670. [verse 6] 'And the seven angels having the seven plagues went out of the temple' signifies the preparation by the Lord for an influx out of the inmost of heaven into the Church, so that its evils and untruths might be completely disclosed, and thus the evil be separated from the good. That by 'the seven angels' is understood the Lord may be seen above (n. 657); that by 'the seven plagues' are signified all evils and untruths completely understood, also above (n. 657). By 'the temple' here is understood the inmost of heaven, where the Word is and the Decalogue, as just above (n. 669). By 'went out of the temple' is signified preparation for influx, because they went out so that after they took the phials they might cast the plagues in the phials into the land, into the sea, into rivers and fountains, into the sun, upon the throne of the beast, and into the air, by which is signified an influx into the Church so that its evils and untruths might be discovered. That this is for the sake of their separation from the good will be seen in the following chapter.