Apocalypse Explained (Whitehead) n. 856

Previous Number Next Number Next Translation See Latin 

856. And I heard a voice of harpers harping on their harps, signifies glorification of the Lord from His spiritual kingdom. This is evident from the signification of "voice," as being glorification of the Lord, as above; also from the signification of "harpers harping with their harps," as being the affections of those who are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom; for the affections of such also are heard as sounds, but as the sounds of stringed instruments; for sounds from stringed instruments correspond to truths from good, or intellectual things in which are the angels of the Lord's spiritual kingdom; but sounds from wind instruments correspond to goods, in which are the angels of the Lord's celestial kingdom. (That these are correspondences see above, n. 323, 326; and that "harps" signify confessions from spiritual truths, and "psalteries" confessions from goods, n. 323.) Now because the heavens are divided into two kingdoms, namely, into the celestial kingdom, in which are the angels that are in the good of love, and into the spiritual kingdom, in which are the angels that are in the truths from that good, it is said that "the voice from heaven was heard as the voice of a great thunder, and as the voice of harpers harping with their harps," by which is signified the glorification of the Lord from the celestial kingdom, that is, from the good of love, and His glorification from the spiritual kingdom, thus from truths from that good.


This page is part of the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

© 2000-2001 The Academy of the New Church