878. 'And the sea was no more' signifies the external of the heaven composed of Christians since the first establishment of the Church likewise having been done away with, after those who were written in the Lord's book of life were taken out of it and saved. By 'the sea' is signified the external of heaven and the Church, in which are the simple who have thought naturally but little spiritually about the things of the Church. The heaven in which these are is called external, as may be seen (n. 238, 398 at the end, 403, 404, 466, 470, 659, 661). Here by 'the sea' is understood the external of the heaven composed of Christians since the first establishment of the Church. But the internal of the heaven of Christians was not fully formed by the Lord until some time before the last judgment, and also after it, as can be established from chaps. xiv and xv, where it is treated of, and from chap. xx vers. 4, 5. The expositions may be seen. The reason why it was not sooner was because the dragon and his two beasts were exercising dominion in the world of spirits and were burning with the lust of leading astray everyone they could, and therefore to gather the simple into any heaven was [attended with] risk. The separation of the good from the dragonists, and the damnation of the latter, and at length the casting down into hell, is treated of in many places, and lastly in chap. xix verse 20 and in chap. xx verse 10; and after this it is said that 'the sea gave up the dead in it' (verse 13), by which is understood the external and natural men of the Church called together to judgment, as may be seen above (n. 869), and those who were written in the Lord's book of life being taken out and saved then, this subject being treated of there. [2] This is 'the sea' that is understood here. It is also said elsewhere, in treating of the Christian New Heaven, that it extended to 'the sea of glass mingled with fire' (chap. xv 2). By this 'sea' also the external of the heaven [composed] of Christians is signified. Let the exposition be seen (n. 659-661). From these things it can be established that by 'the sea was no more is signified that the external of the heaven composed of Christians since the first establishment of the Church was likewise done away with, after those who were written in the Lord's book of life were taken out and saved. Concerning the external of the heaven composed of Christians since the first establishment of the Church it has been granted [me] to know many things, but there is not time to announce them here; only that the former heavens, which passed away at the day of the last judgment, were permitted for the sake of those who were in that external heaven or sea because they were conjoined by external means but not by internal, on which subject something may be seen above (n. 398). The reason why the heaven where the external men of the Church are is termed 'the sea' is because their dwelling-place in the spiritual world appears from afar off as if in the sea; for celestial angels, who are the angels of the highest heaven, dwell as it were in an ethereal atmosphere; spiritual angels, who are the angels of the middle heaven, dwell as it were in an airy atmosphere; and natural angels, who are the angels of the lowest heaven, dwell as it were in a watery atmosphere, which from afar off appears as the sea, as was said. This is why the external of heaven is understood by 'the sea' in many other places in the Word also.