to it; that they are not blessed who only read, hear, and keep or retain in the memory the things which were seen by John, is clear, see below, n. 944. The reason why prophet signifies the doctrine of the church derived from the Word, and prophecy the same, is, because the Word was written by prophets, and in heaven a person is regarded according to that which belongs to his function and office; according to this, also, is every man, spirit, and angel, named in heaven; wherefore, when the word prophet is used, his function being to write and teach the Word, the Word is understood as to doctrine, or doctrine derived from the Word. Hence it is, that the Lord, being the Word itself, was called a prophet, Deut. xviii. 15-20, Matt. xiii. 57, chap. xxi. 1, Luke xiii. 33. To show, that by prophet is meant doctrine of the church derived from the Word, some passages shall be adduced, from which this may be collected. In Matthew: "In the consummation of the age many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many. There shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect," xxiv. 11, 24: the consummation of the age is the last time of the church, which is at hand, when there are not false prophets, but false principles of doctrine. In the same: "He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, shall receive a righteous man's reward," x. 41: to receive a prophet in the name of a prophet, is to receive the doctrine of truth because it is true; and to receive a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, is to receive good for the sake of good; and to receive a reward, is to be saved according to reception: it is evident that no one receives a reward, or is saved, because he receives a prophet and a righteous man in the name of such. Those words cannot be understood by any one, without knowing what a prophet and a righteous man signify; neither can the following: "That whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, shall in no wise lose his reward;" by disciple is understood charity, and at the same time faith

from the Lord. In Joel: "I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy," chap. ii. 28: speaking of the church which was to be established by the Lord, in which they would not prophesy, but receive doctrine, which is to prophesy. In Matthew: "Jesus said, Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? but then will I profess unto them, I never knew you, depart from me ye that work iniquity," chap. vii. 22, 23: who does not see, that they would not say that they have prophesied, but that they knew the doctrine of the church, and taught it. In the Apocalypse: "The time is come that the dead should be judged, and that_thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets," chap. xi. 18 and in another place: "Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets, for God hath avenged you on her," chap. xviii. 20: that a reward would not be given to the prophets alone, and that the apostles and prophets would not alone rejoice at the last judgment, is evident; but all who have received truths of doctrine, and have lived according to them; these, therefore, are understood by apostles and prophets. So in Moses: "Jehovah said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh, and Aaron thy brother, shall be thy prophet," Exod. vii. 1: by God is understood divine truth as to reception from the Lord, in which sense the angels are also called gods, and by prophet is understood one who teaches and utters it, therefore Aaron is here called a prophet. The same is signified by prophet in other places, as in the following: "The law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet," Jerem. xviii. 18. "From the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land," Jerem. xxiii. 15. "The prophets shall become wind, and the Word is not in them," Jerem. v. 13. "The priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they stumble in judgment," Isaiah xxviii. 7. "The sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them," Micah iii. 6. "From the

prophet even unto the priest, every one dealeth falsely," Jerem. viii. 10 in these passages, by prophets and priests, in the spiritual sense, are not meant prophets and priests, but the universal church; by prophets, the church as to truth of doctrine, and by priests, the church as to good of life, both which were destroyed: these things are so understood by the angels in heaven; while, by men in the world, they are understood according to the sense of the letter. That the prophets represented the state of the church as to doctrine, and that the Lord represented it as to the Word itself, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Lord,

n. 15—17.

9. "For the time is at hand," signifies, that the state of the church is such, that it cannot endure any longer, so as to be in conjunction with the Lord. There are two essentials by which conjunction with the Lord, and thence salvation is effected, the acknowledgment of one God, and repentance of life; but at this day, instead of the acknowledgment of one God, there is an acknowledgment of three, and instead of repentance of life, there is only an oral confession of sin; and by these two there is not any conjunction: unless, therefore, a new church should arise, which acknowledges these two essentials, and lives accordingly, no one can be saved; on account of this danger the time is shortened by the Lord, according to his own words in Matthew: "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be; and except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved," xxiv. 21, 22. That nearness of time, or its being at hand, is not understood, may be seen below, n. 947.

10. "John to the seven churches," signifies to all who are in the Christian world where the Word is, and by it the Lord is known, and who accede to the church. By the seven churches are not to be understood seven churches, but all who are of the church in the Christian world; for numbers, in the Word, signify things, and seven, all things and all, and thence, also, what is full and per

fect, and it occurs in the Word, where any thing holy is treated of, and, in an opposite sense, where it treats of any thing profane ;-consequently this number involves what is holy, and, in an opposite sense, what is profane. The reason why numbers signify things, or rather resemble certain adjectives to substantives denoting some quality in things, is, because number is, in itself, natural; for natural things are determined by numbers, but spiritual things by things and their states: therefore, he who is ignorant of the signification of numbers in the Word, and especially in the Apocalypse, must be ignorant of many arcana which are contained therein. Now, since seven signifies all things and every thing, it may appear that by seven churches are meant all who are in the Christian world where the Word is, and where, consequently, the Lord is known these, if they live according to the Lord's precepts in the Word, constitute the true church. For this reason the sabbath was instituted on the seventh day, and the seventh year was called the sabbatarian year; and the seven times seventh year the jubilee, by which was signified every thing holy in the church for this cause, also, a week, in Daniel, and elsewhere, signifies an entire period, from beginning to end, and is predicated of the church. The same is signified by seven in the following passages: as, By the seven golden candlesticks, in the midst of which was one like unto the Son of Man, Apoc. i. 13. By the seven stars in his right band, Apoc. i. 16, 20. By the seven spirits of God, Apoc. i. 4: iv. 5. By the seven lamps of fire, Apoc. iv. 5. By the seven angels, to whom were given seven trumpets, Apoc. viii. 2. By the seven angels having the seven last plagues, Apoc. xv. 5, 6. By the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, Apoc. xvi. 1: xxi. 9. By the seven seals with which the book was sealed, Apoc. v. 1. In like manner in the following places: That their hands should be filled seven days, Exod. xxix. 35. That they should be sanctified seven days, Exod. xxix. 37. That when they were consecrated they should go clothed in the holy garments seven days, Exod. xxix. 30. That they were not to go out of the door of the tabernacle seven days, when they

were initiated into the priesthood, Levit. viii. 33, 34. That an atonement was to be made seven times upon the horns of the altar, Levit. xvi. 18, 19. That the altar was to be sanctified with oil seven times, Levit. viii. 11. That the blood was to be sprinkled seven times before the vail, Levit. iv. 16, 17. And also seven times towards the east, Levit. xvi. 12-15. That the water of separation was to be sprinkled seven times towards the tabernacle, Numbers xix. 4. That the passover was celebrated seven days; and unleavened bread was eaten seven days, Exod. xii. 15: Deut. xvi. 4—7. In like manner, that the Jews were to be punished seven times more for their sins, Levit. xxvi. 18, 21, 24, 28. Wherefore David saith, Render unto our neighbor sevenfold into their bosom, Psalm lxxix. 12. Sevenfold is fully. Likewise in these places: "The words of Jehovah are pure words, as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times, Psalm xii. 6. "The hungry

ceased, so that the barren hath borne seven, and she that hath many children is waxed feeble," 1 Sam. ii. 5. The barren is the church of the Gentiles, who had not the Word; she that had many children is the church of the Jews, who had the Word. "She that hath borne seven languisheth, she hath given up the ghost," Jerem. xv. 9. In like manner : 66 They that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth and set on fire and burn the weapons, and they shall burn them with fire seven years: they shall bury Gog, and seven months shall they be cleansing the land," Ezek. xxxix. 9, 12. "The unclean spirit will take with him seven spirits more wicked than himself," Matt. xii. 45. Profanation is here described, and by the seven spirits with which he would return, are signified all falses of evil; thus a plenary or total extinction of goodness and truth. By the seven heads of the dragon, and the seven crowns upon his head, Apoc. xii. 3, is signified, the profanation of all goodness and truth. It is evident, from what has been said, that seven involves what is holy or profane, and signifies all things and fullness.

11. "Which are in Asia," signifies, to those who are in the light of truth from the Word. Since, by all the