519. [verse 15] 'And the seventh angel sounded' signifies the examination and making manifest of the state of the Church after the consummation, when there is the coming of the Lord and His kingdom. By 'to sound with a trumpet' is signified to examine and make manifest the state of the Church after its consummation, when there is the coming of the Lord and His kingdom. This is because that is signified by 'the seventh angel' sounding; for by the six angels and their trumpets sounding were signified the examinations and manifestations of the state of the consummated Church, as is plain from the preceding chapter, where it treats solely of its consummation. But that now it treats of its state after the consummation, which is the coming of the Lord and His kingdom, is plain by virtue of the things that follow in this verse and afterwards. In this verse:-
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, and He shall reign for ages of ages, seq.
The reason why this making manifest is effected by means of the sounding of the seventh angel is because 'seven' signify the same as a week, and six days thereof are days of labour and of man's proprium, and the seventh is holy and the Lord's. That by the 'consummation' is understood the devastation of the Church when there is no longer what is true of doctrine and what is good of life there, thus when there is the end thereof, may be seen (n. 658, 750); and because then is the coming of the Lord and His kingdom, therefore both 'the consummation of the age' and 'the coming of the Lord' are mentioned (Matt. xxiv 3), and there is also a prediction of both in that chapter.
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