1195. Verses 1-3. After these things I heard as it were a voice of a great multitude in heaven saying, Alleluia, salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God. For true and just are His judgments, for He hath judged the great harlot that corrupted the earth with her whoredom, and He hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand. And a second time they said, Alleluia, and her smoke shall go up unto the ages of the ages. (1) "After these things I heard as it were a voice of a great multitude in heaven" signifies the joy and gladness of the angels of the higher heavens because of the condemnation and casting out of those signified by "Babylon" and by "the beasts of the dragon," and because of the light of Divine truth that will consequently arise for the sake of the New Church that is to be established by the Lord (n. 1196); "Saying, Alleluia," signifies glorification of the Lord (n. 1197); "salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God" signifies because eternal life is from the Lord through the Divine truth and the Divine good from His Divine omnipotence (n. 1198). (2) "For true and just are His judgments" signifies that the laws of the Divine providence and the works of the Lord are of the Divine wisdom and the Divine love (n. 1199); "for He hath judged the great harlot" signifies judgment upon those who have transferred to themselves dominion over the church and over heaven (n. 1200); "that corrupted the earth with her whoredom" signifies by whom all the truths of the church have been falsified, and all its goods adulterated (n. 1201); "and He hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand" signifies the deliverance of those that are in Divine truths from the Lord by the casting out of the Babylonians (n. 1202). (3) "And a second time they said, Alleluia," signifies the joy and gladness of the angels of the lower heavens (n. 1203); "and her smoke shall go up unto the ages of the ages" signifies that the falsity of evil that pertains to such is forever condemned to hell (n. 1204).