The Announcement of the Lord's Coming Concerning the New Church
A Doctrinal Study
Revealing the Establishment of the Lord's New Church on earth
By Rev. Paul Booth
Revelation 19: 5-10 | Apocalypse Revealed § 809-819
Part 2
A Doctrinal Study
Revealing the Establishment of the Lord's New Church on earth
By Rev. Paul Booth
Revelation 19: 5-10 | Apocalypse Revealed § 809-819
Part 2
Verse six is next. We read,
"And I heard as it were the voice of a great crowd, and as it were the voice of many waters, and as it were the voice of powerful thunders saying, Hallelujah, for the Lord God Almighty reigns" (verse 6).
Of course, one understands, here, there is joy on the part of all Heaven, both the lowest to the highest. Here, the perception is one of joy and worship, of confession, and celebration of the Lord's victory, for in the next verse this is shown. By 'hallelujah' in Hebrew is meant 'Praise God'.
There are three degrees of Heaven - the lowest, the middle, and the highest. These can be understood as the Natural, Spiritual, and the Celestial, for these are the three degrees of man's mind. Now, most, who come into the world of spirits, have not known genuine truths, some because their Church did not have and teach such truths, and some may have not, even, been associated with the Church when they lived on earth. Yet, if they lived a good life according to their religion they come into Heaven, for it is not their fault they do not know genuine truths. They, of course, can know apparent truths as has been taught to them through the natural sense of the Word of their religion. Now, since we are speaking of those who came to Heaven after the Lord had came on earth and before the Lord's second coming, they then, have come out of 'great tribulation' as can be read in Revelation 7, verse 14, and thus, out of temptations. "And, I (John) said unto him, Sir, you know. And, he (the angel) said, These are they (those who had died) which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." However, the temptations they underwent were not in this but in the next world - the spiritual world. This is because they died with falsities they had learned while in this world, but only because they could not understand the spiritual sense of the Word unless it was taught. And, to enter Heaven one must not have any falsities, but genuine truths, thus they entered the world of spirits and there waited until the Lord came either to reward them for their faithfulness or to judge them for their evil doings. So, it is that these falsities were dissipated and genuine truths implanted in there place within those who followed the Lord when the He came, for as He has said that they would then know Him. Even Paul taught that then, that is, in spiritual world, those who followed Him would know the Lord, not as they see Him in this world now, but then when face to face 'as it were'. They had already lived a good life on earth according to their religion and were therefore not condemned. One can understand that they had loved to know the truth when they lived on earth, so that when they came into the world of spirits they could easily receive spiritual or genuine truths, and they could see that the Lord, who came to earth, was there sitting on the throne and who reigns was their God.
It is the angels in the lowest Heaven that are meant by the 'voice of a great crowd (or a multitude) that was heard. These are they who were in the lowest Heaven and who had lived a good life according to their religion, though it had not been true doctrine, whose joy was heard by John. It is the 'voice of many waters' that is heard 'as it were' that is from the middle Heaven. One understands that the word 'water' in the Word signifies truth, so, here, the angels have truths in abundance and, so, are in intelligence. Those angels in the lowest Heaven are in spiritual knowledge. Now, 'a voice out of Heaven' is from the Lord through Heaven, for it is His truth and His love that is within angels according to their reception. You can understand, now, that those in the middle Heaven have more truths than those of the lowest, and that angels have such truth from the Lord who is the Divine Truth while those in the highest have wisdom. It is known on earth that those who have more knowledge than others that they are said to be intelligent and learned, however, unless they are in spiritual knowledge they are not truly intelligent. The angels of the middle Heaven are truly in intelligence, for they know spiritual or genuine truths. Here, we are speaking of spiritual and Heavenly things, not of natural or sensual things, so the knowledge they have so abundantly is spiritual and not natural. These are the spiritual angels and it is this intelligence that leads one to wisdom.
It is the 'voice of powerful (or mighty) thunders' that signify the joy of the celestial or highest angels. It is also from the New Testament that we learn that a 'voice from Heaven' sounds as thunder. "Father, glorify Your Name. Then came a voice from Heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. And the people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered; others said, An angel spoke to Him" (John 12: 28, 29). That it is said 'powerful' is because the Lord alone has all power, for all power is of Divine good by means of Divine truth. Therefore, in the third Heaven the angels live in love from the Lord and not according to truths as do angels of the middle Heaven. The angels of the highest Heaven do good from love while angels of the middle Heaven do good from the faith they have. Those of the lowest Heaven are good spirits and who live a good life according to what truths that were implanted in them. That voice of 'powerful thunders' was perceived as 'hallelujah', which we learned was to praise God and that in praising God is their joy of worship, confession, and celebration of the Lord who reigns.
The Lord had said that there were mansions in Heaven for His Church, that is, for those who follow Him, for He is Almighty or all powerful as said, and He has defeated the evils and falsities in both the natural world and the spiritual world, were they were judged and subjugated in hell. Thus, there is Only One Lord that reigns in Heaven and in the entire spiritual world, since the evils, now, have been subjugated in hell. These things are said of the New Church that was to be set up in Heaven at His coming again and is confirmed in the following three verses of our text in their internal or spiritual sense.
Further reading verse 7 - "Let us rejoice and exult and give glory to Him, for the Lamb's wedding has come, and His wife has made herself ready."
Here, in this verse is meant the joy of one's soul and heart, because the glorification of the Lord is recognized. The exultation is the 'glory' they give to Him. It is said and believed that man has a soul and a heart. Though, of course, it is not meant the person's natural physical heart, but his will or his love. By the soul of a man is meant his life that the Lord gives him and that from which he lives. So, it is that what is of the Lord within man that is here meant the soul. There are two qualities of the Lord that when within man, that the man can rejoice and exult and give glory to the Lord, for he has, then, come to understand that the Lord is within him as one Lord. One quality is of the understanding and the other is of the will. It can be understood, here, that what is meant is the mind of a man and that these two - the will and the understanding of the mind - makes man a man when the Lord is in them and, thus, when truth and good are in man. If the Lord is within them, the man, then, has a new will and understanding from the Lord and this is what Paul calls the new man. One sees, here, that the soul 'rejoices' or is joyful when the man understands by reason of the truths of his faith when together with the joy of his heart, that is, of his will. His 'heart' or will is by reason of the goods of love, which is love to the Lord and which flows from the man's will in reciprocation of that love from the Lord to the Lord. What is understood, here, is the presence of the Lord in the rational of man. Thus, in the degree that those in Heaven have the Lord's presence within, in their will and understanding, it is from where one has joy and gives exultations to the Lord.
These two facilities - the will and the understanding - together in man in a rational from the Lord are as a marriage of good and truth in him, for, the Divine Good and the Divine Truth of the Word are one's life from the Lord. What pertains to good in the Word also pertains to truth and, they are one 'as if' in a marriage of one woman with one man and one man with one woman, from which there spiritually comes productions of goods and truth or naturally of off-springs - male and female - which spiritually are meant the understanding and willing. That marriage is seen as the Lord and His Church. Therefore, not only are - good and truth - in a marriage in the Word, but it is in the Lord, who is the Word manifested to man that man can learn and be lead and become made in an image and after His likeness, that is, in faith and love.
When these two - truth and good - are together as one quality in man, then it is that the man truly gives glory to the Lord. For, unless they are conjoined the man thinks the truths he learns and goods are his and what he does are means to enhance him self and are for his own gain and this because of his love of self and, so, he believes that the life he has is his own.
"And I heard as it were the voice of a great crowd, and as it were the voice of many waters, and as it were the voice of powerful thunders saying, Hallelujah, for the Lord God Almighty reigns" (verse 6).
Of course, one understands, here, there is joy on the part of all Heaven, both the lowest to the highest. Here, the perception is one of joy and worship, of confession, and celebration of the Lord's victory, for in the next verse this is shown. By 'hallelujah' in Hebrew is meant 'Praise God'.
There are three degrees of Heaven - the lowest, the middle, and the highest. These can be understood as the Natural, Spiritual, and the Celestial, for these are the three degrees of man's mind. Now, most, who come into the world of spirits, have not known genuine truths, some because their Church did not have and teach such truths, and some may have not, even, been associated with the Church when they lived on earth. Yet, if they lived a good life according to their religion they come into Heaven, for it is not their fault they do not know genuine truths. They, of course, can know apparent truths as has been taught to them through the natural sense of the Word of their religion. Now, since we are speaking of those who came to Heaven after the Lord had came on earth and before the Lord's second coming, they then, have come out of 'great tribulation' as can be read in Revelation 7, verse 14, and thus, out of temptations. "And, I (John) said unto him, Sir, you know. And, he (the angel) said, These are they (those who had died) which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." However, the temptations they underwent were not in this but in the next world - the spiritual world. This is because they died with falsities they had learned while in this world, but only because they could not understand the spiritual sense of the Word unless it was taught. And, to enter Heaven one must not have any falsities, but genuine truths, thus they entered the world of spirits and there waited until the Lord came either to reward them for their faithfulness or to judge them for their evil doings. So, it is that these falsities were dissipated and genuine truths implanted in there place within those who followed the Lord when the He came, for as He has said that they would then know Him. Even Paul taught that then, that is, in spiritual world, those who followed Him would know the Lord, not as they see Him in this world now, but then when face to face 'as it were'. They had already lived a good life on earth according to their religion and were therefore not condemned. One can understand that they had loved to know the truth when they lived on earth, so that when they came into the world of spirits they could easily receive spiritual or genuine truths, and they could see that the Lord, who came to earth, was there sitting on the throne and who reigns was their God.
It is the angels in the lowest Heaven that are meant by the 'voice of a great crowd (or a multitude) that was heard. These are they who were in the lowest Heaven and who had lived a good life according to their religion, though it had not been true doctrine, whose joy was heard by John. It is the 'voice of many waters' that is heard 'as it were' that is from the middle Heaven. One understands that the word 'water' in the Word signifies truth, so, here, the angels have truths in abundance and, so, are in intelligence. Those angels in the lowest Heaven are in spiritual knowledge. Now, 'a voice out of Heaven' is from the Lord through Heaven, for it is His truth and His love that is within angels according to their reception. You can understand, now, that those in the middle Heaven have more truths than those of the lowest, and that angels have such truth from the Lord who is the Divine Truth while those in the highest have wisdom. It is known on earth that those who have more knowledge than others that they are said to be intelligent and learned, however, unless they are in spiritual knowledge they are not truly intelligent. The angels of the middle Heaven are truly in intelligence, for they know spiritual or genuine truths. Here, we are speaking of spiritual and Heavenly things, not of natural or sensual things, so the knowledge they have so abundantly is spiritual and not natural. These are the spiritual angels and it is this intelligence that leads one to wisdom.
It is the 'voice of powerful (or mighty) thunders' that signify the joy of the celestial or highest angels. It is also from the New Testament that we learn that a 'voice from Heaven' sounds as thunder. "Father, glorify Your Name. Then came a voice from Heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. And the people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered; others said, An angel spoke to Him" (John 12: 28, 29). That it is said 'powerful' is because the Lord alone has all power, for all power is of Divine good by means of Divine truth. Therefore, in the third Heaven the angels live in love from the Lord and not according to truths as do angels of the middle Heaven. The angels of the highest Heaven do good from love while angels of the middle Heaven do good from the faith they have. Those of the lowest Heaven are good spirits and who live a good life according to what truths that were implanted in them. That voice of 'powerful thunders' was perceived as 'hallelujah', which we learned was to praise God and that in praising God is their joy of worship, confession, and celebration of the Lord who reigns.
The Lord had said that there were mansions in Heaven for His Church, that is, for those who follow Him, for He is Almighty or all powerful as said, and He has defeated the evils and falsities in both the natural world and the spiritual world, were they were judged and subjugated in hell. Thus, there is Only One Lord that reigns in Heaven and in the entire spiritual world, since the evils, now, have been subjugated in hell. These things are said of the New Church that was to be set up in Heaven at His coming again and is confirmed in the following three verses of our text in their internal or spiritual sense.
Further reading verse 7 - "Let us rejoice and exult and give glory to Him, for the Lamb's wedding has come, and His wife has made herself ready."
Here, in this verse is meant the joy of one's soul and heart, because the glorification of the Lord is recognized. The exultation is the 'glory' they give to Him. It is said and believed that man has a soul and a heart. Though, of course, it is not meant the person's natural physical heart, but his will or his love. By the soul of a man is meant his life that the Lord gives him and that from which he lives. So, it is that what is of the Lord within man that is here meant the soul. There are two qualities of the Lord that when within man, that the man can rejoice and exult and give glory to the Lord, for he has, then, come to understand that the Lord is within him as one Lord. One quality is of the understanding and the other is of the will. It can be understood, here, that what is meant is the mind of a man and that these two - the will and the understanding of the mind - makes man a man when the Lord is in them and, thus, when truth and good are in man. If the Lord is within them, the man, then, has a new will and understanding from the Lord and this is what Paul calls the new man. One sees, here, that the soul 'rejoices' or is joyful when the man understands by reason of the truths of his faith when together with the joy of his heart, that is, of his will. His 'heart' or will is by reason of the goods of love, which is love to the Lord and which flows from the man's will in reciprocation of that love from the Lord to the Lord. What is understood, here, is the presence of the Lord in the rational of man. Thus, in the degree that those in Heaven have the Lord's presence within, in their will and understanding, it is from where one has joy and gives exultations to the Lord.
These two facilities - the will and the understanding - together in man in a rational from the Lord are as a marriage of good and truth in him, for, the Divine Good and the Divine Truth of the Word are one's life from the Lord. What pertains to good in the Word also pertains to truth and, they are one 'as if' in a marriage of one woman with one man and one man with one woman, from which there spiritually comes productions of goods and truth or naturally of off-springs - male and female - which spiritually are meant the understanding and willing. That marriage is seen as the Lord and His Church. Therefore, not only are - good and truth - in a marriage in the Word, but it is in the Lord, who is the Word manifested to man that man can learn and be lead and become made in an image and after His likeness, that is, in faith and love.
When these two - truth and good - are together as one quality in man, then it is that the man truly gives glory to the Lord. For, unless they are conjoined the man thinks the truths he learns and goods are his and what he does are means to enhance him self and are for his own gain and this because of his love of self and, so, he believes that the life he has is his own.