661. 'Standing beside the sea of glass having harps of God' signifies the Christian heaven at its boundaries, and the faith of charity with those who are there. Since by 'the sea of glass' is signified a gathering of those who indeed have religion and worship, but no good of life (n. 659), therefore by those who were seen to stand beside that sea is signified the Christian heaven at its boundaries, [consisting of] those who had religion, worship, and good of life, because they had victory over the beast and over his image. The higher Christian heaven was treated of in the preceding chapter. Those out of whom that heaven [is formed] are understood by 'the hundred and forty-four thousand' who were seen to stand with the Lamb upon Mount Zion, of whom n. 612-625 treat. By 'harps' is signified a confession of the Lord out of spiritual truths (n. 276, 616). [2] Spiritual truths are of faith derived from charity. Their being seen to have harps and heard to sing the song, as it follows on, was a representative of a confession out of the faith of charity. The affections of the thoughts and the resulting sounds of the words of the angels of heaven are heard variously below in the spiritual world, either like the sound of waters or the sound of thunderings, as above (chap. xiv 2); or like the sound of trumpets, as above (chap. iv 1); or as here, like the sound of harps, as also above (chap. v 8; xiv 2). But yet there are not waters that sound, nor thunders that thunder, nor trumpets and harps that sound, nor indeed are there songs; but the conversations of the angels and their confessions in accordance with their affections and consequent thoughts are so heard below, and out of them it is perceived what their love and wisdom are like. That such things are heard, results from the correspondence of affection with sound, and of thought in speech.