1097. Saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, signifies that the Last Judgment has been effected upon those who have profaned the holy things of heaven and the church by the dominion they have assumed over them. This is evident from the signification of "Fallen, fallen," as being utter overthrow and downfall, thus the Last Judgment, for through the Last Judgment utter overthrow and downfall are effected, since such then are cast into hell. Also from the signification of "Babylon," as being those who have profaned the holy things of heaven and the church by the dominion they have assumed over them; for by "Babylon" the same is meant as by "the harlot sitting on the scarlet beast," and the same as by "the mother of whoredoms and of the abominations of the earth" in the preceding chapter, which mean those who have profaned the holy things of the church. These and the profanations wrought by them are treated of in that chapter.
(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)
[2] Thought about one God opens heaven to man, since there is but one God, while on the other hand thought about many gods closes heaven, since the idea of many gods destroys the idea of one God. Thought about the true God opens heaven, since heaven and everything belonging to it is from the true God, while on the other hand thought about a false God closes heaven, since no other than the true God is acknowledged in heaven. Thought about God the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Enlightener opens heaven, for this is the trinity of the one and true God. Again, thought about God infinite, eternal, uncreate, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient opens heaven, for these are attributes of the essence of the one and true God, while on the other hand thought about a living man as God, of a dead man as God, or of an idol as God closes heaven, because they are not omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, uncreate, eternal, and infinite, nor was creation or redemption wrought by them, nor is there enlightenment by them. [3] Thought about God as Man, in whom is the Divine trinity, that is, the trinity called the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, alone opens heaven; while on the other hand thought about God as not Man, which idea is presented in appearance as a little cloud, or as nature in her least parts, closes heaven, for God is Man, as the whole angelic heaven in its complex is Man, and every angel and every spirit is in consequence a man. For this reason thought about the Lord as being the God of the universe is what alone opens heaven, for the Lord says:
The Father hath given all things into the hand of the Son (John 3:35). The Father hath given the Son power over all flesh (John 17:2). All things have been delivered to Me by the Father (Matt. 11:27). All authority hath been given unto Me in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18). [4] All this makes clear that man without such an idea of God as exists in heaven cannot be saved. The idea of God in heaven is the Lord, for the angels of heaven are in the Lord and the Lord is in them; consequently to think of any other God than the Lord is to them impossible (see John 14:20, 21). Allow me to add that the idea of God as Man has been implanted from heaven in every nation throughout the whole world, but what I lament, it has been destroyed in Christendom. The causes of this will be told below.
This page is part of 
© 2000-2001 The Academy of the New Church