473. [verse 4] 'And when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was going to write, and I heard a voice out of heaven saying unto me, Seal up the things that the seven thunders have uttered, and write them not' signifies that these things are indeed made manifest, but that they are not received until after those who are understood by the dragon, the beast and the false prophet have been cast out of the world of spirits, because of the danger if [they were received] before. The 'voices' that the seven thunders uttered are the things of which [we have written] just above (n. 472), and these [thunderings] are mentioned three times because they are the very essentials of the New Church. By 'to write' in the natural sense is signified to commit to paper, and thus to posterity in recorded form, but in the spiritual sense by 'to write' is signified to commit to the heart for reception. Consequently by 'to seal up' and 'to write them not' is signified that they are not committed to the heart and received until after the dragon, the beast and the false prophet have been cast out of the world of spirits, because of the danger if [they were received] before. This is because by 'the dragon, the beast and the false prophet' are signified those who are in a faith separated from charity, and these constantly and tenaciously cling to their faith that God the Father is to be approached and not the Lord directly, also that the Lord is not the God of heaven and earth as to His Human. Therefore, if the Doctrine mentioned just above (n. 472), which has been and is still being made manifest-and this is signified by the little book's having been 'opened'-were received by others than those who are in charity and the faith thereof, who indeed are those who are signified by 'John' (n. 5, 17), before the dragon has been cast out, it would be rejected not only by them but also through them by the rest; and if not rejected, it would still be falsified, even profaned. [2] That this is the case is quite plain from the things now following in the Apocalypse seen in a series. These are:-
That they killed the Lord's two witnesses chap. xl.
That the dragon stood close by the woman going to bring forth so that he might devour her offspring, and after he had fought with Michael he kept on pursuing the woman chap. xii.
And that the two beasts, the one coming up out of the sea and the other out of the land, made one with him chap. xiii.
Then that he gathered his followers together for battle at the place termed Armageddon chap. xvi.
And finally that they assembled the nations, Gog and Magog, to battle chap. xx 8, 9.
But that the dragon, the beast and the false prophet were cast into the lake of fire and sulphur chap. xx 10.
And when this had been done, the New Church, which is going to be the Lamb's wife, came down out of heaven chaps. xxi, xxii.
These are the things that are understood by the words 'Seal up the things that the seven thunders have uttered, and write them not'; also by these in this chapter:-
In the days of the voice of the seventh angel the mystery of God shall be accomplished as He has proclaimed to His servants the prophets verse 7;
as also by these in the following chapter:-
And the seventh angel sounded, and great voices were produced in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of the world have become our Lord's and His Christ's verse 15;
as well as by many similar statements in the chapters that follow. Something on this subject may be seen in THE DOCTRINE or THE NEW JERUSALEM CONCERNING THE LORD (n. 61).
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