were those things that are contained in THE DOCTRINE OF THE NEW JERUSALEM CONCERNING THE LORD, from the beginning to the end, and they are as follows:-
[2] That the entire Sacred Scripture is concerning the Lord, and that the Lord is the Word (n. 1-7).
That the Lord fulfilled all things of the Law is equivalent to His fulfilling all things of the Word (n. 8-11).
That the Lord came into the world in order that He might bring the hells under control and glorify the Human, and that the passion of the cross was the last combat, by means of which He fully overcame the hells and fully glorified His Human (n. 12-14).
That the Lord did not take sins away by means of the passion of the cross, but that He bore them (n. 15-17).
That the imputation of the Lord's merit is nothing else than the remission of sins after repentance (n. 18).
That the Lord as to the Divine Human is termed the Son of God, and as to the Word is termed the Son of Man (n. 19-28).
That the Lord made His Human Divine out of the Divine in Himself, and that in such a manner He became one with the Father (n. 29-36).
That the Lord is God Himself from Whom and concerning Whom is the Word (n. 37-44).
That God is one, and that the Lord is that God (n. 45).
That the Holy Spirit is the Divine proceeding from the Lord, and that It is the Lord Himself (n. 46-54).
That the Doctrine of the Athanasian Faith is in agreement with the truth (veritas), only so long as by a Trinity of Persons is understood the Trinity of Person that is in the Lord (n. 55-61).
[3] It is said that 'the seven thunders uttered their voices' because the Lord's speech, fallen down into lower regions, is heard as thunder; and because He speaks at the same time throughout the whole heaven, thus fully, there are said to be 'seven thunders', for by 'seven' are signified all, all things, and the whole (n. 10, 391); and therefore also by 'thunder' is signified instruction and the perception of truth (n. 236), here also disclosure and manifestation. That a voice out of heaven is heard as thunder whenever it is from the Lord is plain from these [words]:-
Jesus said, Father glorify Thy Name, and there came forth a voice out of heaven and said, I have both glorified it and I will glorify it. The crowd heard this as thunder John xii 28-30.
God roars with His voice, He thunders with the voice of majesty Job xxxvii 4, 5.
Jehovah has thundered out of heaven, and the Most High has uttered His voice 2 Sam. xxii 14.
I heard a voice out of heaven as the voice of a great thunder Rev. xiv 2.
Thou calledst Me, and I answered thee in hidden thunder Ps. lxxxi 7 [H.B. 8].
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