1. After these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. 2. And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a great voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea. 3. Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads. 4. And I heard the number of them that were sealed; a hundred and forty and four thousand, sealed out of every tribe* of Israel. 5. Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. 6. Of the tribe of Asher were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Naphtali were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasseh were sealed twelve thousand. 7. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. 8. Of the tribe of Zebulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand. 9. After these things, I saw, and, behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of every nation, and tribes, and peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands. 10. And crying with a great voice, saying, Salvation to our God that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 11. And all the angels stood around the throne, and the elders, and the four animals, and fell before the throne on their faces, and adored God. 12. Saying, Amen; blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God, for ages of ages, Amen. 13. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, Who are these that are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 14. And I said unto him, Lord, thou knowest. And he said unto me, These are they that come out of great affliction, and have washed their robes, and made their robes white in the blood of the Lamb. 15. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple: and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. 16. They shall not hunger anymore, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun fall upon them, nor any heat. 17. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes. * The original Latin omits "of the sons."

THE SPIRITUAL SENSE

The contents of the whole chapter

In this chapter it treats of those who are and will be in the Christian heaven; and first of their separation from the evil (verses 1-3); after that, of those who are in love to the Lord and thereby in wisdom, of whom the higher heavens consist (verses 4-8); and of those who are in charity and its faith from the Lord, because they have fought against evils, of whom are the lower heavens (verses 9-17).

The contents of each verse

Verse 1. "After these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth," signifies the entire heaven now in the effort to execute the Last Judgment (n. 342). "Holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree," signifies a withholding and restraining by the Lord, of a nearer and thence more powerful influx into the lower parts, where the good were conjoined with the evil (n. 343). Verse 2. "And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun," signifies the Lord providing and regulating (n. 344). "Having the seal of the living God," signifies who alone knows all and each, and can distinguish and separate them one from another (n. 345). "And he cried with a great voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea (verse 3), saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees," signifies the presenting and withholding by the Lord of a nearer and stronger influx into the lower parts (n. 346). "Till we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads," signifies before they are separated who are in truths from good from the Lord (n. 347). Verse 4. "And I heard the number of them that were sealed, a hundred and forty and four thousand," signifies all who acknowledge the Lord as the God of heaven and earth, and are in truths of doctrine from the good of love, from Him through the Word (n. 348). "Sealed out of every tribe* of Israel" signifies the Lord's heaven and church composed of them (n. 349). Verse 5. "Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand," signifies celestial love, which is love to the Lord, and this with all who will be in the New Heaven and the New Church (n. 350). "Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand," signifies wisdom from celestial love, with them who will be there (n. 351). "Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand," signifies uses of life, which are of wisdom from that love, with those who will be there (n. 352). Verse 6. "Of the tribe of Asher were sealed twelve thousand," signifies mutual love with them (n. 353). "Of the tribe of Naphtali were sealed twelve thousand," signifies the perception of use, and what use is with them (n. 354). "Of the tribe of Manasseh were sealed twelve thousand" signifies the will of serving, and of action, with them (n. 355). Verse 7. "Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand," signifies spiritual love, which is love towards the neighbor, with them (n. 356). "Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand," signifies the affection of truth from good, from whence comes intelligence with them (n. 357). "Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand" signifies the good of life with them (n. 358). Verse 8. "Of the tribe of Zebulon were sealed twelve thousand," signifies the conjugial love of good and truth with them (n. 359). "Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand," signifies the doctrine of good and truth with them (n. 360). "Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand," signifies the life of truth from good according to doctrine with them (n. 361). Verse 9. "After this I saw and behold, a great multitude which no one could number," signifies all the rest who are not of those enumerated, and yet are in the New Heaven and New Church of the Lord, and who constitute the ultimate heaven and the external church, whose quality no one knows but the Lord alone (n. 363-364). "Of every nation, and tribes, and peoples, and tongues," signifies all in the Christian world, who are in religion from good, and in truths from doctrine (n. 365). "Standing before the throne and before the Lamb," signifies hearing the Lord and doing the things which He commands (n. 366). "Clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands," signifies communication and conjunction with the higher heavens, and confession from Divine truths (n. 367). Verse 10. "And crying with a great voice, saying, Salvation to our God that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb," signifies acknowledgment from the heart that the Lord is their Savior (n. 368). Verse 11. "And all the angels stood round about the throne, and the elders, and the four animals," signifies all in the whole heaven** (n. 369). Verse 12. "Saying, Amen" signifies Divine verity and confirmation therefrom (n. 371). "Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving," signifies the Divine spiritual things of the Lord (n. 372). "And honor, and power, and might," signifies the Divine celestial things of the Lord (n. 373). "Be unto our God for ages of ages," signifies these things in the Lord, and from the Lord to eternity (n. 374). "Amen," signifies the consent of all (n. 375). Verse 13. "And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, Who are these that are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?" Verse 14. "And I said unto him, Lord, thou knowest," signifies the desire of knowing and the will of interrogating, and the answer and information (n. 376). "And he said unto me, These are they that come out of great affliction," signifies that they are those who have been in temptations, and have fought against evils and falsities (n. 377). "And have washed their robes," signifies who have cleansed their religious principles from the evils of falsity (n. 378). "And made their robes white in the blood of the Lamb," signifies, and purified them from the falsities of evil by truths, and thus have been reformed by the Lord (n. 379). Verse 15. "Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple; and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them," signifies that they are in the presence of the Lord, and constantly and faithfully live according to the truths which they receive from Him in His church (n. 380). Verse 16. "They shall not hunger any more, neither thirst anymore" signifies that hereafter there shall be no lack of goods and truths with them (n. 381). "Neither shall the sun fall upon them, nor any heat," signifies that hereafter they shall have no lusts to evil nor to falsity of evil (n. 382). Verse 17. "For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them," signifies that the Lord alone will teach them (n. 383). "And shall lead them to living fountains of waters," signifies, and shall lead by truths of the Word to conjunction with Himself (n. 384). "And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes" signifies that they shall no longer be in combats against evils and their falsities, and thereby in grief, but in goods and truths, and thence in heavenly joys from the Lord. * The original Latin omits "of the sons." ** The original Latin omits "And they fell down before the throne upon their faces, and adored God." It is explained in the chapter (n. 370).

THE EXPLANATION

Verse 1. Afterwards I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, signifies the entire heaven now in the effort to execute the Last Judgment on those who were in the world of spirits. Many things now follow concerning the state of the spiritual world just before the Last Judgment, which no one could know but by revelation from the Lord. And since it has been granted me to see in what manner the Last Judgment was executed, and also the changes which preceded it, and the arrangements which followed; I am thereby enabled to relate the signification of all the particulars contained in this and the following chapters. [2] By "the four angels" is here signified the entire heaven; by "the four corners of the earth" is signified the entire world of spirits, which is in the midst between heaven and hell; for the Last Judgment was executed on those who were in the world of spirits, but not on anyone in heaven, nor anyone in hell. The reason why "the angels" signify heaven is because "an angel," in the highest sense, means the Lord as to the Divine Human (n. 344); and as heaven is heaven from the Lord, by "the angels" is also signified heaven. [3] "The four angels" here signify the entire heaven, because they were seen "standing on the four corners of the earth," and by the "four corners" are signified the four quarters. The reason why the above words signify the effort of the entire heaven to execute the Last Judgment is because the Lord, when the judgment was at hand, caused the heavens to draw near over the world of spirits, and by this approach of the heavens, such a change of state in the interiors of the minds of those who were below, was effected, that they saw nothing but terrors before their eyes. [4] That "corners" signify quarters, and thence "the four corners" all quarters, may appear from the following passages:

Ye shall measure without the city, the corner towards the east, the corner towards the south, the corner towards the west, and the corner towards the north (Num. 35:5). Thou shalt make the boards for the habitation for the corner of the south, and for the corner of the north (Exod. 26:18, 20, 23). And a court for the corner of the south, for the corner of the north, for the corner of the west, and for the corner of the east (Exod. 27:9, 11-13). The four quarters are also called "the four corners" frequently in Ezekiel, as in chapter 47:8-20; 48. [5] Because "corners" signify quarters, therefore they also signify all things, as all things relating to heaven or hell, or of good or truth, as is plain from these passages:

Satan shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth (Rev. 20:8). I have cut off the nations, and their corners are devastated (Zeph. 3:6). Israel was gathered together as one man, and the corners of all the people stood up (Judg. 20:1-2). A scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall break in pieces the corners of Moab (Num. 24:17). A day of trumpet and alarm and upon the high corners (Zeph. 1:16). I will cast them out into the farthest corners (Deut. 32:26). [6] That "a corner" signifies the ultimate which sustains things higher, as the foundation does a house, and thus also all things, appears from these passages:

He will found in Zion a cornerstone, a precious established foundation (Isa. 28:16). And they shall not take of that stone for a corner (Jer. 51:26). From Judah shall be a cornerstone (Zech. 10:4). The stone which they rejected is become the head of the corner (Ps. 118:22; Matt. 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17-18).